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	<title>$30 date night &#124; Date Ideas, Marriage &#38; Romance Blog &#187; Married Life</title>
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	<link>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com</link>
	<description>Dating Ideas for Savvy Couples</description>
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		<title>Get Lips Guys Will Love!</title>
		<link>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/22/get-lips-guys-will-love/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/22/get-lips-guys-will-love/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:50:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Em's View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Married Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Lips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kissable Lips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lips Guys Love]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/?p=2365</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Continuing our week of beauty, the divine Stefanie from The Lip Print imparts her beauty wisdom on us with great tips for great lips!

Picture this: you’re enjoying a blissful Date Night with your partner. The mood is perfect, there’s ambient lighting and smooth background music. You close your eyes and lean in for a kiss [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/fuss-free-beauty-%e2%80%93-things-i-love/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love'>Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/09/27/how-to-make-a-love-map/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to Make a Love Map'>How to Make a Love Map</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/03/11/love-plug-hollywood-make-out-mints/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Love Plug: Hollywood Make-Out Mints'>Love Plug: Hollywood Make-Out Mints</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Continuing our week of beauty, the divine <a href="http://twitter.com/thelipprint" target="_blank">Stefanie</a> from <a href="http://the-lip-print.blogspot.com" target="_blank">The Lip Print</a> imparts her beauty wisdom on us with great tips for great lips!</p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/red-lips.jpg" alt="Red Lips" /></div>
<p>Picture this: you’re enjoying a blissful Date Night with your partner. The mood is perfect, there’s ambient lighting and smooth background music. You close your eyes and lean in for a kiss but suddenly your partner recoils in horror “What IS that sticky stuff on your lips?!”</p>
<p>Many a Date Night has had the mood spoiled by too-sticky lipgloss. As far as guys go it’s the mortal enemy, never mind the fact that you spent $50 on it and it comes in a pretty case with a designer logo. They don’t care about that.</p>
<p>There are certain things to avoid when you know you’ll be locking lips with your other-half.</p>
<p><strong>Sticky gloss</strong><br />
This is the best way to make your guy keep his lips well away from yours, avoid at all costs! Try something with a smooth non-sticky texture like a nice lip balm (<a href="http://www.lanolips.com/" target="_blank">Lanolips</a> are my favourite!) <em>(I like <a href="http://www.hissyfit.com.au/products.php?c_id=AU#prodLipService" target="_blank">Hissyfit&#8217;s Lip Service</a> which comes with an SPF or Ye Olde <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucas-Papaw-Ointment/17235866691" target="_blank">Paw Paw Ointment</a> &#8211; Emma) </em></p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/lush-lip-scrub.jpg" alt="Lush Sugar Lip Scrub" /></div>
<p><strong>Cracked or Flaky lips</strong><br />
Kissing frogs is for fairy-tales, not real life. Unless your man has a reptile fetish; scrub those lips immediately! <a href="http://lush.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=10299" target="_blank">Lush</a> make an amazing sugar lip scrub that’s perfect for gently buffing away dead skin. It comes in two flavours: mint chocolate and vanilla chocolate, there’s nothing wrong with getting both!</p>
<p><strong>Super bright lips</strong><br />
Red lips are glamorous, elegant and chic – sounds perfect for a date night right? Well, I can tell you that it doesn’t look so glamorous when smeared all over your man’s face. Try a long-wearing version for better staying power like <a href="http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT168&amp;PRODUCT_ID=1046" target="_blank">Mac Pro-Longwear</a>, to keep the colour on your lips and not his. Even better is a lip stain which gives your lips a nice dose of colour and will not budge through even the most ‘enthusiastic’ kissing session.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/fuss-free-beauty-%e2%80%93-things-i-love/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love'>Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/09/27/how-to-make-a-love-map/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to Make a Love Map'>How to Make a Love Map</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/03/11/love-plug-hollywood-make-out-mints/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Love Plug: Hollywood Make-Out Mints'>Love Plug: Hollywood Make-Out Mints</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Fuss-Free Beauty &#8211; New Fun Things</title>
		<link>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/21/fuss-free-beauty-new-fun-things/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/21/fuss-free-beauty-new-fun-things/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:40:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Em's View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Married Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beauty Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fuss-Free Beauty]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/?p=2339</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are three new things in particular that have come to my attention this week in the fuss-free beauty arena. I&#8217;m pretty excited about them! As we discussed earlier in the week, being in a relationship makes me lazy when it comes to grooming. I know a lot of other women in the same boat. [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/fuss-free-beauty-%e2%80%93-things-i-love/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love'>Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/a-week-of-beauty-on-30-date-night/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A Week of Beauty on $30 Date Night'>A Week of Beauty on $30 Date Night</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/11/09/date-night-review-joint-manicures/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Date Night Review: Joint Manicures'>Date Night Review: Joint Manicures</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are three new things in particular that have come to my attention this week in the fuss-free beauty arena. I&#8217;m pretty excited about them! As we discussed earlier in the week, being in a relationship makes me lazy when it comes to grooming. I know a lot of other women in the same boat. It&#8217;s too easy to just think &#8220;Meh, he&#8217;s seen me at my worst and he&#8217;s still around, why should I bother shaving my legs before sex tonight? Why would I wear uncomfortable lacy underwear when my beige bog-catchers are so much comfier?&#8221;</p>
<p>Here are some brand spanking new things to make your daily life that much more glamorous &#8211; with minimal effort required!</p>
<p><strong>1. The New York Manicure </strong><br />
