Home And Family

Do you want to get together with the girls, have lots of fun – and not spend a lot of money? Then declare a ‘Girls Night In’ – and let the fun begin!

As the first in a series of “Girls Night In” articles, let me explain how ‘Girls Night In’ works. First of all – decide who is going to be the host of this particular event. (It’s best to try to rotate the host each and every time). Then decide how much each ‘guest’ will contribute to the evening. This will include food, beverage, and ‘incidentals’. Think of what you would spend on a normal ‘Girls Night Out’ and then slash it by 30% or more! The amount should easily cover your costs for these ‘do-it-yourself’ parties. Agree to this amount and stick to it. Note: Guests should provide payment upon arriving at the party in fairness and respect to the host – it is NOT okay for the hostess to have to hunt down the payment that night or any other time.

Hostess duties include: planning the party details (what to serve, what music to play, what features to offer that pertain to the party’s theme, etc.), shopping for everything, hosting the event and cleaning up after it. But remember – hosts are rotated each time so depending on the size of your group it really is manageable. For example – let’s say your gal pals number 6. Have a “Girls Night In” every two months and each person only hosts once that year!

Okay – let’s move on to the first party – Spa Night:

Manicure-Pedicures: What you’ll need on hand are:

1) at least one set of disposable gloves (these are in case anyone needs to remove a dark nail color before they start their manicure or pedicure. Put a glove on the hand that’s doing the removing – that way the color on the cotton ball won’t get all over them).

2) A full bottle of nail polish remover and big fat fluffy cotton balls (typically sized “Jumbo”)

3) A new nail file for each gal.

4) A container of great smelling hand lotion.

5) At least five bottles of new nail polish shades. Make sure at least one is neutral and another is at least a soft color (light pink or peach, for example). But make sure you also have an outrageously deep, vampy color too!

6) One full bottle of nail polish base and a top coat product.

7) Enough toe separators for everyone to have their own set. It’s also nice to have a nail buffer – make sure you get one that isn’t too coarse – you just want to gently buff away any old nail stains. All of these products can be purchased at beauty supply stores or drug stores – they will barely dent your budget.

Facials:

Again – pick these things up at the drug store to keep costs down – no need to get fancy.

You’ll need:

1) A gentle cleanser.

2) At least two masks products. Make sure one is labeled ‘Gentle’ for those guests that may have sensitive skin.

3) And a toner to use after you rinse off the mask to ensure that you remove every last morsel of it. Make sure you have a freshly laundered washcloth for each gal. If you don’t have enough – you can get them very inexpensively at most stores that sell linen (towels and sheets).

All that is left is food and beverage (well – you’ll want to decide what music to play ahead of time). Decide if you are going to offer one or two types of cocktails. Or perhaps just wine – a red and a white. Make sure you have non-alcoholic beverages on-hand too. And as for food -finger food that can easily be picked is a must for this party – you don’t want to take the chance of ruining your just-done nails. Sushi, wrap sandwiches (just make sure they are not over-stuffed), chips and dip (not out of a bag – the chips must be put in a bowl ahead of time), and/or bite-size hors d’oeuvres (these can be found in the frozen section of supermarkets) are all great options. And make sure you don’t forget to put out a tray of bite-sized sweets before the night is over!