DIY Nail Salon

Tired of spending your weekly paycheck at the nail salon? Nails are hard to upkeep and prices continue to rise as the demand never seems to go down.

I’ve tried a lot of brands and I finally found the perfect combination to create a salon finish.

I start off by clipping and filing my nails. I prefer the square file as it make your fingers appear much longer. Then, I push my cuticles down and clip any dead skin surrounding the edge of my nail.

From there, I head over to the sink and use my Crabtree and Evelyn hand scrub. After spending around 30 seconds massaging the scrub into my palms, I wash it over with hot water. To finish, I rub any brand of Shea butter hand cream.

Then, I wet a cotton ball with some nail-polish remover and lightly dab my nail beds. I take my OPI base coat and lightly brush my nail. (I like to let this dry for at least 2 minutes before applying polish)

Because its spring, I choose a fun color (I like any pastels). My favorite brand to use on my nails is Revlon. Although its not the “salon pick”, I love how thick the brush is. One swipe almost covers the entire nail! I usually apply 2 coats max depending on whether the color is dark.

I usually will plug in my desk fan and wave my hands over for a few minutes. For the top coat, I use my top secret weapon. The Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat!!!! This smooth, shiny finish has everyone asking me where I got my nails done.

I just tell them Emily’s salon.

Being Proactive in the Internship Search

It’s every college students inevitable struggle…. getting an internship.

Now if you are like me and have absolutely NOOOOOOO connections, you are going to need to make your own network. ASAP.

I started going to Career Services, an awesome resource that Marist provides for its students and alumni. The team is committed towards helping coordinate internships and post-grad jobs for Marist students.

They will help you explore career options within your major. They even assist with finding job and internship openings as well as cover letter and resume editing.

Career Services will also plan networking events on and off campus. Every semester Marist hosts a Career Fair where 50 different companies send representatives to network with students on campus. They even sponsor Road to the Workplace trips where students have the opportunity to visit a company site and experience a day in the life of an employee.

These events are pivotal to attend in order to make a connection and gain experience networking. In addition, alumni often come to campus to be on panels or give presentations. If you are seeking an internship, I highly recommend following up with them afterwards and exchanging business cards or LinkedIn accounts.

For advice outside of Marist, communicate with family, friends, neighbors, and strangers of your career goals and aspirations. It only takes one person to take a chance on you and sometimes that person will surprise you.

The internship I have planned for this summer arose from a friendly conversation my dad had with my neighbor. She asked how I was doing at school and he mentioned that I was looking for an internship for the summer. She recommended that I stop by when I come home to discuss her company and a potential position she has for me.

When I got home, resume prepared (shout out to Marist Career Services), I walked over and we discussed her company and what they were looking for. Luckily, it fell within my major and I was hired!

Like I emphasized, it’s those small conversations that can lead to big life changes. If I learned any lesson, it was that you should always keep a clear communication channel with your parents and notify them of your career goals. They are your biggest supporters! (They also have a pretty great network, too).

5 Ways to Save Money on Campus

1. Use a reusable water bottle. There are a ton of filtered water stations located around campus for a quick refill.
2. Always keep a granola bar on hand. In case you are getting hungry and getting tempted to buy a bag of chips or a sandwich… use what you already have!!!
3. Make your own iced coffee or tea! Push in a k-cup and refrigerate overnight for your morning essentials. You can spice it up and buy fun coffee creamers like sugar cookie or caramel swirl! You can keep one creamer the entire semester, they last for months!
4. Buy second-hand Marist apparel! There is a whole Facebook page for used college-wear. Skim through to find great deals and a vintage look!
5. WALK, WALK, WALLLLKKKKK. The Marist campus is NOT that big. Your furthest walk AT MOST will be 15 minutes. Save money on Ubers and gas! P.s. it will keep you from gaining the freshman 15!!!!

Marist New HBO Go Service

As a college student, it is hard to afford multiple memberships to the plethora of streaming services out there. I already am subscribed to Netflix and Hulu (with the Spotify-student membership deal, of course). However, these streaming sites have new competitors that are offering popular series that are exclusive to that platform.

As a second semester sophomore, I was FINALLY fortunate enough to hear about the FREE HBO Go service included for Marist students. Better late than never, right?

As I logged on, I was so surprised to see the amount of shows, docu-series, and movies offered. Some of them include Game of Thrones, the Greatest Showman, Big Little Lies, and much more.

It was very easy to register. On the Sign Up page, I registered under “other” providers. I clicked Marist College and it had me put in my email and password for my Marist account. From there, I was granted a full-access membership.

