Matchmaker’s Note:
As a personal Matchmaker, I am an avid fan of the rom-com cult classic “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” While it has been years since the movie's hay day, I have carried the lessons on “love-ferns” and “Princess Sophia” with me as I Date Coach the fabulous Bachelorettes of Beverly Hills. Through my time as a Matchmaker, I have come to the conclusion that if you can lose a guy in 10 days, you can most certainly get a guy in 10 days, which bring us to this article. Below is a fearless woman who took all of the advice that we gave during our “How to Get a Guy in 10 Days” Workshop in downtown Los Angeles. For 10 days, she followed our guidelines. Did she get the guy? Find out below!
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By: Latoya Rush, Guest Contributor
I attended Matching Up’s ‘Bachelorette Boot Camp’ with a group of ladies on “How to Get a Guy in 10 days.” Our assignment was to follow ten steps and keep a journal of our journey to track our progress. I love challenges, so here it goes!
Day 1: Create your own 'Daterbase'
Today we are supposed to look at all of the men in our lives and make a list of the potential future-boyfriends who are already a part of our lives. I went through the contact list in my phone as well as my social media contacts and found seven guys who I talk to often but have yet to date. Three of these guys are my coworkers and really nice, but I’m very skeptical about getting involved with colleagues as it can get pretty messy. Another guy is about ten years younger than me, and he is a close friend of my baby brother, also a slightly awkward situation should the relationship turn sour. Clearly, my dating pool is more like a puddle.
Day 2: Date Cleanse
This has proven to be the most difficult day for me; I have to delete any and all forms of contact with my exes. Ok, so I’m not going to lie, that’s not all happening today. I decided to take baby steps and first unfollow them on Facebook and then go from there. I cannot possibly press ‘delete’ just yet because I am actually good friends with a few of my exes, so that would mean no more conversations or dates for old time’s sake. I also have an ex that I talk to only once a year or maybe even less, so does he really have to be deleted? Day 2 is to be continued…
Day 3: Plan your Week
This task should be easy! Ironically I received a late night Direct Message from my close friend Kyle, inviting me to his party this upcoming Saturday. My brother just so happened to cancel his plans for the weekend and volunteered to babysit... talk about perfect timing. That weekend is also my birthday! Sunday evening I penciled in a concert at church; Lord forgive me, but everyone knows it’s always raining men in church! It looks to be an exciting weekend ahead, and I will be ‘dropping random handkerchiefs,’ as Alessandra advises, all over the San Fernando Valley!
Now back to Day 2: I removed two of my contacts from Facebook that I stated were not completely deleted, which includes all of our private messages, no matter how juicy. In the process of doing this, I discovered that there are four other exes who I completely forgot about, which resulted in some serious purging.
Day 4: Image Evaluation
Before jumping into Day 4, I have also RSVP’d to a brunch for this Sunday, so my entire weekend is fully booked for the first time in ages! I am also adding to my Daterbase from Day 1 on a daily basis. Speaking of my Daterbase, last night I made a stop to a convenience store close by my house where I always buy my favorite gum, and I totally forgot about the owner’s to-die-for son. I see him all of the time, and he is gorgeous, so let the handkerchief drop! (I.e. I acted as though choosing bubble gum was the most difficult task, and I needed some assistance on which flavor I had craved.) Until we meet again…
Ok, Day 4 is all about evaluating your image. I have been exercising on and off for about 2 years now. In that time, I have tried different activities from pole dancing to resistance training. As for a clean diet, I never eat food off of the floor. What can I say, my diet is a work in progress! However, I am trying to increase my water intake; if your body is dehydrated then your skin and hair will be also.
... How can I forget my Day 2 update? Today I deleted another form of contact from that last special ex, 148 text messages gone, and all gone (faints).
Day 5: Closet Evaluation
This task is an obvious one for me, since I started doing this sometime last year. I do have some sort of fashion sense, but I think because of my military background, I’m stuck on structure. I love lines and absolutely love black and white, so my closet looks like a set of piano keys. With a little help from Instyle, I slowly add color to my wardrobe. Normally I take note of my girlfriends’ photos who post regularly on social media, since all of my closest friends are out of state. Today I took time out to go trolling through all of their photos for outfits that I could see myself wearing (or not). Currently I have 3 really solid date night outfits, which all consist of, you guessed it, black and white. So since I am such a White House Black Market Stan, I decided to incorporate reds and purples into these outfits. Slowly but surely, I’m evolving from the Beetlejuice attire.
