Life is full of surprises. There are occasions where you don’t know where you’ll be in the next hour or unexpected guests will pop in “to say hello.” It’s important to keep these surprises in mind and be prepared for them. A beautiful and charming lady always keeps a clean living area, wears clean underwear and drives a tidy car.

The Importance of a Clean Living Space:
Whether you live by yourself or with a roommate, strive to keep your living area tidy and presentable. If you live by yourself, you never know when you’ll have an unexpected guest come by. Nothing is worse than having a guest see old bowls of food, a filthy bathroom, dirty laundry or other unmentionable clutter. If you live with roommates, being tidy is considerate. Your roommate does not want to clean up after you just as you do not want to clean up after your roommate. Furthermore, you never know when your roommate or landlord may have to enter your room for whatever emergency reason. Having piles of dirty clothing strewn about, a foul odor or your belongings a-scatter is downright embarrassing. Another reason you should keep a clean living area is because clutter is a physical manifestation of indecision and mental disorganization. Keep your living area tidy and I can promise you, you’ll feel more organized, put-together and decisive.

The Importance of Wearing Clean Unmentionables:
Always wearing clean underwear is a tip your mother gave you. If (heaven forbid) you were ever involved in an accident and you were rushed to the emergency room, you would be awfully embarrassed if the doctors or paramedics saw your dirty undergarments.

Photo Courtesy of: Nikita Kasher

Aside from this, wearing clean underwear is common sense and a practice of good hygiene. Clean underwear prevents uncomfortable feminine itch and excruciatingly painful urinary tract infections. While you’re at it, wearing undergarments that make you feel sexy will do wonders for your self-esteem. Hanky Panky and Cosabella both carry comfortable yet sensual styles.The Importance of Keeping a Tidy Car:
As an intelligent, driven, busy woman, I realize your car has become your space in-between home, work, going out, your significant other’s, your parents etc. It’s not surprising to find books, magazines, 5+ pairs of shoes, cardigans and other assorted pieces from my closet in the back of my car. However, it is important that you keep your car tidy in case you have an unexpected passenger. It is quite embarrassing when you are desperately trying to make room for your passenger among your mess. Also keep in mind, the same principles about your living space apply to your car. Don’t forget to get your car washed occasionally.

Whether you want to believe it or not, most people are aware of how tidy others are. Oppositely, because your living space and your car (and your undergarments, if you will) are YOUR personal spaces, you ought to keep them clean- for your own sake. Though only you may be aware of the cut, color and design of your undergarments, there is nothing wrong with keeping on top of these details for yourself. A beautiful and charming lady is always tidy.

There are some women who always look polished, fresh and put together. When you see these women, you stare and wonder, “what is it about her that makes her look so put together?” You squint and analyze her, then quickly turn away when she turns around and catches you are staring at her. Is it her clothing? Her height? Her makeup? The fact that you are in a swanky department store in Beverly Hills? No. Women who always look polished all know one thing: it’s in the details. You don’t have to be a certain height, have X amount of money or plastic surgery done. It’s all in the details.

1. Have your eyebrows professional shaped:
It doesn’t matter if you get them waxed, sugared, tweezed or threaded; just get them professionally shaped. I’ve seen far too many women who have attempted to shape their own eyebrows only to end up looking very surprised or with eyebrows the shape of sperm. Have a professional shape them for you every 2-3 weeks, then tweeze stray hairs between appointments. The perfect eyebrows are not too thin and not too thin. The perfect eyebrow aligns with the inner part of your eye and ends at the outer corner of your eye. The perfect eyebrow will also help your eyes look bigger and brighter. A professional will know how to shape your brow to flatter your face and eye shape. And please, by all means, step away from the magnifying mirror when maintaining your brows between appointments.

2. Wear lip liner and lipstick:
Find a lipstick that is a “nude” or just a shade darker than your natural lip color. Personally, I wear MAC’s lip liner in Whirl with MAC’s Hug Me or Fanfare (for reference, I am a NC35 in MAC foundation). I know many women of different complexions who seem to gravitate towards Hug Me. Though I would suggest that you go to the makeup counter and ask the makeup artists to assist you in picking the right combination. The right lipstick should be natural looking yet brighten up your face. Wearing lip liner draws attention to the shape of your lips while preventing your lipstick from “feathering” (the small ridges you see on the edges of your lips when applying lipstick).

