How to use a napkin

   As well as being the perfect white flag for foes to surrender with, napkin can be very handy come dinnertime.
   The napkin is a gentle and delicate accessory associated with the formalities and more refined art of dining. Therefore it is almost certain you will be using one. Regularly.




To begin

   Remove the napkin from your place setting, unfold the origami creation and lay on your lap. In a very posh restaurant the waiter the waiter may dash over and do this for you. Don't be too alarmed, he is not coming to throw you out.

To end

   Dab your lips and place napkin loosely next to your plate. It should not be folded, as you are not trying to save your hosts a wash bill, nor should it be too crumpled and twisted - you don't want to imply that you are a nervous wreck. Also, caution: do not leave it on your seat. Superstion says that 'a dinner who leaves a napkin on his chair will never sit at that table again.' And you know how hard it is to get a good table at Ivy.

Best finger foods

Best finger foods include:

• Artichoke

• Asparagus (providing it is not drenched in sauce)

• (Crispy) bacon

•  bananas

•  biscuits

•  bread/baguetted

• Canapes

• Cherries

• Chocolates

• Sushi

• French fries

• Seafoods

• Corn on the cob

• Small berries

• Sweets

• Popcorn

How to eat with your fingers with style

   So despair not if you cannot use cultery, or chopsticks; you will not serve. There are foods that are best eaten by hand. It can also be very seductive. Just ensure that you don't accidentally swallow a diamond. Loose jewellery should be removed and safely stored, ideally in handbag or pocket. Almost everything at cocktail parties or at pre-meal nibbles is 'finger food' , proof that even the truly posh can make finger-licking appearances.

How to sound like a politician

While Today in Parliament isn't required listening, unless you are really, really keen, and you would expect from a group of professionals who rely on their speeches to convey their message and, ultimately, to secure their jobs, they come up with some pretty snappy bites.

Nelson Mandela

   'I stand here before you today not as aprophet but as a humble servant of you, people.' (11 February 1990)

John F. Kennedy



   'Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.' (20 January 1961)

Margaret Thatcher

   'To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catcphrase, the U turn, I have only one thing to say: you turn if you want to. The ladies not for turning!'

Winston Churchill

   'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owned by so many to so few.'

Mahatma Gandhi

   'Non-Violence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my creed.

Ronald Reagan

   'It's true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?'

How to shape your eyebrows

Eyebrows can make your face, as they frame and enlarge your eye. A bit of shaping can change the way you look. They can hide your flaws and enhance your beauty spots.

The beginning of the eyebrow should be in line with the inner cornet of the eye, and should end just beyond the eye.
The greater the distance between the two eyebrows the wider your nosr will look.

• Tweeze hair on nose-bridge(if any) immediately, too unsightly.
• Remove hairs that are obviously outside the natural shape.
• When tweezing, remove a few hairs from one eye, then alternate to the other brow. This eliminates over-tweezing.
• Pluck from under arch up. Never destroy top natural arch of brow, this will cause chaotic regrowth.
• If a few hairs are missing, draw in each hair using a light feather-touch stroke. Begin at bottom and draw upward following hair direction.

The finishing touch: coat eyebrows with clear mascara which holds it in place.

Tips for the hair salon experience

1. However long you thought you would be-DOUBLE it.
2. Always dress to impress when you go to the hairdressers. You want a trendy style? Give them something to work with. Inspire them.
3. Be prepared. You will have to look at yourself for hours and hours and HOURS. Bring a book, magazine, or temporary blindess, because, under the unforgiving light and uninterrupted scrutiny, even the most vain will tire of the sight of themselves and start to see faults that no one else notices.
4. Do not opt for a style that you need to have a degree in cutting and hairdressing to recreate each morning.
5. Never say 'Do what you fancy' They will scalp you or, worse, get 'creative'.
6. Know what style that suits your face, and stick with it. Be cautious about following trends.
7. Access the conversational skills of your hairdresser.
8. Never chat when they are cutting your fringe, they could have your eye out. Or you could end up with hair in your mouth. Most unpleasant.
9. It is hard to hear when the dryer is on, so get past the punch line of the story before then.
10. Be aware of the weather. What is the point of having a 'do' done and then stepping out into a hurricane or downpour? It is a common sense ALWAYS to have a brolly with you.

How to make stylish excuses

'Beautiful people are sometimes more prone to keep you waiting than plain people are because there's a big time differential between the beautiful and plain" Andy Warhol. So true.


Even with the best will in the world sometimes you just won't make it. It is a myth that timekeeping is unstylish. But being supremely delayed is tardy, chaotic, ill manered and downright rude.

This handy guide will help you gauge the appropriate level of apolpogy:

• 0-20

   No excuse necessary. You have arrived.        What is the problem?

• 20-45

   Disarm irritated faces with compliments      and follow with casual apology, blaming        external factors. Ex: 'Oh how lovely to see    you all again. You look so well. Nightmare    getting a cab/traffic/parking isn't it?'

• 45 minutes-hour

   Vaguely suggest a day of exciting trauma,      but be careful not to elaborate, settle in          quickly and become absorbed in the              current conversation. 'What a day! You          just can't imagine. Oh well atleadt I'm            here, so what have I missed? Anyone else      have trouble getting here?. . .  and so on.

• One hour plus

   This requires show stopping entrance, but    it is no bad thing as it will remind                    evetybody that you are a special vreature      and can't be expected to keep to standard      timekeeping. As Marilyn Monroe once          said, ' I have often been on calendars but I    have never been on time.'

How to hide a spot

The world need not necessarily com
e to a grinding halt when you wake up to find you have a pimple. Think fast. Highlight another area. Today would be the day to wear red lipstick or smocky kohl-rimmed eyes. Wear your hair loose and flowing.
It will not only be distracting, it will softly conceal the offending area.
If the pimple is persistent and is an offending shade of day-glo that is ruining your day, do react. Dab a little extra concealer onto finger and apply to problem patch. Delicately apply powder to dry and cover it, but try not to cake it in make up, it can only make it more noticeable.

A quick word on colors and their associations

• Red- dangerous, vampy, plum and poisonous.
• Pink-girly,dainty, pretty and sweet.
• Clear-suggests good girl and hard worker perhaps a little safe.
• Nude/cream-means you're high maintenancE, well groomed and know a good manicurist.
• French manicure- is when tips are white and a clear gloss is run over the tops.Means super high maintenance, control freak, and more often than not, Amerocan.

Fashion colors, glitters, blacks, blues are fine if you ate on the runway or fifteen years old. But unacceptable otherwise.

How to do a home pedicure

• First remove any old nail polish. Saok feet in a basin of warm water.
• Clip and file toenails straight.

• Push back cuticles. They should be soft after soaking but if not use a cuticlr moisruriser.

• Use a loofah or punic stone to smooth any hard skin.
• Separate your toes by folding a tissue longways and twisting in and out between each toe.
• Apply clear base coat, and allow to dry.
• Apply polish, twice for deeper colors.
• Allow polish to dry thoroughly.
• Apply clear topcoat.