How To Tell If Your Summer Fling Is The Real Thing

Summer is a prime time to fall in love. The days are long and the nights are warm. Your bronzed skin and beachy hair make you feel especially sexy. And, wearing skimpy clothing is perfectly dignified and socially acceptable. It’s no wonder that romance seems to particularly spark in this season. 

Is your summer fling meant to last?

However, not all summer loves are meant to last. Here are some tips to help you decipher if your relationship is built to endure through the fall and beyond, or if you should fling your beau to the curb on Labor Day.

It might be just a fling if: 

• You find yourself looking forward to your return to “real-life”
• You don't know his middle name, or other basic information about him
•  You can’t picture him without his tan and surfboard

It might be the real thing if:

• You have met his buddies, or better yet, his family
• You spend time together doing normal things, like cooking dinner or watching a movie on the couch
• You are already planning a couples Halloween costume 

So what are you going to do with your summer love?

Samantha's August Movie Pick: Savages

A great looking case

Savages tell the story of pot growing best buddies who fight against the Mexican drug rulers to save the gorgeous O, played by Blake Lively. The Gossip Girl princess is in a three-way relationship with the best buddies, Ben and Chon: played by Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch. After Ben and Chon refuse to sign a deal that would give the Mexican drug rulers huge percentage of their profits, the rulers kidnap O, and tell her protectors that they are going to abuse her until they can come up with enough money to buy her back. Trying to kill people for revenge, and raise $13 million comes as a challenge to the friends, and they go through various hardships to eventually save their treasured girlfriend.

This movie was a big deal for Lively as an actress, as it includes two lengthy sex scenes and shows her playing a totally different character to what people are used to seeing.

The ending of the movie faced criticism because of its easy way out approach. With a dark storyline, some bloody scenes and a beautiful cast, Savages is interesting and believable, and worth a visit to go see at your nearest movie theatre. Check out the times and places in New York.

Is Your Relationship Normal?

(Originally appeared in The Huffington Post, July 30, 2012.)

Everyone wants to be in a romantic relationship, and everyone has an idea in their head of what the perfect relationship should be. However, most of the time, we end up in relationships that never resemble what we thought we would have, and we start to wonder whether or not this is okay. Usually, the answer surfaces when we compare our relationship to other people's and try to figure out if ours is better, worse or the same. Of course, we can never make this determination because one never knows what goes on behind closed doors and what is actually normal. If you are wondering if your relationship is normal, here are some pointers so you can figure that out...

1. Relationships are difficult, no matter what. If someone tells you otherwise, they are lying, or they aren't in a relationship.

2. Your relationship is normal as long as it works for you and your partner. Talk to your significant other about what "normal" means to him or her. As long as the two of you are on the same page and being true to yourselves and what you really want, it doesn't matter what others think. In today's day and age, there is no normal; our society is all about "anything goes."

3. Don't get caught up in peer pressure. If marriage isn't for you, but a monogamous committed relationship is, go ahead and have that relationship. As long as you and your partner are being honest about what you both really want and you are not pressuring each other, embrace the relationship that you are choosing to have.

4. If you aren't in a relationship but you want to build a family, that is perfectly okay. Single parents are very of the norm today; if it works for you, go for it.

5. Look around you and really notice other people's relationships. Not what you imagine them to be, but what they really are. No one's relationship is perfect, so don't think that you are alone in the fact that you have some issues with yours sometimes.

6. Don't believe "the grass is greener" elsewhere. You might wish

Enjoy Romantic Dates With Cute Summer Items

Perfect for a summer day.

Summer is perhaps the best time to start dating someone new because there is an endless list of amazing things you can do together. Between June and September, you can ditch indoor movie theaters and catch a movie in a park at sunset. You can avoid over-crowded restaurants and instead enjoy outdoor rooftops and terraces. 

Days at the park and barbecues are all part of the fun of summer, and I have the perfect items to take with you to make these outdoor dates the best they can possibly be.

On OpenSky, I have a cute picnic basket, which would be perfect to take to the park, to the beach, or to surprise your beau with somewhere special. 

I also have a very pretty and very practical wine preserver. This will allow you to save some for later if you don’t want to drink the entire bottle at your picnic.

Katy Perry Movie: A Part of Me

A Teenage Dream

Katy Perry has gone from singing in churches, to selling out world tours, to starring in her very own biographical 3D movie. A Part of Me shares behind the scenes footage from Katy's Teenage Dream world tour, including her dazzling performances and candid interviews.

In the movie, we see the popstar at her most exposed. Yet, she is still real and relatable. In one scene, she is caught minutes before she goes on stage, hysterically crying from the pressure of the show and the pending divorce of her marriage to Russell Brand.

Through tears and laughter she reveals her true self to her fans, coming across as a normal, fun girl living in a magical popstar bubble.

Check out when and where you can see the movie.

Samantha’s Summer Read: A Charmed Life

Makes you see the gems in your life

My Charmed Life by Beth Bernstein is a lovely summer read. The book is about the author herself and the loss of her mother who was her best friend, and who taught her how to love, overcome life’s biggest obstacles and... how to accessorize.

As a young girl, Beth watched as every piece of jewelry her mother wore was connected to a sentimental memory, of both life’s triumphs and it's challenges. Beth tells the story of her own romances and the jewelry she received from the many men who could not commit to her. The story takes the reader on a journey of glittering hilarity and hope, showing Beth’s personal highs and lows, until she realizes the best gems in life are the people who have always been there for you.

This novel will be perfect for a summers day or evening by the fireplace, and will leave you feeling positive and warm about your own journey in life.

What Are You Doing On The Fourth?

Happy 4th of July! 

If you are looking to get away with your loved one this Independence Day, why not head to Washington to celebrate the holiday at a huge party. The W Hotel is hosting ‘Boom with aView’, from the roof terrace, with performances from cover band BurntSienna and a spectacular view of the city and the National Fireworks Display. 

You could also head to ‘Red, White and Boom’, to dance the night away at Kastles Stadium on the Southwest Waterfront Wharf with dancing to DJ Ricky Schramm, Drew Dixon Line, Yacht Rock Revue and the Morrison Brothers Band and an open bar. Great Meadow will be a great family spot where there will be pony rides, face-painting and clowns all day for the kids, and then a fireworks display and live music kicking off at dusk. Tickets to these events and many other events for you and your loved ones to enjoy, can be purchased here.

If you are staying in the city, Pier83 (West 42nd St, 8th Ave) is having a Rooftop Party – with a BBQ, a bar and a perfect viewing platform for the Macy’s Firework Display over the Hudson River. Tickets for this can be bought here. And tickets for the Freedom Fest Party at Pier 81, which also offers food and a cash bar, can be bought here.

The performers at Macy’s holiday show this year are Katy Perry and Kenny Chesney and the fireworks show can be watched for free on 12th Ave, between 24th and 49th street. From New York there are also boat trips, dinner and luxury firework cruises to go on with your honey; check them out here.