Happy back to school! Whatever stage of your college path you happen to be in right now, these are a few things you need to survive. I’m a senior in college so I speak from experience when I say these things make college a little more manageable.
Here’s what got me through college so far:
A good weekender bag. This bag is what dreams are made of. It’s just the perfect amount of structured and the colors are to die for. My bag is from Victoria’s Secret, but any medium to large size weekender bag is a necessity for sleepovers and trips home. Some awesome places to shop for one are Old Navy, Victoria’s Secret, Target, and Forever 21.
Stylish tennis shoes. Before I started college, I always thought I would be that girl who wears cute dresses and fancy shoes to class every day. Haha, that’s a good one. My uniform is pretty much leggings and a T-shirt with cute tennis shoes. I got this pair from an online boutique and they kind of resemble Yeezy’s, which I love. Having a few cute pairs of tennis shoes make college a lot more fun. Nike has some really awesome pairs.
Camelback water bottle. I’m not even kidding when I say that 99% of college students on my campus bring some kind of reusable water bottle to class. I have tried a lot of different kinds of water bottles and my two favorites are Camelbacks and Swell bottles. Camelbacks are a little bit cheaper than Swell bottles, but they are both awesome. I love the straw some Camelbacks have and I love that Swell bottles keep your drink cold/hot for so long.
Collection of face masks. College is hard. There are so many days where you come home so stressed you don’t even know what to do with yourself. It doesn’t seem like much, but doing a face mask when I’m stressed helps so much. It gives me a half hour break from studying and reality to just relax and pamper myself. There are so many great masks out there, and my favorites are from Lush. I love the Cup O’Coffee one so much! It smells like coffee so I am obsessed. Ulta has some really awesome inexpensive face masks from Formula 10.0.6, and Sephora has some great high end masks from Glamglow and Fresh.
A great concealer. Most days I am way too lazy to do a full face of makeup. Having a good concealer can save you a ton of time and make life a little easier. I have this waterproof one from Tarte and the coverage is amazing. I don’t even need to wear foundation with it, it just covers the bad spots. Some concealers are expensive, but it’s a great investment.
Planner. I am a HUGE fan of planners. I can’t even begin to list off all the reasons why you need a paper planner. Physically writing down my to-do lists and schedule every day helps keep me sane. There are so many great planner companies out there to check out. The planner I used last year was one by XO Planners, and this year I am using a Day Designer. Some other awesome companies are Passion Planner, Purposeful Planner, Start Planner, and the Happiness Planner. I have some other great posts on planners if you need more inspiration!
It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In. My hair is so long that it gets snarly so easily. I have always struggled with being able to keep my hair smooth and be able to brush through it. This product is just like it’s advertised, a miracle. It makes my hair smell good, easy to brush through, and keeps it looking smooth and shiny all day.
Invest in a good hoodie. Lululemon makes the best clothing ever, hands down. It is really expensive, but they also have a lifetime warranty on all of their products! They make the highest quality clothing I’ve ever worn. The Lululemon Scuba Sweatshirt is my favorite thing in the entire world. I have like 5 of them and I wear them in rotation all week every week. They are thick and cute and extremely flattering. I definitely recommend investing in one for college.
Hair scrunchies. There is no real reason that this is an essential, but scrunchies are just so fun. I wear my hair up 99% of the time and I love to wear a scrunchie for a little pop of color. They’re also cute to wear on your wrist as an accessory.
The perfect highlighter. I’ve been searching and searching for the perfect highlighter and I finally found it. The one I fell in love with was from the Pixi Cosmetics Aspyn Ovard collection. It’s not too in your face but people still notice. Most days I go for the minimal makeup look, and all I use is concealer, mascara, setting powder and highlighter. Some other really great highlighters are from Becca, Tarte, and Smashbox.
Coffee cups. I have such a huge collection of coffee cup that it’s kind of obnoxious. I drink so much coffee that I use at least two different cups a day. Some of my favorite places to buy cute coffee cups are Target, Band.o, and Urban Outfitters.
A few great lip products. Lip products are my favorite makeup to use. It’s so awesome that you can just swipe on some lip color and you already look way more put together.
I hope your school year is off to an awesome start, and I hope these essentials can make your life a little easier! Shop some of my favorite things here:
