When giving gifts, we all want to be labeled as the best gift giver ever.  It’s sort of this innate want that we all have, because let’s face it, it feels good to give and to be appreciated for that in which we provide others.  I don’t know about you, but I often struggle when it comes to gift giving.  There’s just so much to think about including the persons wants, needs, my price range, and of course, coming up with something creative enough that it will be memorable.  When getting a gift for a partner, I want it to really stick out so I can wear the label as best gift giver, aka better gift giver than anyone in his past.  Basically, I want to give a gift which is the equivalent of the little turquoise box, for him. Which is why, when I came across a company called Manpacks, I knew I’d be set for life.

I’m a writer so I fall for words.  The companies name alone put a smile across my face in and of itself.  So what is Manpacks?  Essentially it is a subscription based gifting service that delivers a package of all the must-have items gents might need, right to their doorstep every three months.  Think toothbrushes, underwear, deodorant, razors – the items that he no doubt needs, but the delivery service takes the effort away from him having to go to the store and pick all these things up (and out for that matter.  You get to create your own delivery packages based on the price range that works best for you.

How does it work?  Basically you hit up their website, create your specific Manpack (by choosing what you want this special someone to receive from a list of various options,) and before each delivery he is notified via email to expect a package.  Should he so choose, he can rush or delay a delivery to meet his needs and if he’s not pleased with what he receives, the company is more than willing to take it back and exchange it for something else, as per their ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ policy.  When you enter the site you’ll see a list of things from boxers (ranging from basic ones to designer branded pairs) and various items such as basic T’s and even a little boys section (how adorable?)  The best part for you, lady love, is that you now get a say in those basic items he has.  Say goodbye to those holy boxers (finally) and hello to a woman-made man.

When to gift it?  This makes an easy and cool birthday present, as it’s the gift that keeps on giving, but you can also gift it to him as a just because.  If your gent is a chivalrous dude who never lets you reach for the bill, perhaps this is a sweet gesture where you can give back to him in your own way.  Since you have a say of what goes into the package, this Manpack need not be for just your partner.  This can make a good Father’s Day gift, or perhaps a birthday present for a brother.

Oh and because we’re too busy as it is between work, yoga classes and making time for him, we can easily make our Manpack gift selection online.  Way to look like a hero with the littlest effort possible.

Let’s go shopping, bitches!

- Jenny Jen

Photo Credit 1: Source.

That electric, borderline indescribable feeling where it has everything to do with chemistry. With that I-can’t-get-my-hands-off-of-you mentality that has no explanation, but has an overriding feeling.  You see a guy.  You know he see’s you.  Like a magnet you are pulled to him in some lust-hungry way.  You might not have even conversed with him yet but that pull, that feeling in your stomach, that excitement can’t be denied.  Great, empowering chemistry doesn’t come around often, so once you note that it’s there, do you act or let it pass you by?

I’m on team act.  Apparently, so is Dentyne.  Dentyne knows that fresh breath can make/break chemistry, but they wanted to find out what other elements of attraction could create sparks.  I mentioned last week about a survey the gum makers did, which was released earlier this month.  The study looked at what Canadians look for in a mate, and how to make chemistry.

You know when you get that shiver, that rush, of excitement when you meet someone who you are attracted to? This shows us that attraction leads to chemistry and chemistry leads to that first kiss.  What’s important to note however is that you can make chemistry, but you can also break chemistry.

My tips on how to make chemistry:

1) Don’t put off making a move.  If you feel something there, give in to those feelings.  So lets say you’re on a first date and all you want to do is lean in for a kiss, I say just do it.  We are often plagued by the idea of set rules, like “I can’t kiss someone on the first date,” or. “The kiss is meant to happen at the end of the date, not in the middle of it.”  There are no such thing as rules.  If it’s meant to be, it will work with this person whether you kiss them mid-date or not.  Sometimes when we wait too long to initiate something, that feeling goes lost (or worse, can head into the friend zone.)  Trust your instincts.  Rarely do they steer you wrong.

2) Be more approachable.  Someone might see you across the room, but might not approach you if you don’t come off as friendly.  Smile, be open to meeting others, and try to empower a sense of being easy going.  The Dentyne survey found that key chemistry killers were being cocky and snobby, and not having a sense of humour.  This doesn’t surprise me.  We like to surround ourselves with those who make us feel better about ourselves, not worse.  So if you’ve been told that you’re a little high maintenance, or have a tendency to give off a snobby vibe, be aware of that and try to water your ways down a notch.

