The Proper Lady

The Problems With "Playing Hard-to-Get"

2013-03-15T15:15:00.000-04:00

Romà Ribera, Woman in Evening Gown.

Good Morning!

Something I'm sure we've all heard about at one point or another is the concept of playing hard-to-get.

As women, we are told that masculine men are hunters and only want women who are challenges or hard-to-get and that the best way to get a man is to become a challenge, play the aloof card, and act "hard-to-get."

This is such a common piece of dating advice and one that we've all heard -- but is it true?

You'd assume that a piece of advice that's been around for this long works, but does it really? Or is it just a legend that's been around for such a long time that no one even things to "bunk" it anymore?

My answer, dear reader, is that there are aspects and facets to this piece of advice that are manifested from truth but that this whole "game" we're asked to play is not beneficial, nor is it healthy.

It's not healthy to us and our mental well-being, and it's also not healthy to our future relationships.

However, as previously mentioned, there are aspects and facets to playing hard-to-get that do stem from truths. This is most likely why this piece of advice is so popular: people want to follow advice that works and with what we know to be true about masculinity and masculine men, playing hard-to-get must work!

After all, masculinity is based on hunting and thrives on challenges.

But playing hard-to-get doesn't really work, especially in the long run because it's not what's hard-to-get that men are attracted to as much as what's valuable -- and what's valuable is often hard-to-get, which is most likely where the confusion occurs.

So yes, playing hard-to-get might work on catching a masculine male's attention in the shorter term, but don't you want to have and maintain a happy and loving relationship for the longterm?

You can't always play hard-to-get forever in your lifelong relationship, lovely, and so that's where concentrating on playing hard-to-get is setting you up for failure!

However, what you can concentrate on is making yourself valuable in the longterm. *smile*

If you concentrate on playing hard-to-get, not only will you not be able to maintain that forever with your man, but you will also be playing silly little games with him, instead of concentrating on having a real and authentic loving relationship.

Any website or dating guide that admonishes you to play hard-to-get is promoting manipulation, not real loving and authentic relationships.

Value is something that you can work on maintaining for life without playing games because value is something that will help you in all areas of your life -- and don't you want to be high-value, anyway? *smile*

A high-value woman is a woman who knows herself well and is her own best friend. She's comfortable in her skin, her biggest cheerleader instead of her harshest critic, and she's self-sufficient while radiating positive feminine energy.

She doesn't need attention (especially not cheap attention) from men around her, but she needs to be Love, radiating and offering love to those she meets.

Attracting and maintaining a relationship with a good man through value is so much better than doing so through playing a silly inauthentic game of "hard-to-get".

And also, playing "hard-to-get" will just fail in the long run because once he "gets" you, what then? If the thrill of the chase and working to "get" you was what drove him, then how on earth is he going to be satisfied with you for a 50 year marriage once he gets you?

Playing such a game also hurts you -- not only does it diminish your chances for a real and lasting authentic and loving relationship, but it's also exhausting having to play this game instead of just being your fabulous feminine self and acting in a way that feels natural to you.

As a feminine lady, lovely, the best way that you can reap the benefits and rewards of playing hard-to-get without playing a silly game is to radiate "value". Have others (and the male you're interested in) perceive value and be a feminine high-value woman.

Ways to radiate value and have others perceive it are:

This is a portion of an article that belongs to the private "Feminine Women Masculine Men Adore" blog.

At the FWMMA blog, I have hosted articles specifically geared towards using femininity to attract masculine partners of good character and also using your feminine energy to maintain happy, healthy, and authentic relationships with them.

To read the rest of this (and other) feminine-masculine polarity relationship articles, subscribe to the blog by paying either a monthly subscription fee or paying a one-time annual subscription fee that allows you to access the blog for the next twelve months.

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If you enjoyed this article, then you might enjoy these free articles:

Attraction/Attracting Masculine Men/Attracting Masculinity;

Discover Your Feminine Vulnerability

Facebook: How it Affects Attraction Between the Masculine Man and Feminine Woman

The Importance of Mystery

The Importance of a Man's Character

The Masculine Man's Needs - Part I

The Masculine Man's Needs - Part II

The Problems With "Playing Hard-to-Get"

The Relationship Killer

Shyness As An Asset

What Kind of Perfume do Gentlemen Like?

Beauty;

Emphasizing the Femininity of your Race

Feminine Hair - Part I; Feminine Hairstyles

Feminine Hair - Part II; Caring for Hair

Guest Post: Get Rid of Acne Scars with Vitamin E

How to Increase Estrogen

My Preferred Drugstore Mascaras for Feminine Lashes

Natural Beauty Remedies: Herbal, Floral, and Milk Baths

Natural Beauty Remedies: Honey

Natural Beauty Remedies: Tea

Natural Lip Colors

What's In My Beauty Bag - Winter 2012/2013

Being High-Value/Being a High-Quality Woman;

The Feminine Lady of Skill, Excellence, and Substance

Holding Yourself Like a Princess

How to Be a Woman of Worth

The Truth About Female Competition

Being a Homemaker;

Queen Of Your Home

Elegance and Refinement;

Benefits to Becoming a Lady

Etiquette and Manners;

Ladies and Drinking

Taxi Cab Etiquette

The Feminine Bride;

The Bridal Trousseau or Hope Chest

Choosing Bridesmaids

The Feminine Bride

The Feminine Lady's Engagement Festivities

Ladies and Drinking

The Feminine Wife;

The Feminine Lady Behind the Throne

The Importance of a Man's Character

Modern Lady's Challenge: Balancing Work and Family

The Relationship Killer

Queen Of Your Home

Remaining Feminine and Appealing While At Home

Staying Feminine While Living Together

Fitness/Weight/Feminine Figure;

A Peek Into My Workout Routine

The No-Stress Guide to Health Eating

Product Review: Ballet Beautiful

General Femininity/Femininity/How to be Feminine;

10 Steps to Becoming a Feminine Woman

Emphasizing the Femininity of your Race

Feminine Skill: Mastering the Feminine Walk

Shyness As An Asset

What Aspiring Ladies Can Learn From Marilyn Monroe

Health/Wellness;

How to Increase Estrogen

The No-Stress Guide to Healthy Eating;

Hobbies and Pastimes;

The Feminine Woman's Hobbies

Writing Fiction as a Hobby - Part I; Getting Started and Finding Your Genre

Intellectualism/Intelligence/Education/Being "Cultured";

Art Appreciation

The Decline of Good Grammar: The Importance of Good Grammar

Getting Started with Opera

The Importance of Intelligence

Mingling With Those Who Are More Intelligent/Educated

Reading Great Works of Fiction - Part I

Way to be Educated With Limited Funds

Writing Fiction as a Hobby - Part I; Getting Started and Finding Your Genre

Masculinity/Masculine Men/Alpha Males;

Facebook: How it Affects Attraction Between the Feminine Woman and the Masculine Man

The Masculine and the Feminine

The Masculine Man's Needs - Part I

The Masculine Man's Needs - Part II

What Is a High-Value Man?

Why Most Men Don't Marry Their First Girlfriend

Motherhood;

The Feminine Woman's Responsibility to her Son

Modern Lady's Challenge: Balancing Work and Family

Why Having Children Hurts Attraction (And What You Can Do About It)

Mystery;

The Importance of Mystery

Staying Feminine While Living Together

Oriental/Asian Femininity and Elegance;

Emphasizing the Femininity of your Race

The Femininity and Elegance of Japanese Women

Radiance/Sparkle;

How to Be Radiant (How to *Sparkle*)

Strong Feminine Women/Strong and Feminine;

Feminine Strength

Femininity and Feminism

Modern Lady's Challenge: Balancing Work and Family

Wealth/Finance/Frugality/Feminine Finance;

Feminine Finance: Investing, Not Spending

Interview with Lauren of "American Duchess"

The Feminine Lady of Skill, Excellence, and Substance

2013-03-12T11:20:00.001-04:00

Aesha Ash

Good evening, lovely!

So sorry about the long absence. I have had such a busy time this past week both with traveling and also spending time with my Love.

What I often notice in other blogs on how to be feminine and ladylike is the lack of emphasis on also becoming a woman of skill and excellence, or, a woman of substance.

Femininity is one of my favorite things in the world -- and I think that feminine energy alone can make a woman radiant, and can allow her to light up a room!

However, that being said, a feminine woman is not as attractive to possible friends and romantic companions if she lacks substance.

A woman who's simply beautiful (and carries physical signs of fertility) might attract the opposite sex on a primal and shallow level.

A woman who's simply feminine will attract both friends and romantic companions on an emotional level.

However, only a woman of great substance -- a woman of skill and excellence -- will attract friends and romantic companions on an intellectual level.

It's one thing to stimulate someone's emotions, dear reader (and this is important, indeed!), but it's another thing to be able to stimulate both their emotions and their mind/intellect!

A feminine woman should never be a *silly* girl! Her mind and attention must always have some sort of passion, some sort of ambition... and she must also be a woman who aspires to improve upon her intellectual abilities by reading and also be accomplished and excellent at some skill/hobby or another. *smile*

In one of my favorite classic novels, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, there is a passage n the beginning of the novel that always allots me much pleasure:

"'Then,' observed Elizabeth, 'you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman.

'Yes; I do comprehend a great deal in it,' [responded Darcy].

'Oh! certainly,' cried his faithful assistant, [Miss Bingley,] 'no one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.'

'All this she must possess,' added Darcy, 'and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.'

'I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any.'

'Are you so severe upon your own sex, as to doubt the possibility of all this?'

'I never saw such a woman. I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe, united.'"

(Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001. Print. 27.)

Although it seems as if Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley have far too high standards for any darling to meet, remember that during the Georgian Era, fine young ladies from esteemed English families would see such standards as not only incredibly realistic, but also ones to be met through intense and dedicated study and refining of one's skills.

Today, such standards are a bit too harsh -- after all, during the Georgian Era young women of such families did not have many other things to detract from their acquisition of such skills and deportment. *smile*

They did not have to allot time to prepare their own dinner or to go food shopping, time to get their car repaired, or time to pick their children up from Kindergarten -- and let's not even think about how much time they gained from not working a job outside of the home from 8 to 5!

However, lovely, the pretense is still the same: women of the time period aspired to become *accomplished ladies*, and such goals and ambition were not reserved for the upper classes.

Although young ladies had easier times meeting these goals because they didn't have as many chores or extra responsibilities, ladies of the middle class still aspired to truly excel in at least a handful of things.

Although not all of us can possibly be as accomplished as Mr. Darcy's sister, why aren't we aspiring to for a level of excellence and accomplishment that's relative to the world in which we live in?

Forget about working towards being truly excellent and accomplished in a number of pursuits -- it's rare to find people who are aspiring to be truly accomplished at even one or two different skills!

Do we now just live in a society, dear reader, that doesn't esteem feminine excellence in the same way anymore?

Although yes, this is most likely true, regardless, this does not serve as an excuse to follow the rest of them -- you can choose for yourself what kind of woman you desire to be and whether or not you want to become truly accomplished and truly excellent at something! :-)

There are many different feminine skills and pastimes that you can choose to truly excel in. For a list of some of these hobbies, peruse my past article, "The Feminine Woman's Hobbies."

The hobby or skill that you excel in doesn't have to be a particularly *feminine* one, either. It can also be an elegant one that both men and women can excel in.

Remember that the famous and mystical Japanese geisha were women who were extremely *accomplished* in different skills such as music, drawing, and dancing, hardly talents reserved for just feminine women. ;-)

And let's not forget that the European courtesans were also often very accomplished in intellectual pursuits: Céleste Mogador wrote novels, Tullia D'Aragona wrote a philosophical text on Eros, and Veronica Franco wrote widely-respected poetry!

(Griffin, Susan. The Book of the Courtesans: A Catalogue of Their Virtues. New York: Broadway Books, 2001. Print.)

And of course, let's not forget that the time period of these courtesans overflowed with talented male authors and poets, such as Guy de Maupassant and Robert Burns.

The charm here, my darling, lies not in a woman being accomplished in a feminine art, but in a feminine woman being accomplished in something -- feminine or not!

Of course, there is a special charm in a feminine woman being accomplished in something seen as traditionally feminine, such as needlework or flower arranging, but it's not crucial. *smile*

There are so many wonderful things that you can be accomplished in that you can't use a lack of options as an excuse. ;-)

A few example of things that you can explore include:

all forms of needlework, including knitting, crochet, and embroidery;

painting (watercolor or oil);

sketching (with sketching pencils, pastels, or charcoal);

picking up a classical instrument (piano, harp, violin, cello);

taking up dancing (ballet, belly dancing);

yoga, pilates, Ballet Beautiful, barre fitness, or some other fitness style that can be mastered;

writing (poetry, fiction, plays, blogs ... even non-fiction!);

sculpture;

pottery;

gardening;

cooking, baking (making fine pastries), or chocolate/confections making;

These are just a few different options of things that you can explore and master -- become truly accomplished in!