3. Mind your nails:
Fingernails are representative of how a well a woman takes care of herself. Make sure your fingers nails are always clean, trimmed and polished. If you can’t be bothered to polish them, at least have them buffed. If you tend to “color outside the lines”, lighter nail polish colors are more forgiving. You can also get away with not having to re-paint your nails when they chip. I don’t use drugstore brand nail polish because I find that the colors aren’t as vibrant and they tend to chip quicker. Princess Rules! is one of my favorite OPI nail polishes. Darker colors are sexy and vampy but are hard to maintain. Use a clear top coat to prolong the life of your beautifully polished nails. Bonus tip: Use cuticle butter to keep your cuticles moisturized and tame. I like Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.

4. Iron away those wrinkles:
On your clothing, that is. Ironing is a small detail that matters. Wearing crumpled clothing takes away from your beauty and draws attention to… well, your wrinkled clothing. Learn to iron properly and you’ll always look polished and put-together. Spraying starch on your clothing helps them to look crisper and neater. Be sure to let the starch penetrate your clothing before running the iron over them. You ought to carefully read the care labels on the inside of your clothing, as well. Shortcut: If you don’t have time to iron, throw your clothing into the dryer for a couple minutes while you are applying make-up. Your clothes won’t look crisp and pressed, but at least they won’t be wrinkled.

5. Tame your mane:
Your hair plays a huge part in always looking polished. Your hair ought to always be clean. Different types of hair will call for different types of shampoo, conditioner and routine but you must always make sure your hair isn’t stringy or oily. This is especially important if you have bangs and/or oily skin. Sephora sells dry shampoo for those times when you are running from work to happy hour and can’t wash your hair. If you are in a real pickle, sprinkle and rub baby powder in your hair. Hair that looks sculpted and shiny helps a woman look polished. To keep hair flyaway free, use a spot of hair serum or pomade (be careful as too much product leads to oily hair and scalp build-up). I recommend Got 2b Defiant Hair Pomade as a drug store product or Phyto Phytolisse Finishing Serum for a higher-end product.

There you have it. Looking polished doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, nor does it take very much effort. Looking polished is all in the details. Next time you see a woman who looks put together and polished, see if you can point out these details in her.

This is part one of my “how to look polished” series, so stay tuned for part two.

While email, social networks, text messaging and instant messages become our main methods of communication, the good old fashioned thank you card becomes almost obsolete. Thank you cards are not only necessary, but express a level of gratitude that a text message or message/wall scribble on Facebook cannot.

When Should I Send a Thank You Card?
You ought to send a thank you card whenever you get a gift, someone goes out of their way to help you, you were a house guest or had an interview for a potential job (though the rules here are a bit different and will be reserved for another post) and any other time you’d like to express appreciation. You should also send a thank you card as soon as you can. Think: immediately to 3 days after the event.

Where Can I Buy Thank You Cards?
These are readily available anywhere that sell greeting cards (Wal-Mart, Target, Papyrus etc). I have my own set of monogrammed stationary and encourage you to have the same. My very best thank you cards come from Crane & Co. I prefer classic and elegant thank you cards but if you must, cutesy cards are acceptable (note: cutesy cards do not work well for post job interview correspondence).

What Should I Write in My Thank You Card?
A classic thank you card has the following components:
Date
Salutation (Dear Aunt Joanne,…)
Thank you for…
How you plan to utilize the gift (The blender will come in handy as I’m on a smoothie kick…)
Compliment the sender (You always know exactly what I want…)
Express your gratitude (I appreciate your gift, thank you again…)
Complimentary closing (Very sincerely,..)
Signature

Do not include any personal updates, personal details or gossip. Keep the note short, simple and to the point. Thank you cards are not to be used as updates about your life or inquiring about the lives of others.

When in Doubt, Send the Thank You Card- it NEVER Hurts.
Taking a moment to hand write a thank you card shows gratitude, class and thoughtfulness. Remember, as we progress towards a culture of e-mail and online interaction, thank you cards cut through the electronic clutter. Sending a thank you card lets people know you acknowledge and appreciate their kindness. It’s also an excuse to go stationary shopping.

When was the last time you sent a thank you card?