Sidebar: Hello Dolly

One of my all time favorite pastimes – is not actually dating, but it is the act of getting ready for a date. Sometimes, the part of sprucing ones self up for a big night on the town can be WAY more fun than the night itself.

Indeed - I am that girl who pours over Allure looking for beauty tips; scours the pages of Lucky for the latest and greatest; and the one whose bathroom contains so many products that it is starting to look like an outpost of a high-end pharmacy.

There are currently four levels to my pre-date process – which depend on a few factors: who you are, how much I like you, and where we are going. The levels are as follows:

Level One (basic)…shaving legs, blow drying my own hair, light make up, and wearing whatever is toward the front of my closet

Level Two (above average)…shaving legs, blow drying my own hair, manicure and pedicure, make up; eye brow shaping, and wearing the newest thing I already own

Level Three (prom night)…shaving legs, straightening or curling my hair, manicure and pedicure,make up, eye brow shaping, tan, and buying a new outfit

Level Four (closing the deal)….all of the above, plus a blow out, a bikini wax, and a new outfit expensive enough to have my credit card company call to make sure it wasn’t fraud before they’d approve the purchase on something positively drool worthy

Level One is for casual or daytime dates, lame invitations, and moments when work is too crazy for me to have time to do anything else. Level Two is what I almost always do for most every date. One would get me to Level Three for a black tie event, meeting the parents, big occasions, or an evening where I am just not getting the attention I deserve from my man so I am kicking it up a notch. Level Four is for if your name is Prince Albert, George Clooney, or Hugh Grant and we are going on a date. OK - there are other ways to get me to Level Four outside being one of the aforementioned men....but it certainly isn't a common occurrence.