Know that there's also the option of pursuing a self-study in a certain subject and becoming an *expert* at it in terms of your knowledge!

These subjects are endless, anything from birds, plants, and horse breeds to more general "academic" subjects such as anthropology, mathematics, sociology, history, computer science, and art history -- and let's not forget that you can choose to throw yourself into more specific branches of these general academic subjects, such as Asian-American Communities instead of just sociology, geometry instead of just mathematics, and 16th century Islamic architecture instead of just art history!

If you have the finances available, you can even go so far as to pursue a Doctorate's Degree in one of these subjects!

That would be truly accomplished! ;-)

There are many things to explore and there's truly something that every lady can enjoy becoming accomplished in! *smile*

Well, lovely, that's all for my article "The Feminine Lady of Skill, Excellence, and Substance" -- I hope you liked it!

The Ladylike Fashion and Beauty Newsletter - For a one-time subscription fee of just $35, receive a bi-monthly subscription to the "Ladylike Fashion and Beauty Newsletters".

The Guide to Alpha Program - A program designed for women who want to attract high-quality men with very masculine cores. Advice on how to attract high-value masculine men.

The Goddess Course - Are you ready to step into the shoes of a goddess? Learn how to start encompassing *divine* femininity and glamor in yourself!

If you enjoyed this article, then you might enjoy these free articles:

Attraction/Attracting Masculine Men/Attracting Masculinity;

Discover Your Feminine Vulnerability

Facebook: How it Affects Attraction Between the Masculine Man and Feminine Woman

The Importance of Mystery

The Importance of a Man's Character

The Masculine Man's Needs - Part I

The Masculine Man's Needs - Part II

The Relationship Killer

Shyness As An Asset

What Kind of Perfume do Gentlemen Like?

Beauty;

Emphasizing the Femininity of your Race

Feminine Hair - Part I; Feminine Hairstyles

Feminine Hair - Part II; Caring for Hair

Guest Post: Get Rid of Acne Scars with Vitamin E

How to Increase Estrogen

My Preferred Drugstore Mascaras for Feminine Lashes

Natural Beauty Remedies: Herbal, Floral, and Milk Baths

Natural Beauty Remedies: Honey

Natural Beauty Remedies: Tea

Natural Lip Colors

What's In My Beauty Bag - Winter 2012/2013

How to Increase Estrogen

The No-Stress Guide to Healthy Eating;

Hobbies and Pastimes;

The Feminine Woman's Hobbies

Writing Fiction as a Hobby - Part I; Getting Started and Finding Your Genre

Intellectualism/Intelligence/Education/Being "Cultured";

The Feminine Woman's Responsibility to her Son

Modern Lady's Challenge: Balancing Work and Family

Why Having Children Hurts Attraction (And What You Can Do About It)

Mystery;

The Importance of Mystery

Staying Feminine While Living Together

Oriental/Asian Femininity and Elegance;

Remaining Feminine and Appealing While At Home

2013-03-03T17:17:00.003-05:00

Good evening, dear one!

I apologize to all of my dedicated and loyal readers for such a great delay. I have been devouring numerous art books on the art of the Spanish empire, mostly the Spanish-influenced art of the Andes. The artifacts I've been looking at, created by the natives in South America, are fascinating.

Today, I would like to speak to you about remaining feminine and appealing while staying home, mostly in the physical sense! :-)

Although we may try our hardest to look feminine and appealing when we are outside of the home, the average woman often forgets to maintain that feminine and appealing appearance when she's staying home!

I believe that it is important to maintain physical femininity while staying home as well for a few reasons, namely:

True femininity can't be turned off and on by whether or not you are crossing the threshold, so it's good maintain all the time instead of turning it off and on;

You don't know who'll see you;

If you're married, your husband appreciates you making an effort to maintain your appearance just for him on days when no one else sees you -- it shows that you care what he thinks and that you care to maintain attraction;

Having the philosophy of only putting together a feminine appearance when you leave the house is inconvenient, because if you have to run out suddenly, you'll be impeded by having to get ready;

I believe in the task of remaining feminine and appealing while home and it's one of the things I make an effort in.

Putting in an effort towards maintaining a feminine and appealing appearance at home isn't something that's particularly challenging or inconvenient, though, lovely -- keeping up a feminine appearance while at home doesn't require walking around the kitchen in heels and a pencil skirt!

We're human beings, not Stepford Wives and keeping up a feat of walking around the home in 3 inch heels, pencil skirts, silk blouses, and nice updos is unrealistic and superficial -- and it's safe to say that doing so at any other time than preparing and sharing a formal private family dinner like Sunday dinner or the Jewish shabbos would strike others as more "odd" than feminine and appealing. *smile*

Do you want to become a *truly* feminine woman? Consider the best-selling femininity course, First Steps to Femininity:

When a feminine woman seeks to maintain a feminine appearance while at home, she seeks a feminine appearance and also comfort and convenience. A casual feminine look is ideal -- as is an appearance that is pulled together enough so that she can run out of the house at a moment's notice if need be.

Clothing ideas that help to remain feminine and appealing, yet comfortable and casual, while at home include:

Feminine workout clothing (they serve the purpose of sporty lounge clothes -- but please, only clean ones!);

Silky or satin lounge clothes -- preferably with a touch of lace!;

Black or dark colored leggings with legwarmers;

House dresses (comfortable and casual dresses);

These are all options that can make you look feminine while at home while still allowing you comfort.

Now of course, lovely, your clothing is not the only aspect of maintaining and keeping up a feminine appearance while at home. There is also the aspect of hair and makeup. *smile*

Fortunately, while staying at home, you can go a bit more casual on both of these aspects, as that is a part of staying home -- and spending just as much time on your makeup to stay home as you do when you leave to go somewhere (putting on a *full* face of makeup) is not only unrealistic, but can also easily be interpreted as extremely superficial!

Staying home is an opportunity to tone down your look (in a reasonable way). *smile*

While staying at home, for makeup, I recommend doing something simple and very natural looking -- it should look fresh, like you have a clean and toned-down face!

When I'm staying home, for makeup I do illuminated tinted moisturizer to even out my skin tone, a light sweep of translucent powder over it all across my face, a coat or two of mascara, and a lip stain. The result is a simple, natural, and very femininely fresh face!

These are the products I tend to use for my makeup while staying at home:

Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Bare Radiance;

Laura Mercier Loose Translucent Setting Powder;

Revlon Grow Luscious By Fabulash Mascara in Black;

Benefit Cosmetics Benetint

These are the four cosmetic products that I'll use when I'm staying home to achieve a fresh and feminine, yet natural and no-frills look!

Now, for hair, I recommend something *lovely* -- something that looks casually thrown together in a soft and appealing fashion.

A good idea is to just have your hair down, clean, soft, and flowing. This is casual, because it's low-maintenance, but there are also not many more feminine sights out there than the site of a woman with long, flowing hair!

The second idea is to do a soft updo, especially if you are doing work around the home that requires a lot of movement -- it keeps your hair out of your eyes in a very appealing way. *smile*

Well, darling, that's all for my post "Remaining Feminine and Appealing While At Home" -- I hope you enjoyed it!

Feminine Finance: Investing, Not Spending

2013-02-25T11:12:00.002-05:00

The Piano Lesson, George Goodwin Kilburne.

Good morning, my lovely!

I hope that all of you had a good weekend. I was fortunate enough to spend one of my Saturday meals dining at my favorite Russian restaurant where I had the loveliest stuffed hare in the rustic Russian style.

For those of you who don't know, I was a Russian Language and Literature minor in university so if you ever want to talk about Russian cuisine, literature, music, architecture, history, or avant-garde art with someone who'll never tire of it and who might get a tad too enthusiastic about Gogol, you know who to email! ;-)

Before we start today's article, I would first like to give a loving shout-out to the blog The World of Miss Glamtastic, written by a woman who goes by the pen name "Mrs. Glam". She was enough of a dear to mention me in her 2013 list of what she believes to be the best blog resources for women seeking to become elegant women living well, and I am *tickled pink*!

Please visit her, stay awhile, and give her some of your feminine traffic love. *smile*

Now, onto today's article!

I believe being responsible with one's money and learning how to save and invest are all virtuous skills that any high-value women should learn and become familiar with.

Not only are such things admirable qualities, my dear, but in cases where you have children in your care, it can also mean the difference between financial security for the little ones and struggling to put food on the table.

Managing money in a way that's responsible and intelligent is a must-have skill for anyone, male or female, masculine or feminine -- it's simply an important part of being an *adult* in society.

In some of your homes, it might be the husband who manages the finances (in mine as well *smile*), but one should still be adept at it.

I am a firm believer in a high-value feminine woman being a woman who knows how to do things. If a certain task is the job of your spouse, that's perfectly fine and you should respect that, but you should still be able to accomplish the task yourself if need be -- this is a part of being an intelligent and independent woman. :-)

There may be some things that we should not do when it's the task of someone else, but there is never anything that we should not know!

For this reason, I am going to start writing a series of articles on managing one's finance as a feminine woman.

That's not to say that there's a feminine way to manage money and a masculine -- that would involve too much stereotyping for anyone to swallow.

When I say "Feminine Finance", all I am referring to is when I offer specific feminine examples, often in relation to fiscal responsibility's importance to your femininity. *smile*

So, shall we start, lovely? :-)

In the first installment of this series, I would like to talk about one of my financial philosophies (which also helps in life in general). This philosophy is entirely made up of only three words: "Investing, Not Spending."

Think about all of the things we spend money on each day that lead to only cheap fleeting satisfaction, such as junk food we grab from the shelf while in line at the grocery store or tickets to see movies that we're sure will not only be vulgar, but also just bad movies.

And so then, where does your money go? You've lost $12 on each movie ticket, $3 here and there on junk food, until before you know it, you're losing copious amounts of money each year on things that have no lasting pleasurable effect -- meaning, your money is wasted, when it could have been invested!

This Feminine Finance Rule is about saving and investing.

You save on the things that don't really benefit you or satisfy you in the long run and then you have more money to invest on things that will.

And in the end, you will most likely still be saving more money because you're limiting what you spend on and what you invest on will last longer and be more beneficial in the long run than what you might usual spend your money on.

Now, let us discuss the first part to this rule, shall we? *smile*

When saving money (not "spending"), what I like to do when I suddenly pick up something to buy is consciously ask myself a few questions:

Would this help me to become a better person/wife/friend/neighbor/daughter/niece or a more high-value and feminine woman?;

Is this money *well-spent* (is the thing spending on something that is well-made and I will derive a lot of valuable use out of), or is this money spent on something I'd regret subtracting from my bank account later on?;

Is the satisfaction/pleasure derived from this cheap/fleeting, or is it something that will last?;

When I started to ask myself these questions anytime I pick up something in a store or add something to my virtual shopping cart on a website, I found myself not buying a lot of the things I would have mindlessly purchased previously.

Things like junk food and magazines are both incredibly significant examples because both are found lining the sides of checkout lines at grocery stores and drugstores, meant to tempt you into an impulse buy.

It is so easy for a woman who is standing there in that line and not thinking about the questions above to snatch up a candy bar and place it right there among the fresh fruits and vegetables and the whole wheat loaf of bread.

It's also so easy to be checking out at the drugstore, putting your new toothbrush and conditioner onto the counter, only to see a cheap magazine right there as you're pulling out your credit card.

How many magazines have we purchased that we read once and then never glance at again, which becomes a waste of $5?

All of the money that we waste on impulse buys or cheap/fleeting pleasure purchases add up and can be used to invest in something that can offer us longterm pleasure and help us to improve ourselves into lovely, high-value, and educated feminine ladies. *smile*

Today, I now never buy junk food. I do still eat sweets and indulge my sweet tooth (it's impossible for a girl who grew up with a Parisian mother to give up her lemon tarts!), but I stay away from processed "junk food" like candy bars and other processed sweets.

This is because I know that putting those things in my body won't make me any more feminine, attractive, and healthy, and I also know that it will be a cheap and fleeting pleasure.

When I eat something sweet, I prefer to spend my time enjoying an artisan pastry in a café, a scone with tea, or a mousse at a restaurant to finish off my meal than to eat a candy bar because I know that something like sharing a mousse with my Love after a romantic meal together or having a scone to twirl around in my Earl Grey will satisfy me in a more high-value and longterm way than a candy bar will.

I definitely still buy magazines every so often, but I now spend time looking at them to figure out whether the $5 is worth it. I buy a magazine from the magazine stand if there's material in it that I feel will make me more high-value, more feminine, and more attractive, and will give me more longterm pleasure.

