College-Friendly Beauty Products: Tulane Edition

College is hectic. There’s academics to worry about, social events to attend, internships, friend drama, organizations, working out, going out–and let’s not forget the more-than-occasional late night trip to City Diner that’s definitely not doing anyone any favors. Combine all that with sketchy communal bathrooms, and it’s easy to see why something like a beauty routine could be forgotten. Since moving away from home, I neither have the time nor means to keep up the beauty habits I used to so carefully cultivate and love, so I’ve been workshopping ways to streamline my routine. In the end, I was able to pinpoint four categories of products specifically necessary for the Tulane lifestyle, so I can stay healthy and happy amid the chaos. Let’s get into it!

When Bruff Just Isn’t Cutting It: Beauty Supplements

The fast pace of college life combined with the mediocrity of our dining hall can allow for some not so healthy meals—I often find myself grabbing a slice of pizza for convenience or Chinese food from the LBC. Outside of campus, the foodie in me often gets herself into some delicious yet unhealthy situations. In general, I feel like my formerly healthy diet has somewhat deteriorated since arriving at Tulane. A great way to balance all that is adding beauty supplements into your routine. Supplements and vitamins aim to deliver the extra boost your diet might be missing, with results that often target beauty concerns like dehydration, inflammation, lack of collagen and antioxidants, and more. Just be sure of the ingredients you’re ingesting and their quality. I like to add 8greens (basically a fancy version of EmergenC) to my water to up my veggie intake and general wellbeing. Other popular beauty supplement brands include Beauty Chef and Moon Juice. Even if you’re able to maintain a really healthy diet (props!), an extra boost never hurts.

When Your Date with Howie T Seems Never-Ending: Spot Treatments

Finals season is in full swing, and we all know the damage it can do to our skin. It’s common to experience breakouts in times of stress; I know I certainly do. Spot treatments are an effective way to combat individual pimples without the time and prescriptions needed for a stronger acne medication. They’re also great multitaskers—put Mario Badescu’s drying lotion, Clean & Clear advantage spot treatment, or a bit of a clay mask on the pimple, fall asleep, wake up, wash off, and emerge blemish-free. If you can’t wait until nighttime but don’t want to walk around with an obvious cream on your face, give Glossier’s zit stick a try. It’s designed to be translucent and undetectable, so you fight acne while still going about your day.

When You End Up in a Bourbon Street-Bound Uber: Hangover Makeup

Happens to the best of us. Cover up the previous night’s unfortunate decisions with products specifically formulated to have you looking fresh and awake. Look for hydrating, depuffing, firming, and glow-boosting aspects specifically. A good place to start is with e.l.f.’s cheap and effective hydration stick, and with Origins’ ginzing eye cream that checks all four of those boxes. If you have time, a mask like Dr. Jart’s Firming Rubber mask will help wake you up and depuff. Finally, add some blush and lip color, like Olio E Osso balms, to bring you back to life, even if you feel really dead inside.

When the Frat Party Sweat and Boot Sludge Gets the Best of You: Oil Combattants

My first night out at The Boot felt like an overcrowded, sexually charged, alcohol-scented sauna, and I emerged drenched in (what I hope was) sweat, the time I spent getting ready completely wasted. In the following weeks, frat parties proved no better. Getting sprayed by beer and leaving somewhat disheveled is part of the going out experience (at least for freshmen—tell me it gets better!), but there are solutions out there to help you look the best you can. Enter: makeup setting spray, waterproof makeup, dry shampoo, and oil blotting sheets. Before going out, use products like Too Faced’s Better Than Sex waterproof mascaraand Sephora’s waterproof eyeliner, and spray Coola’s makeup setting spray over the finished product and some Moroccanoil dry shampoo in your hair. Bring some oil absorbing sheets with you if you want to touch up your look while out. And when you get home, please, take a shower. Not a beauty tip, just a hygiene one.

Above all, know that the overly cliche “beauty starts on the inside” staying actually has some truth to it. If you want to feel good, start by eating healthy, working out, hydrating, maintaining a good sleep schedule, and taking time for yourself when needed. But a little “beauty on the outside” doesn’t hurt! Let us know if you tried any of these or have other tips to stay gorg at Tulane.

COVER PHOTO: Bianca Falanga