3) Take a road trip.  For my Canadian readers, it should be noted that the survey also found that taking action is for the young and the French.  43% for those aged 18-34 said they would take action when they feel attracted to someone.  That number rises to 46% for those who speak French.  If you don’t dare to make a move, why not hop in a car and head out to Montreal for a weekend road trip with your single friends?

I always think that the first kiss can be a dealmaker or a deal-breaker.  You can easily judge from the moment your lips touch, whether there is that je ne sais quoi there between the two of you or not.  Join me on team act.  Making Canadians chemistry one kiss at a time.

Pucker up,

Jenny Jen

PS: My flavour is Shiver, men.

Photo Credit: Source.

I strongly believe that what we wear (underwear included) affects how we feel.  Our mood can be made through something as simple as an outfit.  Clothing and accessories and perfume and the works can work wonders on ones psyche.  When I’m on deadline for articles I often through on something kooky, since the most out-there of my wardrobe tends to breed the utmost of my creativity.

For me it’s not about dressing for other people.  It’s not about trying to get guys to see me in a certain way.  Instead, I dress simply for me.  You know how – before a night out – you often debate between two totally different outfits to wear?  I think we do this because one is the outfit we actually want to wear, and the other is the outfit we think that people want us to wear.  I say, trust your gut.  We feel like our most confident selves when we follow our hearts and do what makes us happy.

I was recently approached by Huffington Post Canada’s Style section about having them do a feature on me and my versatile look.  Until that comes out I thought I’d share a few different looks for different recent segments/events/girls nights with you.  I was gifted with the most flirty, romantic little numbers from one of my favourite Toronto stores, honey. I tend to hit up that store whenever I’m looking for a new piece, since the styles there are playful, fun and unique.  I also tend to dawn bling by Rebekah Price and have worked personally with the founder on matching her pieces with whatever look I have planned.

Here are some of my most recent looks:

Above: Sotheby’s event.

Above: Canada AM

Above: CTV News Channel

Above: CTV News Channel.

The Dean Blundell Show.

CTV News

All clothing is from Honey and all jewellery by Rebekah Price.  My saviours.

- Jenny Jen

Happy Tuesday.  Happy Valentine’s Day.  Happy pink-wearing, candy-eating, rose-recieving day my little readers.

Now I decided I’m not going to get all mushy on you.  I think on this date last year I wrote about how The Boy (now The Ex Boy) spoiled me to pieces, completely embodying all in which my high-maintance self expects on Valentine’s Day. But this year I’ve decided I’d like to take a slightly less nauseating approach.  Since we are all divided under the single or taken kind of category, I thought I’d talk about what we look for in a partner.

And though I have a plethora of clients who I’ve dealt with who have told me ad nauseum what they all look for in a mate, I learned more numbers from a recent study done by Dentyne that said 33% of Canadians list “sense of humour” as the most important element of attraction.  Makes sense, no?  You want someone who can not only make you smile, but can smile with you too.  Now I owe it to you to mention that I am currently the spokesperson for Dentyne, and I couldn’t be more proud to have this association with the company.  I am such a fan of the study they did on elements of attraction and making chemistry.  I am a fan of it because

I just got back from Jamaica. I treated myself to a yoga retreat. It was as simple as finding out about it, having that knowingness that this was just exactly what I needed and booked it almost immediately. The details of the trip didn’t matter. Nor did the location, other than the fact that there would be sun kissing me throughout the week. Nor the fact that I’ve decided for the first time ever to travel on my lonesome. I just did it. Just like that.

Before my departure – and leading up to it of course – friends asked if I was nervous. My response was always the same with that natural smile on my bronzed (now more bronzed) face: “I’m excited.” I had no expectations for my trip. No concerns about where I was staying, how much yoga I’d be doing, what I was hoping to get out of it, what to pack, if there would be wifi and the usual concerns one has before taking of the country on an adventure of sorts.

The funny thing with having no expectations, is you are constantly, pleasantly surprised. A sense of ease poured over me from the second I was dropped off at the airport. What a lesson this serves for those of us who waste our energy by worrying, wondering and assuming. They say that those who practice yoga on a regular basis have a better framework in which to go about daily struggles, issues and problems. Yoga focuses on the flow of the breath. On being in the now. On nothing more than the inhale and the exhale. The lesson is that we are lucky, fortunate little blondies so long as we have breath in us. That us yogis are more likely to let things pass by, since we know change is a constant.