An example of this kind of magazine is certain fitness magazines. There have been times when I've looked inside a women's fitness magazine like Fitness, Women's Health, or Self,
and saw a workout inside that I was really interested and wanted to try at home and some of these magazines I bought a few years ago and am still doing a certain workout contained within.

In that case, dear one, I do consider that Self magazine issue from a few years back to be a good purchase. I paid $5 for it and am still doing that one workout found on pg. 97. *smile*

(Of course, I do tear out the workouts if nothing else in the magazine interests me and all of my favorite workouts found in magazines are contained in my fitness binder to save room.)

Other magazine purchases that I have considered to be investments would be
Traditional Home, Martha Stewart Living, and special edition recipe card booklets from cooking magazines that I trust.

Traditional Home magazine reflects the style of interior design and living culture that appeals to my family and it's a constant inspiration as to how I can alter the interior of the home to keep it fresh and interesting, yet classic.

I am also the kind of bumble bee who is very happy pattering around the home, trying out new recipes, and dilly-dallying in new craft projects (especially needlework, paper projects like cardmaking and scrapbooking, and soapmaking), so magazines like Martha Stewart Living are also great sources of inspiration to me.

Of course, if every single issue is an inspiration and tempts you into a purchase, then you should consider purchasing a subscription because otherwise, you're spending a lot more money than you need to be!

So, dear reader, I think you understand the basics of how to save money so that you have more to invest in. *smile*

To close this first part to my "Investing, Not Spending" rule, I have a other ideas for ways you can save money. You of course do not have to do all of these things -- this list only serves as a collection of a few different ideas for you to consider and weigh.

In the end, it's your choice and only you know what it's invaluable enough for you to save on and what you need too much to do anything but keep.

Ideas on how to save and/or make more money are:

Having plain simple tea (brewed with your own tea bag) instead of purchasing a chai latte at Starbucks for $7;

Making your own smoothie at home with frozen or fresh fruits and a spoon of low-fat vanilla yogurt instead of buying one from Starbucks or Tropical Smoothie Café or one of those bottled ones from the grocery store (a non-financial benefit to this is that you get to control what's in it and, therefore, what's going in your body);

Finding ways to get multiple "looks" out of your costume jewelry (for example, attaching a fabric flower pin to a multi-strand necklace makes it less formal and more playful and daytime appropriate);

Before putting down copious amounts of money on a designer piece that you really want, search for a lookalike (not a fake copy as much as a similar inspired design) that you'd be 100% happy with as a substitute;

Spend patient time hunting for treasures in places not known for having a large selection of feminine and elegant clothing and accessories, but known for having great prices, such as Forever21 and thrift stores (yes, I'm serious! -- although you've have to hunt and be patient to find treasures, once you do, you'll be so happy for what you're getting at such an inexpensive price -- just be sure that after buying something from a thriftstore, you boil it or otherwise seriously disinfect it to be safe);

Don't spend your money on junk food or alcohol (other than wine with dinner);

Find an effective and challenging exercise routine that you can do at home or outside so that you can cancel the pricey gym membership without canceling on your health;

Use coupons whenever you can (it may only save you a few cents here and there but it adds up!);

Shop at places like Costco;

Take advantage of outlets;

Go to museums on free-to-public days (or purchase yearlong memberships if you go often because it will save you more money in the long run);

Purchase books used on Amazon instead of purchasing a new copy;

Watch for sales;

Take advantage of city public libraries;

Walk or ride your bike when you can instead of driving;

Take care of your clothing and accessories so that they last longer;

Take shorter showers/less baths;

Use Amazon affiliate links on your blog;

Sell your things you don't need anymore if they're still in good shape;

Do facials at home instead of getting them done at the spa;

These are just a few different options for saving/making money, lovely. As I said before, these are just options for you to think about, not recommendations, so you need to think about what is and is not plausible for you.

And of course, this list only has a few different options and not all, so if you have any other ideas, add them to your own list! *smile*

It's good for you to find ways to save and make more money because it's always good to have more money in your checking account (you always need money to fall back on) and also because that money can be *invested* in things that actually will make you a better more feminine woman!

Get started on becoming a Feminine Woman --

Ideas on ways to *invest* in yourself include:

Getting a new hairstyle;

Giving yourself a facial at home (no extra cost once you've purchased the clay);

Exercising (no extra cost once you have the right equipment, if any);

Sleeping in one day (no cost);

Eating healthy;

Buying a deep-conditioning treatment (I recommend Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask);

Buying online self-improvement courses like "First Steps to Femininity" or "The Goddess Course";

Subscribing to magazines like Self and Martha Stewart Living;

Signing up for communities that can help you develop your femininity, such as Feminine Soul (FREE!);

Attending university lectures open to the public (free);

Meditating (free);

Purchasing vitamins (little cost);

Purchasing a juicer;

Buying lingerie;

Buying perfume;

Tailoring clothes to flatter you;

These are just a few ways that you can invest in yourself. There are other ways as well.

Put together your own list of how to save/make more money and ways in which to invest in yourself!

How to be Radiant (How to Sparkle)

2013-02-24T00:15:00.000-05:00

Hello, lovely,

As women, we are constantly being fed many mixed messages by the media.

On one hand, we are told that our physical appearance (whether or not we are "pretty") doesn't matter.

On the other hand, that message then follows a message that if men will find you attractive if you buy this mascara and that pair of shoes.

So many mixed messages, and no idea about what's true or what's not!

Fortunately, I get the pleasure of telling you that your purely *physical* features -- what's visible above your skin -- aren't as important as many may haye you believe.

The reason why I admittedly do spend time writing about beauty is because the physical aspects do have some uses:

They allow us to go about our lives with more *confidence*;

Although our physical appearance may not be crucial in the longterm, they are crucial for *first impressions*, which can be very hard to shake off;

The way that we look gives off a certain message about who we are or how we want to be perceived;

So the physical is important and is something to be take into consideration -- however, keep in mind that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", which means that regardless of the effort you put into maintenance, it will still in the end depend on someone's *taste* or opinion. :-)

Because of this, although I do believe in putting effort into one's physical (especially if one is married, as it helps to maintain attraction), one should put ten times the effort into one's personality and intellect.

As Markus Zusak wrote in his book, I Am the Messenger:

"Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are."

It's true -- no matter how you look, if you're a woman who lacks kindness, goodness, and a sound intellect, people will notice the lack, not your beauty.

Learn more about becoming the ultimate feminine woman with the "Femininity Package":

We all would rather be around those whose beauty comes from within than those whose beauty stays on the superficial surface.

One of the ways in which your beauty can come from within is through developing your *radiance* -- a quality present in the most feminine women (the feminine half to a masculine man's *charisma*).

A woman who truly shows off radiance is a woman with great femininity, and with a beauty that's truly more than skin deep.

Another equivalent to radiance in a feminine woman is *sparkle*!

Just think, lovely: are there many better compliments to a feminine woman than to say that she sparkles? :-))

Both traits are ones that place emphasis on the presence of inner beauty -- something that not many people think of anymore, sadly...

However, you can inspire people's appreciation of radiance and sparkle with your own. *smile*

It's very rare these days to find a woman who's truly radiant or truly sparkles. Radiance and sparkle have both become more rare along with true femininity.

But no worries, as you'll quickly learn to acquire both with the material on this site. :-)

One way to acquire a more radiant feeling is through the right perfume -- a fruity floral, like Victoria's Secret "Sexy Little Things Noir", paired with a classic Hollywood bottle, can offer the right balance between radiantly sultry and elegant:

So, what exactly is radiance? And what does it mean to have "sparkle"?

The word "radiance" is defined by the New Oxford English Dictionary as "great happiness, apparent in someone's expression or bearing."

Although many of us do not automatically think "happy" when we think "radiant", aren't the things we do think of as associated with radiance also reflective of happiness and positivity?

When we think of a radiant woman, we think of a woman with energy, who laughs freely and isn't stingy with her warmth and her smiles. We think of a woman who walks in a way that's relaxed and confident.

We think of a woman who's positive, who looks on the bright side, and who has a playful energy.

She might even be bubbly -- that's where the *sparkle* comes in!

To start on your journey towards greater radiance, you need to start learning to hold yourself with openness, positivity, and optimism. You don't have to believe that you'll never get hurt, but you can move through your days with the belief that you're not afraid of getting hurt because getting hurt is just a part of a full and whole life.

A feminine and attractive woman is a woman with radiance -- with a sparkle and love for life!

Start viewing getting hurt and obstacles as a part of what makes your life a full and real one and take it all one day at a time. *smile*

Writing Fiction as a Hobby - Part I; Getting Started and Finding Your Genre

2013-02-21T12:58:00.001-05:00

Good morning!

Of all of the hobbies beloved by the feminine woman, writing fiction is one of my personal favorites (tied with cooking/baking as my favorite). I have been writing fiction since I was five years old and I wrote my first novel when I was fifteen.

It was a horrid sci-fi novel that I'd really prefer to forget, if you don't mind!

However, I don't regret it one bit because writing fiction is truly a lovely hobby for a feminine woman -- it helps us to become better thinkers, it helps with our analytical skills, it speaks to our creativity, and it helps us to express parts of ourselves.

Writing can be a spectacularly feminine hobby depending on the subject matter of what a feminine lady chooses to write. *smile*

And what's lovely is that truly anyone can write fiction creatively as a hobby -- if it's just a hobby and not a career, go ahead and write however you wish!

The first thing that you need to do is brush up on your *grammar*. If you're only writing as a hobby, then mastering just basic grammar should suffice!

I recommend picking up a grammar book for yourself -- for basic grammar, I really recommend The Grammar Lady : How to Mind Your Grammar in Print and in Person because I find that it's a straightforward and enjoyable read that teaches you grammar in a way that's easy to understand.

I also enjoy her humorous examples and stories! *smile*

If you're only writing as a hobby, then you don't have to stress about writing like a Victorian literature professor at Amherst College!

However, you should be proficient at basic grammar so that your work is comprehensible -- I'm sure that you'll want to share your work with at least your intimates and you don't want glaring grammar mistakes to distract them from your plot and character development. :-)

The next thing to do if you'd like to get started with writing fiction as a hobby is to figure out which genre you want to master and truly throw yourself into!

Of course, if it so pleases you, you can try your hand at a great many different genres, especially if you are unsure about what genre might be for you. It's hard to tell for sure what genre you are meant to master and become comfortable in if you haven't tried your hand in other genres.

It took me writing a horrible 175,000 word science-fiction novel to find out that I was truly meant to write historical fiction!

Find a genre that speaks to you personally. Although certain subject matters might seem to be more stereotypically "feminine", it's important that you do not allow yourself to be limited in that way. It's better to be a feminine woman expressing herself passionately in a stereotypically masculine genre than it is to be a feminine woman forcing herself to write within stereotypically feminine genre.

Get a jumpstart on becoming feminine woman with "First Steps to Femininity" --

And remember, you can always inject the feminine spirit into a more stereotypically masculine novel if it's important to you. :-)

For example, the novel I'm working on currently is an American Civil War novel and it's following a young soldier. It's safe to say that we see him fighting in many brutal battles.

However, the novel is a novel with themes of love and compassion through it all -- this allows me to write a war novel while injecting it with feminine themes and energy.

So, don't shy away from stereotypically masculine topics because if writing with femininity is so important to you, you can weave it in. :-))

Well, lovely, that's all for Part I of my article "Writing Fiction As a Hobby" -- I hope it inspired you to start writing some fiction of your own! Come back soon for Part II were I discuss creating your characters.

Top 3 Considerations When Organizing a Champagne Brunch for a Bridal Shower

2013-02-21T10:36:00.001-05:00

Usually, a bridal shower revolves around lunch. These are traditional but with marriage ceremonies becoming unique and unusual, why not think of something to make the bridal shower unique as well?

Organize a champagne brunch! It is a unique idea where you can serve champagne and combine it with a light brunch. And, unlike lunches, a brunch has so many options.

But, that is not the essence of a bridal shower. There are many other considerations too. Given below are the top 3 things that you must consider when you are organizing a champagne brunch for the bridal shower:

1. Location – The location is the key consideration for your bridal shower. Since a champagne brunch is an elegant occasion, you will have to choose the venue carefully. The location should not be so elegant that you can’t have fun and it should not be so casual that the champagne looks out of place.

Another key consideration is your budget. Find a small venue that suits your budget and is elegant enough. It can be a chic restaurant or a teahouse. If the venue has a landscaped garden...

2. Décor – The décor for the champagne brunch should be suitable. Since it is brunch, keep it light with a summery feel. Sure, the affair has to be elegant as well but don’t overdo it. You can brighten it up in so many ways! One sure way is to use flowers. Each of the tables can have a vase a single stalk of flower.

