My Spring Fashion Must-Haves

With spring in full bloom and summer just around the corner I can't help but get the undeniable urge to get out and go shopping. While I like going out on a whim and finding what I like, I also like to know exactly what I want to add to my spring/summer wardrobe.

There may be just one small problem, however. As a college student working on minimum wage I don't exactly have the money to buy the Balenciaga, Prada or Louis Vuitton that I am so desperately craving. The good news is, since I am a student on a budget, I have become a savvy shopper.

I don't believe dressing like the super models and it-girls that you see grace the pages of Vogue is should be difficult, you just have to know where to look. You may not be able buy the designer staples you really want, but you can come pretty close without breaking the bank.

After much evaluation I have conjured up what I believe to be the must have spring/summer staples that you can find at a low cost:

• White Blouse: A must have staple this spring is a white blouse. What I love so much about wearing a white blouse is that you can wear it at any occasion. Wear it at work with dress pants, tuck it into a sequin skirt for a night out or wear it with cut off denim shorts and wedges on a summer day.

• High-Low Skirt: I love the look of this skirt, short in the front and long in the back. Wear it with a crop t-shirt or even the white blouse!

• Neon: I have been seeing neon EVERYWHERE. The key to wearing neon is keeping it minimal. A light breezy shirt, a bag, bracelets or sneakers are the perfect neon pieces.

• Cropped Pastel Pants: I love the look of cropped pants in the spring and I am especially in love with the pastel colors that I have been seeing them in. Whether they are in mint green, light purple, pastel pink or blue they look great. Pair them with a pastel top in a different color for a statement.

• Metal: Ankle straps on heels and sandals have been especially popular, particularly straps that don metal. I love the clean and bold look of metal on a shoe. Wear heels with metal ankle straps on a night out or sandals during the day.

• Peplum: Simply put, I. LOVE. PEPLUM. I can't get enough of it, I love how the extra material adds to your curves without seeming like too much fabric. Keep it simple by wearing a cream peplum dress or a black peplum skirt.

• Tribal: Finally, tribal accessories are a big trend this spring/summer. Wear a large statement necklace, a tribal printed skirt or carry a tribal printed clutch to achieve this look.

What are your favorite spring staples?

Dutch-Style Hair Crown

A new hair trend that seems to be grabbing people's attention is the Dutch-style braided hair crown. After seeing the look on the always lovely Scarlett Johansson at 'The Avengers' London premiere , I though it would be good to try out the look.

However, I'm not crazy about the look of the braid going around the front of the head, to me it looks a little strange. So, thanks to the help of my lovely suite mate, we recreated the look keeping the front of the hair simple.

Check out how it turned out and how you can create it yourself:

Hair Health: Banana Avocado Mask

After a long, cold winter (okay it wasn't that bad this year, but still) the ends of my hair are always left feeling dried out and damaged. I must admit that I don't take care of my hair like I should. I shove it into hats, let the wind blow it around and just brush it once a day.

So to make it up to my hair I decided to use my spring break to put some moisture (and love) back into my locks. Instead of searching for the right shampoo and conditioner or the right salon I decided to try an at home mask. Not a face mask, a hair mask. A hair mask works much like a mask for your face in that it puts moisture into your hair and helps restore damage. After much research and reading reviews, I decided to go for a banana avocado mask.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

- 1 medium banana

- 1/2 avocado

- 1 egg

- 1 Tbsp of honey

- 3 Tbsp of buttermilk

Quick Tip:If you don't have buttermilk you can make it by taking 3 Tbsp of regular milk and adding 1/2 Tbsp of white vinegar, then let it sit for about 20 minutes - It's also much cheaper than buying buttermilk!

- 3 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

(I doubled the recipe since I have long hair but stuck to 1 tbsp of honey in fear of a sticky mess)

Tips: You should brush your hair first, I didn't think of that and my hair was pretty tangled after the shower. Also I ended up with quite a bit of the concoction left over, so for trying it the first time I would stick to the original recipe and then see if you need more.

The result: My hair felt soft and smooth in the morning. it's not a drastic difference but it feels really nice and my ends don't feel so dry and brittle. It also tasted like, and had the consistency of a smoothy, yummy! Who knew that an avocado banana hair mask could be so delicious? Not only did a get a kick-ass moisturizer for my hair, but I also found a new ingredient to add to my healthy smoothies in the summer.

Pros: Quick and simple recipe, worked like a conditioner

Cons: Didn't do as much to my hair as I expected. While it felt a little softer and shinier, it wasn't as much as I had hoped for.