He called you, asked you out and you’re going out for your first date on Friday! In preparation for this important date, remember how crucial it is to put your best foot forward and to really make an effort to make a good impression. First impressions are lasting impressions. In a city where there is a lot of fashion and emphasis on physical fitness, I am surprised how I will hear feedback from my male clients on how their dates wore frumpy clothes or did not seem to want to make a good impression on their date.
Different types of people view dating differently and regardless of whether you take your dates lightly or more seriously, prepare both mentally and physically for your date.
It’s the day of your Friday night date. He’s taking you to Sushi Groove South and picking you up at 8:00pm. You have chatted on Match.com but have never met and are kinda getting that nervous feeling you thought you wouldn’t experience. Ease into the night by drawing a warm bath and pour yourself a half glass of wine. Light a candle, put some lounge music on ala Supper Club, and slip into the bath with some body oil (Neutrogena makes a good one and they sell it at any Walgreen’s.) The really nice thing about the body oil is that it makes your skin silky, soft, and sweet smelling… part of the perfect combination of aphrodisiac to make him melt!
In the bath while shaving, rehearse in your mind good date topics and topics to avoid. Make sure to have made it a point to have reviewed his profile (if that is how you met) and pay attention to one or two highlights to ask him in follow-up. This shows him that you cared enough to have read his info and are genuinely interested in getting to know him. If his profile highlights having grown up as the youngest of five kids, ask him what life was like growing up as the youngest sibling. What are his brothers and sisters like? Where are they geographically? Do they have big family reunions annually? Develop a good story to segue into from all of that, weaving in a picture of who you are as well. Examples could include telling him about growing up in your hometown, what high school was like for you, etc.
Post bath, pay attention to your skin and teeth. Brush, floss, and rinse afterwards with Listerine. Pre make-up, put some nice moisturizer on your face, underneath your eyes, and use a lip balm on your lips. Chapped lips are simply the most distracting thing ever (in fact, throw some lip balm in your purse to make sure those lips are deliciously soft all night). For make-up, I always tell my clients to wear a little (make-up) and put an emphasis on accentuating best features. Use a light foundation that creates a nice dewy glow. A lot of celebrity make-up artists love Giorgio Armani foundation and I happened to have just bought a great new one I adore by Smashbox called “High Definition Healthy FX Foundation”. After your foundation is applied, get that extra glow by using a shimmer such as Benefit “High Beam” or Stila’s “All Over Shimmer” product. Shimmer is typically only applied on the cheekbone, underneath the eyebrow, and sometimes a light hint of it inside the inner most part of the eye. This “pops” the eye and look fabulous especially for the evening.
Afterwards, put some flirty blush on, some beige colored eye shadow in the crease of your eyelid. Line your lashes with a chocolate and charcoal pencil and smudge into the upper lash for a sexy, more dramatic look. Grab your eyelash curler and lightly heat it with a hairdryer for ten seconds. The heat activates your lashes and will make them very curly and sultry for hours into your date. Curl (without burning your eyelid… make sure it is not too hot) and then put on a great mascara. My favorite new “must have” mascara is from a brand called Too Faced and is called “Lash Injection.” This super-volumizing and lengthening mascara is unbelievable. It builds actual miniature tubes around each lash and has a silicone base that makes removal easy, with water and soap. If you have not heard of this miracle mascara, go buy yourself a tube at Sephora. After your make-up is done and your hair styled, put a hint of perfume on your neck and behind your ears. Men respond positively to hints of sweet scents like vanilla and cherry. I am not telling you my perfume of choice ‘cause I can’t give away all of my trade secrets, but trust me on the vanilla and cherry notes.