I always feel more pulled together when my nails have been done. And I will not wear open toed shoes (or even show my feet in front of mister if I can help it) unless they&#8217;ve been pedicured. Which is why I&#8217;m out-of-my-brain excited about this:</p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/new-york-shellac-manicure.jpg" alt="Sarah Wilcocks from Style Melbourne Getting Her Shellac On" /></div>
<p>The world&#8217;s first hybrid gel-polish manicure has arrived, ladies! Shellac is incredible. Firstly, it is set and dried instantly under a UV light so nuffies like me can&#8217;t smudge it the second they&#8217;ve stepped out of the salong. Secondly, it comes in a range of divine colours from pale, girly pinks to vixen reds to Twilight-blacks. And (here&#8217;s the best bit) unlike normal polish manicures, this baby lasts for two whole weeks without chipping!</p>
<p>TWO WEEKS. And yes, it really lasts two weeks. They&#8217;re not just saying that. Of course, for something so stellar it costs a bit more than your average mani. But I think $50 (that&#8217;s $3.50 a day) for two weeks of perfect fingertips is not a lot to pay.</p>
<p>The polish is removed with Shellac&#8217;s special acetone-soaked pads which sit only on your fingernail to minimise contact with the skin.</p>
<p>The only place I know of in Australia doing the New York Manicure so far is <a title="Beaute Medi Spa" href="http://beaute2001.com.au" target="_blank">Beaute @ 2001</a> in Doncaster, Melbourne. There&#8217;s nothing else on the web yet announcing that anyone else is doing it, but if you know of anywhere do post it below for us! Here&#8217;s a pic of gorgeous <a href="http://twitter.com/stylemelbourne" target="_blank">Sarah Willcocks</a> from <a href="http://stylemelbourne.com.au" target="_blank">Style Melbourne</a> getting her nails done at the Beaute Sparty.</p>
<p><strong>2. The Cellulite-Sucker </strong><br />
I trialled this techniSPA treatment by <a href="http://guinot.com.au">Guinot</a> the other day at the <a href="http://beaute2001.com.au">Beaute</a> VIP Sparty (Spa Party) held in the divine Style Suite at Westfield Doncaster. They were also showing off their New York Manicure above and a host of other decadent pampering stations, all served up with bubbly and cupcakes. Quite a nice start to the week!</p>
<p>Cellulite reduction wouldn&#8217;t usually be my first choice of treatments as I (praise the Lord, I&#8217;m hoping it&#8217;s good genes and it stays this way) don&#8217;t have <em>much</em> cellulite to worry about on my thighs, plus, I don&#8217;t get my pins out all that often.</p>
<p>But even with that considered, I was blown away by this treatment. A special gel is applied to your thighs and butt region and then they hand you a metal rod to clutch. Then, they get a little machine that looks and feels like a baby dustbuster and run it over your entire leg and buttocks. It doesn&#8217;t hurt at all, feels quite nice actually.</p>
<p>It works to stimulate the fat cells through the skin, draining and firming them with stimulation. At the same time, it physically breaks down the cellulite structure and dissolves the fat, letting it process through your system.</p>
<p>I felt the results immediately afterwards when I was inspecting my thighs at home in the bathroom. The skin is firmer, more lifted. A course of 12 treatments is optimum, with case studies showing thigh circumference reduced by 3.44cm and a 35.46% increase in firmness.</p>
<p>It will usually set you back $120 per treatment so it&#8217;s a bit of an investment but if your thighs really do bother you, I say it&#8217;s reasonable! Right now, our friends at <a href="http://beaute2001.com.au">Beaute Medi Spa</a> have it at $60 per treatment for the month of July (hurry!).</p>
<p><strong>3. Cadiveu Brazilian Keratin Treatment</strong><br />
This one has just knocked not only my socks off, but all the frizz from my hair.</p>
<p>I have unruly hair. Cowlicks, frizz patches, won&#8217;t obey the blowdryer. And after years of highlighting, it&#8217;s looking a little worse for wear around the ends as well.</p>
<p>So when my hairdresser offered me a chance to trial her new Cadiveu Brazilian Keratin Treatment, I thought it sounded too good to be true. And of course I jumped at it.</p>
<p>The promises are simple: Keratin (which your hair is made of) will reseal the hair shaft, filling in any damaged places and leaving your locks silky, shiny, smooth. One great side effect is the straightening.</p>
<p>The Cadiveu treatment is the new frontier in Brazilian Keratin. The brilliant thing about this one is that you can wash your hair immediately afterwards, unlike the older generation treatments where you can&#8217;t wet your hair, or tie it up for four days afterwards. This also means the chemicals are washed out of your hair before you even go home. That&#8217;s a bonus in my book.</p>
<p>The before and after pics speak for themselves:</p>
<p>This is my hair dried off before the Brazilian Keratin treatment. No brushes used.</p>
<div class="captioncenter"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/before-keratin.jpg" alt="My hair naturally dried before Keratin Treatment" /></div>
<p>This is my hair dried off after the keratin treatment. No brushes used whatsoever. It sits looking like this no matter what. I&#8217;ve since washed it and it took me half the amount of time and effort to blow-dry it. I did a whole sweaty Zumba class and not a hair was out of place once I&#8217;d finished.</p>
<div class="captioncenter"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/after-keratin.jpg" alt="My hair naturally dried after Keratin Treatment" /></div>
<div class="captioncenter">And from the front a few hours later, after being caught in the rain on my way out to dinner.</div>
<div class="captioncenter"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/after-keratin-front.jpg" alt="My hair naturally dried after Brazilian Keratin Treatment" /></div>
<p>The treatment will probably set you back anywhere from $300-$500 depending on your hair length and thickness. You can email <a href="mailto:allisonfairhurst1@hotmail.com">Ally</a> to ask any questions you have and get a quote for your hair. She&#8217;s in Melbourne. So far, I like it!</p>
<p>And that&#8217;s it so far daters! What great new things have you discovered to cut down your daily beauty routine or make you feel better about your &#8220;standard self&#8221; when you&#8217;re hanging around your house with your sweetie?</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/fuss-free-beauty-%e2%80%93-things-i-love/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love'>Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/a-week-of-beauty-on-30-date-night/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A Week of Beauty on $30 Date Night'>A Week of Beauty on $30 Date Night</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/11/09/date-night-review-joint-manicures/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Date Night Review: Joint Manicures'>Date Night Review: Joint Manicures</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love</title>
		<link>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/fuss-free-beauty-%e2%80%93-things-i-love/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/fuss-free-beauty-%e2%80%93-things-i-love/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:37:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Em's View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Married Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beauty]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/?p=2316</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When it comes to my beauty routine, I’m kind of lazy. Add to that my general busy-ness and my hate of early mornings and what you get is a girl who either doesn’t have time or patience to spend hours in the bathroom every morning.
