Gum can be a date saver when your breath is less than ideal, but be sure to toss it before your greeting. Gum is distracting. Gum makes you look insecure. Gum raises body issue flags. Gum inhibits you form having a completely gorgeous smile. Not to mention it is gross speaking to someone who is chomping on a spitty piece of gum! If you really need to freshen your breath, opt for a much more tasteful mint.

We’ve all been there – on a date with a guy with a wandering eye. He thinks he is being slick but he is beyond obvious – his clever chit-chat with the waitress, his need to stretch his neck as the girl in the spandex skirt passes by… you get the idea. And how does it make us feel? Horrible, to say the least. But here’s a newsflash – we ladies aren’t so innocent when it comes to having peripheral flirting mechanisms. As a former bartender I can tell you, women do it just as much as men. this may seem obvious but as a former bartender i can tell you it happens all the time. So, if you want the courtesy of being paid attention to exclusively, stay focused on the guy in front of you and save your gazes for nights out with the girls.

An open mouth smile conveys total radiance –  a female magnetism that attracts men from across a room! The simple act of opening wide and showing your pearly whites makes you appear open and confident… two highly attractive qualities. Conversely, the open mouth smile can indicate that you are trying to hide something or that you are trying to hard to look cute, as opposed to being so comfortable in your own skin that you can just let go. Finally the open mouth smile says, “You can trust me. I’m open. I won’t bite.”

I get it. We live and therefore date in a text obsessed world. And in many ways, texting is great – saves time, is convenient, allows you to think before you speak. HOWEVER, text communication with a new guy should be limited ot transactional information – where to meet, that you are running five minutes late, etc…. not real conversation. You see, over texting, defined as when texting replaces good old fashioned phone or face-to-face chit chat is a serious danger zone. It can create emotional distance, fantasies of a relationship, dumb arguments based on misunderstood context/tone, and of course turn you into an easy booty call target. A good rule of thumb – if the text is more than 25 words, pick up the phone. If he won’t, you should. Change the game if you want to change the outcome!

Remember when boys on the playground used to show off for the girls? Like they would outdo each other on the pull up bar, try to get away with the most debauchery, or spray milk from their nose the furthest? Well their antics may have changed but their desire, now as grown man, hasn’t. Men like to impress women. Call it a caveman thing if you will, but as women, we need to cheerlead their efforts…e specially when it involves them making asses of themselves. So pay attention – when you are out on a date and you notice that a guy is saying or doing something to impress you, acknowledge it. The more you do, the higher his confidence and the higher his confidence in his actions, the more effort he will put into you.