I have been looking high and low for a facial scrub that doesn’t feel like i just rubbed sandpaper all over my face. And I finally found it.

This is another Mario Badescu product (what can I say? Mario knows what he’s doing!) that works, smells great, and is affordable! Now we can all get the perfect skin without feeling like we’re scratching off our faces in the process.

Here are some of the most well-known college kid characteristics and how you can change them to better our earth:

We are constantly glued to our laptops. And no matter whether you’re Facebooking or researching the native crops of Haiti, you’re still using lots of energy.  Now I’m not stupid – I wouldn’t dare suggest that you cut down your Skype time just to save the Earth.  Really all you have to do is cut down your energy usage when you’re not actually on the computer (i.e. sleeping or boozing).  How do you do this?  Unplug your electronics!  Computers practically use as much energy when they’re in standby mode as they do when they’re actually in use.  So if you’re leaving the room for a good amount of time, turn off your computer and unplug all of the plugs in your outlet if possible.

We are messy and we have our clothes to prove it. I don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to eat or drink anything without staining whatever I’m wearing.  This is especially tragic when you happen to be wearing one of those “dry clean only” numbers, which of course, are always the cutest.  But don’t run off and spend last night’s tips on pricey dry cleaning before you try some other easier, cheaper, and more eco-friendly tactics.  Believe it or not, some “dry clean only” garments (such as silk and wool) can actually be hand washed with cold water.   Of course, give it a test run before you wash and potentially ruin your favorite silk dress.  If that doesn’t work, seek out “wet cleaning” or “green dry cleaning” locations by searching at GreenEarth Cleaning’s website.

We pull all nighters to finish those last minute term papers. But don’t make the environment suffer alongside you!  Use your paper wisely – double side it (you can change the feature on your printer) for drafts and even for your final paper.  Most professors don’t really care whether your paper is one or double sided.  You can save even more paper, ink, and moolah by simply reading over your paper carefully before you print it out.  I’m sorry, but printing out a paper 50 times just because you keep forgetting to use spell-check is just ridic.

We fund America’s red cup industry. I will bet that 9 out of every 10 parties you attend you can be found with a red cup in your hand.  However, using a different red cup with every drink can be pretty wasteful.  What’s more, you never really know where those cups have been before they reach your lips.  I don’t know about you, but I’m not really down to catch the Swine.  Solve all these problems before they start by bringing your own cup.  Think about it – you can decorate it your own way (helloooo, Pimp Cup!), you don’ t have to share it with any creepy randos, and you’ll look far less suspicious when your grandma decides to check out your drunken facebook pics.

After doing a little research, however, I discovered that being green does not mean being heinous.  In fact, it means quite the opposite.

Here are my favorite green tips that also make you hotter.  Read on, pretty lady…

Ditch the dryer: Using a hair dryer for only 5 minutes a day for an entire year uses enough energy to power a basic light bulb for 3,259 hours.  And guess what?  You don’t really need it!  Drying your hair frequently can crack the hair’s cuticle and withdraw moisture, leaving you with dry and brittle strands.  Naturally drying your hair even just a few days a week can save your strands and save the environment.  If you just can’t live without your daily drying, opt for an eco-friendly one.  The Go Green dryer is made from recycled materials, is printed with soy ink, and uses 26% less energy than a normal dryer.

Turn down the scalding shower: Not only do long, hot showers waste water, they are also a huge energy expense.  Cut down your shower time and the temperature, and you can save tons of money on your monthly bill.  Plus, cold water is good for your bod!   Hot water can have very drying properties, both to your skin and your hair.  Taking a colder shower leaves your hair silkier and your skin softer, all while increasing circulation and bumping up your immune system.  Now how’s that for a morning routine?

Drink tap water: If it’s really that gross, then invest in a Brita filter.  Water bottles cause tons of unnecessary waste every year, much of which ends up in landfills instead of in the recycling.  Plus, delivering water bottles across the world burns fossil fuels, contributing to global warming.  If that doesn’t convince you, consider the health effects.  Most bottled water does not cross state lines, making them exempt from the Food and Drug Administration’s standards for drinking water.  Tap water, on the other hand, is highly regulated and contains more of the teeth-strengthening mineral, floride, than bottled water.  Plus, simply filling up an aluminum water bottle instead of purchasing a bottle for $1 a pop, allows you to save money while drinking more water, so you can put that money to better use (i.e. on yourself!).  Everybody knows that water does a body good by making your skin clearer, aiding digestion, and hydrating the skin, so drink more of it… from the tap.

