Among other ‘90s throwbacks (we’re looking at you, slip dresses and chokers!), velvet is having a major moment right now — and its festive look and practical warmth make it the ideal trend to try this winter. Not to mention it’s a favorite trend of style stars like Kendall Jenner. In need of inspiration for how to wear it? Look no further — here are some ideas for trying the trend, from head to toe (literally!).

1. Statement Boots

If you’d rather ease into the trend instead of going full-force, take it for a spin via a great statement accessory – think an eye-catching bag or killer pair of shoes. We’re obsessed with these velvet sock booties and their on-trend rose gold hue, which pair perfectly with classic essentials like black jeans, a ribbed turtleneck and blazer.

2. Feeling Festive

Velvet is the easiest way to look festive in a flash this holiday season without glitter, sparkle or sequins — which, let’s face it, tend to be overdone during the holidays. For your next holiday party, throw on a velvet slip dress and top it off with an oversized leather jacket to make it cold weather-appropriate. Instead of stilettos, opt for a low block heel in a sliver metallic shade, and accessorize with a choker – because one ‘90s-inspired trend always calls for another!

3. Liven Up Your Leggings

Take your comfy leggings look to the next level when heading to class by swapping basic black for an oxblood velvet pair. An oversized, flare-sleeved knit balances out body-con leggings, and black patent booties are the perfect wear-everywhere shoe for winter. Top it all off with an oversize gray coat to achieve a layered look.

4. Trail-“blazer”

A basic black blazer may be great for your internship, but a pink velvet one is the perfect unexpected piece for a night out. For a casual cool look, wear it with a gray wrap skirt and dress it down with your go-to white T-shirt. Since we are talking about freezing temps here, tights are a must – and sneakers keep you comfy.

5. Underwear as outerwear

Don’t write off crop tops for winter! When paired strategically over a masculine white button down, a super girly velvet crop top can totally work for cooler weather. These under-$20 camel pants look way more expensive than they actually are, but are still casual enough for class. Low block heels don’t feel too fancy, but are a stylish change from your typical ballet flats.

From blazers to booties, there are tons of ways to test-drive the velvet trend this winter – feel free to try just one or rock them all!

Name:  Felicia Fitzpatrick
Age: 25
Job Title and Description: Playbill’s Social Media Manager! I oversee all of our social media – like everything! From daily posting to bigger picture strategy, I’m your girl. 
College Name/Major: University of Texas, Theatre and Dance with a concentration in African American performance (and a Her Campus Texas alum!)
Website: FeliciaFitzpatrick.wordpress.com
Instagram/Twitter Handle: @felicianicole86

What does your current job entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?

FF: There isn’t such a [thing as a] typical day – which can be fun and challenging at the same time! As a social media team of one, you always feel busy because there is always something else you feel like you can do, can tweet, can plan. I think of them as low-tide days and high-tide days. There are certain things I have to execute every day, like posting editorial content from [our] website on our channels, interacting with our community, and using After Effects to animate our daily news recap videos for our Instagram stories. Then are things I have to execute on a weekly basis, like co-hosting our Instagram Live series, curating our Spotify playlists, and analyzing data and writing up the social media report.

Between all of this, a low-tide day might mean that I can really sit down at my desk and focus on strategizing bigger picture campaigns we might have with a Broadway show or an advertising client. Or maybe I’m planning coverage for an upcoming event, like BroadwayCon or The Tony Awards. A high-tide day means that I’m running from our studio where I took Snapchats of Darren Criss while he’s filming a video for us to Times Square to interview Broadway fans back to my desk to tweet breaking news and then back to the studio to prepare equipment for our opening night Facebook live-stream that evening. It’s a rush!

What is the best part of your job?

FF: First and foremost, I’m a theater kid, so being able to engage with my passion every day is is such a gift and I am so grateful. If I ever get burnt out of frustrated, that’s the first thing I remember! 12-year-old Felicia would FLIP if she knew this was my full-time job. Growing up on the west coast, traveling to New York City and watching Broadway shows wasn’t possible. The closest I got to a Broadway show was watching behind-the-scenes YouTube videos of Beauty and the Beast. The fact that I know I’m making Broadway accessible to young kids who don’t live in NYC through social media is really important to me. Broadway, and theatre as a whole, is very community-driven. There’s such a hunger to be a part of the Broadway community, and utilizing these huge platforms so our followers feel included is a responsibility I take seriously. T

his also goes for diversity and representation, too! A part of my job is co-hosting our red carpet for opening nights, and I’ve made a commitment to wear my hair natural (or at least try) for every single one. Even if it is 2am the night before and all I want to do is go to sleep, I twist my hair so I can wear my curls out and proud. I’m the only woman of color hosting on these opening night carpet, and as far as I’m aware, I think I’m the first, so being able to help young women of color feel like they’re represented in the community is a huge priority for me.

What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?

FF: My first job was at DoSomething.org, which is a not-for-profit that focuses on social cause campaigns for young people. I started as the social media intern and was then hired full-time as the Digital Content Associate after I graduated! I had found the internship during my sophomore year on an internship website and created this whole video application where I dressed up as Janet Jackson. It worked! I spent the next two summers interning there, and during the summer after I graduated, I got a call from the CEO and my internship supervisor asking me to join full-time! I moved to NYC a month later! I am so grateful – that place became my first home in NYC, truly.

What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?

FF: During that spring that I was thinking about interning in NYC, I REALLY wanted to work at Seventeen magazine. I didn’t get it. And I was so bummed. But I actually saw a tweet around the time that I got the rejection email and it said “God has three answers to prayers: 1) yes, 2) not yet, 3) I have something better in mind.” I’m not necessarily religious, but I took comfort in the idea that the universe had a reason for me not getting the Seventeen internship. Sure enough, I found about the DoSomething.org internship a few weeks later! A friend of mine, Tyree Boyd-Pates, voiced this same idea in a different way: Trust the process. Everything that happens to you, every curve ball, every side path you go down on your journey, will eventually get you to where you need to be, and you’ll realize that’s probably where you want to be.

What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?

FF: A lesson I’m continually learning is to speak up for myself. It can be challenging as a young, bubbly woman in the workplace – sometimes people don’t take you seriously, or they feel like they can bully you around just because you quote Disney movies or like to sing Beyonce, #patriarchy. It can be discouraging to as I try to speak up for myself during discussions or confrontations at work, because I’m not always successful, so I’ve also found other opportunities to empower myself in different ways. Most recently, I started a podcast called Call and Response which explores the intersection of blackness and performing arts through interviews with Broadway performers, ballet dancers, creatives, arts administrators, and more. I knew it was a topic that was important to me, and it also gave me a sense of agency and personal autonomy where I could learn to be confident in my decisions and own my individual perspective.

What has been the most surreal moment of your career thus far?

FF: Oh, definitely meeting Whoopi Goldberg. It was June 15, 2016. I’ll never forget it. It was the week after the Orlando tragedy (which was actually happened on the day of the Tony Awards), and the Broadway community had gathered to record “What the World Needs Now is Love” as a benefit song (with proceeds going to organizations in Florida). I went to capture content for our social, and just to express the magnitude of theater royalty that was there – the first two people I saw when I walked in the door were Broadway LEGENDS Chita Rivera and Tommy Tune. Lin-Manuel Miranda was there, Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters, Joel Grey, it was wild. Eventually, I saw Whoopi and I was struck still. This woman inspired me growing up – from Sister Act 2 to Cinderella– everyone knew how much I loved her. I didn’t know how to voice everything she meant to me. Eventually I made my way over to her and said “Hi, Ms. Goldberg, I just wanted to introduce myself and say thank you. Just, thank you.” And she said “Whoopi, baby, Whoopi.” And then we hugged. And then I died. This is my ghost writing this now.