In an ideal world, one of two things would happen.
1)	I would [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/21/fuss-free-beauty-new-fun-things/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fuss-Free Beauty &#8211; New Fun Things'>Fuss-Free Beauty &#8211; New Fun Things</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/a-week-of-beauty-on-30-date-night/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A Week of Beauty on $30 Date Night'>A Week of Beauty on $30 Date Night</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/22/get-lips-guys-will-love/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Get Lips Guys Will Love!'>Get Lips Guys Will Love!</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When it comes to my beauty routine, I’m kind of lazy. Add to that my general busy-ness and my hate of early mornings and what you get is a girl who either doesn’t have time or patience to spend hours in the bathroom every morning.</p>
<p>In an ideal world, one of two things would happen.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">1)	I would roll out of bed every morning to be greeted by my make up artist, hair stylist and fashion consultant who would press a hot latte into my hand and go to work on me while I sit, zombie-like, trying to wake up properly.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">(Side note: While I’m lazy on a day-to-day basis, I LOVE having beauty treatments done by someone else. I adore day spas, I love chilling out in the hairdresser’s chair for hours and nothing is quite so relaxing as a pedicure during a stressful week. I could spend all day, every day just having back to back beauty treatments and not be bored.)</p>
<p><em>Or </em></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">2)	I would wake up with perfect hair/skin/nails and simply walk out to face the day looking perfect with no effort whatsoever involved.  Maybe just a lick of mascara and a swipe of a lip gloss.</p>
<p>Seeing as neither of these things is likely to miraculously happen, I’m going for a sort of a hybrid of the two.</p>
<p>Get other people to do as much work as possible for me so that I can roll out of bed and do as little work as possible to make myself presentable. Because let&#8217;s be honest, once you&#8217;re in a long term relationship (or married) you kind of give up the whole single-girl energy of keeping up appearances. Which is nice. You don&#8217;t want to be switched on all the time.</p>
<p>But if you&#8217;re going to be switched off, you can still look good doing it.</p>
<p><strong>Let’s talk skin and face today.</strong></p>
<p>I’ve always had problem skin. I had acne as a teenager, and despite the entire world telling me not to worry, that I would “grow out of it”, I still get pimples now ALL THE TIME. Stupid oily skin.</p>
<p>The best my skin has ever looked was at my wedding – and that’s only because I had a monthly facial for a year beforehand and stopped drinking alcohol and eating sugar for two months before my wedding date. Soooo not sustainable.</p>
<p>But right now, I’m very happy with the way my skin is headed. And there are a few great prods I love that help keep me happy:</p>
<p><strong>Omnilux Light Therapy</strong></p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/omnilux.jpg" alt="Omnilux Light Therapy" /></div>
<p>On the advice of Beauty Guru <a href="http://twitter.com/zotheysay" target="_blank">Zoe Foster</a> over at <a href="http://primped.com.au" target="_blank">Primped</a> I went in for a course of Omnilux treatments at <a href="http://beaute2001.com.au" target="_blank">Beaute @ 2001</a> in Melbourne.</p>
<p>This light-therapy works to stimulate collagen production in your skin. As my beauty therapist put it: it “tricks” your skin into thinking there’s something wrong, so it puts its natural healing properties to work.</p>
<p>A course of 9 treatments is recommended to start, but you’ll notice results instantly after the first one.</p>
<p>It’s about $100 per treatment, so it’s not cheap, but it has drastically improved the quality of my skin. I don’t get huge, sore, blind zits anymore – I get small manageable ones and they heal very quickly. It helps even out your skin tone and plumps it up, erasing fine lines and wrinkles and making you appear youthful and vibrant.</p>
<p>It’s gone a long way in helping get my skin healthy. My next step, though, to help erase the years of solariums (I KNOW. What was I thinking?) is going to be microdermabrasion. I’ll keep you posted.</p>
<p><strong>Monthly Facials, Daily Routines </strong></p>
<p>I still get a facial every month. And believe me, if I skip one, my skin lets me know about it. I’ve been on Dermalogica for years, which I still have a soft spot for even though I’m getting a little more hardcore about my skin approach lately (as mentioned above).</p>
<p>And while I’m lazy, I’ve now gotten myself into my daily skincare ritual and I feel wrongtown if I try and skip it. Even if it’s been a huge night out and I’m dead-on-my-feet tired, I still have to take off my makeup, cleanse, tone, rosehip oil and moisturise my face before I go to bed. And every morning after my shower (don’t ever cleanse in the shower – the water is too hot for your skin in there!) I do it all again plus an SPF as well. 30+. Every day. (Solarium lesson learnt.)</p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/shapelybrows.jpg" alt="Eyebrows Make All the Difference" width="240" height="240" /></div>
<p><strong>Carmen the Eyebrow Queen &amp; Benefit Browzings </strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.eyebrowqueen.com/theart.htm">Carmen</a> is a godsend, I’ve been going to see her for at least ten years now. The secret about having perfectly groomed brows is that it’s an instant facelift and you won’t feel like you have to wear as much make up.</p>
<p>But you want to go to someone good.</p>
<p>Carmen isn’t cheap, but the $50 fee is worth it to reap the benefits of amazing brows that are shaped perfectly for your face. And I only need to go every 2-3 months for maintenance, as I keep them tweezed and shaped in the meantime on on a daily basis. Carmen will cut, pluck and wax your unruly brows into perfection in a matter of minutes.</p>
<p>And if you’ve never had an extreme brow makeover before, don’t freak out! It will look weird to you for the first few days, but trust me, you’ll grow to love it.</p>
<p>The other great thing to help keep your brows looking great is Benefit’s little Brow<em>zings</em> kit.</p>
<p>Comes with a baby pair of tweezers, two brushes, an eyebrow wax to fill in gaps in your brows and a powder to fill colour in on your brows. A-ma-zing what a difference it makes! Head over to this great tutorial on Primped to learn how to use it.</p>
<p><strong>ID BareMinerals Foundation Powder </strong></p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/bare-minerals.jpg" alt="Bare Minerals Foundation" /></div>
<p>The ultimate can’t-be-assed make up that doesn’t even feel like you’re wearing any. Because if I’m just hanging at home with Den, I don’t really want a full face of heavy liquid foundation on.</p>
<p>ID BareMinerals buffs into your skin and sits on it perfectly, is light-weight but still gives great coverage, lets your skin breathe and even has an SPF in it. It’s the kind of make up you aren’t afraid to get messy in.</p>
<p>There’s nothing worse that not being able to have a pash with your partner or snuggle into their shoulder for fear of ruining your make up, or getting it all over them. With BareMinerals, you don’t have to worry. And men love that, trust me. They get scared of thick foundation and false eyelashes.</p>
<p>It’s perfect for my sensitive skin, it doesn’t make me break out and you can put it on right after a facial. It’s so pure you can even sleep in it, so if you are the type that&#8217;s prone to forgetting to take it off before bed, it&#8217;s perfect for you.</p>
<p><strong>What about you? Share your favourite low-fuss beauty tips here so we can all benefit from it!</strong></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/21/fuss-free-beauty-new-fun-things/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fuss-Free Beauty &#8211; New Fun Things'>Fuss-Free Beauty &#8211; New Fun Things</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/a-week-of-beauty-on-30-date-night/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A Week of Beauty on $30 Date Night'>A Week of Beauty on $30 Date Night</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/22/get-lips-guys-will-love/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Get Lips Guys Will Love!'>Get Lips Guys Will Love!</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>A Week of Beauty on $30 Date Night</title>
		<link>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/a-week-of-beauty-on-30-date-night/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/a-week-of-beauty-on-30-date-night/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:15:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Em's View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Married Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Looking Gorgeous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships and Beauty]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/?p=2309</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Happy 201st Post, Daters! Just to mix things up a little bit, this week $30 Date Night is going to take a little deviation down the beauty route. 
