Fall is in the air (okay, not really, but just go with it)
and that means one thing: school is about to start! While here in New York City
we have yet to feel any sort of a fall breeze, students have certainly
descended upon the city, quite visibly in their
Jeffrey Campbell Litas for
Fashions Night Out. For many freshman, it is their first time living away from
home, and that means many new experiences to be had. Since freshman year was
actually not all that long ago for me, yet seems like moons and moons ago, I
feel only semi-qualified to dispense advice, but here it goes – my top tips for
college freshman.
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Crystal Renn in French Vogue
However, a similar feeding frenzy may be seen in the wee hours of weekend nights at colleges across America. |
Eat (and Drink) Healthy – If there is one thing you can do
freshman year in college, it is to eat healthy. While your metabolism can
probably still handle overly-doughy pizza and daily bacon cheeseburgers in the
cafeteria, you will be setting yourself up for failure in the long run. Choose
the salad, sushi, and hot meal stations instead of the quick, junky fixes.
Drink water instead of soda. ALWAYS eat breakfast – keep instant steel cut oatmeal,
Think Thin bars, Kind Bars (the new low sugar ginger or dark chocolate pecan are my personal faves) and eggs/egg whites (if you have a microwave) on
hand in your dorm room. When you have 8:00am classes, breakfast is always a
good idea, and will get your brain working far faster. Snacks like nuts, jerky,
hummus, nut butters, fruits, veggies, and whole-grain organic snacks are great
to keep in your fridge, and make a great late-night alternative to that greasy
pizza that everyone seems to end up devouring by the pie. For nights out, obviously
avoiding alcohol is the best way to skip the calories, but if you want a drink,
mix unflavored (most flavors = 89378729829 grams of sugar) liquors (vodka, rum)
mixed with plain soda water or if you have to, diet soda. There are even stevia-sweetened cocktail mixers sold all over the place now. Those Skinny Girl drinks? Not much skinnier, so don't be fooled - they have approximately the same calories per gram as regular alcohol, so don't start drinking them under the impression that they are guilt-free. Wine is also a good
choice, but keep in mind that the sugar content may give you quite the hangover
the next day. Even a light beer is
not too bad if you can stick to just one or two. The worst possible offender is
that mysterious “jungle juice” that you will see in abundance in red Gatorade
coolers at parties for the next four years. A mixture of Sprite, red Kool-Aid,
vodka, rum, beer, and tequila doesn’t sound delicious, it sounds like a
horrible hangover.
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| College-aged male favorite, the beloved Kate Upton, looks far sexier in this understated suit than in her typical overly-sexed up garb (although the aforementioned male population may beg to differ). |
Pick One Tight Item of Clothing to Wear at a Time – College is often
the first time you can wear something, well, basically almost nothing, without
your parents telling you to immediately change into grandma’s floor-length
night gown for a bit more modesty. But that doesn’t mean you should go all out
– wearing uber-short, skin-tight, strapless dresses for nights at the local
dive-bar. While it may seem like the only way to catch males attention, the
truth is that they actually see far too many girls dressed a la Kardashian, and
although my theory is not confirmed by straight males (yet), I think a girl
showing a hint of leg or a flash of collar bone may actually be far more
appealing and mysterious. While American Apparel may be kept in business by the
girls who buy backless, just-below-the-butt mini dresses; you don’t have to be
one of them. Show off one feature at a time - perhaps it is your toned legs, your fabulous cleavage, or
your muscular arms – and you’ll be far more intriguing than those who have it
all on display. A perfect pairing is a curve-hugging mini with a looser blouse
tucked in, paired with fabulous heels and of course, an empowered attitude.
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| Even if you are fortunate enough to own these frou-frou meets space age Alexander Wangs, please, please, please don't ever wear them to a grungy bar. |
Invest in “Bar Shoes” – Leave the Christian Louboutins
(although I hope to god that at 18 you don’t yet own a pair) or any shoes you
care about at home where they are safe from the evils of the dive bar scene.
Freshman year is often the first time people have ever had a drink, which, in a
few words, means lots and lots of spills. Expect your shoes to get trashed
(hopefully, you won’t also be trashed).
Find a pair of comfortable, simple heels that you don’t mind getting a
little dirty and are easy to clean. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have
seen girls walking through the city barefoot (!!) because their feet hurt.
Also, here is a novel idea: rock flats or sneakers. We are seeing
loafers and
platform sneakers everywhere now, and they look just as fashionable with skinny
jeans as do those ankle-spraining spike stilettos. Plus, you’ll ACTUALLY be
able to dance.
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| You don't actually HAVE to sleep in your makeup to get this look - smudge your fresh liner with a q-tip instead and spare your skin. |
Always Wash your Face – Please, please, please. If there is
one beauty lesson I try to bestow upon each and every person I know, it is to
religiously take your makeup off before you fall asleep. Heck, I can’t even
take a short nap in mascara.
I
don’t think there is anything more disturbing than foundation and black mascara
on a formerly clean pillowcase. While there is some sex appeal involved in
second-day liner, the pimples are irreversible, so get that same look by
smudging your fresh eye pencil instead. I religiously remove my makeup, and
actually take pleasure in the routine. My favorite remover of all time is
Kryolan’s Abschmike (yes, I have no idea what that means in German either).
It is basically a tub of grease that gets absolutely everything (and I mean
everything) off, and doesn’t irritate eyes. I actually bought it because I once
saw a backstage shot of Pat McGrath’s kit and this was in the picture, so I was
intrigued. The 11 oz. tub has lasted me the past five years, so it is
basically dirt cheap per use. If you prefer non-greasy removers,
Lancome and
Vichy
both make excellent ones that won’t sting eyes. If you often find yourself too
exhausted, keep a pack of makeup wipes, like my favorites,
Comodynes, or even
baby wipes by your
bed, and a cheap bottle of moisturizer, like
Cetaphil, to slather on
afterwards. Your skin (and pillowcase) will thank you the next day.
Enjoy It – Freshman year was the best year I had in college.
It was so easy to meet people – all you had to do to strike up a conversation
was, “what dorm do you live in?” – and there was a real sense of community
among classmates. It is also a time of self-discovery, where you can take a
broad range of classes to find out what really interests you. Perhaps you never
would have known you had an interest in Byzantine Art or the philosophy of
Aristotle had you not taken a random course – a chance course could be the key
to finding your destiny, as lame as that sounds. Meet as many different types
of people as you can, and do as many out-of-the-box activities as possible,
too. It’s a time for learning, not just in classes, but also about the world
itself.
