Guide to Snagging a Guy Before Valentine’s Day

You got everything you wanted for Christmas. You nailed the New Year’s Eve kiss. Hell, you even celebrated MLK Jr. day with a bang! But in the not so distant future looms the dark abyss on the next page of your calendar—it starts with a V and ends with an –alentine’s day. While your attached friends concoct wish lists from Tiffany’s or stress about dinner reservations on Feb. 14th, you wonder if maybe, just maybe, you’ll be playing footsie with someone special too. So here is a simple guide to finding a guy before—gulp—Valentine’s Day.

By Kari

Keep your head straight.

Prioritize your goals. Meeting a new guy, as awesome as it theoretically seems, should definitely not be numero uno on your list. No matter how much time and effort you dedicate to searching for your Prince Charming, it won’t pay off if that’s all your interested in. A) You will absolutely come off like that crazy girl from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days—and guys just aren’t into that. B) It’s Murphy’s Law that whatever you want will find you exactly when you’re not looking for it. And, most importantly, C) Maintaining your circle of friends, hobbies, talents and already great life in general is what makes you an interesting person in the first place; if you want to meet an interesting guy, don’t you think he’ll have the same expectations of you?

Get Sexy (-er).

Whether you’re already a bona fide bombshell or you’re ready for a complete face/wardrobe/etc., overhaul, getting dressed up to the point where you look HAWT and you know it is an instant guy magnet. Why is this? Well it’s more than your 4- inch stilettos and “ass jeans”—it’s the confidence you radiate knowing that you’re the bomb.com. So whatever you need to do to get yourself in the “You will worship the ground I walk on” frame of mind–be it a blowout, manicure, shopping spree or your favorite perfume—make it a habit before you go anywhere you think you may meet Mr. February 14th…and it could be somewhere you weren’t suspecting.

Location, Location, Location!

While getting wastey faced and shooting anything with testosterone your “sexy” bedroom eyes (more difficult to pull off than you’d think while inebriated!) was a perfectly effective method to reel in your midnight New Year’s kiss, it might not work when you’re setting your sights on something more than a one night stand. So skip the bars/club/ house party route and seek your dream boy somewhere outside the realm of beer goggles.

- Take advantage of the remaining New Year’s Resolutioners at the gym—but steer clear of the estrogen- overloaded ellipticals and head straight to the weight room. If you can get past the grunting, spray-tanned set (unless you’re into that) and check out the iron-pumping hotties, ask one that catches your eye to spot you. Bonus points if you have good form—maybe you can even give him a few pointers.

- Grab a girlfriend and go to a tennis court or indoor squash court. Not only do hot, sweaty guys abound , but you two will get to wear sweet outfits and get a fun workout in, regardless of if you meet anyone.

- Head over to good ol’ Starbucks, order yourself your favorite Venti and park yourself in the corner with a good book. Don’t get too absorbed though, and scan who enters every time the baristas welcome someone new; if he’s cute, give him a warm smile and pray he can’t find anywhere else to sit.

Carpe Diem!

When opportunity knocks, invite it in to curl up on the couch with you and watch the Dark Knight. When your best friend wants to set you up with her co-worker who mentioned a band you like, just let it happen. When your cute lab partner asks what your weekend plans are, bat those eyelashes while you tell him you may have some free time with his name on it. Keep an open mind and accept invitations you normally would pass on, for whatever reason. Even if you don’t meet your V-day partner, you may meet next year’s, or at least meet cool guys you otherwise never would have bothered with.

Whether you find someone before February 14th or not, living by some or all of these rules will pay off eventually. And if you don’t have a date on Cupid’s High Holy Day? Grab some Godiva and curl up with a nice slasher movie.