What do you look for when considering hiring someone?

FF: I look for creativity and passion! These things aren’t necessarily measurable through what’s written on a resume, but how you present yourself during the application process. If you’re applying to a graphic design job, that resume and cover letter better have a flawless design element. If you’re applying for an editorial job, your specific voice needs to come through the page of your cover letter. If you’re applying for a social media job, your social media accounts need to represent your personality.

What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?

FF: Create and consume. What’s so exciting about social media is that anyonecan create content on there. So roll up your sleeves and start trying things out! Make a YouTube vlog, start an Instagram – but focus it on whatever you’re passionate about. You’ll be able to find your voice and see what resonates with the internet. Don't listen to the trolls, but understand what kind of content is compelling. At the same time, you’re creating a portfolio to show at your next interview! In terms of consuming, as a social media manager, you have to have your salad fingers on the pulse (that’s a Broad City reference…) at all times. What’s the latest trend? What’s the hot new app everyone’s using? By continuing to consume media, you’ll be able to brainstorm new ideas for your own projects.

What's the one thing that's stood out to you the most in a resume?

FF: For me, it’s really not about your resume – I mean of course go for the internships and get the experience because that isimportant and you need it – but it’s about what you do with it. At DoSomething.org, we actually tested the creativity and ability to read directions of our digital intern applicants in one simple way: the cover letter could only be 140 characters. We had hundreds of applicants, and there were plenty of impressive resumes. But you would not believe the amount of people who sent in regular, standard – and over 140-characters – cover letters. Social media is all about grabbing someone’s attention quickly and efficiently – and being able to cut through the noise. In one particular instance, one applicant had huge brand names on their resume, fantastic internship experience, but their cover letter, while 140 characters, lacked that spark of creativity and passion I was looking for. Meanwhile, another applicant really captured my attention in the cover letter, even though they didn’t necessarily have a stacked resume. The second applicant got the offer.

Couples who have a certain distance between their ages have added struggles that other couples do not have to deal with. They will be stereotyped, judged and questioned about their relationship. Unfortunately, as with many other areas of life, the women in the relationships fall prey to more substantial judgment. While male friends applaud “their boy” for scoring a younger or older woman, women are looked down upon as gold-diggers or cradle robbers. Along with this extra judgment, couples with a significant age difference have many other adversities to overcome in their relationship and may need some guidance on how to deal with them. HC teamed up with some relationship experts to find out how these couples should handle these unorthodox struggles in their relationship. 

1. You may be judged 

Every couple has a characteristic that makes them susceptible to judgment. People can be cruel, and if couples are interracial, same-sex or have an age difference, they are more likely to feel the wrath of society's judgments. Carole Lieberman, M.D., Beverly Hills psychiatrist and author says, "Over the years, it has been more common to see younger women with older men, so society has become more accepting of this than of older women with younger men.” Dr. Lieberman thinks the stigma that surrounds the older woman and younger man romantic relationships may be a feminist issue. “It feels threatening to older men to see that women today, who are more self-sufficient, can choose to be with younger men. But, either way, you need to be willing to shrug off other peoples’ judgments.” In other words, add another way powerful women are breaking through societal barriers and threatening the patriarchy, by choosing to be in — what some may see as — abnormal relationships. 

2. Planning for a future may be trickier 

Planning for a future with a partner who is significantly older or younger than you may also present an issue. Most couples who do not have an age gap can't help but entertain the possibility of a future with their partner, but the added adversity of age, some couples may be afraid to talk about the image they have in the back of their minds. Dr. Lieberman says, “Couples with an age gap, who want to plan for a future, need to talk about things like whether they want and can still have children, how future illnesses might affect their relationship, how sex might change, how to assure financial security when one partner dies, and so on.” While this advice may not apply to younger couples now, if the relationship continues, they may need to consider this down the road as they both get older. 

Rhonda Ricardo, author of Cherries over Quicksand says, “If you marry a SO with a large age gap you’re most probably on different biological energy levels so be prepared to jump roadblocks about how to raise children or possible not ever have children, far before feelings might get hurt because changing your mind may not be an option since your SO (man or woman) could reach an age that vetoes waking up three times a night for diaper changes.”

On that note, talking about the natural aging process may be taboo in a relationship with an age gap. Dr. Lieberman adds, “It is very tricky to talk about the natural aging process because the older partner has fears that the younger partner will leave them as they age.” Of course, this is a valid concern for the older party, but Dr. Lieberman advises that the conversation is vital to the relationship and “has to be done very gradually and sensitively.”

Related: 5 Signs You Are Too Good For Your Significant Other 

3. Meeting the parents can take on a whole new definition of awkward

It may be awkward introducing one's partner to family, parents and friends when there is a large age gap. Dr. Lieberman comments that family members may offer unsolicited advice and make unfounded predictions about the inevitable failure of the relationship. (Some of us may be able to relate to this sentiment, even if there is no age gap in our relationship.) Dr. Lieberman agrees that you can't argue with people in love (no matter the situation), and even if you are heading for disaster, "no one can ever be convinced of this because at the beginning they are smitten." Just make sure that when it comes time to introduce the family to your new, older or younger SO, don't get defensive. In the end, your family wants you to be happy. While it may take time for them to see that this relationship makes you happy, they will come around. 

Also, Ricardo says, “The best way not to suffer from unwelcome drama in an age gap relationship is to stop any confusion in less than a minute of a new friendship meeting. If the SO’s age difference is completely obvious then the couple must introduce their SO as their SO, not make strangers guess who their companion may be, or the couple must expect to hear the innocent, ‘Is this your daughter/son/mother/father?’” If the couple is hesitant to be honest about their relationship upon meeting family members or friends, they could end up making the situation more awkward than it has to be.

In that light, couples with an age gap may also have to deal with those family and friends who may not take their relationship seriously. If the people you love are convinced that “it is just a phase,” Dr. Lieberman says it may be pointless to try to argue with them, “There is no point in trying to convince people to take your relationship seriously," she says. "Just let them see how happy you are together." It is important to remember that although you may accept the unorthodox nature of your relationship, it may take your family and friends a little more time to be comfortable with it. Rather than fighting them on it, help them to see why the relationship is what is best for you.

4. "What do you talk about?" could take on a new meaning 

With a difference in years between partners, some generational differences are bound to surface. An older partner might not have seen The Hunger Games, while you may not have seen The Godfather. Dr. Lieberman agrees that couples may struggle to find topics of conversation and activities that interest both parties. She adds, "An older partner may feel frustrated that their younger partner isn't familiar with music or movies from the past. A younger partner may feel frustrated that their older partner can't keep up with them in activities such as skiing." Dr. Lieberman also makes an interesting point that couples with an age difference face an added challenge of finding a shared group of friends who are compatible with both of them. If two people are really meant to be together, however, they may have to think outside of the box when it comes to activities and hobbies they can share together. Something must have brought them together in the first place, so they just need to find the thing that keeps them together.