Steer away from chem lab cleansers: Look at the ingredients list of any common beauty product and you will see a plethora of science-babble words that not even Bill Nye could understand.  Most of those ingredients are synthetic, requiring energy and emitting toxic waste to produce.  And guess what?  What’s bad for the environment is also bad for your skin.  Harsh facial cleansers, such as toner, astringent, and acne washes can actually make acne even worse.  Drying out the oil on your face causes your skin to go into “panic mode” and produce even more oil than before, leaving you with more acne than you had when you started.  Instead, try to use products with natural ingredients.  A good rule of thumb that I like to use is to not put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t want to put in your body.

But the t-shirt sitch seems to be the least of your problems. As you open your underwear drawer you discover that just like your sock drawer, your tank drawer, and your jeans drawer, you are running on empty. Yes, even though you bought 35 pairs of underwear so you could do your laundry only once a month.

You are left with two choices: going commando and risking a Britney situation, or pulling on some bikini bottoms and risking a major wedgie day. (There is also choice #3 – wearing a pair of undies inside-out – but that is only for extreme circumstances… like living in the jungle.) Begrudgingly, you opt for #2, but only because #1 would mean you’d have to wash that last pair of sweats at the end of the day, leaving you with literally nothing to wear to the laundry room.

On your way out the door you remind yourself that you must stop for quarters on the way home from class so you can finally have some clean undies. Only after sitting with a major fredgie for 90 minutes, you shuffle yourself right past that bank and don’t realize until you are pulling off that t-shirt (which no longer smells like Burberry and only smells like your armpits) in the comforts of your dorm room. Too lazy to leave, you go on a mission for quarters.

You empty every purse, wallet and bag that you have. You open every drawer, dump out every pocket, and crawl into every crevice of your room. 20 minutes later, covered in sweat, you have enough money for 2 full loads…and that bracelet you’ve been missing since November. So you shove everything back into laundry bag (including the sheets you just stripped from your bed after realizing they’ve been on there for 3 months), grab your detergent and go.

After the long and arduous trek down to the basement carrying 50 lbs of clothes you open the machines and discover they are full.  You wait a few minutes for someone to come down and get their clothes – that are done! – but no one shows. Feeling that bathing suit creep back into wedgie zone, you decide to take matters into your own hands. You quickly take that girl’s clothes out, put them on the counter, load your stuff in and book it out of that room before she gets there and sees your face.

Yeah, we’ve all been there. Looks like it’s time to buy a few more pairs of underwear.

However, there are several things I should consider pledging as the ball drops. Whether you’re stuck on your own resolution, or just need a fresh start with the new year, the following are some resolutions that many of us should consider.

1. I will go to the gym regularly.

When 2008 struck, I was on a regular gym regime, and resolved to keep at it and lose ten more pounds. I did. Then summer hit, and I found that poolside cocktails and outdoor keg parties were taking their toll on my thighs. The fact that this semester has been excruciating contributes to my lack of gym time, and isn’t helping my quest to tone up. Losing weight and getting in shape is one of the most common New Years resolutions, but it’s also one of the hardest to keep. Still, if you have taken to wearing sweats to class every day because you can’t zip up the skinny jeans you bought in August, you may want to give the gym a go next year.

2. I will quit drunk dialing/drunk texting/ drunk Facebooking.

Waking up in the morning and being surprised by your call log is not a good thing. And being drunk on Facebook means that you can send messages, write inappropriate things on peoples’ walls, create ridiculous drunken status messages, and now even drunk FB-Chat someone. Yikes! If you have consistently getting texts on Sunday mornings from random people saying, “WTF?” you may want to leave the phone at home and turn off your computer before you go to the bar.

3. I will do my homework in advance.

Most college students deserve a minor (or a double major) in procrastination. We blow off our assignments until the last minute, then freak out, plow through a paper, and turn it in while it’s still warm from the printer. The problems with this practice are that A) stressing ourselves out is unhealthy; B) we often let the window of remaining time shrink with each assignment, until we are trying to pound through six chapters of Philosophy on the walk to a midterm; C) procrastination doesn’t leave room for revision; and D) when we leave things until the last minute, a printer problem can be detrimental. Trying to put school assignments before bar nights is a good way to make the grade this spring.