Why, you ask? What does that have to do with dating and relationships? 
Plenty, it turns out. 

Because if you feel good about yourself you&#8217;ll feel better [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/fuss-free-beauty-%e2%80%93-things-i-love/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love'>Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/21/fuss-free-beauty-new-fun-things/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fuss-Free Beauty &#8211; New Fun Things'>Fuss-Free Beauty &#8211; New Fun Things</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/11/09/date-night-review-joint-manicures/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Date Night Review: Joint Manicures'>Date Night Review: Joint Manicures</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Happy 201st Post, Daters! Just to mix things up a little bit, this week $30 Date Night is going to take a little deviation down the beauty route. </p>
<p>Why, you ask? What does that have to do with dating and relationships? </p>
<p>Plenty, it turns out. </p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/beauty-week.jpg" alt="A Week Of Beauty on $30 Date Night"/></div>
<p>Because if you feel good about yourself you&#8217;ll feel better about your relationship. You&#8217;ll flirt more with each other, you&#8217;ll love the appreciative glances from your sweetie and you&#8217;ll certainly get their attention. </p>
<p>I myself have been feeling in a bit of a beauty rut the last few months. So I&#8217;ve decided it&#8217;s time to pull myself out of it.</p>
<p>The problem with living with someone 24/7 is that they see you at your most unglamorous. And we rarely dress up anymore for our partners, or slick on some lipstick to impress them. </p>
<p>When you start dating, you get excited that they&#8217;re coming to see you! You spend hours de-fuzzing yourself, doing your hair, putting on make up, sliding into stay-up stockings and a pretty new dress&#8230; </p>
<p>Then it starts to slide a little. When you begin having &#8220;sleepovers&#8221;, it becomes trickier. I used to wake up early and slide out of bed silently, then go to the bathroom and whack on a little natural make up (no overkill, just some cover up, mascara, a little powder. Brush my teeth, run a comb through the hair and then slip back into bed like nothing had ever happened, ready to wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! <em>That&#8217;s</em> natural beauty.   </p>
<p>Those days are long gone. Now I&#8217;m lucky if I run a razor over my legs once a month. And that&#8217;s marriage for you. </p>
<p>So &#8211; rather than talking about beauty rituals that take hours of effort, let&#8217;s come up with a new strategy. </p>
<p>I&#8217;m going to investigate all the new beauty and spa products that make us effortlessly gorgeous in our own homes without the hours of hard work.</p>
<p>Little tips like getting a regular leg wax instead of shaving keeps you silky smooth longer&#8230; getting your skin to glow without the make up on so that you barely NEED to cover it up at home&#8230;. The best of both worlds, yes? Looking good for your partner without even trying too hard. </p>
<p>Stay tuned, it&#8217;s going to be a fun week! Drop a comment or question here if you have anything to add to the discussion&#8230; </p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/19/fuss-free-beauty-%e2%80%93-things-i-love/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love'>Fuss-Free Beauty – Things I Love</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/07/21/fuss-free-beauty-new-fun-things/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Fuss-Free Beauty &#8211; New Fun Things'>Fuss-Free Beauty &#8211; New Fun Things</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/11/09/date-night-review-joint-manicures/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Date Night Review: Joint Manicures'>Date Night Review: Joint Manicures</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>6 out of 10 People Not Trying Hard Enough</title>
		<link>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/06/09/6-10-people-unhappy-relationships/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/06/09/6-10-people-unhappy-relationships/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:41:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Em's View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Married Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stand Up and shout it LOUD!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unhappy Relationships]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/?p=2158</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Wow, Daters. Did you know that 6 out of 10 people are unhappy with their relationships? That&#8217;s a lot of people. 60% in fact (I should&#8217;ve done maths and stuff). 
