Can't Commit To Spring!

Happy Crunch time!

Yes, "crunch time". Is it just me or do you agree? I have a zillion exams, few practicals, and probably 20 to 30 gallons of tears awaiting to be completed by the end of this semester which is only in 6 weeks!

Ahh! Six weeks till summer break but it doesn't even feel like spring yet! I spend the nice sunny days cooped up inside the library and only have free time when it is either snowing or raining outside. This is completely unfair. I should not have to change from my boat shoes to flip-fops to snow boots all in one week!

However, I must admit I am a pretty wishy-washy person. When it's winter, I want summer, when it's summer, I want winter. Since I am having the hardest time committing to the season, I am just going to take advantage of my boots as long as I can before the humid climate arrives.

For this outfit I cozied up in one of my favorite sweaters for probably one of the last times this season and threw on my Emma boot from BEARPAW |HERE|. I have featured BEARPAW boots before but these ones are unlike any other. I absolutely love diving into pillow-like boots without having to deal with clanky heels and annoying zippers. For a day like this, when I am lounging around or studying, the EMMA boots have become my go-to and are a lot more affordable than the competing brands.

My sweater is from the brand Romeo + Juliet Couture (Marshalls $20). This brand is carried by Nordstrom and Lord & Taylor so I was pretty lucky to score it at Marshalls for a super affordable price! For the base of the outfit, I paired a white shirt with purple leggings and accessorized with a cute simple statement necklace (J.Crew), a gold watch, and gold studs.

Hope you all are having a great start of the week! 

Happy 1st Blog Birthday!

It seems like just yesterday...

 

Hi Beauties! 

If you told me a year ago I would be celebrating one year of blogging, I would not have believed you!  When I started this blog, I never expected anyone to read it. I knew my mom and my sisters would but, I mean c'mon they would still hang my macaroni art on the fridge if I asked them to.

This past year has been amazing! Last night, I sat and scrolled through all my posts on the blog and Instagram and realized how fortunate I am and how far I have come. When I first came up with this crazy (so at the time) idea, I was clueless and a little worried! No other girl I knew had a blog, so would I be the weirdo? Would it be a waste of time? How would I start one anyway? What's a platform? Would anyone care? So many of these hindering thoughts were running through my head!

But finally, I just said screw it, I never liked dancing to the beat of another person's drum anyway! For a lack of better words of encouragement, I basically said to myself, "Punam, you do you!"

Once I was set, I was on fire! After I got accepted into my dream pharmacy school, I sat down, researched, studied bloggers, and read articles after articles on successful bloggers and blogs. Trust me, I knew from day one I would not be my idol bloggers and The College Catwalk was going to improve over time but, I was okay with that!

I am so happy I never gave up when I went a week without getting new followers. I am so happy I never took a month "break" when I started in pursue for demanding graduate degree. I am so happy for all the love and support I have received from you guys that encouraged me to keep going. I am so happy for the effort, hard work, tears, and sacrifices I had to invest in this because without it all, I would not be sitting here anticipating year 2!

This past year has been truly amazing. I have received so much positivity, love, and support from readers, followers, and other bloggers (now friends) that it has truly made me feel like I belong in this community. The oppurtunities that I have received from companies such as BEARPAW, Rocksbox, and Younique have all seriously been one big dream! I am so honored to work with these successful companies and looking forward to what the future holds for The College Catwalk.

Thank you again for everything and letting me share my journey and life with you all, it means the world to me! Cheers to a year and many more to come! :)

D.I.Y. Brown Sugar Face Scrub!

Suga Suga how you get so fly?

No but seriously...

Hello Beautifuls!

I am sure that your skin is perfect and flawless but now and then everyone's face needs a little deep clean. I do not know what's been up with my skin, but it has been breaking out like crazy...and the yucky Philly water has not been helping the case!

Don't get me wrong I love my daily cleansers, but I wanted something that would visibly clean my skin before my eyes without using an abrasive scrub.

My mother dearest always told me the beauty benefits of honey, so I started to do some research using the keyword "honey". After reading through various articles and recipes, I went into my kitchen and concocted a simple scrub that changed my life!

A quick jist on why I chose each ingredient & the measurements:

Honey (2 tbsp): moisturizes, hydrates, and draws dirt out of your pores.
Brown Sugar (3-4 tbsp): exfoliates but is not harsh enough to tear your skin like salts and oatmeals
Lemon (1.5 tbsp): a brightening agent, breaks down dirt, and combines the other ingredients perfectly

All you have to do is combine the ingredients. Control the measurements of ingredients as you wish, but just be aware, too much lemon juice will compromise the face scrub consistency! Good luck!

5 Mascara Hacks!

Want longer and fuller lashes?

Attempting to achieve those ooh la-la luscious lashes cannot be done so by applying layer upon layer when the mascara is wet. The key to fuller lashes with any mascara is to let each coat dry before applying another coat on top. Continuously layering wet mascara onto your lashes will cause the lashes to look like spider legs. Wait 40 seconds to a minute between each coat, then apply the second coat as you wiggle your wand right to left from the base to the tip of your lashes.

Avoid water-proof mascara.

Unless you cry all the time or go swimming with mascara on, avoid water-proof mascaras. They may sound nice, but if you don't need it, skip it. This is bad for 2 reasons:
1.) It will dry out your lashes more than a regular mascara and end up flaking a few hours later.
2.) Mascaras already have a short life of 2-3 months before they dry up. The life of waterproof mascaras are even shorter!

Powder Trick.

I discussed this tip a few months ago [HERE], it will help you achieve long thick lashes, imitating falsies!

Swirl, dont pump!

I cannot say this enough. I cringe every time I see a girl pumping the wand into the mascara tube as if she is trying to inflate it. Pumping your wand will only dry your mascara out and attract more bacteria into the tube. Swirl the wand inside the tube instead, you will get the same amount of product.

Save your one true wand! 

This is one of my favorite beauty hacks and money saving tips! Every company raves about their mascara formula, but in all honestly, most mascara formulas are the same. Your money is going towards the mascara's brush wand, not the formula. Next time your $30 mascara dries out, keep the wand and use it with a cheaper alternative mascara, you will see the same effects as the higher end mascara. Works like a charm!

I hope you found these hacks useful! As a college student, I am always trying to make my dollar stretch as far as it can and I love when beauty hacks can help me save some too! 

Conquering The Cold!

Happy Friday!

I have always been one to believe that colors can change a person's mood and attitude completely, no matter the circumstances. This is simply the reason why we correspond certain colors to particular occasions, time of day, and seasons.

On a cold northeast winter day, nothing bums me out more than seeing a foot of snow outside my window and the temperature reading "9 degrees". Though the roads may be harsh and the air is frigid, life still goes on...and by "life", I mean "classes".

Walking out is such a struggle for me when the temperatures are low. I start to squirm and whine about the cold before even walking outside. I know, I'm such a baby! On these types of days, I like to dress in warm neutral earth tones to help me conquer my childish worries.

Here is an outfit that I wore under my massive peacoat on a recent snow day. I paired my green sweater (American Eagle $24) with my favorite yet oldest pair of jeans (Pacsun). To accessorize the outfit, I stayed true to the earth toned theme and added a tan infinity scarf along with my burgundy/brown boots. With my hair in a ponytail, I felt exceptionally bare without my jewelry, so to please my mind, I wore my favorite gold metals and a pearl/stoned necklace.

If you fear the cold like I do, wear colors that make you feel cozy and warm!