I am very happy that I no longer have to join yet another streaming platform. However, this was definitely not advertised well as I found out about it 2 YEARS later. Not salty at all.

Best Ways to Start a Productive Day

1. Wake up and stay in bed for a minimum of five minutes. The longer you linger in bed after your alarm goes off, the sleepier you get.
2. Have a quick snack and head off to a quick morning workout. Create your best play-list and hit the gym for a nice energy-boost.
3. Come home make your bed and turn on a cold shower. This definitely wakes you up. This feels especially nice after a hard work-out.
4. Make yourself a hearty breakfast. Scramble up some eggs, heat up some oatmeal, or even pour yourself a bowl of cereal. This is the most important meal of the day and gives you fuel for those pivotal morning hours. Protein is your friend.
5. Find a news outlet. Wherever you are, it is important to wake up and know the current events. I like skimming through highlights from the Today Show, but I also will use the CNN app or read through the Morning Brew, an online new site that I am subscribed to.

Salsa Fresca is a Steal

If you go to Marist College and you are looking for a cheap lunch… you NEED to make your way across the street to Salsa Fresca.

Salsa Fresca is a Mexican grill that has a widespread of locations throughout New York State. They are very comparable to a Moe’s or Chipotle. Salsa Fresca recently opened a new location at 3434 North Road in Poughkeepsie, NY, basically touching the Marist Campus.

I went for the first time last Friday night with my friends. It was out of this world. And a good deal!

The place is always busy and filled with college students. We walked in and waited online for about 5-10 minutes which was pretty fast considering how long the line was.

They had a ton of options. There were salads, burritos, tacos, bowls, or nachos. I opted for the burrito bowl. I chose to get their special rice which was definitely very flavorful and had a lot of Mexican spices. I also was able to combine chicken and grilled veggies into one bowl. In terms of toppings, I am someone that just throws em all on. Here is some of what I added:

Corn

Lettuce, tomatos, onions

Cheese (Spicy queso or shredded)

Beans (black or refried)

Guacamole or sliced avocado

Variety of salsa and dressings

Overall, my bowl was awesome. It probably weighed like 5 pounds, but definitely a lot for a little $$. Portion size is awesome and it can definitely be saved to eat for another meal. The bowl is either served to stay or to go. Chips and homemade salsa are also included!

My total came to around $8.00 and that included a huge scoop of guac.

While I was eating, I saw a poster for a week-day lunch special for students. For only $5, you can choose between the salad, burrito, bowl, or taco! This is a deal you can’t pass up. It is available Mon-Thurs from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Yes the timing isn’t ideal, but you can save it later for dinner!

Orangetheory Review

America has really tuned up its workout culture in the past decade. New workout studios are popping up everywhere. In an effort to get fit during the holidays, I signed up for a unlimited monthly membership at Orangetheory Fitness.

There are a variety of plans to choose from such as: 4 classes per month, 8 classes per month, or unlimited classes per month. I did the unlimited plan for $159 ($10 off with the student-deal). Personally, this was the best use of money for me as I attended class 4 times a week which totals about $9-10 per class.

When registering to become a member, a trainer sat with me to discuss my fitness goals and reason for joining Orangetheory. This was really helpful because it helped outlay a clear mission with periodic goals. The trainer then took me into the studio and showed me how to use the rower and adjust speed on the treads.

The classes consist of 2G or 3G (G standing for groups). The 2G class is usually smaller as there is always one of the three stations unoccupied. You can sign up for classes via the Orangetheory app.

Before class, the trainer will explain what type of day it is. For example, the workout could be based on endurance, strength, or power. The trainer will then go through the workout as well as refresh on the different zones.

Orange theory is an interval based workout that measures your heart rate throughout the class. There are three zones you can be in: green, orange, and red. The higher up you go, the more calories you will burn. There is a screen that will project your heart-rate and zone so that you can see it while you are working out. This is all measured by a band you can buy through Orangetheory. (If you already have a Fitbit or an apple-watch those will work fine, too).

You can choose what station you start at. Personally, I like to get the running part out of the way first. I always start on the treadmill and proceed to the rower and then the floor.

For people that have no idea what they are doing at the gym… Orangetheory is perfect for you. The trainer works with you the entire time. They tell you when to turn up the speed on the treadmill, how to properly row, demonstrate the floor workout, etc. It is also very individualized and I often forget I am working out with a bunch of strangers.

Every class, it shows how many calories each person has burned. I have never seen someone finish the class with less than 400 calories burned. I have even seen a max of 800 in only an hour!

