At the risk of sounding like a cheesy Disney movie I need not mention, I say, “Welcome back, Wildcats!”. And a big welcome to Monsoon Season. For all of you Freshman, here is something they forgot to tell you at orientation. For the oncoming weeks you can expect lightning, flash floods, random rainstorms, and humidity. If that wasn’t enough, here’s another one; You never know when it is going to hit.
Let me paint you a picture here: You wake up and it is another bright and shiny day in sunny Tucson. The birds are chirping, the air is crisp and dry (perfect for your new back-to-school-blowout), and the campus is full of life, tank tops, and short shorts. Ready to begin the day on a good note, you start your 15 minute walk to class, taking time to smell the roses (or in our case, cacti). You are halfway there when suddenly the feeling of the sun beating down on your bare shoulders is replaced by a suspicious looking shadow that quickly envelops the rest of campus. Looking up you see the sky is filled with the angriest looking clouds you have ever seen, made even more formidable by the flashes of lightning peaking through the cracks. Next thing you know, warm drops of rain the size of your fist are splashing down on you as you hightail your way to class. But don’t get too comfortable. By the time you get to class the rain has seized and the sun is once again in reign. Unfortunately for you, you’re stuck for the next 50 minutes-3 hours feeling soggy and not looking too much better then you feel.
Yes, Monsoon Season is as fun as it sounds. No, you don’t have to be one of the poor souls victims to this dreadful season each year. Lucky you, you have me to help you through this. Throw these products into your back-to-school bag at the beginning of the day and you will be prepared to fight whatever Arizona’s crazy mixed-up weather has to throw at you.
· Umbrella (duh!)- Your best friend during MS (Monsoon Season). The bad new is, Tucson is usually running dangerously low on umbrellas because, well, come on. What kind of over-prepared person brings an umbrella to the desert? The good news is our home away from home, U of A, has got us covered. The bookstore sells University of Arizona umbrellas that are compact enough to throw in a backpack before class and heavy duty enough to protect you from MS.
· Leave-in-conditioner – whatever hair type you may have-curly, straight, wavy, dyed, flat ironed, or fake- I have never seen hair look good after being poured on. Especially in humidity. Terrible side-effects of MS include hair expanding 7 feet into the air or falling flat in frizzy wet tresses. Whichever one sounds familiar to you, leave-in conditioner is your quick fix. Run a dime-sized amount of your fav leave-in into your hair and it will go from frizzy and soggy to wet, wild, and controlled in a second.
· Hair ties- If the last step fails, you could always just pull your hair back into a sleek and out of the way pony-tail.
· Makeup remover pads- If you are an eye-makeup girl like me you can expect something I like to call Raccoon Eyes. By the time you get to class your eyeliner will be smudged halfway down your face. In my opinion, not even raccoons can rock this look. Makeup remover pads will help you with touch-ups and clean-ups, and if you want a really quick fix you can remove all of your makeup and go for the fresh, clean, all natural makeup-less face you were born with.
Throw these items in your bag at the beginning of the day and you will show MS who’s boss. I would expect nothing less of my U of A fashionistas then to look fab, fresh, and frizz-less in every situation Tucson throws at them. Welcome home, everyone!