Ricardo invites you to imagine this situation: “A twenty-year younger guy says they are perfect for each other… except in the car because she must tune into to her classic rock and he says he can feel his twenty-year younger skin sag and crawl every time the 1980 rock-stars hit their high-notes while she sings along with those currently over fifty-year-old singers. He wonders how many more years he will be able to drive with her without actually sticking his head out the car window, Doberman style, in a desperate search for silence because his earbuds collection can’t block their music gap.” Again, if a couple is truly dedicated to their relationship, they have to find activities, hobbies, and even music to listen to that they both can agree on. Perhaps if one partner loves country music and other likes Frank Sinatra, they can explore a different kind of music that they can enjoy together.

Related: How Much Do Your Friends' Opinions of Your SO Really Matter? 

5. One partner may be a know-it-all

Ricardo brings up an interesting point that the older person in a relationship with an age gap may feel that their intellect is superior because of his or her age. Ricardo says, “If your SO (man or woman) is older and condescendingly acts like they know more because of their age, not because of true wisdom, there may be some hidden jealousy about how you are not aging and they clearly are.” Communication, as in any relationship, is key with couples who have an age gap. If your older SO is constantly trying to throw you under the bus (especially in front of other people), it may be a sign of a deeper issue. If jealousy is not the cause, make sure to evaluate other possibly unhealthy aspects of the relationship.

In response to how to deal with any of these struggles, Dr. Lieberman suggests, “The answer for most of these challenges is patience, finding creative solutions and finding more to love about your partner than the inconveniences that an age gap may bring.” Perhaps the most important solution to any problems in a relationship is communication. If you are nervous about how your family and friends will react to your relationship, communicate both with your partner about what you expect from the meeting, and with your family about why the relationship is serious and meaningful for you. If you and your older or younger SO cannot agree on what music to listen to on the car ride to meet the parents, listen to an audio-book instead. Relationships are about compromise, and a relationship with an age gap is no different. Compromise, communication, and creativity are key in making an age gap relationship work.

Keeping your skin looking and feeling healthy often seems difficult and time consuming, but with a fun skin care routine and a different face mask for every day of the week, you’ll be able to find some time in your busy schedule for skin care! These easy DIY face masks are easy enough to fit into any busy schedule, and will have you on track for a great skincare routine. Plus these face masks won’t break your bank. Even better? The majority of the products used to create them you will be able to find at home!  

1. Sunday: Relaxing Raw Honey Face Mask

We all know Sundays are the day of rest and relaxation. So what better way to start off your week than with a relaxing honey face mask? The trick to this mask is that it uses natural raw honey which leaves your skin looking fresh and feeling soft. Honey is perfect for your skin, and the sticky clean-up isn't too bad!

2. Monday: Nutella Face Mask

You already know there are tons of Nutella recipes out there, but did you know about this one? What better way to kick off a dreary Monday than with an edible chocolate face mask? Why does Nutella work? Well, the key is cocoa powder. Cocoa not only gives you that sweet boast of energy, but it also wakes up your skin. The best part about this face mask is that it doesn’t just smell great, it tastes even better. Plus, it’s perfectly okay to eat some Nutella too...before it goes on your face of course.

3. Tuesday: Avocado Face Mask

Who isn't obsessed with avocados? Not only do they taste amazing, they work super well as a face mask. The process is really simple to make this refreshing mask, just a lot of smashing and then some applying to the face. See? Three days into the week isn't too bad. 

4.  Wednesday: Peel Off Mask

It’s hump day! And you are halfway through your week, so a peel-off mask is the way to go. Not only is the ability to peel the mask right off your face super satisfying, but this mask is also perfect for blackhead removal. The feeling of pulling away all your blackheads is just so satisfying...seriously.

5. Thursday: Coffee Face Mask  

Thursday is the final push of the week, it’s almost the weekend. Not only will you need an extra cup of coffee to make it through the day, but your face could use an extra wake up call as well. Coffee within the mask will wake up and brighten your skin, having you looking fab for the weekend. Caffeine is always the secret.

6. Friday: Fruit Face Mask

What better way to start your Friday than with some sweet, fresh fruit? Fruits hydrate us! Why do we crave sweet watermelon on a hot sunny day? Hydration! This mask is a blend of different fruits; however, the recipe can be substituted with any fruits you chose, so feel free to get creative.

7. Saturday: Matcha Green Tea Face Mask

As the week comes to an end, settle your skin with a relaxing matcha green tea face mask. This mask will settle and smooth your skin after a long week. We all know that a cup of green tea is the way to go when we need relaxation, and it works the same for your face! This weekly skincare routine will have your skin looking flawless.

By the end of the week, your face will be looking and feeling absolutely fabulous! Who knew that our favorite foods like Nutella and avocados can be used to improve our facial glow!

By now, there's probably little to zero chance that you haven't heard that Kylie Jenner is probably, almost definitely pregnant. Which is why fans were losing their minds yesterday when the full Kardashian Khristmas Kard™ was revealed on Instagram. Though many were hoping for the final day's photo to be a pregnancy announcement from Kylie, they were surprised (or maybe not so surprised) to find her missing from it altogether.

As a quick refresher, the family has been teasing their annual Christmas card advent-style all month by revealing 24 different photos of the family in matching jeans and white T-shirt outfits, promising to reveal the full family photo on Christmas day — meanwhile, fans were already noticing that Kylie was missing from every single shot, while even Kanye made an appearance.

Some speculated that Kylie would appear on day 25 for the big reveal of her baby bump along with a pregnancy announcement — but Christmas came and went, and Kylie is nowhere to be found in the final photo. Which begs the question of WHY?!

The most likely answer here seems to be that Kylie's glaring absence from the photo is basically a confirmation of her rumored pregnancy, or at least that's what the internet seems to think.

Regardless, people were *not* happy that Christmas didn't turn out to be a Kylie Jenner pregnancy announcement extravaganza:

Raise your hand if you feel personally victimized by Kylie Jenner's lack of a pregnancy announcement. I guess we're in this for the long haul until Kylie is due in February, which is when multiple sources have said she will likely share the news with fans.

Getting used to life as an actual, functioning adult is hard enough without being terrified of your new boss. Before you freak out, you should know that it’s completely normal to be intimidated by your boss, especially if this is one of your first jobs in the real world. Naturally, you want to make a good impression and every ounce of your daily energy probably goes into not messing up. It’s no help that TV bosses like The Devil Wears Prada’s Miranda Priestly are forever etched in our brains.

If the mere sight of your boss pulling into the company parking lot sends shivers down your spine, remember these important facts to help you deal. You’ll be much more productive at work if you’re not consumed by nerves and your relationship with your boss will probably be much better for it.

1. Your boss is human

This might seem like a fairly obvious suggestion but Jane Scudder, certified career and personal development coach, says it’s her No. 1 piece of advice for anyone who’s intimidated by their boss.

Scudder tells people to think of their boss as a regular person. “She's a daughter, maybe a sister and a mother. She's someone's friend. She was someone's first college roommate. Although this doesn't mean that you will act around her the same way you did with your first college roommate, it’s a mental equalizing exercise that reminds you that we're all human and we're all doing our best.”

Reminding yourself that your boss is human is comforting because it means that, like you, she’s made mistakes in her professional life and, like you undoubtedly will, she’s overcome them successfully.

2. Your boss wants you to do well

In fact, Scudder says, “Your boss needs you to do well,” which means that they are likely invested in your professional growth and development.

Rather than view your boss as an authoritative force, try to look at them as a mentor—someone you can learn a lot from. More than that, remember that you and your boss are also a team. Scudder says, “If you do well, it makes her look good. A key part of your boss's job is being your boss, so if you struggle she struggles.” Your boss is not rooting for you to fail. If you stumble, your boss will help you get back up. 

