Blog Posts by Smitten, Glamour Magazine

by Melissa Melms, Glamour

Happy New Year, you guys! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and some insane NYE parties. And since it's the beginning of 2013, it's time to take a good look at those resolutions you're planning.

OK, I'll go first. This year, I'm vowing to have sex with the lights on more often. I'll admit it, I've had body image issues my entire life. I'm constantly worrying about my pants size and whether or not those M&Ms I ate are going to show.

See more: Cute Boots for Every Budget

I'm just not entirely comfortable in my own body yet; it's a work in progress. J, on the other hand, loves my body. He loved me ten pounds heavier and he loves me now (post-workout kick). And I want to feel as comfortable with my own body as he is with it. I'm talking walk-around-the-house-buck-naked confident. And that's why one of my resolutions is to have sex with the lights on. To J, "Sexy is a girl who wants to have sex with the lights on." And maybe this Read More »from 2013 Resolution: Have Sex with the Lights

by Gena Kaufman, Glamour

It is officially the first day of winter which means that fall, my personal favorite season for dating, is over. And unfortunately, it's replaced by the worst three-month period for romance of the year as far as I'm concerned.

Sure, it has its redeeming qualities--romantic ice skating and hot cocoa dates, rosy cheeks, men in scarves (my favorite!)--but it has so many, many more downers in the world of love. From the freezing temperatures to the unfortunate physical side effects, here is a collection of things about winter that make dating just a little less fun:

See more: Cute Boots for Every Budget

1. Unflattering winter coats and layers.
2. No matter how much snuggling and cuddling you do, it's still too cold to really want to take your clothes off.
3. And it's definitely too cold for a sexy peek of skin in your outfit. What am I supposed to attract men with, my wit and charm? (JK. Kind of.)
4. Speaking of skin, winter skin: Pasty, dry, flaky. Sexy!
5.

Read More »from 14 Reasons Why Winter is the Worst Season for Dating

buy Gena Kaufman, Glamour

You know how regular gym goers get annoyed at the first of the year because all the newbies with their New Year's resolutions are taking up the machines? Evidently it's kind of like that with online dating too!

See more: Cute Boots for Every Budget

According to Match.com, January 2 is the busiest day of the year for new membership registrations. Last year, there was a 55% increase in new memberships on that day alone. Evidently, there's an overall spike from December 25th to February 14th (decisions to join a dating site during engagement season do not surprise me), but the biggest day comes post-New Year's resolutions. According to Match.com's Chief Scientific Advisor, Dr. Helen Fisher, "As the holidays come to an end, we naturally resolve to fill what's missing in our lives -- particularly love, the most powerful of our human needs and joys." In fact, in a recent survey Match.com conducted, 65% of singles are making a New Year's resolution related to

Read More »from Guess What January 2nd Means for Dating?

by Gena Kaufman, Glamour

Conde Nast ArchiveLast year when I was still freshly off a breakup, it was all I could do to survive the holidays as a single lady. I put on a happy face when I could, and I occasionally even enjoyed myself, but mostly I felt bitter and tense and sad. Thank goodness for holiday champagne.

I'm not beating myself up for taking some time to get here, but this year, I could not be more into the Christmas spirit. All the bitterness I felt about facing the holidays alone last year has just evaporated into a haze of good cheer.

Here are 8 things that have helped me get there:

Reliving childhood traditions: Last year I was grumpy because I was dwelling on the past years with my ex-boyfriend, but I should have gone even further back in time! Remember when you were a kid and the holidays were about magic and fun, not being the only single person at the cocktail party? Sure, you can't avoid the occasional lone Christmas elf in a room full of Mr. and Mrs. Clauses situation, but you can

Read More »from 8 Ways to Truly Embrace the Holidays as a Single Girl

by Gena Kaufman, Glamour
















Need a little end of year inspiration for picking up your dating life? Let's check out the trendiest dating sites of the year. According to Google Zeitgest, online dating is popular enough (duh) to warrant its own top trending searches list, and here are the sites people searched for the most:

1. PlentyofFish
2. Match
3. OKcupid
4. eHarmony
5. DateHookup
6. Zoosk
7. Christian Mingle
8. AdultFriendFinder
9. JDate
10. SinglesNet

Have you tried any of these? I've dabbled in a few, but seeing as how I haven't had any long-term success...I might need to check out a few more! You've probably noticed from my posts that I tend to be pretty site-loyal to OKCupid, but like every generic online dating profile in the world says, I'm always up for trying new things!

Are any of these your go-to sites? Did you use any this past year? And will you make a resolution to try a new dating site next year?

More from Glamour:
The Best Coat for Your Body
10 Hot

Read More »from The 10 Most Popular Dating Sites of 2012

by Meredith Turits, Glamour

Holiday cheer! Beverages that end in "-nog"! Your boyfriend's relatives screaming at each other as you awkwardly stand there, noting you are related to none of these people, yet here to witness this all go down!

So, hopefully this won't be the case for you, but, honestly, it's possible. Holidays are difficult for lots of reasons," says Dr. Deanna Brann, Ph.D, and clinical psychotherapist. "It's a stressful time anyway for most people, but people also have a Norman Rockwell mindset for what that is supposed to be, and not many people have that. Issues are magnified, worst behavior starts to come out." Brann is also the author of Reluctantly Related: Secrets To Getting Along With Your Mother-in-Law or Daughter-in-Law, so I tapped her to spill all the wisdom she had to help survive visiting your guy's family for the first time.

See more: Cute Boots for Every Budget

Behold, Brann's has these top three tips to keep in mind:

1. Be a team player. When you go

Read More »from How to Make Sure Visiting His Family for the First Time Isn't a Holiday Disaster

by Melissa Melms, Glamour

Conde Nast Archive You get the invite from work: "Please come to this year's holiday bash…and bring a friend!" Are you more likely to RSVP +1 or hit the party up solo?

Back in the day (you know, in like 2010), I was all for bringing J to my work holiday parties. Right out of college I worked with mainly guys at this lifestyle magazine in Hoboken, NJ, but I wanted my guy by my side while they brought their girlfriends and wives. Since it was such a small office, inviting an extra 5 people (our significant others) wasn't a huge deal. We were all friends so it truly was a big party.

But now I'm all for flying solo at the office bash. Glamour is pretty big and pretty much all ladies, so I like to enjoy a sort of girls' night out with my coworkers. And since J's office is big, too, he goes to his holiday party by himself and enjoys a night out with his buds. Maybe it's because we're living together (or because our jobs require a little extra networking), but we don't invite each

Read More »from The Pros and Cons of Bringing Your S.O. To Your Work Holiday Party (I’m All for Flying Solo!)

by Melissa Melms, Glamour

It's really funny how things can change in a year's time. You can move in with a guy, have the time of your life figuring out the whole cohabitation thing and maybe even get engaged. Hey, it happened to me!

Yeap, in October 2011, J moved into my one bedroom apartment in Hoboken. We had been dating for two years at the time and were both ready to take the next step in our relationship--a step neither of us had taken with anyone else before. And here I am, a little over a year later, engaged this past October and now I'm planning our wedding.

I remember sitting down to write about "boyfriend-proofing" my apartment right before J moved in. I was so nervous about hiding my tampons and trying to make as much room for him as possible in the closet. Oh, how naive I was! You see, those boyfriend-proofing tips only last a couple months into living with your guy. You can primp and hide your feminine products, but when you're comfortable together you form brand new

Read More »from The 7 Things You Learn Your First Year Living with a Guy