Easier Ways to Get Ready in the Morning

Now that school will be starting soon, I have some tips to make your mornings easier!

Be prepared ahead of time: Make sure you pack everything you need for the next day, the night before. (With your homework, notebooks, writing utensils, etc.) That way you won't find yourself forgetting stuff or rushing to get ready in the morning.

Food: Having something to eat before you leave for school is very important. If you have time for a full meal before school, plan on getting up early enough to fit this in your morning. However, if you hate to eat in the morning, pack snacks or your breakfast early that morning or the night before so you can have some food once you get to school.

Morning routine: Plan a morning routine to help get your day started. For example, washing your face, should be the first thing you do when starting your day. If you feel the need for coffee in the morning, get up early enough so you not only can have your coffee but you can enjoy it while you drink it.

Showering: This is definitely an important thing to factor into your day. You must decide whether you can get up early enough to fit this into your morning. If not take a shower the night before and that way you can have a little more time for sleep.

Getting ready in the morning: Your outfit and make up are important to help you look and feel good before going to school. I have a few tips on making these easier in the morning. If you have a really hard time deciding on what to wear, choose your outfit the night before. Just make sure you look at the weather report and choose a cute outfit for the day. For make up, especially if you don't have a ton of time in the morning, can be done simply with these products in under 10 minutes. Use bb cream or a tinted moisturizer for your foundation, some mascara, and a lip gloss or stain in a light pink color. This is an easy natural look and more can be added to change this look up when you feel like it. Make sure you bring products with you to touch up your makeup throughout the day.

Motivation: Do something you enjoy to pep up your morning. Listen to music, dance around, whatever you like to make you look forward to the day.

-Katrina

Tips for Making the Transition Back to Class Easier

Classes are starting soon, and whether you’re ready or not, there are a few things you can do to help make the transition from summer to semester easier!  Follow these tips starting now!

·      Get your sleep schedule evened out- Start getting back on track now so it’s easier when classes start and you’re not just trying to get up early the first day after only 3 hours of sleep.  (There’s plenty of time for that later in the semester.)  Each day make an effort to go to bed just a little bit earlier and wake up just a little bit earlier, until you’re waking up (mostly) rested early enough for class.

·      Start drinking more water- If you haven’t been good about this all summer (and a lot of people haven’t!), start drinking more water now.  It’ll help when you’re in the habit of drinking more water to keep it up during the semester.  Plus it’s great for your skin, which will make you feel good and look good, and cut down on the time it takes to get ready before class!

·      Start meal planning- Plan some quick, easy, and healthy meals you can make for breakfast before class, take with you for lunch, or make quickly at night when you’re exhausted and have tons to do.  Also, try get in the habit of preparing and portioning meals for the week ahead of time.  You’ll save tie and money, and eat much better than if you were always skipping breakfast and ordering pizza last minute.

·      Get in the habit of planning outfits- This seems obvious until you forget an you’re left wasting time in the morning trying on a million different things or throwing on yoga pants in a hurry and wishing you could step up your outfit game this semester.  Plan ahead at least the night before, but if you can get a general idea of what to wear for the whole week, that’s great!

·      Take better care of your skin- Again, if you haven’t been good about this all summer, start now!  Wash off your makeup before bed, wash your face and moisturize every morning, and exfoliate periodically!  Your skin will look better and then you’ll also save time getting ready in the morning.

·      Don’t wait until the last minute to get basic supplies- You can wait to get textbooks until you know you’re definitely going to stay in your classes and you know you definitely need them, but don’t wait to get a couple notebooks and pens!  You know for sure you’ll need those and you don’t want to be that person without a pen or any paper for the first week of classes.

~Alyssa

Simple Summer Side Dish

Here's an easy and delicious side dish that you can make this summer.

String Bean Salad:
Ingredients:
Green String Beans, with ends snapped off
1 glove of garlic, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1 tbsp of olive oil
balsamic vinegar, on the side for serving

Directions: You first start this recipe by cooking the string beans. This can be done by using a steamer or boiling water. Once the water comes to a boil, add the beans and cook for 7 minutes or until desired tenderness. Drain the beans and immediately place them in an ice bath. (a bowl consisting of cold water and ice cubes. This way it keeps the nice green color of the beans and cools them quickly.) Once the beans are cooled, drain and dry them with a paper towel and place them in a clean bowl. Add the garlic, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and finish the salad with olive oil. Mix together and check to see if the seasoning is just right. Place them in the fridge to continue to chill the salad and enjoy with some vinegar.

-Katrina

Disney Princess Nails: Elsa

Let it go…  These nails are inspired by the princess Elsa from the movie Frozen (2013).  Finishing our Disney Princess Nails series is the queen of ice and snow!

You’ll need:

Base coat

Top coat (I prefer Seche Vite)

Striper brush

Light blue, medium blue, green-blue, white, black, brown, orange, nude, light yellow, light pink, silver, and sliver glitter nail polishes  (I used: Dior Vernis in Porcelaine 204; Pure Ice in Kissy Kiss; OPI Nail Lacquer in Go On Green!; Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in 110 Hard to Get; Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in 880 Black Heart; OPI in You Don’t Know Jacques! Suede; NYC Nail Enamel in 112 Times Square Tangerine Creme; OPI in My Vampire is Buff; OPI Nail Lacquer in Megawatt?!; CoverGirl Continuous Color in Parisian Pink 052; Sephora by OPI in Queen of Everything; and Sephora by OPI Top Coat in Flurry Up!)

Start with a base coat.  Paint each nail medium blue.

On your pinky, use your striper brush dipped in white to outline and fill in the shape of Olaf’s face, leaving a section unpainted for his mouth.  Add a small section in white at the top of his mouth for teeth.  Dip your striper brush in black to outline his eyes and add pupils, then brown to add eyebrows and hair, and finally orange for his carrot nose.  (I also went back with some medium blue to add smile lines on his cheeks.)

On your ring finger, use the striper brush to create and fill in the nude outline of Elsa’s chin, neck, and décolleté.  (I angled the right shoulder line up a bit to create a raised arm.)  Use the green-blue to create the bodice part of her dress, then the light blue for her arms and cape, making sure to have the arm on the right extended outward from her body off to the right edge of the nail.  Dip the striper brush in light yellow to add her famous braid then add her small light pink smirk.

On your middle finger, use the striper brush to create a light blue sleeve extending from the left side of the nail to the middle, with a nude hand shape with the palm facing up.  Then use the striper brush dipped in silver to add swirls extending up from the hand and toward the right edge of the nail, with some white swirls mixed in and tiny white snowflake shapes.  Add some silver glitter over the top of the ice magic.

On your index finger, use the striper brush dipped in white to create a large snowflake near the center of the nail and silver and white swirls coming from the left edge of the nail.  Add silver glitter to the swirls and the center of the snowflake.

On your thumb, use the striper brush dipped in white to write “Let It Go”, and then add silver glitter in any open spaces.

Finish with a top coat and you’re done!

~Alyssa