As for my hair, I remember as a teenager my mom would always insist that I wear my hair down instead of a ponytail, and I had trouble understanding why, until I became an adult. Attracted to simplicity, I love ponytails and inclusion in the “bun gang,” but I guess my mother knew what she was talking about since the Matchmakers emphasized how men prefer to see a woman with her hair down and flowing. Apparently, men like to see a woman’s hair down because the state of her hair is a sign of health and maintenance.
… I have un-followed my guy from Day 2 on Instagram, this is getting a little easier.
Day 6: Hair and Makeup 101
This past summer I started experimenting with different types of makeup and hairstyles. MAC cosmetics and Sephora seem to be the Meccas for dolling up. During my visits, I also got a skin evaluation as opposed to just choosing foundation according to whether it matches the back of my hand. My collection of lipsticks, blushes, and mascaras have tripled since summer. It’s nice to have options when you want to play dress up.
In terms of hair, regularly scheduled salon visits are not only helpful to keep a maintained look, but I also find it relaxing to have someone massage your scalp. In addition, remember, shaped brows work wonders for your face. Moving on to fragrance, every girl needs her signature scent, and my fav is “La Vie Est Belle.” Maybe this fragrance works so well for me because it has notes of gourmand, also known as “The Foodie Fragrance” (remember my diet).
Finally the ever dreadful update on Day 2: okay, my last form of contact with my most recent ex is his phone number. I am not ready to delete it, so I’ll just change it to “Lorax Who.” #Babysteps
Day 7: 10 Inner Qualities
There are just some things about a person that cannot be compromised or sacrificed. Here is a list of 10 qualities that I want my guy to possess:
1. Strong relationship with God
2. Reliable and dependable
3. Humble
4. Non-judgmental (unless he’s an actual judge)
5. Stability in his life, career, and finances
6. Sense of humor
7. Secure with himself (not into the overly jealous type)
8. Open-minded
9. Kind-hearted
10. Genuine
These ten qualities are a must!
Day 8: Let your Friends Play Matchmaker
After thinking of my close circle of friends, letting them play Matchmaker is going to be very difficult. My closest friends are either out of state or have yet to find a match themselves. However, my friend in Vegas would be happy to play Matchmaker for me, and I will see her for my birthday weekend. I’ve known her for over a decade and have been through a decade of boyfriends with her, so she is very familiar with my type. I am also considering asking my hairstylist, since she constantly attends events, maybe she can network for me!
Day 9: Date Night
Although this night is date-free, over the course of this process, I have opened myself to conversing with different guys. I have also noticed that one of my coworkers talked to me a lot this week. We found out that we both enjoy ice skating, and he said that he planned to go on the same day. Interestingly enough, he asked which rink would I be going to and said that he was interested in going also. Is he asking me out or not? On another note, today I had brunch in West Hollywood. I had a blast, but no dating prospects. With that being said, it was just a Girls’ Day Out, but I was dolled up just in case I had to stop and get gas.
Day 10: Get the Guy
No guy yet, but a few longer than normal glances and more impromptu conversations. Over the past 10 days I have experienced an awareness about myself as well as male and female relations that I previously ignored. As a result, my initiative to drop the handkerchief has increased, and I feel like I have the poise and style of Jackie O with a dash of Beyoncé…
Okay pause: as I prepared to give an update on my Day 2, my supervisor texted me and asked me to come to a lounge so that I could help set up a party. Once the party dwindled, my supervisor told everyone that they could leave early. So I packed my belongings and walked with a coworker to my car. As we said our goodbyes, he asked me if I had plans for the next weekend, and I said no. He then asked me if I would go out with him on Saturday night, and if not, he would like to take me to dinner. I said okay, so I guess this means I have a date? As for my Day 2 update, all is deleted, and my social media and phone is a NO EX ZONE!
So here we are. Day 10: I got a guy in exactly 10 days (!) and got up the courage to say a final farewell to the exes who were holding me back. If all of this happened in 10 days, imagine what can happen in a month?
Latoya is a Healthcare Educator in the San Fernando Valley as well as a Freelance Writer. For fun, Latoya enjoys traveling, bowling, dancing, anything that involves the sun, and mall-hopping with her girlfriends. She has over 30 years of experience in all things southern and all things purple. She is head over heels for anything that is edible or that could be! It’s only suitable that she can be followed on Instagram @sweetrushn.
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