Valentine's Day Girls Guide

I always struggle with what to get my special man friend on Valentine’s Day. This is probably because most the men I know detest Valentine’s Day. I recently read a statistic that one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The majority of the card purchases are by women -- 85 percent in fact, which I think sort of says it all. That said, I always get him something knowing that I will look like a jerk if he does something elaborate or thoughtful, which he will.

Selecting the perfect gift for your guy is pretty simple and if you start to panic, just remember that we have it a lot easier than they do! The most important thing you need to remember is quite simple: simply match the appropriate gift based on the level of intimacy you have as a couple. If you’ve only been on a few dates, then homemade brownies or his favorite cookie should do it. If you’ve been together for a couple of years you might need to put some more effort into it.

I hope the guide below will be of use to you!

What man doesn’t love gadgets? Seriously. Do you know any? I don't.

• Is he a wine drinker? Replace his outdated wine opener with this one: Vacu Vin Winemaster

Price $49.99

Buy the Vacu Vin Winemaster!

• Does he take his annual camping trip with the guys a little too seriously? If so, this might come in handy: Victorinox Swiss Army One Hand Trekker Lockblade Pocket Knife
  

Price $26.35

Buy the Victorinox Swiss Army One Hand Trekker Lockblade Pocket Knife!

• Is he directionally challenged? Think how many arguments can be avoided with this glorious little tool! Garmin Nuvi 270 3.5 inch Portable GPS Navigator
  

Price $150.66

Buy the Garmin Nuvi 270 3.5 inch Portable GPS Navigator!


The beauty of simplicity

• You can’t beat a quiet night in. If you waited too long to get reservations or you just don’t feel like fighting the masses, then opt for cooking and sharing a meal together in. Intercourses aphrodisiac cookbook is a must have because you can use it year round; not only are the dishes simple but they taste phenomenal!

Price $19.77

Buy a copy of Intercourses aphrodisiac cookbook!

• Concert tickets – Is he a huge Rob Zombie fan? Buy him two tickets and tell him he can take whoever he wants. (This is also a test!) If he chooses to take you then suck it up and grab the thickest black eye pencil you can get your hands on. Going to a concert that is out of your comfort zone will win you major cool points!

Peruse concert tickets here!

“Huh?”
Not really sure if you and Mr. Right Now have a future together?? Give him a gift that will confuse him. Why? Because it’s just plain fun to do!

• Message in a bottle (reading their press release makes me soooo glad that I don’t do commercial PR for silly products).
  

Order your message in a bottle here!

• Hot Sauce of The Month Club
  

Sign up for the hot sauce of the month club here!

Give him a Snuggie and include a note that reads “For those nights when I am out late dancing with my girlfriends and you are on the couch with your hand in your pants.”

Order your snuggie here!

What You Can Learn from the Most Dangerous Seductresses

It’s Valentine’s Day and Chicago Girly Girl believes that whether you are single or paired off, you should use this time of year to harness your inner goddess and celebrate all the qualities that make you unique. Seductresses have received a bad rap for challenging the conventions of society; they were persecuted in witch hunts, accused of being slavish man-pleasers by feminists and improperly labeled as dumb blondes and bimbos. True femme fatales defy these cheap stereotypes. In fact, seductresses are actually models of full empowerment—women of achievement and worth, who’ve chosen to excel in both love and life.

The women below include bombshells, non-beauties, intellectuals, artists, adventurers and non-conformists. They were apt in identifying the many different layers of seduction and knew that to be powerful, they’d have to do more than exploit their god-given beauty. Some were blessed with good looks but all were seductresses because of their intelligence, psychological prowess and grasp of human behavior.



Top Ten Ultimate Seductresses
Cleopatra – Queen of Egypt. Her legacy survives in numerous works of art, literature and film. In most depictions, Cleopatra is portrayed as a great beauty and her successive conquests of the world's most powerful men is taken to be proof of her aesthetic and sexual appeal. Few can argue that Cleopatra was easy on the eyes but this was nothing compared to her wit, charm and sweet voice; she was also illustrious, intelligent and politically astute.


Lou Andreas Salome (1861-1937) - Lou Andreas Salome was a novelist, essayist, psychoanalyst, and a muse as well as one of the world’s most dangerous seductresses. Salome was a peer of Sigmund Freud and challenged the gender roles of her day because of her indifference to moral conventions and insatiable intellectual curiosity. Salome captivated Nietzsche, romanced Rilke, and stole Freud's heart.