3.  Your boss hired you for a reason

When you’re new to the workforce, it can be hard to have confidence in your skills and abilities. Because you don’t have a lot of experience, you resort to questioning whether or not you’re really cut out for the job you’ve been given. The important thing to remember in this situation is that you were selected as the best candidate for the job for a reason—and your boss approved this decision.

Mary Pharris, director of business development at Fairygodboss, says, “When you're feeling overwhelmed, take a breath and reflect on what it is you bring to the table and bring it! Believing in yourself is tantamount to overcoming intimidation.” Your boss already believes in you and you should too.

If none of these reminders help and you’re still intimidated by your boss, there are a couple practical things you can try.

1. Assess the source of your intimidation

Taylor Swift actually has the best advice for this in her song, “Out of the Woods.” She sings, “The monsters turned out to be just trees when the sun came up.” Often, we are less afraid once we figure out exactly what it is we’re afraid of.

Career and relationship expert Lori Bizzoco suggests figuring out if your fear stems from your own insecurities or something more. “You may just be afraid of failing or disappointing your boss. It even may be that you’re scared of higher authority in general. Knowing this can help improve your relationship with your boss and avoid making them look like the enemy because you know it has less to do with them and more with you,” she explains.

Alternatively, if you are intimidated by your boss because they behave inappropriately—sexually harassing or verbally abusing you—toward you, your best defense is always to speak up. Career consultant Tiffani Murray recommends filing a report with the human resources department at your company immediately.

2. Channel your fears into motivation

Assuming your work anxiety is not due to a hostile or abusive environment, the next best solution is to use it as motivation to deliver your best efforts possible.

According to Kristin Marquet, editor-in-chief of Fem Founder, there are simple ways you can do this like asking for clarification on complicated tasks and showing up on time. In fact, arriving at work a few minutes before you need to be there will allow you to breathe and gather your thoughts before things get hectic.

Being well prepared for work will also help you feel more at ease. At the end of each day, make a list of the tasks you plan to accomplish the following day so you are mentally prepared for what’s to come.

3. Talk to your boss

Although this is probably the last thing you want to do, it’s actually a brilliant idea. Who better to comment on your professional performance than the person you report to?

Rachael Bozsik, CEO and founder of The Brand Girls, says, “Find a moment of bravery, email your boss and ask for a meeting where they can go over the progress you have made so far and to see what more you could be doing.”

Kailin Regutti, a second-year graduate student at Florida Atlantic University, agrees. Kailin advises, "The anxiety and nervousness you feel around your boss will not go away unless you put in the effort to communicate with them and try to understand how they operate." She adds that the more you get to know them—their work habits and expectations—the easier it becomes to work alongside them. 

Not only will this give you a better idea of what your boss really thinks about you, but it will also show your boss that you’re committed to your job and doing your best. Bozsik explains, “The feeling of intimidation begins to transform into a realization that your boss can be used as a support system. They are there to help you grow and evolve or else they wouldn't have hired you.” Don’t be afraid to go to them with your concerns or questions for improvement.

Related: How To Make Up For A Bad First Impression At Work

It’s normal to be intimidated by your boss but you should never let that get in the way of doing your job. Instead, try to figure out why you’re intimidated and how you might be able to overcome those concerns. Unless your workplace situation is abusive or toxic, quitting is never the solution. Bozsik reminds us, “You wanted this job, fought hard to get this job, and intimidation shouldn’t be a viable reason to leave.” Believe in yourself and do your best always; the rest will come with experience.

There's basically no other couple on this earth that's quite as good at hilariously trolling each other as Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Whether Blake is posting a birthday shout out to her husband featuring the wrong Ryan or Ryan is upstaging his wife while she's giving birth, their sense of humor is the ultimate couple goals — which is why we'd expect nothing less when it comes to Blake's reaction to her husband's questionable baking skills.

On Friday (like many of us), Ryan apparently spent the day baking and decorating cutout Christmas cookies. Unlike many of us, however, his cookies didn't exactly turn out to be super appetizing — and Blake didn't waste a second before taking to Instagram to share a photo.

"@vancityreynolds made some Christmas cookies...He’s verrry handsome though," she captioned the post.

I mean fair enough — because let's be real, we're obsessed with Ryan for a lot of other reasons, but clearly his baking skills don't make that list.

Of course, Ryan was ready with the best clapback to his wife calling him and his cooking skills out. "I wanted to be the first person to bake Christmas cookies using only a hammer," he commented on the post.

While we'd happily take relationship advice from Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, we're not so sure we'll be asking them to release a cookbook à la Chrissy Teigen any time soon.

'Tis the season, and no, not just the holiday season, but cuffing season as well — and fans think Chloe Grace Moretz and Brooklyn Beckham may be among the many couples getting engaged during the holiday season.

In a recent selfie of the couple that Chloe posted to her Instagram, the two are looking as adorable as ever — but fans are zeroing in on one detail that they think could make this photo more significant than other photos the couple has posted together. In the black and white photo, both Chloe and Brooklyn are holding up "shh" gestures to their lips — effectively showing off matching rings on *those* fingers.

Chloe also posted the photo sans caption, making the whole thing even more mysterious. Meanwhile fans were quick to take to the comments to pose theories about what exactly might be going on in the photo.

The couple has been dating on and off since 2014, so things could definitely be getting serious. That being said, the rings also don't necessarily look like traditional engagement rings, and as Hello Giggles notes, it would seem that they were spotted wearing the matching jewelry back in November. 

Whatever may be going on with their relationship status, they look super happy regardless — and isn't that all that matters?

When you’re in a committed relationship, it is easy to worry that the initial spark that attracted you and your partner to each other might one day burn out. After all, the longer you are with someone, the more comfortable you become. However, there are some things you do without even realizing that can (and probably do) turn your partner on!

We’ve consulted April Masini, a relationship expert, to reveal the truth about keeping the spark alive in a long-term relationship. Read on for five things you’re already doing that turn your partner on.  

1. Being true to yourself

In your early 20s, it can be easy to lose sight of who you are sometimes. But, your partner fell for you because of who you are—just simply being yourself is a major turn-on.

“In more mature relationships, there are usually some things that people look for in a partner—whether it’s lifestyle, career, intelligence, sense of humor and all sorts of other factors,” Masini says. “When they see someone who meets their list of desired qualities, they become attracted because the person is everything they wanted.” Who you are is more than enough, and owning that is incredibly attractive.

2. Having good manners

Manners matter, and being a genuinely good person will always be attractive. No matter how much your partner loves you, nothing will turn him or her off more than seeing you be disrespectful to others.

Masini reiterates this point. “People with good manners will find that their etiquette is a turn on,” she says. “Someone who can be at ease at a ballet, a restaurant where there is fine dining, on a camping trip or staying as a house guest is attractive because they have social intelligence.” Being polite—in all social situations—will never go out of style.

3. Staying informed

When you’ve been with your partner for a long time, an easy way to turn him or her on is to blow his or her mind with your knowledge. There is a whole world around you, and by staying up-to-date on what’s going on, you’ll make your relationship that much stronger and always have something to talk about.

Masini thinks this is a great way to bring something new to the table. “Don’t slack off on being interesting!” she says. “Read, keep up with the news, volunteer, socialize—you’ll be a much better partner if you’re well read and study, work and have interesting friendships to bring to the relationship.” Intelligence is a turn-on no matter how long you’ve been with someone.