Perhaps I have yoga to thank for my mindframe over the past week because for the first time ever I was able to appreciate the moment while in the moment. I wasn’t anticipating what was to come next, I wasn’t wishing I was anywhere else with anyone else doing something else. Instead I felt the sunshine heating up my shoulders. I flowed through poses with ease. I read, and ate and did whatever I felt, realizing how lucky I was to be doing just that in the moment. For me, it seemed as though I was away for about a month because I truly valued each and every second there. I was in my nirvana in the most euphoric state imaginable.

People who live in the moment are far more successful than those who live for the moment. To live in it is to appreciate it for what it is. To be comfortable, to be happy, to be free.

- Jenny Jen

Photo: Property of Blonde, Bronzed, Twentysomething.

Butterflies flutter around in your yoga-tuned tummy as a reel of the romantic sorts plays in your mind.  Anticipation at it’s finest, one might say.  The day you have been waiting for has come.  That day is today.  When the sounds of the ever-so-dreadful alarm go off – to which you usually hit snooze – you instead welcome it with nothing short of a smile.  Alas, you think to yourself, today has come.

For those of you pretty little ladies who have anticipated anything and everything from first dates, to work related promotions, to big news, to a special event, you know the luxury that is finally getting to that point.  The only problem with looking forward to things is that – if we let them – they have the power to disappoint.  This is why it is ever so important to be realistic with your idealizations.

Exhibit A: Guy likes girl.  Girl likes guy.  Guy asks girl out on a date.  Guy and girl schedule date, go about daily banter leading up to it, practically envision themselves an item from the getgo, then date comes and the chemistry just isn’t there.  Hopefully this isn’t the case, and chances are if he gives good banter, he likely gives good everything else, but keep an open mind.  Realize that what becomes essential in romance is two people who care about and are excited about one another in a balanced and equal way.  Don’t force something if it isn’t as good as you expected it to be or, alternately, don’t resist and hold back from what seems natural for fear of things being too rushed.  ’Too soon’ is by a myth. it all comes down to trusting your instincts and allowing things to unfold naturally in your relationships.

When one is realistic with the notion that things can happen or occur in a day that we can’t prevent, then you’ll be more able and willing to role with the punches.  Accept what is instead of trying to force what is not.  If you go into one of those to-be phenomenal days with this mind set, however it plays out will be but a bonus.

- Jenny Jen

Photo Credit: Source.

Have you ever felt guilty for not ‘being there’ or commiting to a friend so you tell them you’ll arrange to do it some other time, putting it off the only way you know how? If your intention is to not ever follow through with what you say, the easiest way to get out of it, the easiest way to safe face, is to be honest. I know, I know. They won’t get it, you’ll look selfish, they’ll whine about you to their friends, they may even passive-aggresively Tweet a quote on how good friends are hard to come by, so honesty is not an easy feat. But what happens when you put someone off is that they will keep inquiring and inquiring and inquiring (you see where I’m going with this?) until you actually follow through. And furthermore, if you know you’re not going to they will be even more so disappointed after being put off for so long that you will do more harm than good.

Asking for favours or for plans can make one feel uncomfortable if not met by a positive response by a friend. It makes one feel like a ‘bother’ and minorly rejected as they ask and ask away and it might cause some to-be-expected obsessiveness around why you can’t commit/do.

And this situations don’t just emerge with friends and guys you no longer want to date but don’t have the heart (or guts) to tell them, but it can also happen with parents or in-laws. You might not want to tell them that you’d rather spend a holiday or have already coordinated spending a holiday with someone else, so you keep ‘we’ll see’-ing them until it comes to the point that they’re waiting on you right before the event takes place. Don’t put people off. It’s not fair for them, and it’s not fair for you as it will create more stress and drama since you’ll be downward spiralling from one excuse (and guilt trip) to the next.

Respect people enough to be authentic with them. Value peoples time, emotions and hope by not giving your word when you know you won’t be seeing it through. If not, you will easily ruin your credibility. Since like breeds like, when you need them most there’s a high chance they – in turn – won’t pull through.

- Jenny Jen

Photo Credit: Source.

Welcome to the new bromance: for her. In our latter twentysomethings it’s typical for most of us to have a solid group of go-to friends. Either that or we lost em all when we got hot and heavy with our man, so it is in this age bracket that we often venture out and meet new friends. Fresh faces. Women who are more likeminded. Who don’t go as far back and who see us in a different like. The story goes similar to the script of I Love You, Man, a movie in which Paul Rudd and Jason Segel star. This film is a favourite of mine. It epitomizes the stages of getting to know someone new with similarities to how one begins dating.

