How to be Smarter: Cool documentary about New York City relationships in various stages: Love Etc. (I have been waiting for this to come out on DVD for about a year and it did not disappoint).

How to be Prettier: When going to an event held on grass, wear wedges as they sink into the ground less than traditional pointy heels.

How to be (less) Awkward: When the dentist asks you questions, wait for the rinse to answer them instead of attempting to talk with dental tools in your mouth.

Happy Memorial Day!

Thank you to all that have and are serving, and their loved ones.

How to be Smarter: Some amount of luck probably got you to where you are today, but you can’t build luck into your life plan moving forward. Things happen because people make them happen. If you don’t make anything happen, most likely nothing will happen.

How to be Prettier: Keeping a packet of face wipes on your bedside table makes it much easier to take your make-up off on nights you have forgotten to wash your face until after you’ve crawled into bed.

How to be (less) Awkward: How common is your birthday? [This is a cool little info-graphic that's fun to email to friends/crushes/sweeties to break up a work day].

How to be Smarter: Having a time limit on something you are nervous about or not looking forward to doing makes it instantly more tolerable. Whether  you tell yourself you’ll stay at a party for “just an hour” or that you will clean your apartment for “just 15 minutes,” having a deadline in mind makes a task you are dreading more tolerable because your mind can wrap itself around the parameters of the event. You can always extent the time frame if you find yourself having fun or hitting a good groove.

How to be Prettier: Asymmetrical hemlines are everywhere right now: shorter in the front, and longer in the back. (With offbeat hemlines, I favor neutral, solid colors).

How to be (less) Awkward: When a far-away friend has a birthday, a fun way to bridge the distance is to send a hourly text or email with either a fun fact about their new age (“cool things about the number 23″) or about a characteristic you like about them (“reasons you’re awesome”) throughout the day.

How to be Smarter: I read this entire book over the past weekend: it’s extremely interesting, it covers many favorite television shows, and it’s written in a very accessible, almost script-like style. I highly recommend.

How to be Prettier: If you want to be more creative with your outfit choices, limit the pieces available to you. The fewer choices you have, the more imaginative you will be forced to become with the pairings and color choices. (A natural way to do this is to wait a few extra days before laundry day).

How to be (less) Awkward: The song “It’s Amazing” by Jem, about pushing through walls to reach dreams, is one of my favorite calming songs when I’m thinking about the future.

How to be Smarter: You can change your whole life in a big way just by changing all the little ways and routines you have developed. Shaking up your life dramatically isn’t just about changing your job, significant other, or city, it can also be changing every little thing in your life except for the “big things.”

How to be Prettier: An SP&A Exclusive Discount code: With the promo code SP&A, you can get 10% off your order at Chromatic Gallerie. I’ve worn the Eggplant a Kiss heels twice this week, as they are subdued enough for work, but more summer-like than my usual black heels. (Coupon expires 6/30).

How to be (less) Awkward: How to make friends. [A Flash Friday Christina from 40:20 Vision and I wrote].

How to be Smarter: You know how when you were little and you didn’t want to eat something, you would be encouraged to try “just one bite”? Keep that habit up as an adult. Before deciding something is not for you, try it for a second just to be sure it’s not you’re new favorite food/activity/website/author/nail polish/etc.

How to be Prettier: If you layer two pairs of tights, any holes won’t be noticeable as two different pairs rarely get snags in the same places. (The tights need to be thin and the same color for this to work).

How to be (less) Awkward: In an email conversation, it helps to end each email with a question to keep the conversation moving.

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P.S. This month, Smart Pretty and Awkward turns 3 and a half years old! And one year ago today is also when I launched the newsletter Coffee with Molly…thank you for your amazing support. (As always, you can follow SP&A on Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin’, or Tumblr). xo, Molly