Josephine Baker (1906-1975) – actress and entertainer, American expatriate who later became a French citizen. Known as “Black Pearl”, Baker was the first African American female to star in a major motion picture, to integrate an American concert hall, and to become a world-famous entertainer. She is also noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and for and for being an inspiration to generations of African American female entertainers and others. She assisted the French Resistance by smuggling secrets written in invisible ink on her sheet music during the Second World War and because of this, she became the first American-born woman to receive the highest French military honor, the Croix de Guerre.


Pauline Viardot - When a fascinator like Pauline Viardot worked the voodoo of her personality on men, no one could resist this 'very ugly' nineteenth-century opera diva, including Ivan Turgenev, the literary George Clooney of his day. She sparkled with warmth and life, massaged egos, dispensed TLC, released inhibitions, threw delicious parties, and talked "like a princess."


Violet Gordon Woodhouse - a violinist who lived in a life-long ménage a cinq with four devoted "superhusbands." To say that she defied conventional beliefs would be a great understatement.



Lola Montez (1821-1861) - was an Irish-born dancer born under the name Eliza Rosanna Gilbert. She was also an actress who went on to become a famous Spanish dancer and eventually, the courtesan and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria; King Ludwig later made her the Countess of Landsfeld.



Wallis Simpson (1895-1986) - Duchess of Windsor, American socialite who married, as her third husband, Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom. She was described as charismatic, electric and compulsively ambitious.



Catherine the Great (1729-1796) – Empress of Russia. During her reign, Catherine the Great expanded Russia's borders to the Black Sea and into central Europe. She promoted westernization and modernization within the context of her autocratic control over Russia and promoted education and the Enlightenment among the elite. Catherine the Great is often remembered for her many lovers.


Mae West (1893-1980) - West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol. Known for her bawdy double entendres, West made a name for herself in Vaudeville and on the stage in New York before moving to Hollywood to become a comedian, actress and writer in the motion picture industry. One of the more controversial stars of her day, West encountered many problems including censorship.

Gloria Steinem (born in 1934) - Steinem is an American feminist icon, journalist, and social and political activist. Rising to national prominence in the 1970s, she became a leading political leader of the decade, and one of the most important crusaders of the second-wave of the women's rights movement. As a journalist, Steinem went undercover as a Playboy Bunny at the New York Playboy Club for a piece in Huntington Hartford's Show magazine.

How To Put Anyone Under Your Spell
1. Be Miss Congeniality. Despite what you might think, looks aren’t nearly as important as charisma and personality. The most dangerous seductresses used character, swank, and love smarts to enchant and influence men.

2. Strive to be an over achiever. The most powerful aphrodisiac is personal excellence. Think about it -- the higher we climb, the greater our sex appeal! Overachieving women are anything but needy because they are self sufficient. They are prepared to go at it alone if the relationship sours.

3. Master the art of conversation. As an aphrodisiac, nothing beats the sorcery of conversation. Wit wins every time.

4. You can go your own way. Well behaved women rarely make history. The greatest seductresses were daring renegades—independent, autonomous, ambitious, confident and unfeminine by societal standards.

5. Hot. Cold. If the mind is the supreme erogenous zone, then the key to holding the interest and devotion of your partner is emotion-in-motion. Seductresses stoke desire into a passion through a continuous interplay of elate and sedate, delight and difficulty, intimacy and mystery. They aren’t afraid of the “no” word and because of this, they captivate their subjects with spellbinding authority. Men don't want another over-eager pleaser, they want to labor for love. They want a one-in-a-million somebody who keeps them entranced, interested, and on their toes.

6. Dress the part. Chemistry has less to do with appearance than mental magic, but it should not be neglected. On the love path, it’s wise to deploy physical lures for maximum impact. Dress smart and be mindful of body language, posture and the tone of your voice.


Helpful Reading:

If you like it then you should have put a ring on it.

A couple of weeks ago I was shopping with my boyfriend. We weren’t really shopping as much as trying to avoid family during the holiday season. As we walked by a jewelry store, he asked “Do you want to go in?” What girl doesn’t want to go in? I mean, really, it’s jewelry.

We’ve talked about marriage extensively and I knew he was interested in looking at engagements rings, not tennis bracelets. My first thought was “I need a drink” and the next thought was “Oh my God, we are in a mall. Am I really shopping for an engagement ring in a mall?” My mind began racing with images of me driving a caravan and taking jello casseroles to potluck dinners with five kids in tow.

“Just to give us an idea” he added.

I smiled. “Okay.”

