Practical Night Routine for the Lazy, Broke, and Tired College Girl

You can do a lot in 30 minutes.

Searching for tips, tricks, or even just scrolling through my Pinterest feed, I find so many posts saying the same things about sleeping on silk and having a humidifier... Well, not all of us have the will and means to be so pampering toward ourselves. I went on a bit of a mission in my bathroom to find a nightly routine that could easily be completed in 30 minutes or less, stress-free. Here's what I came up with:

1) Hair: You can do just about anything to your hair before bed and step out the door in the morning , because the "bed head" look is in. But considering my classes begin at 7:30 AM (yes, AM), I need to wake up with hair that looks presentable and will last throughout the day in hot and humid weather. For my particular trial, I split my hair into two french braids (because... layers) after brushing it and applying Moroccan Oil to the ends. {I will include links to other overnight hairstyling tips I found interesting or useful at the bottom of this post.}

2) Teeth: There's a given here: brush them. I brushed my teeth and used my whitening treatment mouthwash for 60 seconds.

3) Lips: What? Lips? Yes. Lips. I used a lip scrub and applied my favorite lip balm because nothing can be compared to drooling in your sleep and waking up with cracked and bleeding lips. (You know it's happened to you at least once.)

4) Face: I washed my face with my acne-fighting cleanser. I use a gentler, oil-free one for nighttime, rather than my usual rapid-clear formula. I applied a night cream around my eyes. Then, I made a moisturizing serum from a nickel-size dab of coconut oil and 2-3 drops of tea tree oil. I rubbed an even layer of medium thickness on my face to be left overnight.

5) Body: Moisturize. I'll say it again: Moisturize. I applied lotion to my arms and legs, adding coconut oil to my knees and elbows (the driest areas). I also applied a generous amount of coconut oil to my feet, paying the most attention to my heels and ankles. I slept in a pair of socks to lock in moisture. Lastly, I applied a hand cream to give my dry skin and cuticles some love, too.

{Helpful Hair Tips:}
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsGuWokn47A&feature=share
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/155937205824842866/

Recipe: Alfredo Macaroni

I like to try out new recipes with my little sister, Molli. Today I experimented a little bit, swaying from our usual Alfredo Ravioli. This dish came out great, according to our standards. I'm thinking it would be an easy and simple recipe to make on a lazy night in or for lunch in a college dorm. Here's my recipe:

Alfredo Macaroni
(beginner level: eat in 10-15 minutes, tops)

You'll Need:

1 large pot

1 small pot (or sauce pot)

1 strainer

2 spoons

1 bag of large elbow macaroni pasta

1 tub of Buitoni Alfredo sauce

water

olive oil

salt

pepper

Tony Chacere's Seasoning

butter

Steps:

1) Fill the large pot halfway with water. Add 1 shot of olive oil (eyeball it). Boil.

2) Pour in half of the bag of pasta (or more, or less, depending on your personal preference). Boil for 8 minutes to al dente. (Stir at intervals to prevent sticking).

3) While the pasta is boiling, take half of the tub of Alfredo sauce and pour it into the sauce pot. Heat on simmer. Add salt, pepper, and Tony's (personal preference).

4) Once the pasta is done, strain it. Transfer the strained pasta into your serving container.

5) Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir thoroughly. Top with Tony's, if desired. Serve.

(**Sidenote: When I made it in this way ^, it served 4 people.**)