You can’t go a day without your weave.
When it is time for a new installation you make sure your schedule is free in between taking out your weave and putting in a new one. You wouldn’t dare step out the house with your natural hair styled. Ultimately, the only person who knows what your actual hair looks like is your weavologist.

After a new weave installation you are already thinking about your next weave.
You just installed a fresh Virgin Indian wavy weave in 18” and you are already thinking about the Brazilian deep curly in a #2 you plan to rock next month. Weave is always on your mind.

“What kind of hair are you wearing?”
There’s a sista walking by with hair down her back. Your first thoughts are, What kind of hair is she wearing in her head? Not only are you always seeking the next best thing in hair, but you are predicting the hair texture and type of hair other women may or may not be wearing (FYI: Not every black girl with long hair is wearing a weave). You find yourself saying things like, “It looks like she’s wearing a deep wavy texture. Let me ask her.”

You sacrifice the health of your own hair to upkeep and maintain your weave.
Your stylist has told you time and time again, that you might want to take a break from your constant weave wearing. Although you are well aware of the damage that the weave has done to your hair, you do not care. You would rather wear a weave all of the time than to address what is going on with your natural hair. Your hairline might be nonexistent, but you always have your weave right? Houston, we have a problem!

Your hair money comes first!
You already know that a portion of your next paycheck is going to your hair. Your beautician is getting $150 and your beauty supply is getting $250. You don’t know how you’re paying your student loans for the month, but you know you’ll have the money to get your weave redone.

So there you go, these are all tell tale signs that you may be a bit obsessed with your weave. If you can relate to all of these points, it might be time for you to reevaluate your priorities and the health of your hair. Weaves are great and a lot of fun, but if you can’t live without them, then something is wrong. Go a day without your weave maybe a month, you might be surprised how liberating it feels.

Let’s begin!

Sleeping With Makeup

There is no reason why you should still be going to bed with your makeup on. With the emergence of cleansing wipes, the process of removing your makeup at night has become simple and stress-free. Not to mention, sleeping with a full face clogs your pores and exposes your skin to acne and zits.

Chipped Nails

It may be difficult to address nails at the first sight of chipped lacquer. However, when your nails are painted with bright colors and/or designs, chipped polish looks borderline tacky. It’s easy to go days with chipped nail polish but do yourself a favor and whip out the nail polish remover or a fresh coat of paint ASAP.

Biting Your Nails

Nail biting can be one of the hardest habits to break. Some people bite their nails because they’re nervous and others do it because they’re bored or dealing with other emotional issues. Nail biting is a nasty habit that prevents healthy, beautifully growing nails. If you find that nail biting is more than a difficult habit to break, be sure to check out our 12 Step Program For Nail Biters.

Not Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes

It’s easy to go months without cleaning your makeup brushes. It’s a beauty task that easily gets overlooked. Its crucial to clean your brushes around every three weeks because if you don’t you may end up with clogged pores, zits and pimples and/or bacterial infections on your face. Yuck! Not to mention, dirty brushes could lead to muddied makeup and cause your favorite products to look discolored.

Frequently Flat Ironing Your Hair

This is for women who like to wear their hair in straight styles. During the hot summer months, hair is extremely susceptible to humidity and sweat. This may cause you to pull out the flat iron more than you should. Flat ironing your hair several times a week will result in fried and heat damaged hair. Be very cautious when flat ironing, and keep the heat application to a minimum.

Picking at Your Skin

At the first sign of a blemish, your initial response may be to pick at it in hopes that you can decrease the blemish’s size and improve its appearance. Whether you have a pimple or a skin condition like eczema, do not pick at your skin! Picking at your skin can make blemishes worse and may cause scarring.

What are some of your bad beauty habits? Let us know!

-Chelsey Wilkins

Please ladies, don’t let this be you.

We all love our jewelry and want to show it off whenever we can, but the truth is, it is better to forgo a couple of pieces than look like Miss “Bling Bling Bling.” I know we all have our own personal style, and accessories enable us to show that off. But overdoing it can take your look from hot to hot mess quickly.

Because we have your back, Vixens, here are a few useful tips to ensure that all of your jewelry accessories will complement–not fight–one another.

Statement earrings OR statement necklace
Sounds simple enough, right? If not, I’ll break it down for you. If you are going to wear your new peacock feather earrings that stop at your shoulder, please opt out of rocking the chunky beads and feather bib necklace from the same collection. Wearing the two pieces together will be overkill. The earrings stand on their own, and so does the necklace. However, if you do go for the necklace, try pairing it with stud earrings instead. This rule applies to jewelry on other parts of your body as well. If you’re wearing multiple chunky bracelets, keep the amount and size of your rings to a minimum.