4. Being generous

Genuine generosity is such a valuable trait—and something your significant other definitely doesn’t take for granted. “Generosity is underrated and when you find a partner who is generous, you should value that quality in them,” Masini says. Knowing your partner is kind makes them that much more attractive.

Additionally, generosity is healthy for a relationship because it is contagious. “People tend to react to generosity with more generosity!” Masini adds. Kindness helps you both (and your relationship) grow. This generosity extends farther than simply having manners. Going out of your way for someone else, being kind to others and living a happy life are all traits that your partner will find extremely beautiful.

Related: 7 Moves That Might Make Your SO Fall Even More in Love with You

5. Maintaining your health

It might seem easy to let yourself go in a long-term relationship, but Masini recommends against it. “Remember who you were, what you looked like and how you acted when you were first dating,” she says. “That’s what you want to [continue to] evoke in a long-term relationship.” She recommends going to the gym and dressing in a way your partner likes while staying true to yourself.

You should never change who you are for your partner, but continue to work toward being the best—and healthiest—version of yourself. Feeling good about yourself makes you radiate confidence, and that alone is incredibly attractive.

No matter how long you’ve been with your significant other, there are certain things about you that will always turn him or her on. Be generous, be confident, be informed, but most importantly be yourself—and never forget, your partner loves you for who you are!

If you're freshly out of the closet to your family or if you've never brought a girlfriend home before, the holidays can be tricky. For some, it may even be dangerous. Wanting to introduce your love interest to your loved ones is easily understandable, and you absolutely deserve that kind of holiday joy when making the yuletide gay. And it’s totally normal to have apprehensions and anxieties about being visibly queer around your family. I’ve been there, I’ve done that, and I want you to don the gayest apparel ever this year. So enough with the tacky puns, let’s get started on these simple conversational tips and strategies that’ll help you ease your partner into the family this holiday season.

Plan beforehand

If there is an allied family member you trust to prioritize your safety and happiness in a family setting, let them know in advance that you’re planning on bringing your girlfriend to whatever holiday event your family is planning. They may be able to let you know if there will be anything or anyone in attendance that may pose a risk to you or your girlfriend’s well-being! If not, they will likely offer you some much-needed support anyway! It’s always comforting to know when you’ll be walking into a situation with a support system already in place. If you’re pretty sure you and your partner will be safe and comfortable around your family, it doesn’t hurt to send a few texts beforehand and let everyone know that you’ll have a plus-one!

Talk to your partner

You may get asked awkward questions by nosy family members. It happens! Take a minute before the big holiday to sit down with your partner and establish some conversational boundaries and ground rules. They may not feel comfortable discussing their own family with yours, or they may not want to use certain words or labels to describe your relationship. Everyone is entitled to their own comfort levels and you two should absolutely discuss such matters before the big event. They’ll feel much more at ease when meeting your family and you’ll feel much more at ease knowing you helped dodge any awkward silences.

Be safe

Being visibly queer is not always easy or safe. Everyone deserves to share their beautiful partner with a supportive family, especially during the holiday season, but sadly that’s not always the safest option. You and your partner’s security are the utmost priority, and, if that means skipping out on dinner with the in-laws, then so be it! There are lots of ways to enjoy the holidays outside of a home. Find a queer holiday potluck online and cook something for the community with your partner! Volunteer at a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter together and bring cheer to people in need! Order some greasy food and have a romantic night in with some cheesy winter movies! There is no need not to have a jolly, warm, and safe holiday with your love.

Don’t sweat it!

Bringing a girlfriend home is virtually no different than bringing home a boyfriend or roommate or best friend, I promise. You’ll have to deal with your relatives asking how you met and bringing up embarrassing childhood memories and it’ll be cringe-worthy for a moment or two, but it’ll pass and your family will love her. Just relax! Holiday parties are about eating, drinking, laughing, and bringing up dumb memories from last year’s holiday parties. You’ll get through it, and you’ll have your awesome partner right by your side the whole time.

Christmas came and went yesterday, and we're finally getting to hear about how some of our favorite celebrities spend their holidays — but Jennifer Lawrence's Christmas Eve tradition definitely stands out from the rest.

The actress spent Christmas Eve visiting sick children and their families at a children's hospital in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. As Entertainment Tonight reports, not only is this Jen's fifth time spending her Christmas Eve at Norton's Children's Hospital, but she also donated $2 million to the hospital last year and challenged fans to do what they could to help.

Thanks to the hospital's Instagram account, there's also photo evidence of JLaw meeting patients, staff, doctors and nurses — and it will totally make your heart explode.

"Louisville's own Jennifer Lawrence stopped by Norton Children's Hospital today to visit with patients, families, and staff," Norton's Children's Hospital captioned one of the photos. "This visit has become a tradition for Lawrence each Christmas. Thank you, Jennifer! You sure do bring a smile to all."

As a result of her generosity to the hospital over the last few years, the hospital has even established a wing in her name, called the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. Jen has clearly made giving back to her hometown a priority throughout the whole year — and hopefully she's inspiring her fans to do the same in the process.

If you're a fan of Kendall Jenner's app and website KendallJ.com, we have some bad news: the model and Keeping Up With the Kardashians star has announced that she will no longer continue to post on her app in the new year once 2018 rolls around.

In a post on her website on Tuesday (which seems to have replaced all previous content on the site), Kendall explained her decision.

"As I look ahead to the next year, my goals and priorities are changing," her site now reads. "I’ve had an incredible 2+ years connecting with all of you, but I’ve made the difficult decision to no longer update my app in 2018. I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey as much as I have, and I’m looking forward to sharing the next chapter with you."

Meanwhile, her app has already swiftly been removed from both Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store despite the fact that we're still days away from 2018. As People notes, teasers for upcoming Keeping Up With the Kardashians episodes indicate that Kendall will be opening up about her battle with anxiety — meaning it makes sense that Kendall might be trying to distance herself a bit from sharing every single aspect of her life. (We all know what kind of a toll social media and the internet can take on your mental health.) 

That being said, she also remains the most-followed model on Instagram with 85.7 million followers, so we doubt she's completely disappearing any time soon.

It seems like in college, all we ever do is prepare ourselves for the workforce. We fight for the best internships, wear ourselves out with what feels like thousands of student organizations and refer to extracurricular activities as “resume-builders.” But what happens when it’s time to start applying for jobs, and you realize that you don’t want to go into the field you’ve put all of this hard work into? Good news: All that hard work did NOT go to waste. You don’t have to work in the same field you majored in! Here are five things you should do if you’re pursuing a job in a field that has nothing to do with your major.

1. Focus on soft skills

According to a study from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, 93 percent of employers value skills like communication, critical thinking and problem solving more highly than they value your major. This is because nowadays, most jobs are complex and require a broad range of responsibilities, and they want employees who are well-rounded enough to handle this. Think about it–pretty much all the “simple” jobs that require just one skill are now done by computers, so regardless of what your major is, it’s pretty unlikely that it will provide you with all the hard skills you need for the workforce.

Ben Anderson, Internship Program Director at the University of Michigan LSA Opportunity Hub, offers a comforting perspectove. “In a sea of finance majors, being the one philosophy major can you both interesting and unique," he says. "We've seen a lot of interest from organizations who are realizing that liberal arts are amazing at research, they're thinking about the questions of diversity, they're connecting disparate ideas—they’re agile thinkers.”