Set up a light buffet where everyone can choose what they want to eat. The food will add to the décor, especially if you take care of the colors of the food. Keep the table linen white and let the food add the color. Choose the color scheme from the wedding.

Send out invitations in white with stylish and elegant designs. You can get a lot of ideas for the invitations from PaperStyle.

3. Menu – The menu should be simple and light. Brunch is not when you want to eat rich food. That’s for lunch. For lunch, you have to first know the kind of foods that will go well with champagne. Add gazpacho or soup and of course, what is a bridal shower without chocolates! You can add strawberries for colors and love.

Not many people know that the heart-shape of strawberries made them the fruit of Goddess Venus. Another quaint French custom is serving newlyweds a cold strawberry soup.

Choose elegant tableware and serve the soup in glass bowls.

Throwing a bridal shower that includes champagne and brunch is not something difficult if you plan it carefully. Sure, it will take a little time and meticulous planning but you want the occasion to be memorable, don’t you? You have to choose the flowers carefully and be cautious with the menu. You also have to keep track of the budget and ensure that you don’t go overboard. Keep it simple and elegant and everyone will love it.

Product Review: Ballet Beautiful

2013-02-20T11:33:00.003-05:00

Good afternoon, my lovely!

Do you want to know something about me?

I adore exercising (and enjoy doing it every day as a hobby) but I don't enjoy going to the gym.

Sound familiar? This is because I think that most people who enjoy exercising just dislike the gym for some reason. Personally, I have no problem with the gym (as it's a good excuse to not miss a workout on a rainy day), however sometimes I don't want to make the effort of filling and packing my water bottle, packing changes of clothes, getting dressed, putting on a coat, locking my place, getting into my car, and then driving to the gym.

I enjoy exercising and love to do it, but I am also a simple creature who enjoys doing it at home or around her neighborhood outside in the fresh air.

Fortunately, there are many incredible options for women who are in the same boat.

Today, effective and challenging workouts can be done conveniently from home, which is great for those of us who are homemakers or work-from-home women.

I will now be regularly reviewing different workout products that you can use to have an effective workout at home.

Today, I would like to review something amazing called "Ballet Beautiful", especially the Ballet Beautiful Classic 60-Minute Workout by Mary Helen Bowers, which has been phenomenal in so many different ways.

Mary Helen Bowers, for those of you who don't know, is the one who trained Nataile Portman for her role in the movie Black Swan (follow the link to order it from Amazon on DVD).

The Ballet Beautiful system of workouts is centered around working out the muscles a *ballerina* develops so that you can achieve the graceful yet powerful and elegant figure of a ballerina.

*I love this workout and do it multiple times a week because I find it to be challenging and extremely effective -- it's also great if you want to be toned and develop muscle that's long, lean, and feminine instead of bulky.

There are a few different workouts available from Mary Helen Bowers, by the one that is my personal favorite (and that I recommend starting with) is her Ballet Beautiful Classic 60-Minute Workout because it's effective, balanced, and challenging.

I am a strong believer in workouts that challenge you and make you feel the burn! *smile*

The Ballet Beautiful Classic 60-Minute Workout and the complimentary collection Ballet Beautiful Blast Series (which are much more advanced and should be mixed in only once you have become very comfortable with the 60-minute workout) are fantastic in offering you a figure that is toned, elegant, and feminine.

What's also great about these DVDs is the fact that all they require is a yoga mat if you don't have carpet, making them truly convenient and truly portable -- one less obstacle to putting your health and well-being as a priority! *smile*

Have any of you tried Ballet Beautiful? How have your results been?

Are You Ready to Step into the Shoes of a Goddess?

2013-02-15T13:36:00.001-05:00

Dear Reader,

Are you ready to step into your own *feminine power* or, as I like to say, take out your goddess shoes?

I am of the belief that every feminine woman is a goddess in her own way.

We each have a goddess living inside of us -- it's just a matter of finding her and pulling her out by learning the four traits that each goddess has in common and then being taught how to implement them in our life.

It's time for us to each look inside of ourselves and find the goddess in there wanting to come out!

Any woman, by finding her inner goddess, can become graceful, elusive, dignified, and confident.

In other words, any woman can be a *GODDESS*.

Acquire my latest femininity and elegance course today and become a more confident and dignified you tomorrow!

Created with love, as always. *smile*

Click the "Access Now" button to pay for the course and I will send you an invitation view the private material in a separate location once your payment goes through.

What Is a High-Value Man?

2013-02-14T18:05:00.002-05:00

Hello, lovely!

Are you a woman who aspires to turn herself into a feminine lady partly so that you might meet a high-value man who asks you to become his wife?

There are many reasons to peruse the material on this blog but for many of my readers, the desire to meet, fall in love with, and marry a high-value masculine man is the most significant driving factor.

For that reason, I speak about the high-value masculine man quite often here on this blog -- if that's what my readers want to know about, I'm going to give them as much information as I can! *smile*

However, because I speak about the high-value masculine man so often, I think it's finally time to answer the question:

*So, who exactly is the high-value masculine man? What does it mean for a man to be high-value?

And no, it actually has nothing to do with his looks or his money. If that's what you hope for, that's perfectly fine and you have a right to desire those things without being judged -- it just doesn't determine whether or not a man is high-value. :-)

I personally aspired to be with a high-value man since I was a teenager and they don't come easy -- however once you have one, you'll know you're the luckiest woman in the world. *smile*

Any man can be high-value, rich or poor, handsome or not so much. Because so many women mistakenly equate a man being high-value with being wealthy or incredibly handsome, not many women know the *signs* of a high-value man or what it means.

Fortunately, this article is now here to offer you and readers clarity so that when I use the phrase "high-value masculine man," you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. :-))

The high-value masculine man comes in many forms however he'll have a few different traits in common, regardless of who he is, which includes:

Responsible (and the ability to take responsibility);

Desire for respect (and an ability to earn the respect and command it);

Respect for other people;

Treats women with respect;

Emotionally controlled (can solve a disagreement without raising his voice -- emotionally mature);

Intelligent;

Driven with his own goals;

Wants a woman in his life and appreciates her, but has other goals;

Assertive without being blunt -- diplomatic;

Dedicated to his family and loved ones;

Has a good and honorable character;

Protective without smothering or limiting;

A high-value masculine man is a man who has respect for himself (and earns that respect) and has respect for other people. A man, no matter who he is, is not a high-value masculine man if he has poor character.

A high-value man is a man who appreciates respects his woman (i.e. you), loves, shelters, and aids his children, and treats other human beings well. He has a respect for human life and he himself demands respect by earning it!

Well, lovely, that's all for this article. I hope you liked it. *smile*

4 Hottest Shoe Trends for 2013

2013-02-14T16:58:00.001-05:00

Some say that diamonds are a woman’s best friend but that shoes are a woman’s guilty pleasure. An average woman might give up on a great trip with her friends but then splurge on the next season's selection of shoes. Also, some women can never have enough shoes in her closet and will always need more. 2013 brings with it something old and something revamped, as far as fashion trends are concerned.

The hottest trends for 2013 are not exactly a surprise, except a few. The following list should be in your fashion radar for 2013, if you want to go trendy and turn heads–

1. Cowboy Boots – Women’s cowboy boots have made a comeback into the fashion scene and it has been a roaring entrance. It has been many years since you saw someone sport the cowboy boots and yet, now everywhere you look this year, you will see this trend on sidewalks everywhere. Of course, like all resurrected trends, this one has a twist as well. This year’s cowboy boots come in reptile skin and metallic leather.

It is predicted that other trends like cutaways and clear plastic would be combined with this trend to create dazzling style (interestingly enough, cowboy boots for men are creeping into the fashion of the other gender as well).

2. Animal Prints – The world of fashion has always tilted towards animal prints, especially in the past few years. Gone are the days when only the bold and beautiful preferred animal prints but now, many different kinds of people have something of the trend in their wardrobe. Shoes in various prints like cheetah, tiger, zebra stripes, giraffe, and more are appearing on runways and streets alike. However, the styles are very innovative and versatile in nature.

In the past years, only boots were common in animal prints footwear but now, this trend has percolated down to stilettoes, wedges and every style of shoe imaginable. Animal prints are quite popular in handbags and clothes as well.

3. Loafers – Are you a woman who is always on her toes, quite literally? If yes, then loafers are perfect for you because they are comfortable and cool. They are especially great for people who are always running. Also, loafers are classy and sophisticated. So, matched with the right outfit, they can go well with anything. The colors of leather and suede preferred this season, apart from the classic brown and black, are beige and red.

4. Platform Pumps – Platform pumps are the raging trend of the season and have, perhaps, had the biggest makeover in terms of wearers. Earlier, women preferred to match or contrast their platform pumps with their outfits. This year, platform pumps come in outrageous colors like yellow, neon green, pink and red. Also, color blocking is very popular in these shoes at the moment.

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Always remember to balance your personal style with the trend of the season and you can never make a wrong fashion choice. Be bold, be stylish!

How to Get the Most Out of a Shoe Club Membership

2013-02-12T23:15:00.002-05:00

Shoe clubs have cropped up everywhere and have become a rage recently. With women already going gaga over shoes, shoe clubs are something every woman has been waiting for. What could be better than a wide range of shoes to choose from and a different pair to own every month? Absolutely nothing! There are many nice shoe clubs that people have a membership in and get great benefits from. The following points will help you get the most out of your shoe club membership -

(1) Keep An Eye On Their Social Media Page -- The main advantage of a shoe club is the discounted prices and new styles you would be getting. It's like a VIP membership in shoes that you love. This is why you must always check their page when you go online. Ensure that you are taking benefit of every new deal they offer and discounts they give. Being aware would also ensure that you know about the new shoe launches and can fulfill your shoe needs.

(2) Use The Search Box -- Mostly you see a shoe style and absolutely need to have it. However, you have to navigate through many pages and check each and every item carefully before you find the shoe you were looking for. This can be quite a turn off, especially if you are short on time. The best way around this is the short box. Simply enter the shoe name in the search box and you can find it without browsing through other listings. Most shoe clubs like JustFab offer the search engine option to make life easier for you.

(3) Make Sure You Use All Your Credits - Most people let their credits accumulate and forget about them. You don't even realize that your credits have expired because most credits last for a year and people are busy.

Most sites require you to log in every month and use the "skip" option if you want to skip a particular month. If you don't do this, then the amount would be automatically deducted from your credit card and you would be left lurching. However, the downside to skipping months is expired credits. So, make sure that you use up those credits before their expiry. Most credits last for about 12 months in all the main shoe clubs and you have to use them before that.

A shoe club makes life much easier for you because you get what you want by sitting at home and not making a lot of effort. Even online shopping requires you to browse through pages and pages of stuff before you like something but shoe clubs are differently entirely. The membership is the only cost that you are paying while the benefits you get in return are a lot more.

So, make sure that you get proper value for your money by following the above points to make your shoe club experience even more rewarding.

How to Increase Estrogen

2013-02-12T08:34:00.003-05:00

Good afternoon, lovely!

A scientific reason why men and women are generally different emotionally as well as physically (regardless of what many women want to believe) is through *hormones*!

Although many women (and men!) don't want to believe or admit that there are embedded differences between the genders (with exceptions, of course), the presence of hormones account for many common differences between men and women.

*Men have an abundance of testosterone, a masculine hormone, and women have an abundance of estrogen, a feminine hormone -- the amount of testosterone in men accounts for many masculine physical and personality traits and the amount of estrogen in women accounts for many feminine physical and personality traits.

Testosterone is a hormone that promotes the development of muscles, facial hair, and body hair. It also encourages competition, aggression, and aggressive drive -- all qualities associated with masculine men.

Estrogen, on the other hand, is a hormone that deters the development of muscles and facial hair, and body hair in places like the belly (where body hair is quite common for males). It also encourages a more nurturing and gentle personality.

A study from a university in Germany found that women with higher estrogen levels had more soothing facial structures that babies prefer! *smile*

However, some people suffer from a *hormonal imbalance*, where a man might have more estrogen than average or a woman might have more testosterone than average.

In women, this is oftentimes caused by "Polycystic Ovarian Disease," but not always.

If you're a lovely with a hormonal imbalance (you have too much testosterone), there are ways to fix this. :-)

The medical field has many solutions for those with a hormonal imbalance, such as hormonal therapy.

If you're a woman with not enough estrogen production and too much testosterone, your doctor might prescribe you certain kinds of birth control (such as Yaz) and a cholesterol medication called Spironolactone, both medications unrelated to hormone imbalances that happen to also balance out women's hormones through lowering testosterone and helping the production of estrogen.

However, medications such as these come with their own risks and side-effects, such as blood clots and weight gain.

For this reason, many darlings desire to find *natural* ways to get more estrogen.

The first thing one must do to get more estrogen or maintain a healthy production of it is to eat a healthy nutritious diet.

