My Last First Day of College

So as some of you know or even if you don't, I am a full time college student by day! And today marks my first day of my final semester or my last first day of college. So to celebrate, I thought I would share with you all my top five tips for surviving college/ university! These are things that I found have personally helped more or are things that I learned while going through this journey.

Tip 1: Use an Agenda

Everyone seems to offer this advice but it seriously does work! I am personally a pen and paper sorta gal but if you prefer the technology route it will still help keep track of all the assignments and tests you have going on. It also helps you keep track of other important dates like when your tuition is due or when exam grades will be released. I'm personally using the Mambi Happy Planner right now but I have loved the Kate Spade agendas in the past.

Tip 2: Use a To Do List

This can go hand in hand with tip 1. I always like making a to do list, especially on a super busy day because it helps me feel less stressed and I can visibly see what I need to get done. Also, it always feels great to mark things off a  to do list on a busy day. I personally write my to do list on a post it note but there are apps for this too.

Tip 3: Don't be Afraid to Take a Day Off

Some days the stress of assignments and tests can get to much and it is perfectly fine to take a day off. However, if the stress is always too much, it is also important to seek help from a professional. I know my school offers a counselling services so make sure to check if your school does too.

Tip 4: Ask for Help

This goes with tip 3. Don't be afraid to ask for help from your professors especially about concepts you don't understand. Or ask your professors to look over an assignment to make sure you are on the right track. Also, don't be afraid to ask your friends to look over your work or to edit things for you. And again, don't be afraid to ask for professional if you need it.

Tip 5: Enjoy it

Yes there will be stressful times and yes sometimes you won't do as well on an assignment as you thought. But all of this is okay! Enjoy every moment of this journey! Meet new people, attend things you never thought you would, take a course you wouldn't normally pick and just enjoy every moment you can because it goes by quick.

I hope these tips help you or someone you know who is in college/university! Please share some of your tips for surviving college/university in the comments! Also, there are a ton of resources to help you even when you are done school. For example,  Earnest can help you out financially and even refinance your student loans (if you have any.)

Stay beautiful,

Sarah

Morning Beauty Advice

My friends at Casper know that getting a few extra hours of sleep on a comfy mattress is a great away to recover from a night of partying or when you binge watch Netflix (I'm 100% guilty of this) but it is not always possible. Here are five beauty tips that will help you wake up and look a little more awake then you are actually feeling if you can't get those extra needs hours.

The first tip is to take a shower! I personally like to use hot water for this but cold one would work as well. During my shower, I love to use a minty shower gel, like my favorite the Dirty shower gel from Lush. This minty scent wakes me up almost instantly! I ran out of this shower gel the other day and I need to purchase another one.

For makeup I just to keep it simple but I use it to make me look awake.

The first step is to apply a eye cream or eye treatment. I love using eye creams that are salmon coloured and their benefits are to brighten and depuff. I am currently using the Origns GinZing eye cream.

Other great eye creams for this step include First Aid Beauty's Eye Duty Triple Remedy and
Benefit's Puff Off. The FAB and Benefit eye creams are great because they have metal tips that are cool which help to depuff the under eye area. FAB's eye cream comes in two colours, a fair skin and a deep skin one.

I always use a nude eyeliner on the lower waterline. This makes your eyes look more awake and it brightens the whites of your eyes, thus making them look less red. Nude liner also looks less harsh than white liner. My favorite nude liner is Rimmel's Scandaleyes liner in Nude.

To make my eyes look even more awake, I like to use a shimmer highlight in the inner corners of my eyes. My favorite right now is the Laura Mercier matte highlighting powder in Highlight 01. I have heard that the Laura Mercier shadow stick in Rose Gold is also a great highlight as well. Typically, I find golden colours look the best in the inner corners.

Comparison of Rose Gold,
left and Highlight 01, Right

After applying a lengthening mascara to my lashes ( bonus tip: Always curl your lashes - this makes your eyes look bigger!), I apply a neutral lipstick/lip stain/ lip balm.

Swatch of Plumful

Usually whatever formula I am feeling at the moment. Right now, I am loving MAC's Plumful.  I like wearing a lip product to complete the whole look and make myself seem more put together even if I am counting down the minutes to when I can go home and sleep.




What are your tips to looking more awake or for getting out of bed in the morning? Let me know in the comments below or send me a Tweet.

Stay Beautiful
Sarah

PS - Happy National Margarita Day!! Maybe you can use some of my tips tomorrow morning! ;p