Too cheap, too gaudy!
Oh no! This “accessory don’t” is the most bothersome, so I must address it. I’m a firm believer in being an economical shopper; I find some fabulous inexpensive pieces that you wouldn’t believe cost less that $15.00. And it is very possible to wear all Forever 21 jewelry and still look classy and chic. The problem develops when you pile on cheap metals and shiny plastics all at once. Wearing cheap jewelry-–that actually looks cheap-–is a big no-no.

Look at your outfit, please
Ultimately, you need to analyze what you’re wearing before you can finalize your jewelry. Are you rocking a simple outfit with minimum prints? Are you wearing neutral or darker colors? Are you going for a classy, girly, rocker, bohemian, or urban look? All of these questions will assist you in deciding what jewelry is appropriate for your outfit. For instance, if your outfit is busy and you are mixing several prints, stick to less ornate jewelry. When wearing something simple, decorative bold jewelry looks great, and it makes your whole look pop.

Lighting Is Everything

Apply your makeup in a bright room with natural lighting. When the lighting is poor, chances are you are going to apply more make-up than usual. You don’t want that horrifying moment when you pass by a mirror and can barely recognize yourself.

Less is More

For most women, the only face makeup needed on a daily basis is a little concealer, enough to cover blemishes and/or dark spots. Applying liquid foundation does not need to be a daily routine. If you feel you require more coverage, try resorting to a light powder foundation as opposed to a heavy liquid foundation for daily-wear. You don’t want people to know you are wearing tons of makeup on your face, so use your foundation sparingly.

Loud Eye or Loud Lip

Makeup 101: Wear a bright eye or a bright lip, when you wear them both together you look clownish. I know summertime is the season for bright bold colors, but leave that for your clothing. A bright coral lip should be complimented with subtle black winged liner. I know this season is all about color-blocking and being unafraid to experiment with bold colors, but for daily wear, I would say that you’re doing too much.

Natural Cheeks

Don’t believe the hype that women of a darker skin tone should stay away from blush. Blush is a beauty must-have. However, it should be used with caution. Again, less is more. When it comes to everyday make-up, you want to appear naturally flawless. Blush helps create a flushed rosy look. Use blushes that compliment your skin tone, and when applying, blend, blend, blend.

- Chelsey Wilkins

First thing you want to do when wearing a weave this summer is to invest in good hair. Although the quality of your weave hair should always be top of mind, in the summertime this is particularly important. Cheap weave hair tends to mat and tangle very easily. Add extra sweat and hot temperatures and you’re asking for trouble. Look for soft hair textures where the cuticles are aligned. This will do wonders and prevent major birds’ nests from erupting.

You might also want to think about purchasing a wavy or curly texture in the summer. Not only are beach waves extremely sexy, but if your actual hair is curly, on those humid days, your weave will naturally curl and blend with your leave-out.

Speaking of leave-outs (your actual hair that you leave out of your sew-in in order to blend with your extensions resulting in a more natural look), when installing your sew-in you should think about styles that prevent as little of your actual hair from being exposed as possible, especially if your hair does not naturally blend with your weave hair. There is nothing worse than having to constantly monitor your edges and leave-out throughout the day for fear your hair is not blending with your weave. Using a lot of heat to blend your hair is a no-no as well, so stick to an edge controller like Olive Oil’s Edge Control. It’ll work wonders.

Let’s face it, you sweat more in the summer heat. To prevent heavy dirt and sweat build-up it’s crucial to shampoo and condition your hair more frequently during these months. You do not want to neglect your hair at all, because now more than ever it needs to breathe. It’s trapped under hair nets, thread and tracks, so please show your hair some love. Try not to keep your sew-in in as long as you typically leave it in your hair. You want to give your actual hair a full washing sooner than later. If you want to eliminate the itching and pain, this tip is most important.

Finally, be sure to moisturize your braids and hair underneath your weave. Choose a horizontal braid pattern so that you can have easy access to your scalp. Spray on a little braid spray activator on your braids, and you’re good to go. This will help eliminate the itching as well.

So there you have it, a few tips to maintain your summer weave. If you have any advice we didn’t mention, let us know! We’re always looking for better ways to keep it right and tight this summer!

It’s time to take a step back from revamping our closets, and take a moment to revitalize his. We can’t have our brothers looking crazy, right?!

In order to help guide the process, we have come up with a list of six of “your man’s fashion must-haves”, so that the next time you go shopping with him, you can help guide his taste and purchasing decisions. Now, let’s begin.

1. D.B. Wear

This spring is all about the D.B.s; double breasted coats, sweaters, jackets and cardigans. The great thing about double-breasted garments is that there is no single way of wearing them. Whether a D.B jacket is layered with a V-neck tee or a button up, the look is always effortless and chic on our men.

