Married Girl Date Night Beauty and Style 101

You made a pact with your husband to start devoting one night every so often to each other. You handle any childcare arrangements, cancel other plans, and rush off together for a quick meal that usually involves arguing about the household, talking about mundane tasks, or sitting in complete silence. The venues are the same as they were when you were dating, or even better, but the experience is completely different. So what's the catch? Most women go out on dates with their husbands without treating the occasion as anything more than another task on their to-do lists. They forget about the fun of trying to impress their husbands all over again with their best efforts (and rest assured, going through all that trouble is more for us women than for our men). Put the fun back into your married-life date nights by re-energizing your beauty and style routine. The following is a refresher course on dating style and beauty for the married woman.

Tip #1: Sex up the wardrobe. Many married women find themselves so wrapped up in work, family, and other "more important" tasks that they forget to change uniforms when it's time to devote their attention elsewhere. Take a moment before your date with your husband to slide off those loafers and that turtleneck and dig out that low cut sweater you never wear. Pair it with stilettos and a fitted skirt, and you're ready to go. If you don't have anything like this in your wardrobe, go shopping. Date nights are a married girl's excuse for dressing up, and we don't get many of those.

Tip #2: Go glam with the jewelry. If the only jewelry you're accustomed to wearing on date nights with your husband is your wedding band, it's time for a change. Jewelry is one of the easiest ways to take a daytime outfit into the evening. Long necklaces, eye-catching rings, and completely frivolous bangles are meant for sheer fun and never remind the wearer of work or mundane household duties. If you're jewelry is completely inappropriate for typing on a keyboard or playing with the kids, it's just right for date night. If you're not thinking about those things, your mind will be in the right place. A married girls' date nights aren't about sensibility.

Tip #3: Don't forget the accessories. When you were dating, you likely agonized over every detail of your outfit before leaving the house. While you probably now own several go-to outfits and know yourself well enough not to have to stress over getting dressed, you may have also gotten so comfortable that you've forgotten about the "extras." The extras include the perfect shoes, the perfect handbag, scarves, pins, hair accessories, etc. You aren't ready to go out with your man until you have put in the extra effort with the accessories that complete your outfit.

Tip #4: Splash on a special occasion perfume. This isn't your everyday light, pleasant, flowery scent. This is your sultry, come-hither perfume strictly reserved for date nights. A married woman can get so caught up in life's demands that she barely has time to remember to put on perfume, but on date night with your husband, it's a necessity. Remember, this isn't a light, fruity body splash. This one has to be seductive.

Tip #5: Go back to giving yourself "the works." When you were dating your husband you likely took the time to get a manicure, pedicure, eyebrow wax, spray tan, and a visit to the salon in before the weekend came. It's not that you necessarily have to do these things on a weekly basis, but marriage has a way of helping us forget about these little beauty tasks over time. We get comfortable and start allocating our expenses and our time with more reserve, and that often means cutting out anything that contributed to our beauty and style regimens. If you can't afford to go back to your old routine, try less expensive at-home alternatives. If you never had a "routine" before date nights like this, it's time to think about starting one. After all, the longer you're married, the harder it is to keep your husband's attention.

Tip #6: Treat your skin like it's going to be exposed. When you went on a date with your husband before you were married, you knew the possibility of a little post-date romance was highly possible. While you might blame the decrease in that possibility to life's stress and a longer relationship, think again. It might be because neither of you are in the mood. If you don't treat your body like it's going to gain a little exposure time, it won't. A pre-date fat flush, a wax, total body moisturizing, powder, etc., will get your body (and mind) where they should be. Even if you're positive that nothing's going to happen for whatever reason, treating yourself to total body replenishing is a great self-esteem boost overall.

Tip #7: Consider that date night outfit a new necessity. Throwing on something you've had for years is a great way to feel inferior to women dressed to the nines wherever you and your husband decide to go on your date night. You can revel in the comfort of your husband's total affection some other time. Whether you want to think about it or not, there's competition out there. Consider that new outfit for every date night a necessity for keeping the relationship alive and well amongst it all. It doesn't have to be expensive, but a new outfit, just for date nights, is all it takes to re-energize a dull marriage.

Remember, date nights are crucial for the married couple, but they'll provide nothing if they aren't treated as special occasions. By special occasion, we're not talking about the fact that you'll be able to go to the bathroom at the restaurant without a kid begging to come in with you. We're talking about a reason to pull out all the stops with your beauty and style regimen. Inject a little more energy into your next date night by going back to what you always did for your husband before you said "I do."