Say you’re applying for a job in journalism, but your major was graphic design. You might think that a journalism major would have a huge advantage over you when applying for this job, but that’s not necessarily true. The field of journalism (like most fields) is always changing, and in fifteen years, some of the hard skills that a journalism major learned in school may be obsolete. What’s really important, then, is that you’re hard-working, creative, inquisitive and willing to operate under tight deadlines. You might be able to acquire those skills just as well from graphic design as you would from journalism!

Chelsea Jackson, a junior at Iowa State University, was in a similar position, as she switched her major to journalism after a graphic design internship. She said, “I had an exceptional academic adviser, who showed me how to highlight the soft and hard skills that I learned from my past internships and courses to be an attractive employee in the journalism industry.”

2. Grow your network

Perhaps you want to get a management job at a startup. You majored in management at your university’s business school, so you should be a shoe-in, right? Well, you never went to office hours, so none of your professors know you well enough to write a great letter of recommendation. Your supervisor at your internship barely remembers you. Lastly, you don’t know anybody at the company who could give you a good word from the inside.

Now say you want that management job, but you majored in women’s studies. However, you went to office hours every week and built solid relationships with your professors. When you ask them, they’re thrilled to write you recommendations that absolutely gush about what an intelligent student and critical thinker you are. You interned at a local nonprofit that serves underprivileged women, and everyone at the nonprofit remembers you for your hard work and willingness to do the dirty work (the higher-up execs at the nonprofit remember you because you asked them if you could get coffee and learn more about their career!). As the president of the women’s health club at your university, you’ve gotten to know several women’s health professionals in the area. One of these professionals often collaborates on projects with the startup to which you’re applying, and when they mention your name, she can’t stop talking about how they absolutely have to hire you.

Now who do you think is the shoe-in? This, my friends, is the magic of networking. Regardless of your major or career path, building solid relationships with professionals in your area is one of the most important things that you can do. The rule of thumb is to network before you need a job. Utilize LinkedIn, career fairs and office hours as often as possible and as soon as possible.

Related: 5 Things To Have On Your Resume By Senior Year

3. Use your cover letter to explain

The role of the cover letter is to clarify anything on your resume that may need explaining–and if you’re applying for a consulting job but everything on your major is relating to psychology, then, girl, you’ve got some explaining to do. The good news is that your cover letter can be the tool to convince your employers that all of that psych experience was actually really freaking relevant and makes you the best candidate for the job. Use your university’s peer writing center or career writing center to figure out how best to convince them of that!

As Anderson explains, “For many jobs it's not about the major, it's about the story that you can tell. Can you articulate how your education is going to serve you in this career, and do you have the extracurriculars, internships, and volunteer opportunities that give you the practical experience to make your case? Regardless your degree, it’s about telling a coherent story that shows why you are interested in a role and why you are interested in the employer.”

What does this story look like? Maria Harshe, a practicing attorney, majored in Latin for undergrad before attending the University of Michigan law school. “A lot of people assume a Latin degree prepares students for law school because there are so many Latin phrases in the law.  ‘Quid pro quo.’ ‘Res Judicata.’ ‘Res Ipsa Loquitur.’ But I’m not sure I ever translated those precise phrases when reading Virgil or Cicero or Catullus or Propertius in my Latin classes," She explains. However she did find that her college focus prepared her in a less obvious way. "For one thing I learned how to take a text and work it and re-work it until I understood what it meant in context. Not unlike analyzing a statute or a contract in law.  While translating Latin I also got to learn about history, philosophy, government, politics, mythology, linguistics and religion.  Each such subject has its place in the law.”

4. Go to graduate school

Some fields, like law, medicine and engineering, do require a degree. “There are some professions where major is just as important [as GPA, GREs, prior experience, rigor of university, etc]. If I’m going into chemical engineering, for example, I should have a chemical engineering degree,” Anderson says. But that doesn’t mean it has to be an undergraduate degree!

In fact, if you major in something completely unrelated to the graduate program to which you plan on applying, it may actually set you apart from the other applicants. As Harshe says, “I have to believe that my Latin studies made me stand out from others who undertook more common fields of study for the law such as English and Political Science.  And I expect that my most esteemed classical studies professors ensured that my Latin studies distinguished me in a good way.”

5. Utilize campus resources

Your major may not be everything, but that doesn’t mean you can randomly switch everything up and expect to be competitive against people who have been gaining experience in a certain field all throughout college. Success is about hard work, so once you decide what you want to do, work for it by utilizing campus resources! Anderson advises, “When you decide as a junior that you're going to do a complete 180, utilize the university community. Challenge yourself to take a course more directly tied to your career path. Join a student organization that’s connected to the field. There are a million opportunities on campuses, whether they are the ones that already exist or the ones you create. If you want social media experience, become the social media person in your organization.”

6. Know what’s realistic

They say that an overnight success actually takes ten years. Why? Because good things take time! There’s a chance that you could get your dream job straight out of college, but more likely than not, it’s going to take a lot of time and effort. That’s okay! Anderson says, “Make sure that you have income by taking a job that pays but doesn't require excessive hours so you can start building your experience on your own time. Get an entry level job or volunteer for nonprofits in your field of interest that are going to give you opportunities to cut your teeth. Or be a self-starter and create your own little side projects. You do not need to immediately go to graduate school—you are still exploring and graduate school is a huge investment.”

As Erica Galluscio, a junior at Hunter College CUNY, says, “I think there's always a little (or a LOT!) of wiggle room between what you enjoy, what you're good at, and what pays the bills. It's totally fine for these three things to be completely different! It's a lot more common than we'd care to think. I'm double majoring in Linguistics and Sexualities and I've worked for nonprofits, contemporary art galleries, online blogs, publishing houses, you name it. I want to get a Ph.D. in queer linguistics research, I'm good at feminist writing, but office jobs pay the bills. Whatevs!”

7. Do what you love

As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, it’s really important that you’re passionate about your major. If you don’t believe me, there are actual studies that show a correlation between happiness and success. Obviously, you’re never going to love everything about your major. Sitting in lecture for hours on end, or pulling all-nighters to study, will just never be fun. But if you’re passionate about your field of study, it’s worth it. As Lili Pfeifer, a sophomore at the University of Michigan, says, “I’m confident in my decision to pursue the health sciences, and I love the courses offered at UMich. Although the workload is extremely demanding, especially partnered with extracurricular commitments, I know that growth only stems from pursuing challenges, so I continue to push myself outside my comfort zone within the classroom and beyond.”

Why is it so important to do what you love? Because if you don’t, you won’t have the drive to succeed that Lili describes, and that drive to succeed is what will really carry you in the workplace. The more you learn about what you love, the more you’ll realize that seemingly unrelated jobs also really interest you. Meaning: if you’re majoring in English, you don’t necessarily have to be a teacher or a career journalist. You may found that the communicative skills that you love so much translate really well to a job as a lawyer or politician! Chelsea says, “Find out what parts of your major you like and just search for a job that highlights those key components -- whether you love the interpersonal skills of setting up interviews or the creativity of writing something from scratch.”

College is the time to learn about your interests, not the time to solidify what you’ll be doing for the rest of your life. Your major in no way limits you or defines exactly what your career has to be. Instead, college in general is a fantastic opportunity to learn, network, and develop a work ethic that you’ll carry with you the rest of your life.

To put it plainly, 2017 was, well, rough. It's been nearly a year since Barack Obama and his family left the White House, and in case you had any doubts, their family Christmas photo is here to prove that America misses them more than ever.