Many women who have low estrogen have unhealthy eating habits -- not getting the proper nutrition limits the amount of estrogen your body is able to produce. A healthy diet is so important! *smile*

It's also good to eat only organic produce and organic lean-meats if you can because pesticides and the growth hormones found in farm-raised meats can lower estrogen.

The next thing that you can do to get more estrogen is to specifically eat certain foods known for being rich in natural estrogen.

These foods include:

soybeans and soy-based foods, soymilk;

black cohosh daily supplements;

flaxseed (can be ground up and then sprinkled on parfaits and cereals);

green vegetables such as broccoli, peas, and spinach;

chickpeas;

pintobeans;

limabeans;

tomatoes;

kiwi;

oranges;

peaches;

artichokes;

asparagus;

These are some natural foods proven to increase estrogen. Of course, consuming a generally healthy and nutritious diet and exercising is also key -- it's impossible for your body to continue to produce healthy amounts of estrogen if it's not getting proper nutrition and exercise. *smile*

However, that being said, it's important that you don't overexercise because women who have too low of a fat content will also have trouble producing estrogen -- studies show that women who are professional athletes often produce less estrogen than other women for this reason.

Try to live a healthy lifestyle but don't overdo it and take this "healthy lifestyle" to any sort of extreme. :-)

I hope you enjoyed my article "How to Increase Estrogen"!

Do you want to become a *total woman*? Sign up for my Feminine Darling Membership Program. xo

Did you enjoy this article? Then you might enjoy these products:

Feminine Women Masculine Men Adore;

Femininity Package;

First Steps to Femininity;

The Guide to Alpha Program;

Oriental Elegance and Femininity Guide;

Did you enjoy this article? Then you might enjoy these free articles:

Feminine Hair - Part I; Feminine Hairstyles;

Feminine Hair - Part II; Caring for Hair;

The Importance of Self-Care in Elegance;

An Introduction to Golf;

My Preferred Drugstore Mascara for Feminine Lashes;

Natural Beauty Remedies: Herbal, Floral, and Milk Bath;

Natural Beauty Remedies: Honey;

Natural Beaut Remedies: Tea;

Natural Lip Colors;

Unlock Your Femininity Through Dancing;

The Importance of Making a Linguistic Effort While Abroad;

The Decline of Good Grammar: The Importance of Grammar;
Mingling With Those Who Are More Intelligent/Educated;
Ways to be Educated With Limited Funds;
How to be a Woman of Worth;

Femininity and Feminism

2013-02-11T11:15:00.001-05:00

Good evening, lovely!

On femininity blogs across the internet, I can't help but notice great animosity towards *feminism*, with many of my femininity colleagues having the impression that feminists are anti-femininity or anti-feminine women.

Such a point of view is uneducated and uninformed.

I wanted to write an article addressing whether or not I think that feminism is truly harmful to traditional womanhood and femininity and how, as feminine women, we can live in harmony with feminism -- or even be feminine feminists!

I also want to dispel the rumor that feminism and feminists are against femininity and feminine women.

*Admittedly, this stereotype has been propelled by the number of extreme feminists who uphold negative feminist stereotypes such as hating men and hating femininity, and the number of non-extreme feminists who fail to address this issue, call the extreme feminists out on their behavior, and stand up to defend men and feminine traditional women.

However, just because many feminists, both extreme and non-extreme, are in the wrong, does not mean that we have to stoop down to their level and be in the wrong as well -- it's much better for us to be open-minded, compassionate, and informed. *smile*

So what is feminism?

*Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women.

All feminism really is is about achieving equal rights for women and allowing women the right to choose how to live their lives.

It's not about man-hating or hating feminine women or traditional women who choose to stay at home and be housewives.

However, it's built that reputation from the number of women who paint themselves as "feminists", yet are nothing of the sort, just oppressive and judgmental women who hide behind the title of "feminist."

Any feminist who makes disparaging comments about housewives, traditional women, or feminine women isn't a feminist at all, my dear.

Any true feminist would support your right to be feminine or your right to be a traditional housewife. Any true feminist wouldn't assume that that's due to your being "dumb" or dependent or incapable of supporting yourself financially.

A true feminist, my love, would support your right to choose what and who you want to be as a woman.

*Any woman who's against femininity is not a feminist, but what we can describe as a "feminist extremist."

I, for example, consider myself to be a *feminine feminist*. I'm obviously a woman who's very aware of her femininity and very in-love with all things feminine. I'm also a traditional woman in the sense that I believe in putting my husband before my career and even my children.

If my children are asking me for something and it's not in an emergency, if I'm in the middle of doing something for my Love, I see no problem with saying to the children, "Of course, sweetie, just let me get your father what he needs first."

The children don't suffer from it and as a matter of fact, I think that it's healthier for them to grow up seeing their mother dedicated to their father. I think they'll benefit more from a mother having a loving, attentive, and respectful relationship with their father than they would having their mother do everything for them in a heartbeat. *smile*

However, that being said, although I am this way, I do not think that any of my sisters on this earth should be forced to be feminine or forced to be traditional.

I choose this lifestyle because this is what I want, what makes me happy, and what I desire most for myself and when I chose this lifestyle, I exercised my right as a feminist to choose my own path as a woman.

And at the same time, I support my sisters who decide that a traditional and feminine path isn't for them and that they would prefer to be in the corporate world -- as a feminine feminist, I support their right to choose for themselves their own path.

However, at the same time, I'm not afraid to stand up against feminist extremists, or cowardly women who judge others and oppress my sisters (by forcing them to be masculine or career women) while under the disguise of feminists.

I'm not afraid to stand up and say to a feminist extremist that their behavior is not acceptable and is inappropriate.

I'm not afraid to stand up against misandry in all forms.

As feminine women, we respect men and masculinity and we won't tolerate women disrespecting our wonderful and spectacular men.

I can even say that as a feminist (a feminine feminist, of course!), I don't support misandry because true feminists don't want to be better than men or superior to men (like extremists do), they just want the same right to choose what's the best path for them.

*So, lovely, are you a feminine feminist? :-)

I personally prefer to be an "egalitarian" instead of a feminist, because I think that all human beings should be treated equally, not just the two genders, and I am also frustrated at how feminists don't see that a white woman still gets paid more than an African-American man, so it seems to me to be a movement that's all for white women without thinking about how they've still got it better than other races.

However, since "feminism" is the word that's thrown around so often, I think it's important that it be used and addressed.

I think it's good to be a "feminine feminist" because even though a lot of feminists are ignorant to the fact that it's a white woman movement and white women still have more privileges than an African-American man, the intent is about having the right to choose as women.

So, what are some ways in which we can be a feminine feminist?

Choose to put your family first because it's your choice, not because your community expected you to;

If you are choosing to take on the challenge of working while putting your family first and want to be successful in your work, make sure that you're successful because that's what you want and choose for yourself, not because feminist extremists tell you to be a "strong independent career woman";

Let your man do things for you to let him be the masculine in the relationship, but make sure that you know how to do them yourself so that you can be independent and can do them yourself when you need to -- accept and receive aid from him, but do not depend on him;

Stand up for yourself and your right to choose your own path when you get criticized for femininity, and tell others that you're exercising your right to choose who you want to be as a woman;

Set up your own income source so that you can contribute to family finances if need be or have a way to support yourself if you need to;

Feminism has gotten an incredibly bad reputation all over and it's understandable why -- too many feminists are the kind who give feminism a bad name and misrepresent it.

It's important for true feminists (or "egalitarians", which is what I prefer to be) to defend femininity and a woman's right to be feminine while also accepting that some women are more comfortable being masculine.

Do you want to become a *total woman*? Sign up for my Feminine Darling Membership Program. xo

Did you enjoy this article? Then you might enjoy these products:

Feminine Women Masculine Men Adore;

Femininity Package;

First Steps to Femininity;

The Guide to Alpha Program;

Oriental Elegance and Femininity Guide;

Did you enjoy this article? Then you might enjoy these free articles:

Feminine Hair - Part I; Feminine Hairstyles;

Feminine Hair - Part II; Caring for Hair;

The Importance of Self-Care in Elegance;

An Introduction to Golf;

My Preferred Drugstore Mascara for Feminine Lashes;

Natural Beauty Remedies: Herbal, Floral, and Milk Bath;

Natural Beauty Remedies: Honey;

Natural Beaut Remedies: Tea;

Natural Lip Colors;

Unlock Your Femininity Through Dancing;

The Importance of Making a Linguistic Effort While Abroad;

The Decline of Good Grammar: The Importance of Grammar;
Mingling With Those Who Are More Intelligent/Educated;
Ways to be Educated With Limited Funds;
How to be a Woman of Worth;

Reading Great Works of Fiction - Part I; Starting Points

2013-02-07T20:33:00.001-05:00

Hello, love!

Despite my passion and love for *femininity*, there are two things that I find to be more important than femininity alone: kindness and intelligence.

Femininity and kindness must always coexist and a feminine and kind woman who makes no effort to improve her mind will be flat and, at most, will never be able to fully be an independent lady.

Maintaining intelligence as a feminine woman is another way to maintain a sense of intrigue and interest.

However, achieving and maintaining intelligence is not the same as simply acquiring information or memorizing a list of facts! To truly become an intelligent lady, dove, you need to exercise your mind in the fashion of a liberal arts education.

Intelligence is about how strong your mind is and its ability to think in a way that's complex, not how many facts you know or how much information you have.

The best way to acquire *true intelligence*, in my opinion, is through reading the world's great works of fiction.

When I was in a Comparative Literature class as a student at Bryn Mawr College, the professor described great literature as having to have both entertaining qualities and the ability to teach the reader something.

The symbolism, themes, morals, and ideas addressed in great literature exercises our mind, allowing us to think in ways that are more "advanced" and more sophisticated.

*Great works of fiction also allow us to have primary sources of what life was like in historical time periods.

The list of great works of fiction to read in one's lifetime are truly endless -- one of the reasons why I always have my nose in a book! ;-)

However, I'm going to give you a list of ones to start with if you haven't yet delved into reading great literature.

Many of these great novels were originally written in a language other than English. When this is the case, I recommend a specific English translation that I feel is loyal to the author's original intent, did not lose the literary flow of the original manuscript, and that shows evidence of quality scholarship through the notes, the system of translation, and the background of those who worked on the translation.

I hope that these books make you smile, make you laugh, make you cry, and make you think. But, mostly, I hope that you read some of them again and again. *smile*

United States of America
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner ;

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald;
The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne;

France
Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant;
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo;

Germany
Faust;

Spain
Don Quixote by Cervantes;

England
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens;

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen;

Ireland
Dracula by Bram Stoker;
Ulysses by James Joyce;

Russian
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky;
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol;
Eugene Onegin by Aleksandr Pushkin;
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy;

Japan
The Tale of Genjii by Murasaki Shikibu;

These are just a few great works of fiction from around the world that can serve as acceptable starting points for you as you delve into your literary journey, however they are not at all the only great works of fiction, and I hope that you explore in greater depths the other works of these authors and the works of their contemporaries.

In Part II, I will tell you techniques for *collegiate literary analysis* so that you can actively absorb these great pieces of literature.

That's all for my article, "Reading Great Works of Fiction - Part I; Starting Points" -- I hope you enjoyed it!

Do you want to become a *total woman*? Sign up for my Feminine Darling Membership Program. xo

Did you enjoy this article? Then you might enjoy these products:

Feminine Women Masculine Men Adore;

Femininity Package;

First Steps to Femininity;

The Guide to Alpha Program;

Oriental Elegance and Femininity Guide;

Did you enjoy this article? Then you might enjoy these free articles:

Feminine Hair - Part I; Feminine Hairstyles;

Feminine Hair - Part II; Caring for Hair;

The Importance of Self-Care in Elegance;

An Introduction to Golf;

My Preferred Drugstore Mascara for Feminine Lashes;

Natural Beauty Remedies: Herbal, Floral, and Milk Bath;

Natural Beauty Remedies: Honey;

Natural Beaut Remedies: Tea;

Natural Lip Colors;

Unlock Your Femininity Through Dancing;

The Importance of Making a Linguistic Effort While Abroad;

The Decline of Good Grammar: The Importance of Grammar;
Mingling With Those Who Are More Intelligent/Educated;
Ways to be Educated With Limited Funds;
How to be a Woman of Worth;

The No-Stress Guide to Healthy Eating

2013-02-05T17:50:00.003-05:00

Good morning, lovely!

For women seeking to achieve or maintain a healthy and pleasing figure, their diet becomes a significant concern.

Eating and exercising becomes a math equation of how many calories in and how many calories out -- such an imprisoning way to live with food becoming your enemy!