2. The Whenever, Wherever, Whatever Shoe

Every man needs a shoe that can be worn everywhere. Your man’s wardrobe is incomplete, if he doesn’t own a pair of suede bucks. This trend has been around for what seems forever, and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Next time your man is looking for that shoe to wear to work with his suit or to dinner with some jeans, make sure to mention the bucks.

3. The New Jeans

A nice pair of fitted jeans is great, but Chinos are a must-have. Chinos are the versatile lightweight pant that can be worn for just about any occasion, a staple item in every man’s closet. While beige and camel are classic colors, dare your man to go outside the box. With spring around the corner, a splash of color to your man’s lower half can’t be a bad thing.

4. Off the Court Sneaker

It’s time to introduce our men to the dressy and casual sneaker, the sneaker that should be worn off the court. Classic high-top sneakers made of something other than canvas make a casual outfit resonate. Have him couple white suede high-tops with something unexpected like a bright pair of chinos, and you’d be surprised how sexy he looks.

5. The Modern Day Varsity Jacket

Remember back in high school when all the athletes wore those oversized nylon jackets with their names on it? Well, these jackets have managed to come back in style, sort of. We’re calling them the modern day varsity jackets. They’re made of materials like suede instead of nylon, and they fit a lot better than they used to. If you’re concerned that this trend is too juvenile, look for darker colors like browns, grays, and blacks.

6. Timeless Timepiece

The final must-have item on our list is the sleek, simple and stylish watch. Every man must invest in a stainless steel timepiece that can instantly turn up the sophistication no matter what the occasion. These watches are extremely versatile, and can be worn with casual and dressy wear. Plus, you know you hate when your man is running late, so with a great quality watch on his arm, he’ll always be on time.

- Chelsey Wilkins

Try it on First:

Have you ever had a body shaper that you wore once and never wore again? Did it take you forever to use the bathroom? Did the shaper itch and burn all day, making you feel annoyed and uncomfortable? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, chances are you did not try on the shapewear before making a purchase. Make sure you can sit down, walk around, and breathe while wearing the shapewear. If not you may want to try another style or size.

Keep it Sexy:

Do take your time when searching for shapewear. Invest in something that is going to make you feel confident, secure and sexy. You don’t want to feel like you are wearing granny panties all day. Nowadays, shapewear come in many different styles. You can purchase cute, sexy shapewear that will have you looking great and feeling stylish.

Go Seamless:

Do purchase shapewear that will appear seamless. Don’t purchase body shapers that will have lines and lumps showing through your clothing. No one should know you are wearing shapewear except you.

Get your Size:

Shapewear comes in various control settings. You can buy mild control, maximum control and minimum control. There is no need to buy larger sizes or smaller sizes to create different effects. A lot of women tend to purchase shapewear in smaller sizes hoping to create a slimming effect. However, the result is never positive. When buying shapewear, purchase your size.

Stay Dry:

Do apply baby powder to your body before wearing a body shaper. This will alleviate the itching and sweating that occurs when wearing an extra layer of clothing throughout the day. Trust us, the powder will have you feeling dry and clean all day.

- Chelsey Wilkins

Usually, my weave-radar is pretty good. In most cases, there is a blending issue or hair misplacement that gives it away. But in this case, I couldn’t tell if it was a weave or not. Honestly, it didn’t really matter to me. Her hair looked amazing, and all I wanted to know was what I had to do to my hair to get it to look like hers. I continued to peruse the store forgetting the long-haired woman, however, my friend had different sentiments.

As the woman walked out of our view, my friend rolled her eyes. My friend is known for her long natural hair, and has openly expressed her opinions on “good weaves.”

No matter what, a black girl with long hair has to be wearing a weave. Having long natural hair that is actually growing from your scalp doesn’t matter, because most people are going to think that it is a weave anyway. Now, I get the ‘Is that a weave?’ question, or worse, people just assume it is a weave. Me having my own long hair doesn’t matter, because now every black girl with some money can get a good weave.

As a weave wearer myself, I was immediately turned off by my friend’s speech. How selfish could she be? I returned her rant with a rant of my own.

If I want to achieve longer hairstyles with the swipe of my ATM card, I have every right to do so. Who cares if it’s growing from my scalp or not? Furthermore, if your only sense of validation is your naturally long hair, then something is wrong.

After going off, I took a moment to truly analyze the situation, trying to understand how a black woman walking by with long hair could spark such a heated conversation between two friends. To be honest, my friend’s statement was a viewpoint I had never heard before. I soon began to rethink my response to her opinion. Do black girls with long hair have the right to hate good weaves? Do they feel as if good weaves have put them in the “it’s a weave” category? Should being black and having long hair belong to an elite group? Better yet, why is it always assumed that a black girl with long hair is wearing a weave? Is it really that unusual for us to have long hair?

Let me know what you think.

- Chelsey Wilkins