4. I will not let my boss light shots of Sambuca on fire in my mouth at the bar.

What? Is that just me?

5. I will wash my sheets more than once a month.

If you’re in a dorm with bunkbeds or lofted beds, changing your sheets is a pain in the ass. Besides, between balancing a class schedule, an active social life, and a part-time job, who has time to take off the pillowcases and lug your comforter to the laundry room? Hey, if you knew what lurks between dirty sheets, you will make time.

6. I will only choose one “main course” at the dining hall.

Not piling chicken parm pizza, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes on your plate can take a lot more will-power than you’d think, especially after five back-to-back classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays (gotta love block scheduling and four-day-weekends). Still… just because the dining hall is free, doesn’t mean you need to load up every day.

7. I will remain composed when my basketball team plays our rivals, even when the other team is up two points with fifteen seconds to go in the game and the ref isn’t calling any of their fouls.

Perhaps if you are making this resolution, you will also want to promise yourself not to get into altercations with a fan after the game. I’m from UConn, and there were many heated moments at Syracuse games that stain my past. I still get tingles of rage when someone mentions the name “Gerry McNamara.” But hey, I’m working on it.

8. I will only have sex sober in 2009.

That’s a good one if you’ve been letting Captain Morgan influence your libido lately. The guy at the bar putting all of your drinks on his tab might not be too happy about it, but this one will save you from the walk of shame when March comes in like a lion.

9. I won’t swear and say I hate my school the next time I can’t get the required courses for my major, or I fail a class because my TA doesn’t speak English, or financial aid decides to rape me in the arse.

Because, come on. Even though every semester, something is bound to come up to “ruin your life” for the time being, at the end of the day, when you’re with your bestests at happy hour, reminiscing about “the time when….” you know that you really love your school. Otherwise, you would have transferred months ago.

10. I will be a moral, upstanding citizen.

Yeah, if anyone can give me some tips on that one, I’d really appreciate it. Although I did give some beggars on the New York subway a few quarters the other day, so maybe there’s hope after all.

Saturday night: You’re at a frat party. You just won three consecutive games of beer pong. You don’t think twice about drinking your cups, despite the fact that you’ve seen the ball land in other peoples’ used cups, roll along the basement floor, and watched the ball pass between thirty-something unwashed hands.

What gives?!?

Obviously, beer pong isn’t the most sanitary party game out there. But you have the “water cup,” right? That cup of tepid, dirty water is totes gonna disinfect that old, recycled ping pong ball (that was most likely found under someone’s bed 10 minutes before party time). Or not.

Some microbiology students at George Washington University decided to test exactly how detrimental to your health beer pong can be. If you like beer pong, you may want to skip this article.

After a somewhat mild night of beer pong, consisting of eight students and thirty beers, the budding scientists collected samples from each of the beer pong cups and the water cup. What’d they find? A haven for germs. Bacteria from the E. Coli, salmonella, and pneumonia families were present in every single test tube containing samples from the game. Oh, and that water cup that everyone used to clean the balls? That was the most infected, and housed the most bacteria growth over night.

This study centered on beer pong only, but what about other potentially sickening games? When’s the last time you did a kegstand, putting your mouth on the tap that’s been who-knows-where after a dozen other people slurped down a few seconds worth of brew? How about the time you stood in for flip cup, and rotated through other peoples’ cups round after round?

We put our mouths everywhere when there’s cheap beer involved (and some of us really put our mouths everywhere), but we’re super cautious about where we place our ASS when we’re in a public place? Just some food for thought.

Not that you have to quit beer pong — hell, no! To be just a tad cleaner, change out the water cups and beer pong balls throughout the night, and keep your own beer cup to drink out of after the ball hits (just dump the shot’s worth of beer into your own cup).

Alcohol is bad enough for your immune system; don’t give germs a better opportunity to take up residence in your body.

However, neglecting your sheets for too long can result in some icky, unwanted guests– and I don’t mean the one-night mistake you made last Saturday. Here are the five nastiest things that should inspire you to grab the Tide and make a date with the washing machine.