When a woman who's out of shape or heavier than she feels comfortable with wants to lose weight, darling, she shouldn't diet, but instead look into a complete *lifestyle change* -- if one "diets" until they're at their ideal weight, they will most likely gain all of the weight back again once they stop or feel cranky and deprived.

I personally feel that for the feminine lady, there are no diets as much as *lifestyle changes* , changes that she will uphold for the rest of her life to maintain a feminine figure and good health.

The wise feminine lady knows, dove, that fad diets are going to extremes -- and are therefore useless, especially since most of the women who go on them gain the weight back as soon as they stop, since they never learned how to live a *healthy lifestyle*!

*What's more important is making a lifelong "lifestyle change" to help you go through the rest of your life as a woman conscious of her health and appearance.

I don't believe that healthy eating should be about deprivation, because deprivation is not healthy!

Healthy eating should be about health and happiness. *smile* So how does one start eating healthy in the way of a *feminine lady*, darling?

It's about substitutions and then only one kind of food that you should not touch!

The kind of food that you should not touched is processed food. Processed food is stripped of all of its natural nutrients and becomes unhealthy, lacking in nutrition, and bad for you!

*My only "don't eat" rule is to not eat processed food.

If you cut processed food from your diet, your skin, your hair, your teeth, your waistline, and your general well-being will thank you for it!

Now, lovely, how does one cut out processed food for good?

I use substitutions and small alterations to make sure that I avoid processed foods for good and this allows me to not deprive myself entirely of life's pleasures because I allow myself to indulge in a way that's smart and healthy. *smile*

Examples of such substitutions and alterations include (but are not limited to):

Replacing all white pasta and bread with wholewheat, and doing the same thing with rice on most occasions (although not when having Indian or Thai curry, which calls for my beloved white Jasmine or Basmati rice);

Instead of having an Oreo, having a homemade baked cookie;

Shunning all processed cakes, pastries, and doughnuts (such as Twinkies or Hostess products) in favor of homemade baked goods such as a pie, slice of red velvet cake, or apple tart;

Replacing the butter in a pasta with butter sauce with olive oil;

Choosing to dip my appetizer bread in a dish of olive oil with herbs instead of putting butter on it;

Using soy milk, almond milk, or rice milk in my black tea instead of creme or half-and-half;

Such substitutions are simple and easy to put in place and it allows you to eat healthily without depriving yourself or totally shunning all of the sweets and baked goods that you may love.

I was recently reading a healthy living book because I love the author, but when the author said that I have to give up everything with butter, I imagined my life without croissants and apple tarts (and 90% of French cuisine), and I knew that it couldn't be done after growing up with a Parisian mother and having her recipes on recipe cards. ;-)

What I do recommend, though, lovely, is limiting your intake of pastries and buttery foods so that you're living a *balanced* life -- and have a set idea of when you can indulge a little bit and when you should say "no"!

This allows you to avoid depriving yourself or going to extreme measures without compromising your healthy lifestyle. *smile*

What I recommend is having either a larger portion of dessert or indulgent food on one day only each week (like on the weekend) or allowing yourself an exceptionally petite indulgence each day.

For example, this could comprise of that whole wheat pasta dish with butter on Saturday night or a slice of red velvet cake after a healthy Sunday meal, or, like me, having a tiny sliver of tart or one petite scone every afternoon with my tea as I answer blog emails and work on new posts.

And if you're doing it my way and allowing yourself an extremely petite indulgence every day, make sure to eat it very slowly -- the size of the portion is small enough for me to eat it in less than two bites, and how unsatisfying would that be?

They key here, darling, is balance -- the point of allowing yourself one midsized indulgence each week or one extremely petite indulgence every day is so that you'll avoid overly indulging one day by eating an exceptionally creamy dish along with a large dessert.

Deprivation will heighten your chances of "breaking" and then going "all out" with your eating habits.

The feminine lady listens to her body and allows herself a bit of indulgence, however she knows how to limit her indulgence to make them reasonable and to portion them out so that she gets a pleasant little treat without sacrificing her health or feminine figure.

So, that's all for my post "The No-Stress Guide to Healthy Eating" -- I hope you enjoyed it. Happy portioning and happy indulging!

Do you want to become a *total woman*? Sign up for my Feminine Darling Membership Program. xo

Did you enjoy this article? Then you might enjoy these products:

Feminine Women Masculine Men Adore;

Femininity Package;

First Steps to Femininity;

The Guide to Alpha Program;

Oriental Elegance and Femininity Guide;

Did you enjoy this article? Then you might enjoy these free articles:

Feminine Hair - Part I; Feminine Hairstyles;

Feminine Hair - Part II; Caring for Hair;

The Importance of Self-Care in Elegance;

An Introduction to Golf;

My Preferred Drugstore Mascara for Feminine Lashes;

Natural Beauty Remedies: Herbal, Floral, and Milk Bath;

Natural Beauty Remedies: Honey;

Natural Beaut Remedies: Tea;

Natural Lip Colors;

Unlock Your Femininity Through Dancing;

A Peek Into My Workout Routine

2013-02-01T11:34:00.003-05:00

Hi Lovely,

So, I've recently been getting a lot of emails, tweets, and messages asking me about my *exercise routine* or how I keep my body fit, healthy, and feminine.

Since I just finished my Thursday workout, showered, and am treating myself to a cup of tea in front of the computer, I thought that it might be the perfect chance to publicly answer all of my readers asking, "What does Nina do to stay fit? and perhaps to inspire you a bit.

After all, as feminine women our nurturing qualities cause us to be incredibly generous and put our families before ourselves, yet it's so important to prioritize our own health and fitness.

Your body, sleeping pattern, energy level, and general sense of well-being will thank you, I promise! *smile*

Firstly, to answer the question about what I do to stay fit and healthy, paired with healthy eating, I also do a mix of both cardio and low-impact strength straining, and I make sure to move my body every single day (unless I'm seriously ill).

On Sundays I make it my relaxing exercise day, where I'll go on long but leisurely walks, do an hour of light and relaxing yoga, or play on the playground with my niece or nephew (squee!). *smile*

I do this because I live a very physically active lifestyle. My love is very active and takes me swimming in lakes, on hikes, rock climbing, and long distance jogging.

I also am fortunate enough to be able to travel often (lots of walking while touring and moving through airports!) and I also live in a big city that requires a lot of walking up and down the stairs to the subway and carrying heavy bags of groceries 6 blocks home and then up flights of stairs!

Already being so active without allotted time for exercise and a *creature of movement*, not to mention my preferred methods of strength training being intense and taxing, it's important that I have a day where I take slow leisurely walks in the park and get the time to allow my muscles to repair and rest. *smile*

Mondays through Saturdays, though, I'll find myself going through my routine of cardio and strength training.

For cardio I prefer jogging, cycling, and jumping rope. I make sure to do at least 30 minutes of fast paced cardio each day. My preference is jumping rope because it's the most challenging to me and really gets the heart rate up and sweats you out! ;-)

Not to mention the fact that it burns an average of 11 calories per minute, meaning that it burns more than 300 calories in just a half hour!

Jumping rope is my go to and I'll usually choose jogging or cycling outside when it's nice weather so that I can get some sun and fresh air at the same time, not to mention seeing the sights. :-)

It's also nice to change once in a while, especially considering the fact that jumping rope too often can hurt your ankles -- goodness, did I find that out the hard way! ;-)

I like to start out with my 30 minutes of cardio before settling down to do my strength training (it's important to note, though, that some times when I jog, I carry little weights with me to tone my arms up at the same time).

For strength training, I am a huge fan of the Ballet Beautiful Classic 60-Minute Workout by Mary Helen Bowers because it creates a long, lean and *feminine* toned body shape instead of bulking me up. I will do the entire Ballet Beautiful workout 3 times a week, split up into parts so that I'm concentrating on only one to three body parts each day.

I will also alternate with the Ballet Beautiful Blast Series by Mary Helen Bowers, where I'll choose one of the blasts each day. I'm a big fan of the Swan Arms Exercise.

I also enjoy resistance bands, glider exercises, and exercises with ankle weights.

This is the ankle weight exercise I do that's meant to tone the butt:

I know it looks really challenging and it's definitely effective and can be challenging for those who aren't familiar with exercising, but I really started to enjoy it once I got the hang of it. Along with the Ballet Beautiful bridge exercises (included in the Classic 60-Minute workout DVD), these really help to get a firm, toned, and raised butt. *smile*

I hope that you enjoyed this little peek into my exercise routine, lovely. May it inspire you to put your health and fitness as a priority!

Do you want to become a *total woman*? Sign up for my Feminine Darling Membership Program. xo

Did you enjoy this article? Then you might enjoy these products:

Feminine Women Masculine Men Adore;

Femininity Package;

First Steps to Femininity;

The Guide to Alpha Program;

Oriental Elegance and Femininity Guide;

Did you enjoy this article? Then you might enjoy these free articles:

Feminine Hair - Part I; Feminine Hairstyles;

Feminine Hair - Part II; Caring for Hair;

The Importance of Self-Care in Elegance;

An Introduction to Golf;

My Preferred Drugstore Mascara for Feminine Lashes;

Natural Beauty Remedies: Herbal, Floral, and Milk Bath;

Natural Beauty Remedies: Honey;

Natural Beaut Remedies: Tea;

Natural Lip Colors;

Unlock Your Femininity Through Dancing;

The Feminine Lady's Engagement Festivities - Part I

2013-01-31T08:05:00.002-05:00

Good afternoon, sweet reader!

One of the greatest life privileges and pleasures to be had by a feminine woman, dove, is to be taken as the treasured *wife* of a high-value masculine man. This is a privilege that belongs to the feminine woman and one that many other women do not get to experience. *smile*

However, before officially becoming his feminine wife, you must be his feminine fiancée -- and enjoy the many pleasures that come with being the fiancée of such a man. ;-)

There are a few different festivities and "things to be done" as a feminine fiancée, lovely, but fortunately these things are enjoyable and fun, so you shouldn't fret too much about them. *smile*

*The first festivity is the right of the parents of the bride-to-be and should only be taken away if the bride-to-be no longer has any parents, is not in contact with her parents, or if her parents are unable to manage this first festivity and are encouraging others to take over.

The first festivity is an *engagement party*, where the man and woman celebrate their engagement and forthcoming marriage. Traditionally,the bride's parents hold the first engagement party for the couple before others do the same -- and oftentimes, the groom's parents will want to hold one as well, along with the bride and groom's friends.

However, it's important to give the first engagement party to the parents of the bride -- unless, as previously stated, they are unable to take it on for one reason or another.

Elegant and tasteful places to hold an engagement party include:

A garden if the host and hostess have a pleasant one available (weather permitting);

A hotel;

A semi-formal or formal restaurant for brunch, luncheon, or dinner;

The home of the host and hostess (provided they have room for the guests);

A club;

A tearoom if one prefers an engagement party over afternoon tea;

These are just a few options, lovely, but truly, the options are almost as endless as there are couples. *smile*

Once the parents of the bride have held their engagement party for the couple (or conceded), then the parents of the groom, siblings, and friends may hold one as well.

Other engagement festivities involve events that the bride and groom do separately!

Do you want to find your own fiancé? Consider my "Guide to Alpha Program":

One popular engagement festivity is a *bridal shower*, where the bride gets everything she needs to start a home and become a *wife* (awww!).

Many women who have substantial hope chests will either forfeit the bridal shower or alter it to one of more modest proportions.

At bridal showers, a bride-to-be can either make a list of all of the things she needs (like kitchen utensils, linens, etc.) or have a theme, having all of the guests fill the theme.

*It's also common these days to have a bridal shower where the groom is present.

Different themes of bridal showers for feminine ladies include:

Tea;

If the bride and groom are big tea-drinkers or enjoy entertaining over tea, then all of the guests can bring boxes of fine teas, tea china (you can register for a specific pattern), tea party cookbooks, and other tea-related things.

Kitchen;

My personal favorite is the kitchen bridal shower theme! In this theme, the bride-to-be will collect everything she needs to prepare good meals for her future husband and for those they entertain in their home (and, of course, any children that might come along).

With the kitchen theme, a bride can make it even more specific -- an example of this would be for each guest to bring a cookbook, a recipe card with their favorite recipe, or a utensil.

Wine;

If the bride and groom enjoy wine to a great extent, one can also hold a bridal shower where everyone brings either a bottle of wine or something to eat with wine, such as cheese, bread, crackers, and fruit.

Linens;

A linen bridal shower is also another popular idea and is very straightforward -- the guests simply bring sheets, towels, pillowcases, and tablecloths. *smile*

*It's also common and traditional for the groom to have a bachelor party -- even though many of us think of bachelor parties as vulgar and wild affairs, traditionally they were a time for the groom to thank his friends and enjoy tasteful masculine time together.

