Two weekends ago, I got my hair cut. And I don’t mean a trim. I mean taking it from my shoulder blades to my chin. This is coming from a girl who spent most of her teenage years and young adulthood with at least shoulder-length hair, and once aspired to grow it down her back. Part of me was terrified of how such a short cut would turn out. But as soon as I looked in the mirror, I knew I’d made the right choice.
Before I took this leap, I had to fight through years of listening to other people’s advice. My parents told me I’d regret cutting my hair short. Friends cautioned me that it might take a lot of maintenance. Websites advertised super-short pixies that I wasn’t quite ready to try.
A major part of your college years is learning how to listen to your own instincts. We spend so much of our childhood and teenage years taking orders from other people. Our adult lives will be spent working under a boss and listening to her directions. College is without a doubt the freest environment you can live in. You have more time and less responsibilities than you will probably have for the rest of your life. So why not exercise a little bit of that freedom with your style?
Take a risk and get a daringly short haircut. If it doesn’t look good, it’s no big deal. Just blame it on the stupidity of college years! On the other hand, if it looks great, you’ll be glad you took the risk. Here are a few more things that should be on your style bucket list for your college years:
Buy an outfit you wouldn’t normally wear
Have you been going through high school or college in jeans and T-shirts? Buy something more formal. Or are you usually one for dark, muted, solid colors? Try something bright with a flashy pattern. When you’re in college you can get away with wearing…less than conservative colors and patterns, let’s just put it that way.
Get creative with your makeup
My go-to look is liquid eyeliner, volume-boosting mascara and powder eyeshadow. You can do a lot with those simple ingredients. But I recommend trying everything – pencil, gel, and liquid liner; powder, liquid, and cream eyeshadow; and all the different types of mascara out there. You’ll have to experiment with different brands before you find one that works for you. Be careful with this if you have sensitive skin, though – some brands might contain ingredients you’re allergic to.
Learn to love your natural self
This one may sound cheesy, but it’s really the most important thing to put on your beauty bucket list. These may be the most freeing years of your life, but they’re also some of your most vulnerable years. Psychological issues often emerge in this time; many young women struggle with eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction. At the end of the day, you can curl or straighten your hair and pack it with product, cake on the makeup, and hit the tanning bed, but it will never truly make you happy. I know from personal experience that achieving the perfect look may seem like the key to happiness, but ultimately there’s only so much you can do. Only movie stars can afford to look flawless all the time. (And believe me, that’s only for the cameras. They have their moments too!) So your ultimate style goals should be boiled down to just this one: let go of the need for perfection and embrace your own unique brand of beauty. After all, it’s a look only you can pull off. Wear it with confidence!