The Daily Mail reported last week that: &#8220;More than six out of ten adults in a relationship admit there is a lot they could do [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/10/01/some-people-are-just-happier-in-a-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: &#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;'>&#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/08/24/living-with-messy-people/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Living With Messy People'>Living With Messy People</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/05/15/mx-column-damn-smug-morning-people/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: mX Column: Damn Smug Morning People'>mX Column: Damn Smug Morning People</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Wow, Daters. Did you know that 6 out of 10 people are unhappy with their relationships? That&#8217;s a lot of people. 60% in fact (I should&#8217;ve done maths and stuff). </p>
<p><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1282851/Six-10-couples-unhappy-relationship.html#ixzz0qKnlkiOd">The Daily Mail</a> reported last week that: &#8220;More than six out of ten adults in a relationship admit there is a lot they could do to improve their love life  &#8211;  and four out of ten admit they have considered leaving their partner. </p>
<p>One in ten no longer even trusts their partner.</p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/romance-dead.jpg" alt="6 out of 10 Couples Unhappy With Relatonships"/></div>
<p>More than half of those polled said their partner was no longer the &#8216;affectionate and giving&#8217; person they were when they first started dating. </p>
<p>And for 33 per cent acts of spontaneity  &#8211;  such as booking romantic trips away, cooking a favourite meal or bursting in with a bouquet of flowers  &#8211;  are all but dead-and-gone.&#8221; </p>
<p>People do try harder at the start of their relationships &#8211; that&#8217;s just a matter of hormones. We are given floods of spontaneity hormones and a drive to want to please our partners, courtesy of love-drugs such as dopamine and seratonin flooding our nervous systems. </p>
<p>But it&#8217;s not designed to last (we&#8217;d barely eat or sleep if it did!), Daters, which is why it naturally wears off over time, only to be replaced by more placid, comforting, bonding hormones that keep couples in longterm relationships. </p>
<p>Of course we all crave that initial excitement, for the rest of our lives. And with a little effort, even couples that have been married for years can recapture it. </p>
<p>But that&#8217;s the problem. That particular plan smacks of effort. And we humans are nothing if not inherently lazy. </p>
<p>So I say? 6 out of 10 people need to <strong>try harder.</strong> </p>
<p>The top 5 complaints about relationships were: </p>
<p>1.    Lack of spontaneity<br />
2.    Lack of romance<br />
3.    Terrible sex life<br />
4.    No time to give each other attention<br />
5.    Lack of time to talk</p>
<p>Quite honestly, I feel ridonkulous even spelling this solution out for people because to us, it&#8217;s so blaringly obvious. It&#8217;s the same drum we&#8217;ve been beating for two years now, and will keep beating until people hear us. </p>
<p>To have a romantic, exciting relationship &#8211; to have a relationship where you can give each other attention and can talk properly on a regular basis &#8211; all of which will lead to a great sex life&#8230; it&#8217;s as simple as making time for each other and rekindling that dating couple that you used to be. </p>
<p>DATE NIGHT. Do date night. Regularly. Do new things every week. Take it in turns to do new things every week. Get inspiration from the ridiculously easy <a href="http://thirtydollardatenight.com">date ideas</a> generator that we made especially for you! </p>
<p>If you don&#8217;t TAKE the time, you&#8217;ll never HAVE the time. </p>
<p>I&#8217;m sorry, but this is not Hollywood. Romance doesn&#8217;t &#8220;just happen&#8221;. It&#8217;s going to require some effort at the start, and then before you know it, it will become natural. You&#8217;ll be part of a loving couple. Get yourselves into the routine and stop bitching about it when you haven&#8217;t even tried to make it work properly yet. </p>
<p>Too harsh? </p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/10/01/some-people-are-just-happier-in-a-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: &#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;'>&#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/08/24/living-with-messy-people/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Living With Messy People'>Living With Messy People</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/05/15/mx-column-damn-smug-morning-people/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: mX Column: Damn Smug Morning People'>mX Column: Damn Smug Morning People</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Man-Colds Proven to Exist!</title>
		<link>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/06/09/man-colds-proven-to-exist/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/06/09/man-colds-proven-to-exist/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:56:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Em's View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Married Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Couples]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Man Cold]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/?p=2153</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Man-colds do exist! 
I knew it! I&#8217;ve been saying it all along. 

Says the Daily Mail in London: 
&#8220;Half of men will upgrade a common cold to flu and describe headaches as a migraine to gain maximum sympathy.
They will also moan more than women when suffering a bug or virus. 
This is despite the fact [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/10/25/do-soulmates-exist/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Do Soulmates Exist?'>Do Soulmates Exist?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/11/29/in-sickness-and-in-health/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: In Sickness and in Health?'>In Sickness and in Health?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/10/01/some-people-are-just-happier-in-a-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: &#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;'>&#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Man-colds do exist! </p>
<p>I knew it! I&#8217;ve been saying it all along. </p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/man-cold-real.jpg" alt="Man Colds Do Exist!"/></div>
<p>Says the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1284927/Man-flu-DOES-exist--study-suggests-half-men-exaggerate-cold-symptoms.html?ito=feeds-newsxml">Daily Mail</a> in London: </p>
<p>&#8220;Half of men will upgrade a common cold to flu and describe headaches as a migraine to gain maximum sympathy.</p>
<p>They will also moan more than women when suffering a bug or virus. </p>
<p>This is despite the fact they catch fewer colds and flu each year &#8211; five compared with women&#8217;s average of seven.&#8221;</p>
<p>Certainly rings true for me &#8211; we&#8217;ve spoken before about Den and his Man-Colds. The worst of it is, he refuses to go to a doctor, happier instead to self-diagnose and then sit on the couch with a little silver bell, ringing for my attention when he needs his nose wiped and whatnot. </p>
<p>But I have another thing to put forward to you &#8211; men use this same talent of gross exaggeration in the opposite way as well. Den doesn&#8217;t usually cook in this house. For three years now, cooking has been mostly my domain. Sometimes I relish it, but lately I&#8217;ve lost my cooking mojo and happily left the task to Denis for a couple of weeks now to see how he would cope. He&#8217;s stepped up, but my Lord is it at a cost. </p>
<p>You see, every meal he makes &#8211; whether it be throwing hunks of meat into the slow cooker or whipping up a spag bog &#8211; has to be fawned over for at least 48 hours after the fact. How <em>good</em> it was. How <em>great</em> it tasted. </p>
<p>And yet, if I do the same I&#8217;m lucky to get a &#8220;tastes great&#8221; without fishing for one. </p>
<p><strong>Anyone else find the same thing? Men and their exaggerating? Do women have an equivalent affliction I can&#8217;t think of right this second? </strong></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/10/25/do-soulmates-exist/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Do Soulmates Exist?'>Do Soulmates Exist?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/11/29/in-sickness-and-in-health/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: In Sickness and in Health?'>In Sickness and in Health?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/10/01/some-people-are-just-happier-in-a-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: &#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;'>&#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Newsflash: Couple Dates Each Other, Finds It&#8217;s Good For Relationship</title>
		<link>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/27/newsflash-couple-dates-each-other-finds-its-good-for-relationship/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/27/newsflash-couple-dates-each-other-finds-its-good-for-relationship/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:51:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Em's View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Married Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stand Up and shout it LOUD!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/?p=2021</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I just found this article in The Sun about a couple who took on a one-month date night challenge (sounds suspiciously familiar) only to find that dating each other once a week was &#8211; GASP &#8211; good for their relationship! 