One event that not every bride does but I'm a big fan of is the "bridal luncheon", "bridal brunch," or "bridal tea" -- in my opinion, this is a very important event to have, and one that unfortunately too few brides partake in.

And if you had a bridal shower, all the more important!

This is because the point of a bridal tea, luncheon, or brunch is to thank all of your bridesmaids and female relatives and friends for all of their love and help both throughout the years and also in the planning of the wedding.

The reason why I feel that it's important to have a bridal tea, luncheon, or brunch, especially if you had a bridal shower, is that your bridesmaids and other women involved in your life and wedding planning process invested time and money into making sure that you have a good wedding day.

That's why it's nice for you to have an event that's about thanking them, honoring them, and showing your appreciation. *smile*

Well, darling, that's all for my article "The Feminine Lady's Engagement Festivities - Part I". I hope you liked it! :-)

Do you want to become a *total woman*, darling? Look into becoming a Feminine Darling Member!

Did you enjoy this article? You might enjoy the following products:

The Feminine Woman Masculine Men Adore;
Femininity Package;
First Steps to Femininity Course;
The Guide to Alpha Program;
Oriental Elegance and Femininity E-Book;

Did you enjoy this article? You might enjoy the following free articles:

The Bridal Trousseau or Hope Chest;
Choosing Bridesmaids;
The Feminine Bride;
Queen of your Home;
Shyness As An Asset;
What Aspiring Ladies Can Learn from Marilyn Monroe;

With Thanks...

2013-01-30T19:38:00.002-05:00

Good evening, darlings!

I just wanted to take the time to thank all of you so much for another amazing month (and a great start to 2013).

I'm closing this month with 300+ products sold, more than 2,000 new subscribers to the newsletter, and so many beautiful emails and testimonials.

All of you are so incredibly kind and gracious to me and you've truly made this website my home.

Thank you so much and let us move forward!

Sincerely,
Nina

The Importance of Intelligence

2013-01-26T14:46:00.001-05:00

Renoir

Good morning, my love!

I hope that all of you who are living with me here on the east coast of the United States are staying warm -- a snowstorm came about last night and only ceased this morning, so it's safe to say that I'm feeling very chilly right about now! :-)

Today, I'd like to speak to you about the importance of *intelligence* when it comes to becoming a feminine and elegant lady.

So often on this site, I speak to you about the specifically feminine attributes of gentleness, kindness, sympathy, respect for masculinity, grace, and warmth -- but it's important to not forget intelligence!

After all, the goal of this site is not to become feminine women, but feminine women of substance! *smile*

A woman who respects masculinity and upholds the qualities of grace, warmth, kindness, and gentleness is a lovely creature already, dove -- but not nearly as valuable and miraculous as a woman with those feminine qualities who pairs them with culture, sophistication, intelligence, and wit!

No high-value man or woman wants as their romantic partner or friend a woman with pretty and feminine face, and nothing else!

And although a feminine heart is truly a lovable quality to have (and puts a feminine woman a step above many), without a sharp and cultured mind and worldview, it lacks depth and longterm interest.

A feminine face and heart are lovely, but not spectacular unless they are paired with an excellent mind, my darling. *smile*

The mind of a high-value feminine lady must be one that is:

Sophisticated;

Cultured;

Liberal and Open;

Informed;

Intellectual (a woman who likes to think of ideas);

Applicable;

Of all feminine women, all of them have feminine hearts that inject their demeanor with gentleness, grace, love, warmth, and receptivity -- so what sets you apart? What stops you from being lost in the crowd of feminine women, lovely?

A feminine woman of true value, substance, and excellence must have a mind that's as strong and sharp as her heart is feminine and "yin"!

What's the use for a friend who can't hold an intelligent conversation, no matter how feminine her heart is? What's the use for a wife who can't challenge her brilliant and masculine husband's mind and keep him fascinated and intrigued intellectually (not to mention, never bored mentally)?

The mind of a feminine woman of substance and value must be informed and cultured, must be open to new schools of thought (as feminine women are open, accepting, and receptive), and, despite all of its cultural knowledge and sophistication, must also have practical knowledge that can be applied to life! *smile*

For those of you who are interested in pursuing masculine high-value men, my dears, this is also incredibly important!

Do you want to learn how to attract and marry your own high-value masculine man? You might want to consider "The Guide to Alpha Program":

Do you think that Prince William was attracted to Catherine Middleton's beauty over all else, dove?

Think again!

When Prince William and Catherine Middleton first met, this was before her tone-up of her figure and her more elegant wardrobe.

Catherine Middleton was in no way an unattractive duckling, lovely, but she wasn't the kind of woman a man was attracted to for her looks, either -- and remember that the future King of England could have chosen any woman he wanted!

However, Catherine Middleton and Prince William first became acquainted as friends at St. Andrew's University in Scotland which is when he became acquainted with her intelligence, her articulation, her history as Valedictorian of her prestigious high school, and her top caliber educational history -- and it was she who convinced him to not drop out of university!

Do you think that Prince William would have chosen a woman on the *average* scale of physical attractiveness, darling, if she didn't have a fine mind?

Absolutely not! *smile*

Of course, Prince William first became attracted to Catherine Middleton for her *intelligence* -- and didn't miss out on her other physical attributes as she moved out of her awkward university stage and into womanhood. ;-)

Catherine Middleton (now Duchess of Cambridge) is a perfect example of the *importance of intelligence*! *smile*

Other women who used their femininity to be lethally attractive to masculine men were the legendary *Japanese geisha*, who knew the potency that came with pairing to together femininity and intelligence/wit!

The Japanese geisha utilized their intelligence in a few different ways when it comes to attracting masculine men:

Thank you so much for reading my article, "The Importance of Intelligence" -- to read the rest of the article and access more articles on attracting masculine men through femininity, purchase a subscription to my private blog, "The Feminine Woman Masculine Men Adore"!

If you enjoyed this article, then you might enjoy these products (all of which can be accessed with a Feminine Darling Membership Program):

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Ladylike Fashion & Beauty News

Oriental Elegance and Femininity Guide

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Ladies and Drinking

2013-01-24T13:56:00.001-05:00

Good afternoon, my love! xo

One of the most controversial (or perhaps *debated*) topics among bloggers and writers of elegance and femininity is the topic of drinking alcohol -- whether or not a woman can drink while still being elegant and feminine!

There are many differing opinions out there on this subject, but I would like to offer mine. Remember that this is just one femininity/elegance writer's opinion and it is not the final one. :-)

One of the most controversial topics for femininity writers and authors is the topic of *drinking alcohol* and whether or not it has its place in the world of the elegant and feminine woman.

The feminine and elegant woman is very aware of the downfalls to drinking alcohol, yet is also very aware that alcohol has its time and place.

I myself enjoy a nice Biltmore Estate Vineyeards riesling or a Spanish white -- but it's important to be mindful, darling. :-)

The feminine and elegant woman (and the intelligent woman!) knows that although wine or a certain cocktail might be enjoyable, they age your skin prematurely and are simply empty calories!

I limit myself to one glass of my favorite white per month -- my femininity and elegance is of greater importance to me than drinking alcohol that comes with empty calories and premature aging. *smile*

However, it's okay to *indulge* a little bit, love -- you just need to be mindful of what your indulgence is doing to your feminine figure and to your skin.

However, something that never has its time or place in the world of a feminine and elegant woman is over-drinking to the point of *drunkenness* or *intoxication*!

No, no, no darling! Drinking to the point of drunkenness is something that is one too often these days and there is no more pitiful and vulgar of a sight than a drunk woman -- a masculine or "butch" woman has hope if she's intelligent, articulate, and well-mannered.

But the drunk woman can't be any of those things that the butch woman can be, as she's slurring away and forcing others to help her -- and neither of the two women can be alluring, appealing, and graceful.

Do you want to learn more about how to be alluring, appealing, and graceful using the power of femininity? You might be interested in my First Steps to Femininity Newsletter E-Series:

A drunk woman may feel that her alcohol intake makes her attractive and friendly, dove, but to the masculine gentleman and the feminine and elegant woman, there is really no sight more vulgar and pitiful than a woman slurring her speech and selfishly forcing others to take care of her.

When drinking alcohol, dove, keep in mind that alcohol causes premature aging and also consists of empty calories -- so consume it mindfully.

Really, the only kind of alcohol with proven health benefits is red wine. Drinking red wine in moderation is said to be good for your heart -- however, that doesn't eliminate its ability to cause premature aging and wrinkles and still being made up of empty calories. :-)

Also, make sure to never drink to the point of *drunkenness* or *intoxication*! No high-value man wants to be with a woman who's sloppy and can't hold herself with dignity in a restaurant or cocktail bar and no elegant and feminine woman wants to be that woman!

So, darling, go ahead and enjoy your glass of red or white wine, just be mindful of what it can do to both your physical femininity and to your image. *smile*

That's all for my article, "Ladies and Drinking" -- I hope you enjoyed it!

Would you like to achieve *true* femininity and become a Feminine Darling, dear reader?

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Facebook: How it Affects Attraction Between the Feminine Woman and the Masculine Man

2013-01-23T08:18:00.002-05:00

Good afternoon, darling!

Many things change as we move more and more into the future and one of the things that change is the process of *courtship* -- how the romantic relationship between men and women progress towards a *lifelong commitment*!

Historically (or even up until the 1960's), the process of courtship was much more straightforward. If a man was interested in a woman, he'd ask her out to dinner. If he liked her after the date, he'd ask her out to dinner again. After many dinners, if he loved her, he'd ask her to marry him.

It was the job of men to make the first move so there was really no such thing as a man being shy enough that he needed a woman to take the reigns -- he knew that either he could make a move or he could give her up to someone else! *smile*

Today, things are so much more *complex* -- we have to take into account the fact that women are generally better educated (more women graduate college in the United States than men) and that women are making enough to pay for their own meals.

One of the things that's hard to navigate for modern women in the dating world is the presence of Facebook (the *king* of all social networking sites).

Facebook has significantly complicated the world of dating and relationships, my doll! It's truly a minefield that a feminine woman interested in a masculine man has to navigate carefully and with caution. *smile*

A simple poke, casual message, or cool post on his wall might not have the same interpretation to him as it does to you. And adding him as a friend might seem so *meaningless* in this world of social networking!

But remember, dove, that every little social interaction between a masculine man and a feminine woman has great meaning -- and so it's important that she proceed with awareness. ;-)

The first thing that a feminine woman shouldn't do if there's a masculine man she has her eye on is add him as a friend. Oh, no! Too many feminine lovelies make this mistake, because in this world where almost everyone has a page, it seems so harmless and so casual.

But that there is the problem -- it's casual, and so it's definitely not harmless!

Find out what else you should (and should not) be doing with my "Guide to Alpha Program".

Remember, darling, that the masculine man values and desires what he has to invest in -- what he has to invest his time, money, and/or energy into.

When you add a man on Facebook, you're being casual (i.e. not a woman he has to put effort into and invest himself in) and easy.

Adding a man on Facebook makes it easy for him to reach out to you, to contact you, and to see what you're up to. Adding him on Facebook makes you into an easy woman to snag for him (at least when it comes to getting the chance to ask you out).

And a woman he sees has made herself easy for him to get in touch with and contact is a woman he doesn't have to invest in. *smile*

You may think that adding him on Facebook is androgynous and meaningless, but whether or not you were interested in him, it makes you an *easy woman* for him to get in touch with!

And remember, darling: the masculine man wants a woman he can *value*, and he can value a woman he has to *invest in*.

This is one of the only ways to truly be valued, respected, and appreciated by a masculine man in the beginning of the relationship! :-)

So, avoid adding him as a friend on Facebook. You may think that it's adrogynous and meaningless because of how common Facebook is, but what it does is make you easy -- easy to get in touch with, easy to contact, easy to ask out, and easy to figure out.

It takes away some of your mystery -- and we know how important mystery is to attraction and relationships, lovely! *smile*

If a masculine man wants to be your Facebook friend, he will add you and if you're only dating, you have no responsibility to accept his invitation (as a matter of fact, it might be better for you to just ignore it).

And don't use, "Maybe he tried to add me but couldn't find me..." as an excuse.

If a masculine man truly wants to add you on Facebook, he will make it happen, someway and somehow. The masculine man isn't scared off by what's difficult or a challenge and if he can't find you, he'll ask around, search in different ways, or find you somewhere else on the internet first.

But have faith, doll, that if a masculine man is truly interested in you and wants to add you on Facebook, he will make it happen. :-)

Other things that many feminine women make the mistake of doing on Facebook to the masculine man we're interested in, yet are actually counterproductive, are:

Writing on His Wall;

"Poking" him;

"Liking" his posts or photos;

Sending a short "innocent" message;

Posting links, photos, or memes on his wall;

Attempting to "Facebook chat" him;

Tagging him in a post so that you show up on his wall;

All of these actions may seem innocent to you, my feminine darling but to the masculine man they aren't. To the masculine man, you are the one being in your masculine and pursuing while he's the one being pursued, and you are the one investing while he's the one being invested in.

