Ah, the infamous Bucknell hookup culture. Hundreds of young men and women wander the downtown party houses each Friday, Saturday, and, yes, occasionally Wednesday nights as visions of casual encounters dance through their heads. College students are notorious for embracing the concepts of one night stands and FWB relationships and to that I say: more power to them.
But while I applaud the sexual liberation occurring on campuses nationwide, I have never been a casual hookup person myself. As the years have passed, I have watched my friends evolve from hookup fiends into hesitant monogamists, testing out the waters of serious or long-term relationships with caution. I’ve been with my boyfriend since the first semester of freshman year, so I am all too familiar with the difficulties of navigating a relationship in the tumultuous years of college. As a result, I have a good amount of knowledge to share from the trials and errors of my own college romance.
One question that my friends tend to ask me after getting into new, exciting relationships is what to leave at their significant other’s place when they find themselves sleeping over more often than not. It’s not super fun to do the oh-so-obvious walk of shame (or stride of pride?) on a random Tuesday morning.
Here are five sleepover essentials that you should leave at your SO’s place the next time you get a chance.
1. Toothbrush
Okay, I feel like this one is pretty self-explanatory. No one wants to be stuck with morning breath, especially if you go out to breakfast together the next morning. I’ve grossly borrowed my boyfriend’s toothbrush more than a few times, but then I decided to be an actual adult and purchase one of my own to leave at his place. I’d say we’re both pretty happy with the new arrangement (and we get way fewer weird looks in the bathroom now).
2. Makeup remover or face wipes
Going to sleep with your makeup on is probably one of the worst things you can do for your skin. The old foundation clogs your pores and causes premature aging if done too frequently. Leaving a travel-sized bottle of makeup remover or a cheap pack of makeup wipes will help your skin stay hydrated and healthy. Just be sure to let your significant other know that the wipes aren’t meant to be used like tissues or paper towels; learned that one the hard way.
3. Glasses or contact lens solution and case
This one goes out to all of my visually challenged friends. Much like going to bed in your makeup, falling asleep with your contact lenses in is a terrible idea. Your eyeballs will truly feel like you’ve spent the night in a dry, arid desert. You can also scratch your cornea if you keep them in for too long. To avoid all of that, either leave a spare pair of glasses on the nightstand or bring an extra case with some solution in it. It’ll help you get a better night’s sleep and protect your eyes from any unnecessary damage.
4. Yoga pants
If you have a tendency to sleep over at your significant other’s house after going out for the night, you’ll probably end up leaving the next morning in some sort of ridiculously obvious outfit; I’m a fan of Tobi dresses myself, so no judgment here. However, I’m usually not in the mood to squeeze back into that dress when I’m bleary-eyed and half-asleep. To avoid any glances from passersby on your way home, leave a few pairs of yoga pants in your SO’s drawer. Side note: they also double as pajamas! This trick is especially useful in the winter if you wore a skirt or dress out the night before. But hey, if you’re still feeling last night’s outfit, rock it with pride!
5. Hair brush and hair ties
I don’t know about you, but I can brush my hair and somehow manage to get it tangled again in under thirty seconds. This poses a slight problem when sleeping over at my boyfriend’s (think Anna’s morning scene from Frozen). I like to leave a brush and a pack of hair ties at his place so I can tame my hair with a bun or a braid instead of scampering around the frat house looking like some sort of wild animal. I find that some up-dos even look better with un-brushed hair, which is a plus for those mornings where you’re in a rush to get back to your place.
So there you have it: the five staples that every girl needs to leave at her SO’s house in order to maintain some semblance of sanity every morning. Seriously, these are game-changers. Leave some feedback in the comments section below if you have any other tips and tricks for college co-habitation!