Blog Posts by Smitten, Glamour Magazine

By Rosemary Brennan, Glamour magazine

Holidays are all about giving and who doesn't love presenting their main squeeze with a thoughtful and cool gift he'll flip for?! This afternoon, we're sharing seven holiday gift ideas for your boyfriend.

Here come the holidays! And with that…loads of people you hardly know. If you will be celebrating among your boyfriend's relatives, you'll need to do a little mental preparation. Read on to find out how to ensure you'll be on your best behavior, survive the insanity, and become the favorite of all you meet.

DO join the holiday traditions. Find out what traditions are important to his family. Even if they're wacky, participate! If you see a future with your guy, think about how you can incorporate his traditions with yours. It's a way of showing him respect.

DON'T stay glued to your guy. Be brave, Woman. Get out there and bond. This is your time to form relationships with his family, and they won't get to know you if you're a stage-five clinger to their son/brother/nephew. (Also, it's kind of insulting if you don't demonstrate an active interest in them.)


Related: Holiday Gifts for Men: Exactly What to Buy Your Guy

DO offer to help. Find a way to contribute, whether it's helping to

By Erin Meanley, Glamour magazine

While some companies are scaling back this year, it's possible yours is throwing the same annual holiday bash it always does. Maybe you're already having visions of wearing a fancy frock, eating free steak au poivre, and waltzing around the dance floor. All you need is a date, right? Wrong! There's enough stress this time of year-don't add to the pressure by worrying about being single during the holidays. Here are 5 reasons it's cool to stag it to the office party:

1. While your colleagues are busy clinging to their spouses or babysitting their inappropriate guests, you can suck up (subtly) to your superiors. Heck, flirt a little. Studies show that displaying your feminine side at work will help you climb the corporate ladder.

Related: Holiday Gifts for Men: Exactly What to Buy Your Guy

2. Be your own publicist. Your boss may not know you exist, but her husband might notice how you discuss China's monetary policy at the table. You'll have

By Erin Meanley, Glamour magazine

As far as dates go, the dinner date seems to be on the endangered list. More often than not, it gets replaced by "grabbing a drink" or "grabbing a coffee." If, however, you get so lucky as to sit across from a guy and be able to look him in the eye over a candlelit meal, peruse this list of food categories that can derail your confidence (or your entire date!):

1. Foods that are awkward to eat
Remember the three "S"s: salad, sushi, and spaghetti. Salads that aren't chopped are a messy mouthful (beware giant leaves and cherry tomatoes that squirt). Sushi rolls can be so huge that they're awkward to eat. Spaghetti is also a problem (disregard this if you're good at twirling your pasta, but do remember that tomato sauce tends to splash, particularly when you're wearing white).

Related: 25 First-Date Dos and Don'ts

2. Foods with odors that hang around-or revisit you later
If you read the menu and see the words garlic, onion, marinated, truffle

This man cave transforms a tandem garage. Two TVs are the focal points of the space. Salvaged inspirational posters, antique flags, and team jerseys enhance the spirited, rah-rah atmosphere. The Astroturf provides texture and blends in seamlessly with the wood-like furniture palette, yet juxtaposes nicely with sleeker, more artificial elements, like the neon signs and fiberglass surfboards. Not pictured: a full-size kegerator, leather couches, maps, bikes, etc. Interior design by Matt and Rob.By Erin Meanley, Glamour magazine

I visited the most pimped out man cave the other week. Upon crossing the threshold, I just couldn't believe someone had taken the time to decorate so thoroughly with beer signs, jerseys, sports memorabilia, and trophies. He had also built a kegerator from scratch.

Immediately, I detected threateningly high levels of testosterone in the air, and it caused me to feel uneasy-like when you step out on a humid day after spending an hour straightening your hair. It made me think this person was not relationship-ready since he was nesting in what looked like Sigma Chi 2.0. But slowly-with his help, no less-I have begun to see the overwhelming benefits of dating a boy with a man cave…and here they are, in no particular order:

1. It keeps him from ogling, meeting, and/or talking to girls.
If something female wanders into the man cave, it's either you, your cat, or like, a housekeeper.

Related: 3 Cheap Double Date Ideas

2. It keeps him from drunk driving

By Erin Meanley, Glamour magazine

My friend is dating a guy who is bad news. It makes me cringe to hear about him. And while it's fine if you just want to have a fling, it's not a recipe for long-term happiness. I never put up with crappy behavior-it's a waste of my time-and I especially wouldn't get into a relationship with any of the tools I've outlined below. Read on to find out which guys you should never date.

1. The loafer-dreamer. It's fine if a guy is unemployed. That's pretty common these days. But is he at least looking? Don't nag, but do ask. You may be the breadwinner in the relationship, which is great, but will he pull his weight with other ventures, like planning dates? Or will everything always be on you? Don't date a guy you're going to resent one day.

2. The negative Ned. Some guys are glass-is-half-empty people, which is fine. But shouldn't a guy feel a little more positive than normal around a woman he wants to impress? If your guy doesn't make an effort to

By Erin Meanley, Glamour magazine

I was at a bridal shower in Bel Air this weekend when the hostess mentioned that her neighbor was a well-known adult entertainment star but looked like your everyday mom and was quite a nice neighbor. In fact, the adult actress was so-ahem-hospitable that she'd even had them over to her house for a bite to eat.

The hostess also told us she'd recently been to the salon and mentioned the name of her neighbor to her hairdresser. A woman in the chair next to her had been eavesdropping and said, "I'm in porn. Everyone hates her-she's dirty." The hostess made a mental note: "I have to stop getting my hair done in the Valley." Ha.

Related: 15 Things Men Don't Want You to Know About Them

Anyway, the story reminded me of something I heard long ago…that men want a good girl to marry but a porn star in the bedroom.

Anyway, I'm making some huge jumps here, but given that the porn star neighbor has a daughter and hosts dinner parties...is it

By Erin Meanley, Glamour magazine

Ladies, I've got a little tip for ya. If you want your guy to do you a favor, like taking out the trash, or you want him to grant you a wish, like taking you on a Vegas weekender, there's an optimal time of day to ask him-and it's after 6 p.m. A recent survey of over 1,000 adults found that men, because of their mood swings (or natural biorhythms!), are most likely to say "yes" in the evening.

You want to approach them when they're least likely to be cranky, which is later in the day.

Related: 15 Things Men Don't Want You to Know About Them

Years ago, I was writing an article about PMS and I asked an author and M.D. if there was such a thing as guy PMS. She said that women have a monthly cycle and men have a daily cycle. She went on to explain that a man's testosterone is highest in the morning, so it's best to ask for a favor after 4 p.m.

Who knows, it could be hocus pocus, but anyway-try manipulating your guy tonight and tell me how