Dorm Room Ideas

Buying everything for your dorm can be nerve-wracking because it's so expensive, and there's so much to buy. I made my dorm bedding for cheaper than you can buy it, and you can too! Keep reading to find out how.

I saw lots of cute dorm bedding ideas on Pinterest, but they were all so expensive; at least $150 each just for bedding. I made my dorm bedding for half of that price. Let me just go ahead and say that I got a cheap reversible comforter at Walmart for $20. I also bought the sheets, but the rest of it I made, and that's what really brought it together.

The folded blanket on my bed is the main project for this post. I took a cotton fabric that I wanted to coordinate with my room and made it into a blanket. If you want to have this preppy style to your dorm, you should probably have 2-3 colors you can coordinate. I chose navy and coral/pink. Most twin size comforters are around 66"-68". That will be the length of your blanket. The width is whatever you want it to be. I cut out two pieces of the fabric. Lay one piece down, right side up. Lay the other one on top, right side down. Next, cut batting to the size of the fabric, and lay it on the top. Pin all the way around the blanket, and sew all except one side. It's hard to sew batting to fabric, but if you add tissue paper on top, it helps. Now turn the blanket inside out and sew the part you left open. There is your blanket to polish the look of your dorm!

I got navy sheets to match my comforter, but I also used them for something else; a bed skirt. In order to make a bed skirt, all you have to do is get a twin size flat sheet and either put it under your mattress, or where your sheet normally goes and just don't tuck it in. It really puts together your room because you can't see everything that's stuffed under your bed.

Keep an eye out for detailed posts coming about my décor and how I made my pillows.

What I wish I Would Have Known as a Freshman

1.) You probably won't stay friends with most of your high school besties.

2.) I know homework is important, but you need to take time for yourself. Going out and having fun keeps a healthy balance.

3.) Stop saying no. When my friends would ask if I wanted to do something, no was my go to answer. I always had homework I wanted to get done, when really it could have waited.

4.) Try to keep up a healthy lifestyle. It's hard when all you want to do is cry and eat chocolate and ramen noodles, but you'll feel better in the long run if you try to be healthy.

5.) Ask for help if you need it. I'm really bad for not asking for help because I don't want to seem stupid. However, most professors will understand. It's better to feel stupid than to get a bad grade because you was too stubborn or embarrassed to ask.

6.) Take advantage of student discounts. There's no explanation for that.

7.) Go out of your comfort zone. I went to some activities on campus that I normally wouldn't go to by myself, which is totally out of my comfort zone. By doing that, I made some great friends, so don't be afraid to try something new.

8.) Procrastination is the devil. Waiting until last minute will just make it harder on yourself.

9.) Take classes that will interest you. You might have your mind set on a major, but try out classes that sound interesting. They might even make you want to change your major.

10.) It's okay to change your major. Yeah, that might put you a little behind. What's getting a year or so behind compared with the rest of your life with a job you can enjoy?

11.) Go to at least one sporting event. It can be fun, and you may even get a free t-shirt.

12.) Keep common medicine. Getting a headache and having to go all the way out to Walmart for medicine isn't fun.

13.) Take advantage of free food. In the long run, it can save you quite a bit of money.

14.) I know it seems like it's dragging by now, but when you look back, it goes by in the blink of an eye. Don't take it for granted.

Ole Henriksen Voxbox Review

Note: I received these products free from Influenster. All opinions are my own. If you want to find out how to get free products from Influenster click here.

The Ole Henriksen Voxbox came with:

• Power bright system
• Facial crème
• Truth serum collagen booster
• 2 cleansing sponges

Keep reading for the individual reviews of each product.

1.) Power bright system (Full product- $55)

The Power bright is a professional 3-step brightening system. It comes with a truth sugar glow polishing mask, truth 25% vitamin C concentrate, and pure truth melting cleanser.

Steps in order from left to right

Here are the directions:

1. Step 1: Apply truth sugar glow polishing mask to clean, damp skin, and leave on for 5-10 minutes. Add warm water and gently massage in circular motion, then rinse and pat dry.
2. Step 2: Apply truth 25% vitamin C concentrate to dry skin. Leave on for 2-3 minutes. Treatment will begin to dry down slightly. Do not rinse off. Follow with step 3.
3. Step 3: Apply pure truth melting cleanser directly on top of step 2 evenly over face. Do not add water. Expect a tingling feeling as the treatment is activated. Leave on for 10-15 minutes. To remove, dampen complexion sponges or wash cloth with lukewarm water and wipe gently to remove all product.

