Officewear they are not

Beachwear? Yes. Office? No. There are a lot of things that are tough about working in the summer, including having to store your flip flops from 9-5 from June to September. It doesn’t matter how casual your office attire is, flip flops are just a no—even on dress down Fridays. Once I went in for an interview with a company and I knew it wasn’t the place for me when the woman I’d be speaking with greeted me in a pair of busted brown flip flops. We know it’s hot but that’s what peep-toe shoes are for. There are also plenty of dressier, semi-casual sandals to choose from that you might be able to get away with in front of the boss, but don’t go there with flop flops.

Not for long distances

Cool, yes. Comfy, no. We just want to spare your feet because if you try to walk around all day in a pair of flip flops, you’ll regret it. We’re talking long distances like while on a trip to a vineyard or a casual stroll through the city. Eventually the lack of support will creep up on you and you will find yourself wishing for a pair of heels as relief. You’ve got maybe two to four hours to max out flip flops’ comfort potential, then the pain kicks in.

Stop smacking

You can hear a pair of flip flops coming in the distance just like a pair of stilettos. For some reason, people either refuse to pick up their feet in flip flops or stomp so hard all you hear is the sound of the shoes smacking against your feet and the pavement. Simply said, it’s annoying.

Pedicures not optional

Look, except for two pieces of fabric stretched across your foot, your feet will pretty much be entirely exposed in flip flops. Make sure their up to par. No one’s saying you have to have a fancy pedicure with the massage chair and paraffin wrap. At the very least, we’re talking lotion and clipped or filed toenails. Is that too much too ask?

Let them go

As bad as seeing a pair of crusty feet in flip flops is, busted flip flops are nearly just as bad. Flip flops being as cheap as they are, there’s no reason to walk around in a dirty, dingy pair. We’re not talking about throwing away your Steve Madden’s because there’s a smudge on the side. We’re saying any pair of flops that cost you between $2 and $20 and is no longer the color it was when you bought them needs to go. At those prices, you don’t even have to save for a new pair, trash them and then buy ones that people can tell are actually supposed to be black.

Do you have any flip flop rules we missed?

Summer is almost here which means it’s time for one of the best words in the English language: vacation.

When the sun is shining and work is getting on your nerves, everybody wants to get away, Summer is the prime time to make that happen. But before you get carried away in the fun and sun fantasies, check out these essential rules to summer travel.

Check your budget.
This is an absolute must. Make sure that traveling is truly a realistic option. You need to budget to determine how much you have to go on a trip and then you need to break down the travel budget so that you know where your funds are going—hotel, flight, food, etc.—that way you’re not all girls gone wild when it comes to money while you’re away and then you come back with nothing or in the hole.

Set up travel alerts.
Hopefully you’re planning your trip enough in advance to get the best deal possible. Most budget sites have options to send alerts when hotel and flight prices go down for the dates and location you plan on traveling. Airfare changes so randomly and you don’t want to miss an opportunity to save some cash, so set up these notifications and let the savings come to you.

Research.
Because a hotel, cabana or summer house is cheap, doesn’t mean it’s a good look. Google map the area, look at the surroundings and read the reviews to make sure the cost is low because of a special or less amenities, not because it’s in a bad neighborhood or a dump. You also want to make sure you’re staying in an area that’s close to the other vacay-worthy things like the beach or casinos or nightclubs. Money can easily be blown on cabs while away and that’s the last place you want your dollars to go on vacay. Also, if you’re going out of the country, read up on the regions customs so that you know how to act accordingly.

Get a check-up.
Not for you, for your car. If you’re driving a significant distance you want to make sure your car will make the trip. At the very least, check your tire pressure—too little air significantly reduces your car’s gas mileage and that’s the last thing anyone needs with these gas prices; too much air can give you a flat. Beyond that, you should also get an oil change and check your breaks; you don’t want to be that person on the side of the road waiting for AAA as cars pass. You might want to make sure the AC is in tip-top shape too with those scorching summer temperatures.

Pack in anticipation.
One, in anticipation of your actual trip, and two, in anticipation of unforeseen circumstances. Putting off packing until the last minute sounds like a good idea all the way up to the night before your trip when you’re frantic trying to find that one dress you realize you didn’t wash or you remember you needed to buy a new pair of sandals and it’s too late. Pack little-by-little at least a week before you plan to head out so that you’re just throwing in essentials like toiletries. The peace of mind will be worth it. Also, don’t forget potential threats from Mother Nature. Check the weather and grab a sweater for cool summer nights and an umbrella in case of a rainstorm. These items take up a tiny amount of space and you’ll be glad you brought them. Don’t forget the sunscreen!

