It happens every year around this time: the midterms are piling up, the late nights are catching up with you, and your coffee addiction is at an all-time high. It’s the middle of the semester and your stress level has shot through the roof. With all of this going on, it can be easy to forget to take care of yourself! But just taking an extra few minutes in the morning and putting together a stylish and comfortable outfit can change the way you feel all day. When you feel good about yourself, that confidence will spill over into everything else you do.
To help you out, here’s four easy ways to pull yourself out of the mid-semester style slump and finish the term looking and feeling great!
Mix it up.
The quickest and easiest way to get out of a fashion slump is to mix up your outfits. Sure, that same old top and pair of jeans combo may look great, but wearing the same thing day in day out can get a little boring. So recruit a friend or roommate to help you look at the items you already own, and then brainstorm ways to change things up. You won’t have to spend any money, but you’ll have tons of outfits that feel brand new because the pieces have never been worn together before.
Pick out a “safety outfit”.
You were up until 4 a.m. studying and somehow forgot to set your alarm. You have 15 minutes before you have to be at your 8 a.m. class and you just rolled out of bed. At times like this, putting together a stylish outfit is the last thing on your mind, but you shouldn’t just settle for sweats and run out the door! You’ll feel frazzled and less confident all day.
Instead, pick out a seasonally appropriate “safety” outfit and memorize it. Keep it simple and not too specific. An example of my “safety outfit” is pictured. No matter how long it’s been since I’ve done laundry, I always have a pair of skinny jeans and a white t-shirt clean. I pair them with my favorite coloured flats to add some pop. If it’s cool out, I know I can throw on any jacket and it will match!
Reorganize your closet and drawers.
Even if you aren’t a neat freak like me, having an organized room makes your life feel a little more organized too. Take some time to do all your laundry and then move your closet and drawers around. This will give you a chance to really dig into the back and see what pieces have been hiding. First, put your fall clothes front and centre, and instead of organizing your clothes by colour, organize them by style (or vice versa). Switch up the flow of your drawers; are your t-shirts on top? Move them to the bottom! Put pieces you haven’t worn in a while where they are more visible and easily accessible.
Invest in a few time-saving beauty products.
Sleep is a luxury at this point in the semester, and it’s more likely that you’ll choose 20 extra minutes in bed over a shower any day! Of course there’s no shame in that, but if you stock up on a few key beauty products, no one will be able to notice.
Dry shampoo is a MUST for on-the-go days. It absorbs oil and gives your hair great volume and texture. Eye cream is another must-have. Rub it on your puffy, sleep-deprived eyes and you’ll look like you got your full eight hours. A shimmer stick can serve as blush, highlighter, eye shadow, and even lipgloss—talk about products that do double (and more) duty! Body spray is a great alternative to perfume when you just need to “freshen up”, and the plastic packaging makes it much more portable than delicate and expensive perfume bottles. Finally, a neutral shade of nail polish will let you stretch you manicure for several extra days, since chips will be less noticeable.
Hopefully these tips will help you to beat–or at least survive!—that mid-semester fashion slump. Next on the agenda: passing those December exams! Er, you’re on your own for that one…