On Christmas day, the former POTUS took to Twitter to share a throwback photo from two years ago of he, Michelle, Sasha, Malia and some cute Christmas elves looking as fabulous as ever, along with the caption, "On behalf of the Obama family, Merry Christmas! We wish you joy and peace this holiday season."

After the kind of year we've all had, the internet had some feelings about it. As of Tuesday evening, the tweet received over 200,000 retweets, 30,000 responses and over a million likes. (Which, quick sidenote, as Elle points out, is far more than any of Trump's Christmas-related tweets received. But who's counting?) Obviously, the responses were relatable AF, with many telling the former POTUS, "we miss you," and "come back."

And then there were the people who got really emotional, and honestly, same.

Cue Saturday Night Live's "Come Back Barack" am I right?

On Saturday, Trump's Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, received a gift that we're guessing probably wasn't on his list: a wrapped box of horse manure, which was left addressed to him at his neighbor's house in Los Angeles, the New York Times reports.

The package, which was wrapped in festive paper and even included a card, raised suspicions after it was delivered and a bomb squad was even called in to investigate — only to discover that someone had sent Mnuchin sh*t, literally. 

Robby Strong, the man taking credit for the "gift," says his protest stemmed from the GOP's controversial tax bill, which was passed last week. Mnuchin played a huge role in planning Trump's tax plan, which probably explains why he was the recipient of the special delivery. The card Strong made to accompany the package basically says it all. "We’re returning the ‘gift’ of the Christmas tax bill. It’s bullshit. Warmest wishes, the American people," the card reads.

Despite the fact that he's under investigation by the Secret Service (yikes), Strong is sticking to his guns and says he has zero regrets about the stunt. "What I did, I would like to compare to what Jesus did when he went into the temple and overturned the tables of the moneychangers, who were exploiting the people financially in the name of religion," he told Los Angeles radio station KPCC. "I feel like that's what the GOP has done to the American people."

The tax bill, called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (which was signed last week by President Trump) has been widely criticized for offering major breaks to high-earning corporations and wealthier families — and while they're not necessarily willing to protest by sending manure to Trump's cabinet members, many Americans aren't happy about it.

A little while back, I decided that I no longer felt comfortable eating animal products--meaning I went totally vegan. It wasn’t that I became some crazy hippie, it was just that after a day of school spent binge-watching YouTubers like Bonny Rebecca and Stella Rae, I decided to educate myself and realized that I didn’t wanna have anything to do with the animal food industry. It’s usually not a big deal. My roomie is a vegan and we just eat lots of rice and cocoa krispies and the occasional vegetable. But as Christmas approached, I started to get a little nervous. I am a big Christmas person. “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber has been blaring through my dorm room since early November. I was not about to sacrifice any of my Christmas spirit now that I was vegan. 

I made a Pinterest board of vegan Christmas cookies forever ago. It was honestly one of the major factors in my decision to go vegan--like, okay, if it’s possible to go wild with the chocolate and peppermint as a vegan, then maybe I’ll consider it. The one problem is that as much as I like eating, I’m not much of a cook. Being my family’s sole vegan meant the responsibility was on me to make any vegan cookies. So I chose a couple recipes, cracked my knuckles, and gave it a go. Until my sister saw what a crappy job I was doing and couldn’t help but take over. Thanks, Janie.

I made (will take credit for making) chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies and this chocolate-covered peppermint thin mint type thing. And, honestly, they’re not any harder to make than other cookies. They sometimes call for replacements for animal products--one of them had coconut milk and I think two of them had vegan butter (which is usually made of olive oil). The chocolate chip cookies used flaxseed as an egg replacer, which actually might be cheaper than eggs if you do the math on it. The sugar cookies used pumpkin puree as an egg replacer, which isn’t ideal because you use like one tablespoon and the rest rots in your fridge.  But other than that, I’d say the cookies were pretty normal. They tasted normal, as far as my unrefined college student taste buds could tell. They definitely didn’t make me feel like a weird hippie, or even mildly healthy.

When we had cousins over to hang out on Christmas Eve Day, I was pretty nervous. None of my relatives know I’m vegan. I’m super passionate about it, but I always feel like if I’m gonna tell people, I have to sit down and have “The Talk” because otherwise they’ll just think I’m an annoyingly picky eater or “going through a phase.” Luckily, I realized that nobody gives a crap what I eat. I ate Chex Mix and chips and salsa and even went crazy vegan enough to have a carrot from the veggie tray. We ordered pizza, and my half of the pizza was my own version of the famous Left Beef Pizza, which is basically red sauce and every vegetable available. It was delicious. Not once did I feel weird about not having cheese.

We have a family tradition of going to Chili’s after Christmas Eve church, and I was obviously not going to miss out on that. By that point I’d realized that Christmas spirit really has nothing to do with what you eat, and I could’ve had a great Christmas eating nothing but kale. (That’s a slight exaggeration.) But honestly, bless those Chili’s staff members working Christmas Eve and getting a crazy vegan customer. What luck. I got a fajita with no meat or cheese and corn tortillas, and asked them to add in black beans, pico de gallo, and guacamole. It was a glorious pile of oily food and made me feel a little disgusting, but then I remembered that back when I ate animal products, pretty much every meal made me feel that way. I can’t wait until us vegans increase the demand for plant-based foods so much that it’s no question that every restaurant will have some options.

Christmas Day was what I was most nervous about. We had more relatives over and this time it was an actual sit-down meal with mashed potatoes and turkey and stuffing and everything. I don’t care if people eat that stuff in front of me. I just didn’t want the questions about why I wasn’t eating it. Luckily, I have the best family in the world and my mom bought this hash brown thing and my sister made me this stir fry thing with peppers and hash browns, and I heated up a sweet potato so my plate was pretty full and I didn’t get a single comment. I’ve had vegan mashed potatoes and stuffing and everything and it’s delicious, and I can’t wait until that’s the norm and I get to say I was part of the movement. But until that day, I’m grateful I can sit at the dinner table with loved ones and know I wasn’t contributing to an industry that I’m so strongly opposed to. (However, if you want to have a real vegan Christmas meal, I highly recommend checking out Minimalist Baker for some amazing main courses that your relatives won't even know are vegan.)

The worst part about my vegan Christmas was feeling awkward and self-conscious. But guess what? One day of eating vegan saves roughly 990 gallons of water, 27 square feet of forest, 18 pounds of CO2, 36 pounds of grain, and one animal's life. All I had to do to do that was eat some bomb chocolate chip cookies and feel slightly awkward at the dinner table. My vegan Christmas was so beyond worth it (and one last pro tip before I go: Starbucks hot chocolate powder is the best thing in the world and coconut milk “holiday nog” is the second best.  You’re welcome).

Well, we now know where Chrissy Teigen gets her amazing sense of humor — and her dad's Christmas present to her husband John Legend is hilarious proof.

According to Chrissy's Twitter, it looks like John had a very um, *interesting* present to open on Christmas morning this year, and it came from none other than Chrissy's father, Ron Teigen. You see, Teigen decided to gift his son in law with something called a "Willy Warmer" and the knit gag gift in a shade of festive red is exactly what it sounds like.

TBH, Ron's awk gift to John makes the typical parental Christmas gift of socks look pretty good right now — because this is definitely one type of sock we hope our S.O. would never receive from our family members. Regardless, Twitter had some hilarious thoughts about the gift.