Choose your companions wisely.
Nothing sucks more than being stuck on a vacation with people you don’t really like. Sometimes we want more people to go on a trip to save money on hotel stays or other things, but what you save in your wallet may not always be worth the other costs you pay. Plus, there’s no rule against traveling solo.

Chill on the cocktails.
Fruity alcoholic drinks are a given when you’re relaxing away from home, but what you don’t want to be is the girl who missed an entire day of the trip because you went too hard the night before. Your alcohol tolerance doesn’t change just because your area code did. You know your tolerance, stick with it. Your body will thank you. Also, pop an aspirin and drink water before you go to bed to ward off that next morning hangover.

Figure out your hair NOW.
Can you do the wet and wavy or are you going to need a little help from the braid or weave gods? When you plan on swimming and hitting the beach, it doesn’t make much sense to have a sleek, straightened style. Try braid- or twist-outs or a weave that you can wash and go, so you’re not spending your time away trying to fix your hair every night.

No following strange boys.
Everything seems fun and carefree when the drinks are flowing and the sun is shining, but don’t let that accent or hot beach body tease you into being unsafe. Nothing’s wrong with hooking up with some male company but start off with public areas with your group of girls and his. Agree to meet at a club or for drinks or dinner. There’s safety in numbers, and you need to make sure that fine man isn’t shady.

Tune out the rest of the world.
No phone, no Twitter, no E-mail. Okay, you don’t have to cut out all of those things, but do not stay glued to your phone checking work emails or on your laptop sending reports. You are on vacation! Also, block out all the drama you left back at home. If there was a guy who was acting funny before you left, or your mom was bugging you about nonsense, or a friend kept calling to talk your ear off about nothing, ignore it all during your 3-, 5-, 7-day getaway. This is your time. Those issues will still be there when you get back, don’t stress over it while you’re away.

I bet if we asked Tashay D. Edwards and the girl whose house she showed up to and promptly beat down in the World Star Hip Hop video that went viral last month if either one of them thought 140 characters of buffoonery was worth it, their answers would be “no.” It’s fine to defend a point and state your opinion, but when it comes to all out Twitter beefs, think before you tweef.

Here’s why:

You Embarrass Yourself
Have you ever actually seen a Twitter feud on your timeline? It looks ridiculous because it’s essentially a mini-rant. All you see is a bunch of random messages directed at someone that you can’t really follow and that you’re probably mad is taking up your timeline. You really wonder why is this person not just ignoring whatever ignorant tweets they’re being sent or even blocking the other person. Twitter drama is the easiest fight to walk away from—all you have to do is log off. Why even engage the foolishness?

You Could Catch a Beat Down
This is what happened in the incident with Tashay Edwards. Her victim had apparently been “disrespectful” on Twitter (which can be interpreted a million different ways), but her computer courage caught up to her in the form of an in-person beat down. We don’t encourage the violent reaction, but thinking you can say whatever you want because you’re behind a computer screen is not cool.

You Could Get a Record
The flip side of catching a beat down is catching a case. That’s what happened with Tashay. Ohio cops got word of her attack and they arrested and charged her with assault and violation of a temporary protection order. You may not be bruised physically by being the attacker in a situation like this, but your criminal record will be if you can’t control your emotions enough to not make an online problem a real-life fight.

You Could Get Killed
The most extreme of consequences to Twitter beef is death. Rapper Young Jeezy recently spoke out about one of his friends being killed for this reason, and in November 2011 a member of Wacka Flocka’s crew, Jomo Adoula Zambia aka “RoseMo,” was shot and killed after several Twitter feuds with California rappers. You may think running your mouth online is harmless but some people take those words to heart. You don’t want 140 characters to strike a nerve that could end your life.

You Can’t Take It Back
Even if you delete your tweefs, once Google gets a hold of them, they’ll live forever; not to mention how many times what you said has likely been retweeted. You have no control over where your words go once you put them out on Twitter, so think before you tweet. Nothing dies on the Internet.