Lately I’ve been asked out by a handful of women. Great, fun, beautiful women with similar interests, who frequent the same haunts as I, who run in the same sorts of circles. In the past month I’ve been on more bromance-for-her dates than I care to admit. Picture: cheese plate after glass of kir royale after splitting a dessert (and another kir royale) later. Some lady dates have gone so well friendshiply that we don’t even end the date without making plans for the next one. Some end so poorly that you hope they found the connection just as off-putting so you don’t have to come up with an excuse not to see her again. These little get togethers are exciting and somewhat similar to blind dates. You hope they know you’re just looking for friendship and not love. You hope it can be a smooth encounter as opposed to one induced by silences and reaching for your glass.

After a bromance-for-her date you might start texting or Facebooking or using a form of communication as your choice, with the hope that your messages will go returned, that they feel the same way.

These dates are refreshing. At a time when we are so settled with work and a daily routine, it’s nice to bring something new into the mix. Someone new. If things don’t work out, at least you connected with someone new; at least you expanded your network. If things do work out then you profit a great friend. Be open to expanding your circle and you might be grateful for what you find and what they add to your lovely little life, lady!

- Jenny Jen

Photo Credit: Source.

I’ve always wondered why the kiss has been set up to come end of eve?  The idea of the expected is often wasted on me as I’m more of a keep-me-on-my-toes kind of gal, but more than that I believe in trusting ones instincts in the worlds of dating or relationships.  So if you wait for the end, then isn’t that pushing off instincts (that is, if they are there in the first place.) We often act in certain ways when it comes to matters of the heart because we want to do what we think is right.  What we think is appropriate. We’ve all heard of The Rules when it comes to dating: Don’t sleep with him too soon or he’ll never respect you.  Don’t be too available.  Don’t initiate the first move. You know them all – hey – you may even live by them all.  But the only rule we should live by is to trust our gut instinct; this miraculous sixth sense that speaks more truths then our inner monologue ever could.  Hopefully, he will do just that as well.

If there is chemistry  from the get-go, if all you want to do is lean in and plant a peck on him lust-worthy lips because you really just can’t contain yourself, then go for it.  It takes away from that awkward stalling in his car/at your door/in front of both your cars as you’re saying goodbye and looking at him with those eyes.  Those disgusting, desperate, ‘Please lean in and kiss me’ eyes.  A friend of mine recently went on a date and saw those eyes.  Those eyes, he confessed, put on too much pressure.  They were filled with hues of anticipation, with the striking air of hope.  He opted out of kissing her and the knowingness that she wanted it made him too opt out of a future date.  It was too predictable.  Too forced.  Too unnatural.

Allow your instincts to guide you, as opposed to traditional rules or ways of being.  Relationships that are organic work best.  If it’s meant to be, who you are, how you are and what you do will be align with what he’s looking for, as opposed to judged or ridiculed.  But yes mama, you can hope that he does so first.  After all, when the guy is the one to initiate we can truly feel like a lady.

- Jenny Jen

Photo Credit: Source.

When his ex is a looker, it makes us wonder what he’s got going on that we have yet to learn about, which would attract such a banging broad to him in the first place? If he caught her attention, he must be a ten in one way or another. If she was willing to associate herself with him, as her other half, and at one point or another was willing to share their tale of love on her Facebook and social media forums (the social equivalent of ‘screaming on top of a mountain,’) then surely he is worthy of our attention. Thus, he becomes more intriguing. More mysterious. More of a puzzle for us to jigsaw our way through one piece (read: date, text, Facebook chat convo) at a time. The idea of him becomes more captivating when we know he does well for himself with the ladies.

I’d much rather a man who has had his fair share of experience (training) with plenty of pretty little things, than one who doesn’t know any better. Beautiful exes, a toast to you for paving the way! (L’chaim.)

But not all you blondies agree with me I’m sure, because the idea of an ex often comes alongside that not so sexy negative emotion we call jealousy. Jealousy has a way of working to ones disadvantage. When you become jealous, you lose site of your own value. You let the stories that you tell yourself about his ex take over your mind. Most ladies tend to see exes of their new man as threats. They worry that they might not compare to this catch. Honey, if they were that threatening, they’d still be with your new guy, no? Instead of being jealous of her (or them), instead of envying her looks, her confidence, her je ne sais quoi, why not realize that the better his ex was, the more potential he might have as a mate? We know a strong woman wouldn’t put up with much, so perhaps she has done her job at training him well. Perhaps this just shows you that he has great taste and doesn’t settle for anything but the best. And you my little foxy lady you, are now on his radar. What a score.

- Jenny Jen

Photo Credit: Source.