Author: Julia Rivera

How to Create a Relaxing College Room

Moving off campus often means getting a large and more private college room. You have the opportunity to really make it your own with unique decorations. Living in a room that is truly your own is not only can improve your mood, but also your health. Follow these few tips to achieve that perfect relaxing environment for your new college room!

1. Add Flowers

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According to a number of studies flowers can improve your health. Brighten up your room with flowers to boost your mood. Remembering to water them can be a hassle, but taking care of something alive can so you may want to opt for a plant like bamboo which requires minimal care.

2. Color Scheme

College Room - Accents

Things that match are more appealing to the eye. Tie your room together using your favorite color scheme! Of course it won’t match perfectly but at least the room will look well put together. Accent colors are great if you want some pops of color but don’t want to overdo it.

3. Don’t Eat in Bed

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I know it may be tempting to munch on a snack while you ‘Netflix and chill’ but you shouldn’t. Your bed is for sleeping purposes only! Snacking in bed as well as doing your homework in bed is not healthy. Try to only relax in your bedroom and leave the food and homework for somewhere more appropriate, like the kitchen.

4. Add Lights

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Making sure you have sufficient lighting in your college room for all occasions is key. Nothing is worse than not being able to see something. That being said, lights can often be too bright and could be distracting. I suggest getting a lamp for your desk for homework, a light up mirror for your personal hygiene/makeup, a string lights for mood lighting and then one ceiling light.

5. Organize Everything

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School is stressful enough and coming home to a mess only adds fuel to the fire! Although it’s hard to keep up with staying organized and cleaning can take a while, it’s important to keep your college room clean. Take at least 15 minutes a week to clean your room. Feeling productive and seeing the finished product makes it all worth while!

I hope that these suggestions for creating a relaxing college room help you get started on yours! It’s important to have a place you love to come home to during this busy time in your life. Have some more inspiration for your fellow classmates? Drop us a comment below!

Pokemon Go Controversy

Attention all 20-30 year olds: the card game you grew up loving is now available on your smartphone. Pokemon has gotten a make-over and people are going crazy over it.

Released on July 6 Pokemon Go has adults reliving their childhood, but at what cost. Since the games’ release, there have been a number of attacks and peculiar incidents. On July 14, two North San Diego County men fell off a bluff while playing the game. One of the men fell nearly 50 feet and was knocked unconscious while the other fell 75-100 feet, said Battalion Chief Robbie Ford of the Encinitas Fire Department. Both men suffered moderate injuries and were taken to area trauma centers.

Pokemon Go Take Over

Further north, in Anaheim, a player was stabbed by a group of men in a park. The victim who is in his 20s, was playing the game around 12:30 am when he encountered a group of men. Anaheim police sergeant Luis Correa said five to six men, ranging in age from teens to 20s, attacked the man and stabbed him several times. The motive for the attack is still unclear, however the group did not lure the victim into the park. The man had non-life threatening injuries.

The bizarre incidences don’t stop there. Pokemon Go users have also been robbed and carjacked while out playing the game.

People need to realize their lives are not worth catching a fictional character. To those who wish to relive a game that they once held dear to their heart I say catch em’ all, but please be careful! The game leaves people unknowingly vulnerable and in harms way. Just today I was driving through my town and saw a man barely miss being hit by a car all because he was trying to catch a Pokemon. I understand it’s an exciting blast from the past, but be sure to always be aware of your surroundings when playing.

The app has taken a couple of steps to help prevent the above scenarios with their latest updates, which include safety warnings.

Easy Meals to Make in a Dorm

Dorming in college has its perks as well as set backs. Some dorm buildings only supply students with a microwave and fridge. Late night meals are difficult to make when you don’t have the proper appliances. Have no fear, for this post is here! These easy meals can be made in a microwave in any dorm room as long as you have the ingredients. They may not be the most healthy option, but they will for sure satisfy your hunger!

Easy Meals to Make in a Dorm

1. Omelette

If you’re anything like me, eggs are an essential part to my diet. Living in a dorm for two years I was severely deprived of having eggs. With this recipe, you can have eggs at any time!

2. Chocolate Cake

For those who have late-night chocolate cravings, this recipe is for you! Who would’ve thought making chocolate cake in a mug was possible?!

3. Spinach Ricotta Lasagna

One of the worst parts of being in college, for me, is being away from my mom’s cooking. Although this recipe can’t compare to the real thing, it’s a good substitute.

4. “Baked” Sweet Potato

My housemate last year used to do this all the time to save time, but it works perfectly for those who dorm. Making a potato is satisfying, but using an oven can take longer than you’re willing to wait. Try this way out.

5. Classic Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese is the staple college food. Companies like Kraft and Velveeta make mac and cheese in a cup that you can microwave. However, those can taste fake and processed. Follow this recipe that uses real pasta and cheese to get a better tasting mac and cheese using a microwave.

Enjoy these easy meals until you move to an apartment or graduate and have your own oven! Happy microwaving!

Best Food Places in NYC

Summer means it’s finally time to travel and explore a new place. If you decide to take a trip to the city that never sleeps I highly, highly, highly recommend stopping at some of these restaurants for a quick bite or a sit down meal! From my experience, here are what I’ve found to be the best food places in NYC.

Best Pizza: Artichoke Bastille’s

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Artichoke Basille’s Pizza is hands down the best pizza you can find in the city. If you couldn’t already tell by the name of the spot, their most popular pizza is the artichoke pizza. The giant slices and fresh cheeses is sure to make you believe New York has the best pizza in the country. The pizza is so good, it’s been nationally recognized. Owners were on The Chew and The Tonight show with Jay Leno. 