My opinion:

The first thing I thought when I was reading the directions was that it seems weird that using the facial cleanser was the last thing you do. It is also not so convenient if you don't have a lot of it, but it is definitely worth it. The Power bright system smells amazing- like oranges. The first step exfoliated your face, and it does a good job. Step 2 makes your face feel so soft. I could see an immediate difference in my face. It made my face smoother and brighter. I can honestly say I've never seen a product that gives me a healthy glow without making me oily, and this did just that. It also seemed to minimize some of my larger pores. I probably won't be buying it because it's a lot of money for me, but if you have the money, it's definitely worth investing in.

2.) Facial creme (Full size-$38)
.5 oz. oil-free moisturizer that evens skin tone, moisturizes, and fades dark spots.

Directions:

1. Apply evenly to face and neck day and night.

My opinion:

At first it seemed like it was greasy, which is not ideal for an oily-skin gal like me. However, I waited it out to see how it would do. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it seemed like my skin absorbed the product instead of just sitting on the surface. It wasn't greasy anymore, and my skin felt amazing. It doesn't really have a smell. My face never got oily, but retained just the right amount of moisture. AND it's vegan. I highly recommend the Ole Henriksen facial creme.

3.) Truth serum collagen booster (Full size-$48)

.5 oz. vitamin C serum that helps collagen and evens skin tone.

Directions:

1. In the morning, apply to face and neck.
2. Follow with moisturizer.

My opinion:

My original thought when I saw that it was a serum was, "Oh great. That's gonna make me oily." These products feel like they will make you oily, but they really don't. They absorb into your skin pretty fast. This seemed to tighten to my face up and make some of my pores smaller. It smells good, like the other products. However, it didn't seem to brighten my face as much as the
Power bright system. It says that it helps lighten dark spots, but I will have to update you on that because I've only used it 2 times. You can probably find something that tightens your skin like this for cheaper, so I would probably go that route. The full size is only 1 oz., so I definitely don't think it's worth the price, although it does work well.

4.) Ole Henriksen Complexion Sponges ($7)
2 complexion sponges used to exfoliate and can be used for 1-3 months.

Directions:

1. Run under water to expand sponge.

2. Use as needed with daily cleanser or special treatment.

My opinion:

To be honest, there is not really a lot to say about these sponges. They are just normal sponges. It is cool because they come completely compressed, but when you soak it in water, it expands. It claims that it is used to exfoliate, but I don't feel like it exfoliates. It's a good cleansing sponge; don't get me wrong, but it probably should be used on the days you don't need to exfoliate. I personally like using facial brushes better than sponges.

My opinion overall:

All of the Ole Henriksen products did just what they said: brighten, boost collagen, and even skin tone. Although they did improve my face tremendously, there are still probably cheaper options out there that are just as good. The Ole Henriksen products are a little more on the expensive side, but if you're willing to invest some money into products that actually work, I would go for it.

How to Get a Voxbox

If you're reading this right now, you may have heard of Influenster or of a voxbox. Influenster is a product discovery and reviews website. Influenster gives FREE products out to so many people who qualify, which is known as a Voxbox. Yes, this is a legitimate website. I received two free products just two weeks after I signed up. Keep reading to find out how to qualify for a voxbox.

Whether you receive a Voxbox or not depends on your social impact score and your completion of badges. Hang on and I'll explain. Your social impact score is determined by how many followers you have on social media On Influenster.com, or the Influenster app, you can access your social impact score and connect all of your social media accounts to Influenster. You can also boost your social impact score by adding an Influenster widget to your blog or inviting a friend. Some campaigns, which are opportunities to get a Voxbox, will require you to complete badges. Badges are a varying number of tasks you must complete. An example of tasks would be to write a review, create a list, or answer a question.

Now lets get into exactly what you can do to increase your chance of getting a voxbox.

1. Connect all of your social media accounts. Remember, the more followers or friends, the merrier.
2. Fit the demographics. This is something you can't really help, but some campaigns require you to take a survey to see if you would be a good fit for the product.
3. Be active on Influenster. Some things you could do would be:

• Complete badges
• Write a review
• Complete snaps
• Create a list
• Ask questions
• Answer questions

That's all, folks. The best thing you can do that will boost your impact score is having a decent-sized social media following because that's what Influenster is about: getting products out there. Good luck!