1. Never wear red lipstick on the first date – a soft and natural pout is more attractive. I always advise to go with your favourite nude colour and optionally use a bit of gloss in the middle of the lower lips. Don’t put your lip gloss all over your lips, that’s never a good look. The right shade of red crimson always looks amazing on Asian skin but please don’t wear it on your first date!
2. Don’t wear too much blush – you may feel a bit nervous and warm on that first matchmaking experience so you are more likely to have some natural blush coming through. Use just a little bit to define your cheeks and to add a three-dimensional appearance to your look.
3. Use illuminator – it always looks great and gives you a fresh, youthful appearance. That’s what you want on your date! Just put a bit on the top of your cheeks and on the bridge of your nose. You can always add a tiny bit to the top ridge of your upper lip to make it more prominent. If you want to have a more glowing appearance, use a primer like ‘Wonderglow’ from Charlotte Tilbury, I love using it on Asian skin.
4. Go heavy on mascara – please magnify your lashes as much as you can without making them look cakey. Your eyes are the window to your soul and heart so they are very important for your first Asian dating experience. I really like putting a few individual lashes – just in the corners of your eyes – to make them extra long and mesmerizing!
5. Watch your eyeliner – never be too heavy with it on the first date. Too dramatic a look is not advisable! Keep it soft and light.
6. Use the right concealer – I know how difficult it can be covering dark circles, especially for Asian ladies. Please remember to use at least a couple of different colours. A peachy one to diminish grayness and an illuminating one – my favourite is Yves Saint Laurent ‘Touche Éclat’ – to bring light to the area under the eyes.
7. Pick a good powder – one that works well with your skin tone and looks natural. I love the ‘Hourglass’ range, which you can buy in Space NK. Press into your skin instead of placing it on the surface. Remember, you want your powder to be part of your skin not a separate layer!

Ladies, good luck on your first date, I hope these tips will help you to look absolutely fabulous! If you want to learn more about other make-up or beauty tips please go to http://anitawarszawska.com/the-blog/. I am always really happy to answer individual questions or to see you in person in my studio in Little Venice.

By Anita Warszawska

The post 7 Make-up Tips for Your First Date! appeared first on Project 143.

Some reports suggest a six month milestone. Other reports say it’s when couples meet the parents.

But what happens when you pass the six month period? What if you haven’t said or heard those words yet? Should you worry?

No! Absolutely not!

As an asian dating professional, I say, there are NO rules!

Here are 5 things I recommend you to remember about those famous words:-

1. Say “I love you” when you mean it

First of all, you shouldn’t say “I love you” unless you mean it.

And if you mean it, then you should say it – a LOT!

2. Timing ISN’T Important…

Whilst some people stress the importance of timing, for example, ‘go on at least ‘x’ many dates’, or ‘never say it first’, is timing really more important than honesty and self-disclosure?

However, in my professional opinion, there is no precise formula for when to say “I love you.”

As such, you should say it whenever you feel that way, without making calculations about timing.

Thus when love at first sight happens, you SHOULD say “I love you”. You are just expressing how you feel at the moment. There is nothing wrong with that. Because disclosing your emotions is honest, and honesty is great!

3. … But Time IS!

On the other hand, time is key in your relationship, not timing.

What do I mean?

In short, time will impact significantly upon its duration, frequency, and development. Time may also increase trust and honesty between partners. In short, true, meaningful love needs time to develop.

As I explained in Rule 2, whilst it’s normal to say “I love you” after a short time, if it feels right, it isn’t a good idea to say “I love you” after a fleeting moment.

This could imply that you are not really serious about what is in fact a serious matter. You may say that you see great potential for the relationship to grow. Remember, we can recognise potential. We cannot recognise or guarantee its inevitable implementation.

Bottom line, love over time enhances trust and honesty between partners.

4. Should you respond?

My clients ask me if and how, and if, they should respond to “I love you”.

First of all, you don’t have to tell someone that you love them just because they have told you how they feel.

Unless you are 100% sure of your feelings,  say that although right now you do not know whether you love them, you do know that you like them a lot.

Explain that you want to get to know them better, and that you want to give the relationship a chance to grow. This is genuine and heartfelt.

It does not matter who says “I love you” first, or who says it more frequently.

Remember, what really counts is the sincerity and depth of your relationship and how it develops.

5. Actions speak louder than words

Finally, the words “I love you” can also be demonstrated in actions, as well as words.

Couples often express love through everyday actions. This includes things like the receipt and acknowledgment of your partner’s acts of love, their gestures of kindness, generosity and attention.

Hence if you ever start to worry that you haven’t heard “I love you” recently from your partner, take note if they’re showing their love in any of those amazing day-to-day actions.

The post When should you say “I love you” appeared first on Project 143.

The thing about first dates is they’re part of a trial and error process. Sometimes we just can’t help things failing – whether it be a lack of chemistry, awkward silences or just saying something completely moronic.

Is there a way to redeem yourself after a bad date?  I had an Asian client recently who’d pursued a lady for a long time.  He was thrilled when she agreed to go for drinks with him and tried his best to make a great first impression. Unfortunately, half way through (and after such a good start) he made a joke which had clearly insulted her, and for the rest of the evening there was a frosty atmosphere. Afterwards, he continued pursuing – trying to undo the damage he had inadvertently created – but he was unsuccessful and I had to tell him to stop contacting her.

The point of the story is that sometimes you just have to accept failure and move on. If there was such a great connection in the first place, would she really have broken it off over one bad joke?

It’s even worse if you thought the date went great, never to hear from that person again. Rejection can really be a kick to your confidence. Consider these ways to deal with a bad first date instead of turning to tissues and ice-cream:

Don’t panic and rethink

Chill out and ask yourself: how do you think the date went? Did you talk a lot or was there silences? Did you check your phone too much or say anything inappropriate?

Be honest with yourself

If you gave it your best, maybe it was your date who put a downer on it? Maybe there was just no spark between you. If the problem wasn’t you, there’s not much you can do to correct it.

Put things into perspective

If you know you acted in a way you are not happy with, text or call and apologise. You are not perfect, no one is.

Don’t get clingy If contact has taken a nose-dive, don’t chase too much or demand attention. Give your date some space, keep busy and see what happens when you reach out again after a week or two.

Analyse the ending

Think about the end of the date.

Were you happy/unhappy it ended? Did your date say they would call/text you? Did they seem keen to see you again? Was there a hug or kiss goodbye? If it seemed to go well, and you haven’t heard back, perhaps they just got busy and feel too bad now to contact you at all.

If you haven’t heard from your date after a while, just reach out and say hello. There’s no harm in being friendly and there’s nothing to lose.

The most important thing I can tell you if things don’t work out is simply to learn from your mistakes and move on.  Get yourself back out dating again and you never know what might happen.

Remember – there’s not really such a thing as a “bad date” as you’ll be able to have a funny story to tell your friends.

Happy dating

James

James Preece is one of the UK’s leading Dating Experts and has over a decade of experience helping bring singles together. If you are interested in getting some personal dating coaching from James, you can find out more about him HERE

By Dating Expert James Preece

The post How to recover from a bad date appeared first on Project 143.