Best Family Restaurant: Carmine’s

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If you’re traveling with a big group of people stopping for a meal at Carmine’s is a must. The Italian restaurant is served family style and they aren’t joking about the portion sizes. When the waiter says a dish will feed four, the dish WILL feed four. Unlike Olive Garden, Carmine’s food is authentic Italian-American cuisine. Located in the heart of the city, you can either talk a stroll through Times Square or through the theatre district to work off the heavy meal you are bound to have.

Best After Bar Eats: Wo Hop

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For the college student who’s traveling on a budget Wo Hop is the place to go for late night eats. Open 10am-7am this Cantonese restaurant is perfect for post-bar food. In business for 72 years the low-key spot has barely changed, it’s still inexpensive and old fashioned. Be sure to have cash on you as they do not accept cards. Wo Hop is popular among locals and is not widely known to out-of-towners, so eating here is sure to make you feel like a true New Yorker.

Best Date Night Spot: Victor’s Cafe

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Next date night be sure to take your special someone to Victor’s Cafe for an intimate meal of New York’s finest Cuban cuisine. The restaurant, over a 50 year period, has been passed down through three generations but maintained the quality of the food. Favorited by celebs like Kate Upton, Cameron Diaz, Mike Tyson and Bryan Cranston this place is sure to impress your date. After dinner definitely order the flan, but be sure to each get one as you will probably not want to share.

If you recommend a restaurant in NYC comment below!

6 Bold Party Dress Trends

Fashion trends are constantly changing so keeping up with them is almost as difficult as trying to keep with the Kardashians! Here are six bold party dress trends that are set to dominate this summer’s fashion scene.

1. Metallics

6 Bold Party Dress Trends

This year’s spring/summer catwalks by designers like Louis Vuitton were covered in space-age silver. The color can make any woman turn heads at any special occasion!

2. Trompe-l’oeil

6 Bold Party Dress Trends

This new trend plays on the art form of tricking the eye into perceiving a painted detail as a three-dimensional object. This is a refreshing change to the typical party dress and will certainly speak to your inner artist.

3. Eighties Disco

6 Bold Party Dress Trends

Hedi Slimane (THE party dress designer) put on a show for Saint Laurent complete with glitter and sequins from the 1980s. Time to tease your hair and throw on a dress with a thigh-skimming hemline!

4. Fishnets

6 Bold Party Dress Trends

Fishnets were so in not too long ago and now you can keep wearing them! Revamp the look this summer with a castaway-chic net dress. Pair the look with a cute (and visible) bralet and underwear and some sandals on those warm summer nights.

5. Corsets

6 Bold Party Dress Trends

Corsets are known to be uncomfortable and old fashioned, but as of recently they have been designed to be a lot more comfortable and can be very tasteful when worn right. A corset dress hugs your curves in all the right places and is sure to catch the attention of your summer fling!

6. Cut-Aways

6 Bold Party Dress Trends

For those who dare, get those bronzed legs shaved because this year the thighs are out to play. The cut-away look can be really fierce, but be careful not to get a size to small or you may reveal more than you intended!

Enjoy being the topic of conversation at your summertime parties when you rock one of these bold party dress trends! Comment below with your favorite look!

6 “Healthy” Foods to Avoid this Summer

Walking into a supermarket you’re met with a plethora of food options. Labels throw phrases like “no sugar added,” “low-fat,” and “all-natural” around, but how true are these claims? It’s easy to believe what you see in front of you rather than really research the foods you buy. They have to be true if they’re on the label, right? Wrong. Buying those items, on the surface, seems like a healthy alternative, but often times it isn’t. The following foods are commonly labeled as healthy foods, but in reality should be avoided.

1. Energy Bars

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Everyone’s guilty of it: you’re running late, no time to eat so you grab an energy bar on the way out thinking, “Well it’s better than buying a McDonald’s breakfast or not having breakfast at all!” Many energy bars today claim to be healthy and good for you, however that is not the case. Many times they have a nutritional profile like a candy bar’s, not like fit foods’. Some even have as much sugar as candy. However, not all bars are unhealthy. Check the ingredients list as well as the amount of sugar and calories a bar has to determine if it’s basically the same as eating candy for breakfast.

2. Dried Fruit

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Dried fruit, considering the fact that it’s fruit, seems like a guilty-free snack. Little do people know, however, companies add sugar to enhance the flavor and use sulfur dioxide to preserve freshness, making dried fruit more like little candies. When eating dried fruit you do get all the vitamins, minerals and fiber the fruit has to offer, but it is often easy to eat more than one serving at a time thanks to the added sugar. You’re better off sticking to actual fruit.

3. Wraps

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Wraps are the supposed healthier alternative to breads because they’re thinner but just because it’s thinner doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthier. Most restaurants and delis package your sandwich fixings into a 12-inch wrap. That wrap can hold twice the amount of calories than a regular sandwich. More often than not, spinach, tomato and whole grain wraps contain additional coloring and flavoring. A healthier alternative to bread and wraps are lettuce wraps.

4. Skim Milk

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Most people think skim milk is better than whole milk because it doesn’t contain any fat. Although this is true, skim milk also eliminates essential vitamins. Skim milk is made with synthetic vitamins to attempt to replace the calcium and protein lost during processing. There is little benefit to buying fat-free dairy products.

5. Flavored Yogurt

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Flavored yogurt is another food that is supposedly healthy and also quick and easy. You know that the small cup isn’t very filling and you’ll be craving something with more substance only 10 minutes after eating, yet you still reach for it. Flavored yogurts are actually full of sugar, with most brands having about 15 grams of sugar per 6 ounce serving. Switching to plain Greek yogurt is a better option that will leave you more satisfied and full of protein for a full day.

I hope this lists helps you choose healthy foods, and not “healthy” foods during your next trip to the supermarket. What are some of your favorite healthy snacks? Share in the comments below!