As we peered into the cases I quickly identified a few rings that I wanted to try on. Then mania struck. Next thing I knew, I had shed my coat, left my purse on the floor and was trying on rings with a fury. We had two people helping us and in twenty minutes I had tried on every ring in the store. After an hour or so I had narrowed it down to three, two actually, but Debra, a saleswoman was really pushing this ring that had three identical sized, princess-cut diamonds. I kept telling her that it looked strange because the middle stone needed to be bigger, but she wasn’t having it. We were going home with that ring if she had anything to say about it – AND she and her husband were having dinner at Red Lobster that evening. “I just love those cheese biscuits!” She kept saying.

Ring number one was a beautiful estate ring. I was sure, before walking into the store that this was the ring I wanted. I felt like the center stone needed to be a tiny bit bigger, but it was gorgeous. Platinum setting, princess- cut center stone, surrounded by little diamonds, even on the band. Soooo pretty.

Ring number two. Hello beautiful. It was gorgeous – simple yet elegant. It had a platinum band with a perfectly clear two carat diamond on top. “I feel like I can’t go any smaller than this because my fingers are short and stubby.” I told him. (I actually had an ex boyfriend call them chubby little baby hands. Very upsetting.)

I laughed at myself, acknowledging how ridiculous that must have sounded to the sales associates. I remembered that commercial where the couple is shopping for a television and the man tells his fiancée “I bet later, we’ll wish we’d gone bigger.” Next, they are at the jewelry counter and she delivers the same response.

My patient boyfriend smiled. “Do you like the ring? Quality, size, setting, everything?” he asked.

I gave him a big smile and nodded, leaning into him. “I agree,” he said.

Maid of Honor Toolbox – 5 Must Haves For A Sassy (yet Classy) Celebration

27 Dresses hit a little too close to home. Not to toot my own horn but I am the Best Maid of Honor ever. Toot! Toot!! At this point, I have it down to a fine art. The speech that brings tears and laughter to the audience, the bridal shower which I will not only organize and cater but where I will also act as the florist, therapist, stylist and diet coach, the thoughtful keepsake for the bride which she will cherish forever and last, but certainly not least, the bachelorette party that is worth a lifetime of memories and gut-wrenching laughter (and if I have anything to say about it a run-in with the law!)

Do you have a friend about to enter into a lifetime agreement called marriage?? If so, I have tools for you sister!!

Bachelorette Party Activities:

Design Your Own Lingerie Party by Evlove Intimates - The ultimate bachelorette party activity.
To start, pour a glass of wine and select your favorite style (there are 10 to choose from including G-string, boy short, or thong on the bottom and bralet or cami up top). Next choose one of the lush fabrics (modal, lace, nylon mesh). And finally, add the finishing touches or trim (ribbon, braid, satin) and an applique (bow or flower).

In three weeks and you’ll receive your very own, specially designed lingerie set in a silky, lingerie bag.

“I get so much joy out of helping women celebrate their beauty—it’s why I started the company and why I am passionate about my work. I think the lingerie parties have become so popular because they give women a unique opportunity to play lingerie designer and truly create something that is one of a kind!” said owner Jenny Dombroski. “The experience is fun, memorable and best of all the bride gets the perfect gift – one she creates herself!”

www.evloveintimates.com/bridal

Flirty Girl Fitness – These ladies have thought of everything! You can take a pole dancing or strip-tease class, get manicures and pedicures and there is even a bar service. My girlfriends and I learned a choreographed pole dance to Santa Baby. Now that is a girl’s night out!!

http://www.flirtygirlfitness.com/

Gifts for the Bride:

Cutest Bridal Flip Flops by Girl Two Doors Down’s – adorned with a crystal ring and inscribed with the words, “What’s mine is mine, what’s his is definitely all mine — I do!!”

Eva Longoria wore a pair of these before her big day as did a handful of other celebrities.

www.savvysneaks.com/idoweflflbyg.html

Handmade Photo Album by AI Paper Design – A heartfelt keepsake for the bride to be.

I usually present this to the bride at the shower, near the end of the festivities.

As guests come in, they are asked to pose for a Polaroid picture, then they write a piece of advice (on marriage or their thoughts on love) onto pretty paper. The inside of the album consists of envelopes so I attach the photo of the guest (by using photo corners) on the front side of the envelope and their advice goes inside. Someone had better give me one of these for my wedding. I’ve given several and every time I think “I kind of want to hold on to this for when my time comes.”