A video has been circling the Internet of a black woman who wrote a poem about why she embraces natural hair and rejects weave. Titled, “A Beautiful Disaster,” in the video, the author explores the history of black women’s hatred for their own hair and how the ideals we internalize about our locks not being good enough elevates other races. She opens the poem with:

“It’s crazy to think that we have hair we don’t know how to care for because we spent years wasting money on weaves and relaxers at the hair store. And most of these businesses aren’t even owned by blacks, so another race is benefiting from our weave obsession, how do you feel about that?”

In the push for women to become comfortable with their hair as it grows from their scalps, extremists have tried to make women feel guilty for not having the same attitude toward natural hair as they do. In this clip we see much of that sentiment and policing of other women’s hair choices, but the author also gives us some important things to think about. What the clip and tell us what you think.

Is this video poem on point?

From Clutch–As fun as the idea of purchasing new makeup is, if you don’t go about it with a game plan the excitement you have about that new gloss or highlighter can quickly fizzle and end with you walking out of the store empty handed. Don’t let the intimidation of too many products and pushy makeup artists deter you. Knowing these five simple things before you even enter the store will help make sure you get exactly what you came for.

1. What you’re looking for: It sounds obvious but if you walk into a store like Sephora or a makeup counter all willy nilly you’ll get eaten alive. You don’t have to know every single thing you might buy but have a general idea of what you want. Are you due for a new concealer, do you just want to try a different type of eyeliner, or are you giving your makeup bag a complete overhaul? Be prepared with that answer because the makeup artist will ask.

2. What kind of coverage you want: If you’re at the counter for a new foundation, the artist is going to want to want to narrow the options she offers by knowing how much coverage you want. Sheer means you’re not looking to be too made up and you have skin that doesn’t require a lot of smoothing out. On the other hand if there are blemishes or discoloration you want to mask, full coverage foundations are the route to go and the artist can show you the best ones.

3. What kind of skin you have: Basically is your skin normal, dry, oily, or a combination of the two? This will help the makeup artist determine whether you should have a liquid- or powder-based foundation and whether you need any specific type of primer to help your makeup last longer like a hydrating base or something with shine control.

(Continue reading at Clutch…)

For a while there it was looking like J Lo had lost her mind. She very well still may have but at least now she seems to be learning how to make a little return on her investment—investment being boy toy Casper Smart.

I think Jenny from the Block read up on that parable, give a man a fish, you feed him for one day; teach him how to fish you feed him for a lifetime, because after giving Casper lots of expensive fish in the form of high-end vacations, brand new cars, and allowances, Jennifer Lopez is teaching Casper how to feed himself for a lifetime and make his own money—sort of. First Jennifer promoted her man to choreographer for her upcoming tour, which yeah, still equals money coming out of her pocket. But she also sold a reality TV series to Oxygen based around his promotion and hipping her and her dancers into shape which means Mr. Smart will finally start getting a check that’s not on her payroll. Cha-ching! Now both Jenny and Casper are benefitting from this relationship monetarily which is a much needed change.

I know, men do it all the time. “It aint trickin’ if you got it” is the lifestyle every rapper is about but J lo has been doing a lot more than buying an expensive handbag and getting a girl’s hair done every week. Casper has been by her side practically every where she goes besides the American Idol stage, even on vacay with her kids. Considering she’s supposed to be getting around to divorcing Marc Anthony soon, but still has not, it’s been looking like Jenny fell head over heels for the first man she could find who wasn’t her husband. And since we know she can’t stand to be alone, we’ve all gotten the feeling she doesn’t mind paying for her company. Sure she’s loaded but at 42 she’s not going to be able to milk this singing career for much longer which means she might want to scale back on these gifts a bit or tell ol’ boy to get a job that doesn’t involve her shelling out cash.

Casper’s still flying on J Lo’s coattails with this Oxygen deal but it has the potential to help establish him a little bit more as his own man so that when Jenny dumps him and moves on to the next he can still have a leg to stand on. I’m sure that’s not necessarily her goal. She might just be tired of being the only one paying for everything and figures he owes her. Either way shout out to her for finally getting her head out of the clouds and being about her business. If you’re gonna trick on a man, you better upgrade him for your long-term benefit.

Do you think this reality show is a good look for J Lo and Casper?

We live for celebrity shenanigans but every now and then the lines get blurred and the lifestyles of the rich and famous just get borderline foolish. And when that happens, we invite them to have a seat. No one is exempt from getting called out and some may even find themselves listed as repeat offenders. Check out the list of celebs who need to park their rumps this week.