1. Bed Bugs

Reports of bed bugs are rising on college campuses and even if you’re particularly clean, you may not be safe. The little bastards can catch a ride to your room on luggage, clothing, and old furniture (e.g. your hand-me-down futon). Plus, they can live up to a year without a feeding, so they could have been hiding out in your empty dorm room for the whole summer just waiting for you to move in and unpack. Luckily, pest control on college campuses is prepared to snuff the buggers via steam, extreme heat, or pesticides. If you wake up with little red welts from bedbug bites report it immediately before the infestation spreads down the hall.

2. Your Personal Sheddings

When we hit the sack every night, we shed dry, dead skin and hair. Gross. I gag at the site of a hair-clogged shower drain, and sleeping with hairballs seems just as unappealing. Girls with long hair shed a lot, so there’s also the chance that you’ve left your mark in your man’s bed as well. Of course, dead skin and strands of hair are a breeding ground for microorganisms, so bacteria can escalate after just a few nights of shedding in your sleep.

3. Bodily Fluids

Not only do we lose skin and hair while we sleep, but we also sweat every night. And that’s just one of the many bodily fluids that can collect in our sheets. We’ve all heard horror stories of hotels that don’t pass the black light test, but all of the things that go down in smarmy motels go on every night in college dorms, where there’s no maid service. Whether you’re snoozing in a sea of sweat or semen, or you are notorious for drooling on your pillow, soaking your sheets after a particularly hot night (or a hot one night stand) will flush out the bacteria.

4. Scabies

Another member of the bug family, scabies is caused by eight-legged parasitic itch mites. Though it is hard to catch scabies from brief physical contact, it is still possible to contract them from shaking hands or sharing infested bedclothes. Speaking of which, the most common form of transmitting scabies is through sexual contact, an act we all know runs rampant through college campuses. Scabies can produce small bumps or blisters, which are accompanied by relentless itching. Luckily, scabies can be treated fairly easily through mite-killing creams and sprays, and your sheets and clothes can be taken care of with one simple wash.

5. Whatever You’ve Been Carrying Around Campus

Good Morning America recently tested the sanitary habits of University of Maryland students. The students rubbed some lotions on to their hands and continued with their day. Hours later, the students’ hands were put through a black light test, which revealed how often the students had washed their hands after touching doorknobs, using the bathroom, eating lunch, and working on computers that thousands of other hands have touched. The black lights revealed remnants of the lotion around fingernails, crusted around bandages, and caked next to rings and watches. The lotion also proved to spread like bacteria, and showed up on clothes and other parts of the students’ bodies including near eyes and noses where infections could develop.

That said, all of the germs and bacteria you encounter each day as you trek from class to class sharing desks, computers, and books with hundreds of thousands of other students can ultimately end up in your sheets. Your bed is your final destination at the end of the day, so while it’s a good idea to keep your linens fresh, it’s also a good idea to go to bed clean yourself.

So you’ve been at school for a few weeks, and you’ve noticed your laundry bag is overflowing. And you are out of undies. And, yes, bathing suit bottoms. (We get it; and we’ve been there.)

What do you do now that mommy isn’t there to wash your clothes for you? Don’t worry, with these tips and how to’s, people will think you own a dry cleaning service!

First of all, SEPARATE your clothes! Darks, lights, whites, and sheets/towels. Also pull out your delicate items like bras, nice underwear, or other lacey thangs (you little vixen). Some bras can be washed, but check the tag first! These should be washed on their own, either by hand or on the washing machine’s delicate setting.

Obviously, make sure you don’t have reds mixed in with your whites, because that evil color bleeds; yes, pink is in, but not in enough to warrant an entire pink wardrobe. While you’re separating, close zippers and buttons, knot strings and ties, and make sure totake things out of your pockets.

Temperatures: Darks/colors are washed in cold water, whites/lights are washed in warm water, and sheets/towels should be washed in hot water to kill bacteria. Be careful with warm and hot water, though, it may shrink some clothes depending on the material.

As you’re loading your clothes into the washer, take note of how full it’s getting. If you overstuff the washer, your clothes won’t get as clean as they should, and then you’ve just wasted a bunch of water because you didn’t feel like doing another load of laundry.