Okay, I&#8217;ll stop being snarky now. 
Because it&#8217;s great. 
It really is great that we [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/10/01/some-people-are-just-happier-in-a-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: &#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;'>&#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/07/27/5-goals-you-can-work-towards-together-as-a-couple/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 5 Goals You Can Work Towards Together as a Couple'>5 Goals You Can Work Towards Together as a Couple</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/12/02/is-music-unhealthy-for-your-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Is Music Unhealthy for Your Relationship?'>Is Music Unhealthy for Your Relationship?</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I just found this article in <a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/2948802/Dating-hubby-made-sparks-fly.html">The Sun</a> about a couple who took on a one-month date night challenge (sounds suspiciously familiar) only to find that dating each other once a week was &#8211; GASP &#8211; good for their relationship! </p>
<p>Okay, I&#8217;ll stop being snarky now. </p>
<p>Because it&#8217;s great. </p>
<p>It really is great that we have yet another solid testimonial for our date night philosophy. </p>
<p>Before their date night adventure started, Tracy said she &#8220;honestly can&#8217;t remember the last time Russ and I even had a proper conversation. We are like zombies on autopilot.&#8221; </p>
<p>The couple are only in their twenties and seven months into their marriage, but unfortunately as we all know it doesn&#8217;t take long for things to get a little stale. They have two children together and they put all their energy into making the kids happy. </p>
<p>But guess what? </p>
<p>If Mum and Dad aren&#8217;t getting along, the kids aren&#8217;t happy either. </p>
<p>Dubious as they were that it would help, once Russ and Tracy had done a picnic, a dinner date, cooked dinner at home and gone to a salsa class, they had sufficiently rekindled their connection to the point where they were talking, laughing, having great sex again and have even started planning their next night out. </p>
<p>The article is a good read, you can see it <a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/2948802/Dating-hubby-made-sparks-fly.html">here</a>.</p>
<p>So what will it take for you to give date night a whirl? Does a one month challenge sound too intimidating? </p>
<p>What have you got to lose? </p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/10/01/some-people-are-just-happier-in-a-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: &#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;'>&#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/07/27/5-goals-you-can-work-towards-together-as-a-couple/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 5 Goals You Can Work Towards Together as a Couple'>5 Goals You Can Work Towards Together as a Couple</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/12/02/is-music-unhealthy-for-your-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Is Music Unhealthy for Your Relationship?'>Is Music Unhealthy for Your Relationship?</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Marriage is Good For Your Health!&#8230; Until It&#8217;s Not</title>
		<link>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/21/marriage-is-good-for-your-health-until-its-not/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/21/marriage-is-good-for-your-health-until-its-not/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:21:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Em's View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Married Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/?p=1970</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Marriage: When it&#8217;s good, it&#8217;s very good. But when it&#8217;s bad, it&#8217;s&#8230; deadly? 
New York Times Magazine recently published this long piece on whether marriage is good for your health or not. Very early studies into the matter, circa 1858, concluded that marriage is a healthy estate and that single people died from disease “in [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/11/29/in-sickness-and-in-health/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: In Sickness and in Health?'>In Sickness and in Health?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/07/will-marriage-always-have-a-place-in-society/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Will Marriage Always Have a Place in Society?'>Will Marriage Always Have a Place in Society?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/10/01/some-people-are-just-happier-in-a-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: &#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;'>&#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Marriage: When it&#8217;s good, it&#8217;s very good. But when it&#8217;s bad, it&#8217;s&#8230; deadly? </p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/magazine/18marriage-t.html?pagewanted=1&#038;ref=homepage&#038;src=me">New York Times Magazine</a> recently published this long piece on whether marriage is good for your health or not. Very early studies into the matter, circa 1858, concluded that marriage is a healthy estate and that single people died from disease “in undue proportion” to their married counterparts.  </p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/marriage-good-health.jpg" alt="Marriage is good for your health"/></div>
<p>New, updated research is being carried out on the subject of marriage and health at the moment, with researchers finding that it is not simply the act of being married that ensures you better health, but whether the marriage is a happy one or not. </p>
<p>Says the article: </p>
<p>&#8220;While it’s clear that marriage is profoundly connected to health and well-being, new research is increasingly presenting a more nuanced view of the so-called marriage advantage. </p>
<p>Several new studies, for instance, show that the marriage advantage doesn’t extend to those in troubled relationships, which can leave a person far less healthy than if he or she had never married at all. </p>
<p>One recent study suggests that a stressful marriage can be as bad for the heart as a regular smoking habit. And despite years of research suggesting that single people have poorer health than those who marry, a major study released last year concluded that single people who have never married have better health than those who married and then divorced.&#8221;</p>
<p>So happy married people are better off, health-wise, than single people. But if you&#8217;re going to be in a bad marriage, you may as well be single for the sake of your health. And if you&#8217;ve gotten divorced once, the research suggests that we find that experience so stressful that it&#8217;s hard to recover from. </p>
<p>Sounds intense. </p>
<p>This research is all borne from the emerging area of science known as psychoneuroimmunology, which concerns the interplay between behavior, the immune and endocrine systems and the brain and nervous system. Spiritual types have been onto this &#8220;you are what you think&#8221; field for years, seems like science is catching up now. </p>
<p>A bad marriage can be as bad for your heart as a smoking habit. Quite literally, if you have your heart broken you won&#8217;t ever fully recover? </p>
<p>What do you think? </p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/11/29/in-sickness-and-in-health/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: In Sickness and in Health?'>In Sickness and in Health?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/07/will-marriage-always-have-a-place-in-society/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Will Marriage Always Have a Place in Society?'>Will Marriage Always Have a Place in Society?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/10/01/some-people-are-just-happier-in-a-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: &#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;'>&#8220;Some People are Just Happier in a Relationship&#8221;</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Sexy Christina Hendricks Has Advice for Men</title>
		<link>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/20/sexy-christina-hendricks-has-advice-for-men/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/20/sexy-christina-hendricks-has-advice-for-men/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 03:33:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Em's View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Married Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stand Up and shout it LOUD!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Advice for Men]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationship Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sexy Christina Hendricks]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/?p=1978</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A wonderful open letter to men, from the Best Looking Woman in America (So Esquire says. I might just second that after reading the following advice from Christina Hendricks to Men of the World.)
