Effortless Style for Exam Week

Ready for those exams? Nope, me neither. But here are some ways to look good while riding along on the struggle bus.

Better Than Sweatpants

From left: Lululemon Wunder Under Pant, H&M Sports Trousers, Forever21 Everyday Midi Skirt

Sweatpants are ridiculously comfortable. That’s why many MoHos sport them during exam week. In fact, many of us, including myself, sport them during non-exam periods too. It’s amazing how I’d see multiple people wearing the same “Mount Holyoke College” sweatpants in black, grey, or navy on any given day. This section is not meant to demean and discourage anybody who wears sweatpants. They are not generally considered stylish or fashionable, but they’re not evil either. However, I do hope to remind readers that other options are out there, and they are equally as comfortable. Here are just a few examples.

Example #1: Yoga pantsThey are a close cousin of the sweatpants, and popular among many women and men for their built-in butt-lifting capabilities. I specifically chose a tapered style, because I think they are the most versatile. They can pose as leggings underneath a long shirt, or they can be worn with a crop top for maximum butt display. Who doesn’t like butts? Sir Mix-a-lot sure does. Furthermore, they look adorable with flats as well as running shoes.

Example #2: “Sports Trousers”That’s what H&M call theirs, whatever the term “sports trousers” means. To me, they are essentially the love child of yoga pants and sweatpants. Why? Because not only are they relatively loose-fitting and comfortable to the max, but they are also quite flattering for your behind. They’d look best when paired with a form fitting shirt and flat soled sneakers (ex. Keds or Chuck Taylors). I just ordered mine and I hope they come in time for finals…

Example #3: Jersey skirts/dressesOne of the most comfortable type of clothing is the t-shirt, especially t-shirts made with jersey fabric. They are soft, stretchy, and low-maintenance. Now take all of those amazing properties, and apply them to a skirt or a dress. What you’d get is one of the most popular trends: the jersey skirts or jersey dresses. They are inexpensive and come in a huge variety of colors and prints. The best part about them? They aren’t pants. While I love pants that fit well and accentuate my figure, they are not the most forgiving when it comes to weight gain. Exam time is the time of stress eating for some of us. I certainly don’t have the metabolism to burn all that extra calories off. This is where loose, forgiving skirts and dresses come in; they offer great camouflaging benefits while making you look fabulous and put together. Midi and maxi skirts/dresses are my favorite, because they hide my unshaven legs. Lastly, dresses are practically an entire outfit by itself, so there’s that benefit too.

Meeting Friendly

It’s funny how Reading Days are supposedly meant for undisturbed studying, since there are no classes to attend. What a joke. Depending on what you are involved with on campus and what you have going on, Reading Days can actually be filled with meetings, dinners, lunches, etc. After all, you can’t exactly claim to have an academic obligation.

While meetings, dinners, lunches, etc. are generally quite lax in dress code, it is always more professional to look put together. Depending on who you are meeting with, and why you are meeting, I have put together three outfits (below) that you can draw inspiration from.

The common threads among these outfits are comfort and practicality. For example, big bags for bringing books and study material with you on the go; (mostly) flat shoes for comfortable speed-walking around on campus.

Tip: Headbands/scarves, top knots, and braids are some of the ways you can hide greasy hair. For video inspiration on headscarves, click here, for top knots, click here, and for braids, click here.

Putting Your Game Face On

From left: Neutrogena Visibly Even BB Cream, Clinique Airbrush Concealer, Burt’s Bee’s Tinted Lip Balm

Depending on who you are, make up can mean a variety of different things. It could be merely a tool to cover up how tired you look, or it could be an energizing part of your day. For people like me, the process of putting make up on is enough, in itself, to wake me up and mentally prepare me to tackle a day of being trapped in the library.

Some basics to look refreshed after an all-nighter include tinted moisturizer, undereye illuminator, and tinted lip balm. I find that when one’s tired, the best route to go is to actually wear less makeup. Because your skin is already tired, heavy foundations and concealers feel disgusting. Furthermore, instead of concealer for undereyes, choose illuminators and highlighters, because they reflect light from darkened skin around the eyes. This will give you a bright-eyed look. And as for tinted lip balm, they kill two birds with one stone. Pale, parched lips are neither attractive nor comfortable.

Of course, other makeup, such as mascara, eyeshadow, blush, lipstick, etc. can also be used in moderation and according to personal tastes. My favorite tip is always to fill in the eyebrows. It pulls the look together with minimal effort, and the result is a hundred times more put together.

Remember: Wash your face at the end of the night. Or, at least wipe your face clean with baby wipes. (Oh, the many uses of baby wipes.)

Photo Credit: Link

Self-Scheduled Awesome

Clothing affects how you feel. I’m not sure if there’s a scientific study on it, but when you’re wearing a sexy outfit, you feel sexy. Similarly, if you’re dressed for success, you feel confident and ready to take on anything (ie. the Power Suit). Therefore, my last tip is to dress like it is the first day of school, and you’re out to impress. This is helpful for a couple reasons. Firstly, the attention you put into getting dressed takes away your attention on being stressed. This gives you some time to chill out before taking your exam. Secondly, the knowledge that you look kickass would make you feel kickass, and thereby leads you to kick a–.

So, go kick that exam’s a–.