The scoop on detergent: There are so many different detergents and fabric softeners, so what should you use? Personally, because I have very sensitive skin, I have to use plain old Arm n’ Hammer detergent in that orange box, and I use those little dryer sheets that make my clothes smell nice. It’s really a personal preference and depends on your skin type or what you want your clothes to smell like. Just go to the store and shop (and sniff) around; you’ll find a detergent you like.

Drying your clothes is a different story than washing. Please, please, please check the tags on your clothes! I’ve seen many friends shrink their favorite clothing items because they put them in the dryer instead of laying them out to dry. Items that you should take out are: bras, delicates, 100% cotton items (unless they’re pre-shrunk), and swimsuits. Lay clothes out as flat as possible to avoid wrinkles. Now, when the drying cycle is done, take your warm clothes out and FOLD immediately! If you wait until later to fold your clothes, they will wrinkle and then you’ll have to spend time ironing (a whole nother article), or just walk around looking like a wrinkled mess.

The deets on bleach: They have bleach for whites and colors now, so if bleach is necessary for you to use, wait until the washer is totally full with water before pouring it in. You shouldn’t use bleach all the time, and you should use it sparingly. Color bleach will brighten up your colors, and chlorine bleach will obviously get rid of stains and brighten your whites.

Laundry Don’ts:

No overloading

Don’t wash thin shirts with heavier articles of clothing

Don’t put too much denim in one load

Don’t mix detergents

Don’t mix colors with whites

Don’t skip reading the tags!

Stains: To avoid stains, carry a Tide-to-Go in your purse or backpack. This little pen does wonders so I never have to work at getting a stain out. But, in the unfortunate event that you do get a stain, don’t worry, you can get rid of it. For drink stains (which happen a lot when you mix Vodka Cranberry with a bunch of sloppy drunk girls), run stain under cold water and wash item in hot water. Blood, milk, & other protein stains are a little tough and may take several tries to get rid of, but rinse stain and wash item in cold water. You can also use baking soda on stains to get them out by either soaking the item or rubbing baking soda on the stain.

Post your own laundry tips in the comments!

Heat = sweat

Sweat = pimples

As someone who enjoys the outdoors, runs almost daily and has a tendency to break a sweat during even the smallest tasks (like walking to my car!), I have come up with some easy ways to maintain a blemish free face for the warm months.

Less is more. Whether you’re going to work, to a picnic or to a bar, summer days and nights can become excruciatingly hot and humid. One of the best ways to keep your skin clear is to wear less foundation (no cake make-up, ladies) while you’re out and about. Since most individuals have a natural glow in the summer, due to the heat, the use of lots of foundation blocks air from getting to your pores. This prevents your pores from breathing properly, thus creating bacteria build-up that can turn into pimples. If you cannot bear to go without some face make-up, use a tinted moisturizer, light powder or bronzer to give yourself a base.

Wash carefully. Despite what makeup you do use – a little or a lot – you must practice a routine of twice a day (morning and night) face washing. Something mild, like a Cetaphil Daily Face Cleanser, will be easier on your humid skin than something stronger, like a Noxzema or Clearasil.

Drink. Drink. Drink. When you sweat, your body is releasing liquids, thus causing you to become more dehydrated. Make sure you drink lots of water to hydrate not only your body, but your skin as well. Drinking roughly two liters a day is enough water to balance your body and its sweat glands.

Wash that sweat off. After you exercise, make sure you take a shower as soon as possible to wash off the sweat, dirt and any other ickiness. Not showering after a workout causes the sweat to dry and go back into your pores, causing the inevitable bacteria build up. Showering soon after working out (or any physical activity…hem hem) can limit the amount of potential pimples that can show up. Note: If you can’t shower, bring a wash cloth with you to dab your sweat off. It helps kill that on-the-surface sweat and bacteria in the meantime.

Eat right. You may be saying, ‘’How does food have anything to do with pimples?” Well, my trusted CC-ers, eating more fruits and vegetables can strengthen your skin.

Leave your Do’ Alone. Use less hair gel and hair spray. The oils in your hair products can run down onto your forehead and face when you sweat, causing the chemicals to get into your skin and produce pimples.

So ladies, next time you’re laying on the beach or going for a job, keep these tips (and a bottle of water!) with you, so you can have clear, flawless skin for the hot summer days.

[Photo courtesy of www.teamsugar.com]