He might be receptive at first and might even go out on a date or two with you, but he won't truly value you, appreciate you, or maintain an interest and attraction to you in the longterm.

When you do these seemingly innocent things like "sharing" something on his wall, you are doing one of two things:

(1) You are pursuing him, being the masculine

(2) You are putting yourself in the friend zone (which you already did by adding him on Facebook -- but if he added you, but then you started writing on his wall, then you're doing it)

Don't get me wrong, lovely -- the masculine man will most likely enjoy the attention and being pursued. But he'd either enjoy your company as a friend or he'll take you out, enjoy your continuing to pursue him, but lose interest quickly.

The best thing to do as a feminine woman, darling, is to just not add him on Facebook and if he adds you and you accept, not initiate contact in seemingly innocent ways.

To the masculine man, your liking his status isn't innocent -- it's pursuit. And also remember that the masculine man's hunter instinct is very acute -- you may think you're playing it "cool", but when a feminine woman is truly interested in a man, he'll pick up on how you're acting out of interest no matter how "cool" you play it! *smile*

Well, lovely, that's all for my article "Facebook: How it Affects Attraction Between the Feminine Woman and the Masculine Man" -- I hope it helps you to avoid the mistakes I made on Facebook in the past with masculine men! :-)

Do you want to become a total woman, a *devastatingly feminine creature*? Consider joining my Feminine Darling Membership Program!

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The Importance of Mystery

2013-01-19T21:34:00.002-05:00

Good evening, darling!

There are many things that are important to have if you want to be an attractive feminine woman, however one of the most important things that you can do is to make sure to package all of your attractive traits with a hint of *mystery*. *smile*

I say a "hint" because no self-respecting high-value gentleman wants a woman who's secretive -- it would be extremely unwise for anyone to marry a woman who's dishonest and who obviously houses a treasure trove of secrets!

Honesty is an important trait to have in a relationship and any high-value self-respecting man would expect his future wife to be 100% honest with him about her affairs -- you can't grow a healthy garden in a soil of lies, my dear!

However, that being said, there is a point where honesty is not "the best policy" and when disclosing certain information just becomes unattractive or "too much info (TMI)." :-)

Maintaining an air of mystery is crucial, darling, in the early stages of a relationship with a man, because revealing too much too soon is extremely likely to "turn off" or deter any masculine man who's interested.

The challenge for the feminine woman is to radiate an *air of mystery* while still being honest, forthcoming, and authentic -- and feminine women never shy down from such a challenge! ;-)

A *true* masculine men ideally desires a woman who can balance both mystery and honesty together.

It's important for you to be honest to your man, darling. Good relationships are built off of trust and if you lie to him from the beginning, what does that say about your respect for the relationship -- not to mention him?

Also know that secrets always come out -- and if you actively hid these secrets, your trickery and lies will come out as well.

So, as you can see, it's much better to simply be *honest* from the beginning, doll. :-)

However, it's also extremely important that you cultivate mystery. Although it's crucial to your relationship that you do not lie or present yourself dishonestly while dating a man, it's also crucial that you can remain mysterious in the early stage of a relationship while being honest!

This is because men are natural born hunters and if you air all of your dirty laundry out to dry in front of him, where's the hunt?

Men don't want to know all of the dirty details of your life, your past job, and all of your ex-boyfriends on the first date, darling -- nonetheless, the second, third, fourth, or fifth date!

One of the most common complaints among males is that women take dating too seriously, as if they're on a mission to find a husband and make babies with him because their biological clock is ticking.

Men take each date "one date at a time" and their focus is on enjoying themselves and seeing if they can have fun with you and enjoy your company -- not to see if you're possible *wife material*!

Many men feel that women these days take dating too intensely and focus more on a *mission* than simply having fun and enjoying their company.

You should move through each date like a dance, darling -- there's no need to tell the poor man your life story when you're just dating or getting to know each other! *smile*

Remember that men want to chase and hunt and if you tell him everything about you in the first few weeks, where is the chase then? What else is there for him to unwrap, to uncover, to explore, and to discover?

Upholding mystery in the early stages of dating and a relationship gives a man a challenge and something to explore, unwrap, and discover. It speaks to the *hunter* in his biological makeup. :-)

However, even after marriage, it's still important to uphold a sense of mystery, although not to the same extent.

It's important before marriage to let the man get to know you inside and out and to not withhold pieces of information that you feel might change his mind about taking you as his *wife*. Remember that the masculine male knows the meaning of the word "responsibility" and values commitment -- once the masculine males commits to something, he sees it through.

This is why it's only fair and respectful to not withhold any information that you feel might change his desire for you. Not only is that incredibly sneaky, but it's also immoral and disrespectful to him and to your relationship -- and if you disrespect him enough to do such a thing, then why on earth are you marrying him? *smile*

A masculine man has the right to know the woman he's committing to before he does so -- one of my favorite qualities about the masculine man is that he values commitment and cherishes it, and knowing that that is true it's only kind and just for him to know what he's committing to!

However, although he should know everything about you before marriage, he doesn't need to see every part of you at any point in the relationship!

He must be made aware of a low credit score, financial irresponsibility, or any illness, however he doesn't need to know or see your grooming habits, before or after marriage -- so close the door when you're tweezing your eyebrows, love! :-)

Maintaining mystery is also important in other personal relationships, such as with your family and with your friends.

In some cases, upholding mystery is just polite and good taste -- if you are fortunate enough to be blessed with abundant wealth, for example, whether through a successful profession or a marriage to a wealthy man, it would be in poor taste to reveal the finery you have acquired to others in a gaudy and purposeful manner.

It would be in better taste and just kind, darling, to keep some sort of *mystery* about your newly acquired wealth, especially when you never know for sure the financial situation of your friends and those around you. *smile*

It's also the choice of a wise wife who keeps some mystery and distance from her family, love, after marriage.

If one has a good relationship with one's family, it's the feminine thing to do to stay in close contact and to offer to help them with what they need -- after all, our parents cared for us when we were children, so we should return the favor when they're elders in any reasonable way that we can. :-)

However, remember, dear one, that oftentimes one's family can create a *triangle* with our husband, causing us to put our husbands in second place and have him compete for our attention, love, and favor, when we should put our husbands first, as he's a part of ourselves. *smile*

Although the feminine woman does not abandon her family and, if she has a good relationship with them, attends to them and makes sure to care for them in old and weary age, she does not allow a competition or rivalry to occur between them and her husband.

Her husband is an extension of herself, a part of her, her other half, and together they are one unit, and she cares for him, walks beside him, and protects him, and never lets him think that she doesn't "have his back," so to speak. :-)

A feminine wife does not need to tell their parents and family every little detail of her marriage and new family life because the more she tells about her husband and the day-to-day happenings of his life, the more she's unknowingly opening him up to judgment, criticism, and attack from her family -- even though her family surely mean well!

This is where mystery can come in good use while balancing with love and attention to one's family, darling.

It's also wise to practice mystery in day-to-day situations -- while out and about, upholding a sense of mystery is upholding a sense of *propriety*, and is simply protecting oneself and one's image.

Don't be one of those unwise women who criticizes or fights with her husband in public. The waiter at the restaurant doesn't need to know what about your husband has been annoying you these past few weeks!

It's none of his business what goes on in your marriage, and neither is it your friends!

Protect your husband (and your marriage!) by never criticizing him in front of his family or friends because nothing is worse for the masculine man -- not only is this a huge blow to his pride and ego, darling, but it also shows a lack of respect and *damages his trust for you*.

Upholding a sense of mystery in public is also simply more graceful and elegant and it protects your image. *smile*

Well, darling, that's all for my post "The Importance of Mystery" -- I hope you liked it. :-)

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2013-01-17T15:10:00.000-05:00

This is a guest post by a woman named Brenda.

How to Make the Alpha Male Fall For You

Strong men have been a part of women's fantasies for a long time and they can make even the prettiest girl doubt herself. As times change, women are taking initiative not only in TV shows but in real life as well. Women are being bold and asking men out. But it is only the confident alpha male who can charm these modern women and exude the charisma that make almost every girl fall for them in an instant. So if you are a guy wondering how to become an alpha male, be sure to know how to remain calm, confident, and in control when you're with these feminine women.

On the other hand, if you're a woman who has been swept off her feet by one of these hot alpha males, there are a few things that you can do to stand out, be attractive to him, and grab his attention:

1. Be Beautiful - Men are known to get attracted to beauty instantly. You need to remember that ugliness is a concept that doesn't exist. You just need to be a little less lazy and a lot more active and attentive. Get a beautiful dress that you feel confident in. Don't wear something that makes you uncomfortable. Sharpen your communication skills and remember that it is a great personality that shall sustain you throughout the evening. So don't worry too much about your looks, be confident in yourself and be beautiful.

2. Let Him Make the First Move - This is the part of waiting for him to act on his impulses. You have done your bit already, you have approached him and now you two have exchanged numbers. Wait for him to call, no matter how much you want to talk to him. You don't want to seem desperate for his attention and instead, let him fight for your attention. Intrigue him by not calling him and he will be curious about your behavior.

3. Stroke And Feed His Ego - Being aloof and unconcerned works for some time but beyond a certain point, you have to reward him for his patience. Feed his ego and praise him. You don't have to flatter him by doling out false praise. There must be something you like in him or appreciate in his nature, tell him that and he would like you back. His ego needs stroking and if you don't overdo it, this could be a pretty great move.

4. Always Leave Him Wanting - Be a creature of mystery and don't give up on all of your moves and secrets in one meeting. There has to be something you want him to come back for, something that would make you dark and enigmatic. Always leave a little earlier than others and if he insists that you stay, politely refuse.

Alpha males are used to getting the attention from all around them and get really surprised when someone doesn't do that. This surprise makes them take notice of the person. You have to try and not drool over them, instead appearing busy and aloof. Eventually, with some practice, you will get a hang of these tricks and your alpha male will be yours.

Taxi Cab Etiquette

2013-01-17T13:00:00.002-05:00

Hello, my sweet darlings!

If you live in a big city or find yourself traveling to one, then the chances are quite high that you will find yourself taking a taxi cab, or "taxi"!

Although those who live in big cities or find themselves in them quite often are very comfortable with the idea of taking these cute little yellow cars, unknown to many, there is actually a specific form of etiquette associated -- and a *lady* should know how to take a taxi with elegance and manners.

First of all, one of the things that even some of the most *well-mannered ladies* forget is to treat the driver like a human being. Like Jackie Kennedy did, it's important to take the time to ask the driver about his day at the beginning of the ride.

For safety issues, it's important to never enter a taxi unless the driver has proper identification.

If you ever have a taxi driver who knows only a little English, be patient with him and try to communicate with him slowly, in well-modulated tones, using as simple language as possible.

If your taxi driver tries to strike up a conversation and you don't want to talk, simple one-syllable replies ("yes" or "no") can usually discourage him.

Always remember, darling, that a taxi driver is able to see and hear almost everything that goes on in the backseat, so behave accordingly. *smile* Remember when talking on your cellphone, as well, that you are not alone!

If you see a taxi coming down the street and you hail it and another one pulls up first, don't jump into it -- jump into the one that you hailed.

Never go after a taxi that someone else has hailed.

If you hail a taxi at the same time as another person, it's most ladylike to let them have it. :-)

If you feel that the driver is taking a different or roundabout route, ask him politely why he chose that route (there might be road work he'd like to avoid).

You should never eat or drink in a taxi, as you might spill something on the seat or floor.

Don't toss any trash on the floor -- take it with you.

If you the driver asks you not to smoke, respect his wishes (although I can't imagine any of my lovely readers smoking!). If he's smoking, you can ask him not to as well. *smile*

If the radio is turned on too loud for you to be comfortable, you can speak up. You can also speak up if the driver is driving too fast or recklessly for you to feel safe.

Give the driver sufficient warning as to which side of the street you want him to drop you off on -- remember to get out only on the curb side.

It's ladylike courtesy to tip your cab driver -- the usual tip is 15 - 20% of the total fare, but you can tip less if the driver is rude.

Well, sweet reader, that's all for my article "Taxi Cab Etiquette" -- I hope it helps you at some point! :-)

Would you like to achieve *true* femininity and become a Feminine Darling, dear reader?

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With Thanks...

The Importance of Intelligence

Ladies and Drinking

Facebook: How it Affects Attraction Between the Feminine Woman and the Masculine Man

The Importance of Mystery

Taxi Cab Etiquette

How to be Radiant (How to Sparkle)

Are You Ready to Step into the Shoes of a Goddess?