[Welcome to my Weekly Love List. A list, on all things I love. Because if I love them - well then obviously you may (and should) love them too. As the Backstreet Boys song says (and yes I am actually quoting them) “My Love is All I Have To Give.” So with that throwback, here are this week’s list-worthy things…]

1. My Dropbox – Does your friend have all the good pictures from last night on her camera? Did she just buy the new Britney album that you want but are too embarrassed to purchase? We all know how annoying it is to transfer files via email – that stuff takes forever - and now you don’t have to. My Dropbox is a program you and your friends download. Wanna share some pics with eachother? Just drag em into your box (that’s what she said) and – voila! – any friends who are linked up with you now have the files too. It’s technology at its finest.

2. Healthy Mac & Cheese? 18 grams of fiber in one serving, and it’s GOOD. My late night munching self is in LOVE with this idea.

3. Eco Friendly organization. We all know we are supposed to hold on to every exam all semester long, along with our bank statements, our shopping reciepts, and a plethora of other junk that just ends up splattered all over our desks, and floors, and cars… and the list goes on. So check out these great, eco friendly ways to divide up your important documents and tuck them away in a neat, safe place. I don’t really love these, but my roommates love seeing the kitchen table, so I guess that’s good enough.

4. Laura Mercier ‘Almond Coconut Milk’ Hand Crème - It fits in your purse, makes your hands baby soft, and makes you think you are sipping pina coladas on spring break instead of cramming for your econ final.

5. Frustration Free Packaging. How many times do you spend 25 mintues trying to open up your new phone/Bluetooth/Barbie Doll and you just end up with a missing tooth, a bloody lip and the urge to scream and stomp on the product? Whoever designed that hard plastic packaging should work for national security. But, thankfully, Amazon.com is ready to do away with “Wrap Rage”; they are introducing a line of “frustration free packaging,” in recyclable cardboard boxes. Perfect for those of us with a need for instant gratification. Easy to open AND eco-friendly? Now that I L-O-V-E.

You pry your eyes open as the blaring sound of your alarm clock echoes the throbbing in your head and wonder why your alarm is going off at such an ungodly hour on a Sunday when you suddenly realize, “Sh*t! Brunch with the ‘rents!”

You fling yourself out of bed as quickly as your hungover ass will let you, and as you glance at yourself in the mirror you realize that hangover is written all over your haggard face. You’ve got 10 minutes to pull yourself together and look fabulously fresh so that your folks don’t know the amount of liquor you consumed the night before (and don’t forget that greasy pizza at 2 a.m.). What do you do? Don’t fret - with a few products from Clinique, this feat is a lot easier than it sounds.

I’m personally a fan of Clinique because it’s non-comedogenic (which means it has ingredients that do not clog the pores or lead to breakouts), allergy tested and fragrance free. It’s the first skin care line developed by a dermatologist and has been using the same formulas since it was first released in 1968. I also love that it’s a more budget-friendly prestige line and offers up high-end products at much lower prices than many other upscale lines. Read More »

Like most ladies, the way my face looks is pretty important to me. I like to minimize bright red zits, reduce the black circles under my eyes after a long night at the ‘brary, and generally not look like a 45 year old woman at the ripe old age of 22.

And like most ladies I load up on every product that will keep my face looking fresh, clean and daaaamn good.

But according to a recent article in The New York Times, most ladies are pretty dumb for buying into all that facial cream mumbo jumbo.

No matter how smart we are, we all want to believe that a skin cream can fix all of our problems. Yes, even relationship issues. And it doesn’t hurt when the beauty companies throw scientific terms into the mix, furthering our beliefs that this product is different, and that one really will work!

But if what all the experts in this article say is true, we could get the same effect from a wash cloth and some basic soap that we would get from purchasing a $40 bottle of “rejuvinating night cream.” The same goes for all those “cellular level cleansers,” “biomolecular” eyecreams, and that “microsmoothing” face serum. Read More »

We’ve all seen the commercials, heard our mothers’ and doctors’ advice and read the warning articles. But SPF still remains a point of negligence for way too many of us. For a solid 16 years I tried to defy my Irish heritage and insisted on laying out and beaching it with my uber tan girlfriends, sans sunscreen. After several severe sunburns throughout my childhood and early teens (I’m talking blistering, purple skin, too painful to wear clothes or move sun damage), I was only slightly weary about the danger I was exposing myself to.

Finally, halfway through high school, I made peace with being pale and embraced the art of self tanning. Since then I have (tried to) become religious about slathering on sun protection every. single. day. It is a chore sometimes, but when I want to slack on the SPF, I just think of this gadget. Here’s how to work SPF into your lifestyle easily.

SPF Moisturizer: For every day exposure, protection while going to and from work or school, or spending minimal time outdoors. Daily use of a low SPF sunscreen (like 15) can reduce sun damage even more than occasional use of a super high SPF. Sub this for your regular morning face lotion. Aim for at least 30. Most people don’t use the right amount of sun protection (about a teaspoon for your face)–they usually use only half, so double the level of SPF you desire. If you think you’ll miss that sun kissed glow you achieve on your cheeks and nose, try Neutrogena Summer Glow Daily moisturizer. You’ll still get a healthy glow…emphasis on healthy. Read More »