The class is really what you make of it. I have gained a lot of muscle and was able to keep off the holiday weight. Classes are fun to take with friends and you also can meet a lot of people through the program. The upbeat ambiance of the studio in addition to the motivational trainers and fun remixes really helps you forget you are even working out!

New YouTube Pastime

Lately, I have had some free time on my hands with no netflix show or new hobby to occupy it with. I have tried resorting to watching movies, but with an attention span thats pretttyyyy small, its hard for me to drop everything and follow a 2 hour plot-line.

My roommate Brie has always told me how awesome YouTube is and how its her favorite form of social media. I decided to take her advice and give it a go.

I started on my own and searched some topics I might be interested in. For me, I am a hugeee foodie, so it was fun watching some YouTubers do how-to-tutorials on making food. After that got old, I looked at some new movie trailers which led to a bunch of suggested videos that kept me clicking.

I still didn’t get the whole YouTube hype so I asked Brie for suggestions. She got so excited and told me to subscribe to David Dobrik. I knew that name sounded familiar and she told me he was a pretty big Vine-er back in the day. Together, we watched some of his video blogs (vlogs) with his “blog-squad” who regularly appear in them all.

Let me tell you, I WAS ENTERTAINED. These 4-minute video compilations are priceless and you never know what to expect. Each video has a lot going on and the vlog squad film in a variety of locations.

I actually woke Brie up the other night from laughing out-loud at all of the crazy stuff they do. My favorite video so far is definitely the one where they do the invisible challenge with David’s friend Vardon. (If you are unfamiliar with this, it’s when a family tricks the youngest sibling into thinking they went invisible) David even went as far to take a picture of him and blank space before-hand which really sold the prank.

Overall, all of my free-time is now dedicated to watching the vlog squad and other YouTubers.

Oh My Bonsai

Okay my friends let me tell you about the best happy-hour in town. And I am NOT talking about drinks.

My friends and I are huuuuge sushi girls and we were looking up decent places to get some in the Hudson Valley. We were out shopping at Marshall’s and there was conveniently a cute place across the street, Bonsai.

We walked in and were greeted with a happy smile and sheets of paper…. We were all pretty confused, but took the paper and sat down. The waiter explained to us that we were eligible to order sushi on the happy-hour menu. He explained that were could get hand-rolls and select appetizers for only $3. My jaw literally dropped.

I am not wayyyy into the crazy, deluxe rolls that have 8 fish and caviar on top. I’m a pretty simple girl and I pretty much order the same thing every time. Salmon avocado roll and spicy tuna roll.

My friends and I analyzed the paper and started checking away. We all ordered appetizers which were delicioussss. I tried Gyoza which is pretty much a dumpling that you can get fried or steamed, with pork in the middle. My other friends ordered edamame and shumai which I will definitely try next time.

Before I could even finish my appetizer the sushi was ready. I was pretty surprised by the timing, but happy to eat. I was thinking the rolls would be on the smaller side because of the amazing price… but boy was I wrong.

I ended up getting three perfectly sized hand-rolls. (I promised myself I would limit it to two next time) They were great, the spicy tuna had an added crunch to it that I really liked. The avocado was a perfect ripe and the fish tasted really fresh. I even tried a sweet-potato tempura roll which was out of this world.

When it was time for the check, I started to brace myself. Then I realized it was $13. $13 for 3 hand rolls and an appetizer. Lets put this into perspective people; a deluxe roll at most places cost even more than my 18 piece sushi meal!!!!

You can obviously tell how happy I am about finding Bonsai and I will definitely be spreading the word.

Go try!

Gourmet Brownies

As a college student, it is pretty hard to find the time, let alone the money, to bake a great dessert.

A few weeks ago my mom came up and stocked my cabinet high with the essentials. She brought the usual: cereal, pasta, eggs, and milk. However, she surprised me with two boxes of Betty Crocker fudgy brownie mix. (My family has a huge sweet tooth so brownies are a Sunday ritual in my home)

I was so excited to bake brownies, that I whipped some up for my housemates later that night.

We were all in the kitchen while they were baking and someone mentioned the idea of adding chocolate chips for a chocolatey effect. One thing led to another and we began to brainstorm the craziest brownie concoctions. We were gorging our cabinets for any sweet treat we could add. Here’s what we ended up doing:

Nutella and peanutbutter swirl brownies

Chocolate chip brownies

S’mores brownies

Cookie dough brownies

Caramel brownies

To say the least, we all gained 5 pounds. So yeah if you ever want a cheap, easy, fun, UNIQUE dessert… definitely try this!

Let me know of any good concoctions!