Terrence Howard
Ordinarily, a man who was assaulted would get some sympathy but Terrence put his own self in that situation. This week reports came out that a woman showed up at his house earlier this month and busted him in the face, but the thing is she was his ex-girlfriend, she hit him in front of his new girlfriend, and the man is still married—to the woman who claims he physically abused her.

Terrence needs to sit down and have a little talk with Jesus and figure out what he’s doing in life. This man isn’t even keeping the ladies in rotation, he’s overlapping and that’s why he got busted, literally.

Fantasia
I hate to do this. I’m beyond thrilled Fanny is back and has her life together—somewhat. But, her appearance on American Idol showed us there are a couple of demons she’s still wrestling with: bad hair, bad clothes, and bad singing. Fantasia looks good with long hair, but all that yaki on top of two outfits drenched in sequins?

No, just no. Black Cher you are not.

And the singing. Fantasia has an amazing voice, which is why I would like to hear it sometime. Somewhere along the line, after she won Idol, she just decided she’d stop singing and start shouting her way through songs. It’s not that it sounds bad — it’s just, well, not singing.

Chris Brown
You already know.

The messages fans sent to Chrissy Teigen after his Billboard performance weren’t his fault but he took an awful long time to tell them to chill, and even when he did, he wasn’t saying a whole lot.

Chris’ fans are obviously taking their hot-headed cues from him so he might want to step up and tell them to cool out. He doesn’t need any more bad press and, unfortunately, the way the media sees it, his fans are a reflection of him.

Therefore, “I know you’re about that life,” isn’t going to cut it.

Wendy Williams
She’s getting some carryover from last week. First, Wendy tried to say Black women are jealous of her and her plastic surgery and hideous weaves. Then, she tried to play Meeka Claxton and say she’s a “non-factor”. All this from a woman who makes her living telling everybody else’s business but her own.

She’s just so out of bounds in more ways than one and so, as punishment, we invite her to have a seat in a beautician’s chair so she can get a sew-in or a weave that actually looks like it’s fresh out the pack and not something you picked up in the discount pile at the corner beauty supply.

Pat Houston
Pat’s not really a celebrity, but it looks like she’s trying to be, so here’s her chance. Pat is entitled to one of the lovely seats she didn’t want Ray J to sit in at the Billboard Awards which nearly caused an on-camera tussle during Whitney Houston’s tribute.

Pat tried to come out and say Ray J moved to a spot near her family where he wasn’t supposed to be and that she graciously allowed him to stay. Doesn’t this situation sound awfully similar to Bobby Brown getting moved around during Whitney’s funeral?

We think she needs to calm down — real quick. Plus, there are rumors she demanded to go on stage with Bobbi Kristina to accept the Millennium award screams. Clearly, somebody is hungry for the spotlight and is a super shady character.

Before she became the face of Limited’s Eloquii line, Kaela told PEOPLE she was clueless that she had this type of potential. “I didn’t know about plus-size modeling, or that you could make a career out of it!”

She definitely knows now after landing shoots with Nordstrom and Kohl’s. The 5-foot-11 beauty, who lost weight to drop down to the standard size 16 in the plus modeling world, gave her career a hefty boost after she was seen on the reality show,  Kim &  Kourtney Take Over New York. Now Kaela’s focus is on maintaining the figure she has.

“It’s competitive out there there,” she explained, saying she avoids eating carbs after 8pm and works out twice a day for up to two hours. “Even if I am a plus-size model, I have to be in the best shape for me.”

Ford isn’t worried, they expect her to follow in the footsteps of household names in the plus modeling world like Crystal Renn and Ashley Graham, saying in a statement: “A true size 16-18, Kaela will be in a league of her own.”

At least something good came out of Kris and Kim’s marriage.

From Clutch

The 35-year-old says she’s always had a way of making things happen and when it comes to her highly anticipated return with Master of My Make-Believe, there’s nothing about her rise to success that’s a fantasy.

In the May/June issue of Spin magazine, the artist, born Santi White, revealed a very simple key to her long-awaited return after four years away from the industry.

“I’ve always had dreams that come true and no understanding or control of it. It’s not until you learn to silence the clutter that you can pay attention to the coincidences.”

(Continue reading at Clutch…)