Blog Posts by Refinery29

By Carly Pifer, Refinery29

Holiday shopping can be fun, but finding a gift that triggers that fuzzy, generous feeling can be tough on a student's budget. Not to mention the fact that you're also studying for finals and working the holiday-party circuit, and it doesn't help that you suddenly have about three times the amount of people to shop for than ever before. Between family and friends - new and old - teachers, bosses, and coworkers, it can seem like you have the gift list that rivals Santa's.

Time to stop panicking and check out our seasonal selects for all the wonderful people in your life. Your favorite aunt? A tea-infuser mug. Your kinda clumsy roommate? An extra-cute cell phone case. And the best part: With every present cashing in at less than $20, you won't be wiped out financially come 2013. Oh, and if you have a college-aged son or daughter that uses his student ID as an excuse not to buy gifts, you might want to send this on over to them!

More from Refinery29:

How

By Megan McIntyre, Illustrated by Naomi Abel, Refinery29

Contrary to popular belief, our staffers did not emerge from the womb knowing how to braid, curl, or draw a perfect cat-eye - we all had to learn it somewhere. With that in mind, we're starting a new series for you guys called Amateur Hour, where our staffers (with the help of top-notch experts) will teach you the basic techniques for some everyday beauty looks and tools. First up: hot rollers.

We've sung the praises of hot rollers on numerous occasions - they really are a one-stop shop for a coterie of curly coiffs. But for some women, they continue to be a mystifying hair tool that they just can't seem to conquer. Here, with the help of hairstylist Dan Sharp, we'll show you the basics of hot rollers, including how to create different types of curls and some sneaky tricks for mastering this handy hot tool.

More from Refinery29:

How To Get Rid Of Frizzy Hair In 10 Seconds Flat
22 Cheap Gifts - All For Under $30!

How To

By Leila Brillson, Photographed by Atisha Paulson, Refinery29

.Tipping isn't a city in China and it's certainly for more than just cows, but during the holidays, our general 15- to 25-percent rules are thrown into a tizzy. Who gets a gift? Is giving cash insulting? With so many different, complex relationships in our lives - our barristas often act as therapists and confidantes - how much is enough? We linked up with Tessa Baker at Lifehacker to chat about holiday extras, and whether or not to give the old greenbacks, or a more personal gift.

1. Every Day Relationships: Cash
Your old, faithful doorperson. That mail carrier who gives you a friendly wave. The superintendent who really helped you out over Sandy. All of those people deserve to be thanked during the holidays, but common etiquette is a sliding scale: You don't have to tip everyone equally. Those who have helped you plenty in the past should get a heftier tip than those who you rarely see. The more they have helped you, of

By Tara Rasmus, Refinery29

So, as the entire world has heard, a pregnant Kate Middleton was recently hospitalized for a rare form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum. The illness is actually really scary, with the key symptoms including nonstop nausea and vomiting, leading to serious dehydration and dangerous weight loss (notably, it has been reported that author Charlotte Bronte died of the disease). Even more shocking, however, is the lack of comment from health professionals being reported amidst all of the the alarming personal accounts of how serious and debilitating the condition is.

While hyperemesis gravidarum is rare (it affects only 1-2% of pregnancies, morning sickness affects close to 90% of cases) and treatable, thanks to modern availability of rehydration and renutrition via IV, but there isn't a cure per se. Some women that have suffered the condition have come forward saying that they found some relief via acupuncture. Others were offered Zofran (a

By Connie Wang, Refinery29

Whether you're still trying to find your car buried somewhere in the snow (hello, Minnesotans!) or drowning in an unusually warm-and-wet winter (hello, Manhattanites!), your winter boot game needs to be on point now more than ever. But if your budget is holding you back, no worries - we found the bargain pairs that'll help you weather the elements without compromising on style.

From snow boots to galoshes to mild-temperate-appropriate booties, we've found 16 pretty pairs - under $100 - that'll have you and Old Man Winter back on speaking terms.

More from Refinery29:

Party-Dress Finder! 30 Frocks, 30 Occasions

7 Easy, Gorgeous Hairstyles You Can Do Yourself!

How To Boost Your Metabolism in 9 Easy Steps
Steal These 5 Quick Celebrity Style Secrets!

How To Do Your Makeup In 5 Minutes (Really!)

By Nicole Catanese, Illustrations by Gabriela Alford, Refinery29

Between drinking what feels like your weight in cocktails, countless way-past-your-bedtime late nights, and eating (delicious) crap for weeks, you can end up feeling, well, gross, over the holidays. Then, on top of it all, you've got to shop for gifts for everyone and their mother and work like mad to make up for days out, so working off the extra calories and stress at the gym is probably not an solution, either.

But don't worry: All be-healthy hope is not lost. Here, we've rounded up some easy ways to stay (somewhat) on track through all the mayhem. Best of all, these low-impact, minimum-commitment, tips don't require you to totally overhaul your diet and exercise plan in order to do them. Because between the shopping, the wrapping, and the reveling, who has time for that?

More from Refinery29:

Party-Dress Finder! 30 Frocks, 30 Occasions

7 Easy, Gorgeous Hairstyles You Can Do Yourself!

How To Boost Your Metabolism

By Connie Wang, Refinery29

.Though it may seem ridiculous to risk your life for a pair of perforated, plastic clogs, 18 Chinese counterfeiters did a bit of bad gambling when their knockoff Croc business was seized, and the offenders were sentenced to 46 years in prison and ordered to pay $450,896 in fines per person. Their misdeeds? Selling $128,752 pairs of knockoffs, with over $9.6 million worth of plastic clogs confiscated by officials.

Said Crocs' chief legal and administrative officer, Dan Hart: "If you attempt to produce or sell infringing Crocs products, we are going to find you. The lengthy prison terms and heavy fines handed down in these cases show that Chinese authorities are very serious about assisting us to eradicate the production of counterfeit Crocs products in China, and so are we."

Abolishing knockoffs of any sort is a very good thing, but there's something especially satisfying about getting rid of that many pairs of ugly, plastic clogs. It might be too much to ask

By Megan McIntyre, Illustrated by Naomi Abel, Refinery29

Parry dress? Check. Slammin' shoes? Check. Hot updo? Obviously. The perfect polish to tie it all together? Umm…

Amidst all the primping and planning for your plethora of holiday engagements, it can be easy to overlook your nails, but a dressed-up set of digits is crucial to topping off your look. Plus, according to celeb manicurist Skyy Hadley, most people talk with their hands and if you're planning on drinking and eating on the party circuit, then attention will constantly be drawn to your hands. So it's critical to make sure your hands and nails look their best.

That's why we put together our guide to the seven hottest nail-polish trends for the holidays, plus tips from Hadley on the coolest ways to wear 'em all. Click through, take notes, and prepare to feel that holiday spirit, in your fingers and your toes.

More from Refinery29:

Party-Dress Finder! 30 Frocks, 30 Occasions

7 Easy, Gorgeous Hairstyles You Can Do