AI Paper Company
P: (248) 414-7222

www.aipaper.com

T-Shirt Deli – create a cute tank top that reads “Mrs. X” (fill in bride’s new surname). She will love it and she’ll be relieved that she won’t have to spend hours deciding what to wear to the bachelorette party! If you really want to wow the bride, you can print shirts for the bridal party as well. This is not only a cute gesture but it also helps keep track of a large group in crowded places (we all know this only gets more difficult throughout the night as more martinis are consumed and penis paraphernalia is lost!)

www.tshirtdeli.com

Misc:

Paper Doll – the cutest invitations and albums are found in this charming Wicker Park boutique. They also feature modern stationery and gifts.

www.paperdollchicago.com

Flirting with 30 - beauty profile

Okay, so I was thirty, a few weeks ago. Sigh. I like many women am traumatized by the thought of getting older, but I suppose I should count my lucky stars that I get carded more often than not, and I’m often told that I look four or five years younger.

Nevertheless, I have always been a sun worshipper and I am a very expressive person as well. The line across my forehead seems to find me in every photo and lately, every time I glance in the mirror, I have noticed the laugh lines that frame my mouth. This usually ends in a loud “Why me? Why??” as I look to the sky and hold out my hands like a kid standing under a piñata. I am committed to stopping the aging process and minimizing fine lines and sun spots -- I will attempt to do this with a holistic approach to health and careful skin regimen. Jennifer Aniston seems to have found a cure for aging and DAMN it, I will too!

A few years ago I realized that I was too liberal with smiles. I smiled at my boyfriend even when I was annoyed with him, I smiled at the pizza guy, I smiled at dogs, small children and the old lady crossing the street. Living in a big city, this often generates confusion and in many instances, glares. Not only that, but I realized that I was deepening my fine lines and for what? So that the hipster making my latte in the morning would think I was nice (and unlike the people hastily grabbing for their coffees?) No more!! Smile rationing was in full effect and the only people who can see my pearly whites are friends, family, and current gentleman caller. Okay, so I still smile at dogs. I can’t help it.

I learned over the years that if you want to be beautiful it needs to start from the inside. Being a good person is crucial but I am also referring to nutrition. I try to stick to a healthy diet of antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits. I have drastically cut back on sugar, processed foods and I replaced coffee for green tea. I almost always have a bottle of water in my hand. I am sorry to say, but if you want a porcelain complexion then you have to stay away from booze and smoking, unless of course your idea of beauty is Amy Winehouse.

I decided several months ago to try my very first peel, but, instead of opting for a chemical peel and looking like one of those scary peroxide blondes who looks like she survived a forest fire on her way to work (and wears huge sunglasses even though it's raining outside) , I opted for a subtler approach.

Green Peel®, was developed by Dr. Schrammek and involves a blend of dried, crushed herbs being massaged into the skin. Green Peel does not injure the skin. In fact, most of the herbs contained in Green Peel are known in for their healing, soothing and regenerating effect. Spirulina, one of the herbs found in Green Peel, is estimated to contain 250 vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

Helena Spa
P: (312) 545-4108

I did my research and discovered that Helena K offers the most reasonable deal around. Unlike most salons, she will also include the products you need to care for your skin in the days following your treatment. The actual treatment itself takes about an hour and a half. You will feel a light burn during the treatment while the herbs are being rubbed into your skin. I recommend that you get an eyelash tint and eyebrow wax and tint, because for the next 5 days, you will not be able to wear make-up. Helena also includes a marvelous, tinted moisturizing crème to use on your skin for those five days, so hiding in your house is unnecessary.

Day 1
Get your Green Peel toward the end of the day. You might experience a little bit of redness. It is important to stay out of the sun and if you have to be outside, please wear a hat (at the end of the 5 days you can wear sunscreen).

Day 2
Your skin will be absolutely radiant! I had men stopped in their tracks in downtown Chicago. My skin looked incredible! Helena instructed me to wear the tinted cream, which I did, but she also shaped and tinted my eyebrows and she tinted my eyelashes, so I looked really put together despite not wearing foundation.

Day 3 and 4
It is likely that you will see some peeling. Not to worry. Just continue to massage the tinted cream into your skin.

Day 5
Return to Helena for a final visit. She will lightly exfoliate the dead skin. When you walk out you won’t believe how radiant you skin looks. Most spas do not offer this final consultation – just one more reason why Helena is the best.

Tips:
- For the five days preceding your Green Peel, you must be very careful with sun exposure. If you have to be outside, wear a hat. After the 5 days is up, you can wear SPF.
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
- You should not wear make-up for the five days after your treatment
- You should be very careful not to get your face wet for the five days after the treatment (if you can keep your skin dry then the herbs will work that much better – and they will continue to work!)