Well, since you can't shop around in stores, you are forced to shop online. Target is one of those stores where you never think to shop online, but let me tell you, it has A LOT more unnecessary knickknacks than your local Target and these items are just a few that you need.
As a Target Affiliate partner, Odyssey may earn a portion of qualifying sales.
Just invest in a good one so your roommate doesn't have to bail you out 85 times.
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I can't tell you how many times I had to bail people out freshman year because their laptop broke on them. It's worth the investment because if you treat it well, it will last you throughout college and possibly even afterward! Look at Best Buy for student discounts during the summer. I got $500 off my order simply because I was a student.
It doesn't matter what type of shoe you get. It only matters that you have shoes on.
College showers are disgusting, many times not being cleaned for days at a time. Going in there without something to protect your feet will result in something nasty probably growing between your toes. Buy a cheap pair of flip flops, crocs, or legit shower shoes from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Trust me.
Along with clothing, this bad boy can carry 49 library books across campus at 1am!
The wheels are the most important feature of a good laundry basket in college. You'll be grateful you don't have to carry your heavy basket all the way to the laundry room as you watch others struggle to do so. A plus is that they help make move-in easier with their wheels.
I didn't get a mattress topper until sophomore year, big mistake.
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Freshmen have the worst dorms; everyone knows that. It's no surprise that their beds are not the most comfortable things in the world. I recommend buying a mattress topper to save yourself from a sore back.
The more cords the merrier!
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These are always handy to have around. Hopefully, you won't be like me and only have one plug on your side of the room, but you never know. Try to get one that is flat when plugged in the wall so you can plug it in behind desks or your bed without a large gap blocking your way.
This will save you so much walking and time, trust me.
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University printers are notorious for not printing when you need them the most. Save yourself the headache and invest in a cheap printer to keep in your dorm room. Make sure you get a USB cable to directly plug it into your laptop, so you don't have to fight with the university Wi-Fi that everyone is trying to connect to.
Make sure to not lose this!
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Showers are usually not connected to your dorm room, meaning that you have to lug your toiletries up and down the hall every time you want to shower. It's super useful to have something to carry everything in. You can find these at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or any other store similar to it.
This bad boy has saved my life on more than one occasion.
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A Small travel sized fan is a great thing to have, especially at the beginning of the semester. The air conditioning may not be that great (if you even have it) in the freshman dorms. A fan may not cool you off completely, but it's still better than nothing. Plus it makes great background noise to drown out your loud neighbors!
Succulent not included.
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Dorm room lighting isn't the brightest. Usually, there's only one light in the ceiling, causing your eyes to strain when trying to read. Get a cheap desk lamp to make reading so much easier on your eyes.
You probably won't need 60 pairs but still...
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Freshman dorms often have walls that are paper thin, which can make it hard to sleep. Invest in a good pair of earplugs or a pack of cheap ones to help you fall asleep quickly. Even if you don't have noisy neighbors, your roommate may snore, and you'll be glad you have something to block out the noise.
Once I started doing this, I never went back. Instead of spending time, money, and energy doing eyeshadow separate from highlight and contour, I just purchased a palette of which shades can be used all over my face, instead of relying on individual products. For example, around Christmas, I bought the Smashbox Holidaze Palette, and it serves as my only makeup product most days.
Dermatologists say that the only two products they'd recommend to everyone regardless of skin type are sunscreen and moisturizer. Oftentimes, a primer can be purchased with built-in SPF, so it may be worth spending a little extra money to get that two-in-one product.
Everyone has them! Using concealer, for example, to cover up blemishes or dark spots can already have people looking and feeling better. Instead of having a 40-step makeup routine like some beauty gurus online, accept that sometimes less is more.
This hack saves time, if you're too busy to incorporate skin care into your daily or weekly routine, incorporate in with your existing routine. The same works with exfoliating, moisturizing, hair, and lip masks.
Sometimes it can get very overwhelming with the sheer amount of products that are released by all these new companies entering the beauty industry - both online or in makeup reseller stores. If there's a product that you notice is doing your skin wonders, then don't opt for something that may look more professionally packaged, or make the mistake of thinking that paying more into makeup and skin care leads to a direct correlation with results.
Ah, J. Crew, the store I personally always dreaded walking into when cruising around the mall with my mom. Looking a little more closely, however, the seemingly all-thing-preppy brand actually has great (and I mean really, really great) things for girls all ages. One of my personal fav things to shop for at J. Crew is shoooeeessss (of course). Shop their boots and booties (especially Chelsea rain boots ;) ) for your next shoe purchase.
If you like shopping outside the United States, you have undoubtedly heard of one of my favorite stores of all time: Bershka. From the same father company as ZARA, Bershka has everything from workout wear to raincoats and every single thing is so cute and so affordable. Unfortunately, the only US store is located way too far from me - all the way in NYC. But, they ship to the US so start shopping! The sale already started :)
For those boho pieces, we can't live without, Urban Outfitters and Free People aren't always the only ways to go. Anthro is actually from the same father company as our two favs and has pieces that I would even say have better all-around quality. I'll admit it isn't the most affordable, but shop their sale and you will for sure find something you'll want to splurge on. Channel your inner Serena van der Woodsen and shop their sweaters to be a fashionista this winter.
I just found this store and have been obsessing ever since. Their collections are so consistent with every new trend and I cannot get enough of it. Shop their latest trends and get 10% off your first order! It's seriously a win-win sitch in every way.
Really well-known to some and really not to others, Aritzia is another store full of gems you'll great not buying this winter (and every other season, too!). If you're a ZARA fan (like me hehe) then you'll love their minimalistic style. They are also having a sale right now so get shopping.