Of course, because the Teigen family clearly owns Twitter, Chrissy's dad clapped back with his own comedic gold in tweet form.

And there you have it: the Teigen family just won Christmas — not that we'd expect anything less.

As a collegiette who’s constantly kept busy with responsibilities, when would you have the time to scrutinize your bathroom routine? You wash yourself, brush your teeth and you’re clean — right? Well, maybe. We rounded up a couple of experts and found there are definitely a few things you might want to rethink about your bathroom routine. If you’re an offender of any of these five common mistakes, you’re probably not being as clean, sanitary and safe as you think (yikes!). 

1. Washing with a loofah

Loofahs are great — they come in fun colors, create a rich lather and exfoliate your skin. But are they really getting you clean? Depending on where you store your loofah, they might be doing more harm than good. Dr. Cynthia Bailey, a dermatologist based in Sebastopol, California, explains some of the problems with loofahs. "Loofahs are natural sponges and very porous," Bailey says. "The more porous the item, the slower it will dry." Since most loofahs are either stored in the shower or stuffed inside a caddy, they aren't left in the best environment to completely dry in between each use. "Molds, fungi and bacteria will grow on loofahs and shower sponges that stay damp – guaranteed! It is essential to dry all bath and shower accessories that touch your skin between uses," Bailey says.

Think about it — if your loofah is stuffed at the bottom of your shower caddy, it’s left damp and bunched up, providing the perfect breeding ground for mold and other bacteria. If you leave yours hanging up in a shower, it’s kept in a humid area that doesn’t allow for proper drying, especially in the case that you share that shower with others. If you want to avoid turning your loofah into a petri dish, it's recommended that you take extra care with rinsing and drying it. "Be certain to rinse all accessories well, place them where they will dry quickly and entirely between usages and discard them when they become so worn or layered with product," Bailey says. Your body will thank you!

2. Not drying and cleaning your washcloth properly 

If you’re more of the washcloth type, or like to add them to your morning and nightly routine, there still can be some risks that come with not drying them properly. Just as a damp loofah poses risk for mold, a washcloth that stays damp can have the same end result. Whether you use washcloths during your skincare routine or in the shower, you'll also want to make sure that you're washing them properly in addition to drying them entirely between uses. "Bleaching is a good addition to laundering towels, washcloths and other personal care items that may stay damp and harbor pathogenic microbes," Bailey says. If you're a frequent washcloth user and don't use bleach, it might be a good addition to your laundry routine!

3. Sharing makeup and other face products 

Maybe you lost your favorite tube of mascara, and your friend offers you hers. Maybe your roomie has the most gorgeous shade of lipstick, and you want to borrow it for a night out. We've all been there! As tempting as sharing makeup with your friends may be, it's not the safest idea when it comes to your health, unfortunately. "All products that touch your skin will pick up skin germs," Bailey says. "25 percent of the entire population carry staph aureus on their skin, around their nose, in skin folds such as armpits and along eyelids." Are you thinking twice about sharing that tube of mascara now? "This bacteria is the same one that can cause skin infections such as impetigo, sties and shaving pimples," Bailey says. "This bacteria can live harmlessly on some people (called colonization) and cause infections in others. The herpes simplex virus is another virus that is contagious, common and a potential infection you can get from sharing products, especially lip products."

No matter how gorgeous that shade of lipstick is, or how much you need mascara, you'll be better off not sharing! Just ask Alice Higginbotham, a junior at Northern Illinois University. "I have really sensitive skin," Alice says. "I've shared my mascara with someone and then when I used it again, my eyelids got super puffy, like an allergic reaction. I don't share eye makeup like that anymore!" Sharing makeup is not the safest, most sanitary thing to do, so save yourself from learning the hard way! 

RELATED: 7 Bathroom Sins You're Probably Committing

4. Borrowing someone's razor 

Desperate times call for desperate measures, but if there's one thing that you really shouldn't borrow from a friend, it's a razor. "Razors cause micro-abrasions in the skin when used for shaving," Bailey says. "In addition to picking up the skin bacteria, staph aureus and candida yeast, there is the theoretical consideration of spreading germs that can reside in the blood. Just don't ever do it!" Bailey warns. In the event that you run out of razor heads or forget to bring one along on a trip, embrace the stubble or get yourself a new razor! 

 5. Keeping your toothbrush near the toilet

Pamela Goecke, a dental hygienist from Illinois, has some very alarming information about toothbrushes that are kept out on the sink near a toilet. “When you flush the toilet with the lid open, the spray from the flush can leave e-coli and staph bacteria on and around the brush, making you sick,” Goecke says. "The safest thing to do is to shut your toilet lid before flushing, and keep your toothbrush away from the toilet." After you finish trying not to gag, please go make sure that your toothbrush is stored somewhere safe and far, far away from your toilet, like in a medicine cabinet or a drawer. 

Mold, staph aureus and e-coli, oh my! No matter how safe and clean you think you may be, it doesn’t hurt to double check your bathroom habits and make some changes where they are necessary! 

Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.

But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)

This Neo-Nazi Teen Has Been Charged With Killing His Girlfriend's Parents

A 17-year-old neo-Nazi in Virginia, who is not being named due to his minor status, has been charged with two counts of murder for allegedly killing his girlfriend's parents, the Huffington Post reports. Scott and Buckley Fricker were reportedly shot and killed in their home early last Friday morning after they'd encouraged their teenage daughter to break up with her boyfriend upon seeing his social media posts in which he'd supported Hitler and called for a "white revolution." The teen is reportedly in critical condition in a local hospital due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A Woman in Pennsylvania Was Sent a $248 Billion Electric Bill

An Erie, Pennsylvania woman pretty much lost it (as one would) when she received her electric bill for the month, totaling $248 billion. "My eyes just about popped out of my head," Mary Horomanski told the Huffington Post. "We had put up Christmas lights and I wondered if we had put them up wrong." (TBH, I don't think it's possible to put up that many Christmas lights wrong.) As it turns out, the whole thing was a billing error (no, really?) and Horomanski actually only owed $284.46. Oops.

Target Announces Newly Redesigned Stores

As if we could possibly love a trip to Target more, the company has announced that it will be rolling out several "next generation" stores offering tons of new innovations. Among them are two separate entrances allowing for easier access to your department of choice, areas to park your car for quick pick-ups of online orders (no more waiting for shipping!) and even right down to rooms for nursing customers. Basically, they've thought of everything because they're Target and that's why we love them. We'll have to wait awhile for these features though, as Target plans to rennovate stores gradually over the next two years.

Meme of the day:

We are all familiar Chrissy Teigen. The model is constantly keeping it real on all of her social media platforms, and Tuesday night was no exception. Teigen and her husband, singer John Legend, were on an All Nippon Airways flight to Tokyo when the plane was forced to turn around four hours into the flight. 

According to CNN, “the crew discovered an unauthorized passenger had boarded the flight, and opted to return to Los Angeles.” The error, which the airline attributed to an “administrative mix-up,” meant that Teigen, and all of her fellow passengers, were forced to spend over eight hours on a flight, that never arrived at its destination! What a headache!

Instead of having a negative attitude, Teigen did what she does best; she sent off a series of honest (and funny) tweets. Her posts read in part, “Why…why do we all gotta go back, I do not know.”

From looking at her Twitter, it appears as though Teigen and Legend spent the night at the airport (see, celebs are just like us!) and were able to catch another flight this morning. Teigen’s flight mix-up just proves that sometimes the worst situations can make the best stories!