&#8220;We love your body. If we’re in love with you, we love your body. Your potbelly, everything. Even if you’re insecure about [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/02/14/mx-column-the-rise-of-the-cougar/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: mX Column: The Rise of the Cougar'>mX Column: The Rise of the Cougar</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/27/newsflash-couple-dates-each-other-finds-its-good-for-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Newsflash: Couple Dates Each Other, Finds It&#8217;s Good For Relationship'>Newsflash: Couple Dates Each Other, Finds It&#8217;s Good For Relationship</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/07/will-marriage-always-have-a-place-in-society/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Will Marriage Always Have a Place in Society?'>Will Marriage Always Have a Place in Society?</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A wonderful open letter to men, from the Best Looking Woman in America (So <a href="http://esquire.com">Esquire</a> says. I might just second that after reading the following advice from Christina Hendricks to Men of the World.)</p>
<p><strong>&#8220;We love your body.</strong> If we’re in love with you, we love your body. Your potbelly, everything. Even if you’re insecure about something, we love your body. You feel like you’re not this or that? We love your body. We embrace everything. Because it’s you.</p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/hot-christina-hendricks.jpg" alt="Esquire's Sexiest Woman Christina Hendricks Has Advice for Men" /></div>
<p><strong>Speaking of your body, you don’t understand the power of your own smell.</strong> Any woman who is currently with a man is with him partly because she loves the way he smells. And if we haven’t smelled you for a day or two and then we suddenly are within inches of you, we swoon. We get light-headed. It’s intoxicating. It’s heady.</p>
<p><strong>We remember forever what you say about the bodies of other women.</strong> When you mention in passing that a certain woman is attractive — could be someone in the office, a woman on the street, a celebrity, any woman in the world, really — your comment goes into a steel box and it stays there forever. We will file the comment under “Women He Finds Attractive.” It’s not about whether or not we approve of the comment. It’s about learning what you think is sexy and how we might be able to convey it. It’s about keeping our man by knowing what he likes.</p>
<p><strong>We also remember everything you say about our bodies</strong>, be it good or bad. Doesn’t matter if it’s a compliment. Could be just a comment. Those things you say are stored away in the steel box, and we remember these things verbatim. We remember what you were wearing and the street corner you were standing on when you said it.</p>
<p><strong>Never complain about our friends — even if we do.</strong> No matter how many times we say a friend of ours is driving us crazy, you are not to pile on. Not because it offends us. But because it adds to the weight that we carry around about her.</p>
<p><strong>Remember what we like.</strong> When I first started dating my husband, I had this weird fascination with the circus and clowns and old carnival things and sideshow freaks and all that. About a month after we started dating, he bought me this amazing black-and-white photo book on the circus in the 1930s, and I started sobbing. Which freaked him out. I thought, Oh, my God, I mentioned this three or four weeks ago and talked about it briefly, but he was really listening to me. And he actually went out and researched and found this thing for me. It was amazing.</p>
<div class="captionright"><img src="http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/wp-content/uploads/sexy-christina-hendricks.jpg" alt="Esquire's Most Beautiful Woman Christina Hendricks Has Advice for Men" /></div>
<p><strong>We want you to order Scotch.</strong> It’s the most impressive drink order. It’s classic. It’s sexy. Such a rich color. The glass, the smell. It’s not watered down with fruit juice. It’s Scotch. And you ordered it.</p>
<p><strong>Stand up, open a door</strong>, offer a jacket. We talk about it with our friends after you do it. We say, “Can you believe he stood up when I approached the table?” It makes us feel important. And it makes you important because we talk about it.</p>
<p><strong>No shorts that go below the knee.</strong> The ones almost like capri pants, the ones that hover somewhere between the kneecap and the calf? Enough with those shorts. They are the most embarrassing pants in the world. They should never be worn. No woman likes those.</p>
<p><strong>Also, no tank tops.</strong> In public at least. A tank top is underwear. You’re walking around in your underwear. Too much.</p>
<p><strong>No man should be on Facebook.</strong> It’s an invasion of everyone’s privacy. I really cannot stand it.</p>
<p><strong>You don’t know this, but when we come back from a date,</strong> we feel awkward about that transition from our cute outfit into sexy lingerie. We don’t know how to do this gracefully. It’s embarrassing. We have to find a way to slip into another room, put on the outfit as if it all happened very easily, and then come out and it’s: Look at me! Look at the sexy thing I’ve done! For you, it’s the blink of an eye. It’s all very embarrassing. Just so you know.</p>
<p><strong>Panties is a wonderful word.</strong> When did you stop saying “panties”? It’s sexy. It’s girlie. It’s naughty. Say it more.</p>
<p><strong>About ogling: </strong>The men who look, they really look. It doesn’t insult us. It doesn’t faze us, really. It’s just — well, it’s a little infantile. Which is ironic, isn’t it? The men who constantly stare at our breasts are never the men we’re attracted to.</p>
<p><strong>There are better words than beautiful. </strong>Radiant, for instance. It’s an underused word. It’s a very special word. “You are radiant.” Also, enchanting, smoldering, intoxicating, charming, fetching.</p>
<p><strong>Marriage changes very little.</strong> The only things that will get a married man laid that won’t get a single man laid are adultery and whores. Intelligence and humor (and your smell) are what get you laid. That’s what got you laid when you were single. That’s what gets you laid when you’re married. Everything still works in marriage: especially intelligence and humor. Because the sexiest thing is to know you.&#8221;</p>
<p>Taken from <a href="http://www.esquire.com/women/women-issue/christina-hendricks-sexy-0510">Esquire</a>. If you head over there, you can see some damn fine pics of Christina in a nifty little slideshow.</p>
<p>The woman oozes pure class and I&#8217;m pretty sure most every lovely lady on the planet will agree with what she has to say. I especially love her note on marriage at the end&#8230; husbands, it is not enough to simply grunt at us and expect it to be turned up. Put some damn effort in as if you were wooing us all over again.</p>
<p>That is all.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/02/14/mx-column-the-rise-of-the-cougar/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: mX Column: The Rise of the Cougar'>mX Column: The Rise of the Cougar</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/27/newsflash-couple-dates-each-other-finds-its-good-for-relationship/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Newsflash: Couple Dates Each Other, Finds It&#8217;s Good For Relationship'>Newsflash: Couple Dates Each Other, Finds It&#8217;s Good For Relationship</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/07/will-marriage-always-have-a-place-in-society/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Will Marriage Always Have a Place in Society?'>Will Marriage Always Have a Place in Society?</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>How to Save a Marriage</title>
		<link>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/16/how-to-save-a-marriage/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/16/how-to-save-a-marriage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:47:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Em's View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Married Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Break-ups]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Divorce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Laura Munson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marriage Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationship Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/?p=1948</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Laura Munson&#8217;s new book This Is Not The Story You Think It Is: A Season of Unlikely Happiness
 has just been published, containing the account of the time her husband walked in the door one night, after 20 happy years of marriage and two children, and told her it was over. &#8220;I don&#8217;t love you. [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/02/10/how-much-does-your-man-pay-attention/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How Much Does Your Man Pay Attention?'>How Much Does Your Man Pay Attention?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/08/13/in-defence-of-marriage/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: In Defense of Marriage'>In Defense of Marriage</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/21/marriage-is-good-for-your-health-until-its-not/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Marriage is Good For Your Health!&#8230; Until It&#8217;s Not'>Marriage is Good For Your Health!&#8230; Until It&#8217;s Not</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Laura Munson&#8217;s new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399156658?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=30dani-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0399156658">This Is Not The Story You Think It Is: A Season of Unlikely Happiness</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=30dani-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0399156658" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><br />
 has just been published, containing the account of the time her husband walked in the door one night, after 20 happy years of marriage and two children, and told her it was over. &#8220;I don&#8217;t love you. I don&#8217;t know if I ever did.&#8221;</p>
<p>Instead of throwing him out, setting her lawyers on him or sobbing hysterically, Laura called bullshit. </p>
<p>What ensued was her husband going through a mid-life crisis and Laura giving him the space to do that in his own home. By letting him have his solitude, he worked through his issues in his own mind and came back to his family. </p>
<p>Laura&#8217;s initial article on the ordeal was published in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/fashion/02love.html?_r=1">New York Times</a> last year, causing great controversy along the way. Here is an excerpt: </p>
<p><em>&#8220;Here’s a visual: Child throws a temper tantrum. Tries to hit his mother. But the mother doesn’t hit back, lecture or punish. Instead, she ducks. Then she tries to go about her business as if the tantrum isn’t happening. She doesn’t “reward” the tantrum. She simply doesn’t take the tantrum personally because, after all, it’s not about her.</em></p>
<p><em>Let me be clear: I’m not saying my husband was throwing a child’s tantrum. No. He was in the grip of something else — a profound and far more troubling meltdown that comes not in childhood but in midlife, when we perceive that our personal trajectory is no longer arcing reliably upward as it once did. But I decided to respond the same way I’d responded to my children’s tantrums. And I kept responding to it that way. For four months.<br />
</em><br />
<em>“I don’t love you anymore. I’m not sure I ever did.”</em></p>
<p><em>His words came at me like a speeding fist, like a sucker punch, yet somehow in that moment I was able to duck. And once I recovered and composed myself, I managed to say, “I don’t buy it.” Because I didn’t.</em></p>
<p><em>He drew back in surprise. Apparently he’d expected me to burst into tears, to rage at him, to threaten him with a custody battle. Or beg him to change his mind.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Since then, the article has evolved into a book. Here is Laura talking about it on ABC News last week: </p>
<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="332" height="270" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="id" value="W4ae8d36a3102598f4bc6cb68f907d83b" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="src" value="http://widgets.clearspring.com/o/4ae8d36a3102598f/4bc6cb68f907d83b/4bba09c6195291d4/63e9515f/-cpid/d8e88f6c7a107e05" /><embed id="W4ae8d36a3102598f4bc6cb68f907d83b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="332" height="270" src="http://widgets.clearspring.com/o/4ae8d36a3102598f/4bc6cb68f907d83b/4bba09c6195291d4/63e9515f/-cpid/d8e88f6c7a107e05" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" wmode="transparent"></embed></object></p>
<p>Is this method a revelation? Could more marriages have been saved with the same attitude? After all, in just about every argument there can come a point where you know you&#8217;ve gone too far, said too much, to ever reverse the situation. Could the same ring true with divorces? </p>
<p>Of course, every marriage and every break up is different, but what I love is that Laura believed in her husband enough to know that he was just freaking out. He got through it, but I wager that if she&#8217;d reacted &#8211; yelled, screamed, fought back &#8211; that we would be looking at just another divorce statistic rather than this book. </p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/02/10/how-much-does-your-man-pay-attention/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How Much Does Your Man Pay Attention?'>How Much Does Your Man Pay Attention?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2009/08/13/in-defence-of-marriage/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: In Defense of Marriage'>In Defense of Marriage</a></li>
<li><a href='http://blog.30dollardatenight.com/2010/04/21/marriage-is-good-for-your-health-until-its-not/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Marriage is Good For Your Health!&#8230; Until It&#8217;s Not'>Marriage is Good For Your Health!&#8230; Until It&#8217;s Not</a></li>
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