Reviews: Fun Factory Stronic Real + Stronic G

Kate Sloan
The Stronic Real (purple) and Stronic G (blue).

It’s very rare, as a sex toy reviewer, to be able to say that any product is truly unique. The sex toy industry has been around for long enough now that hardly any products bring anything genuinely new to the table – most of them are just improvements on (or attempts to improve) toys that already exist. While that’s a noble goal, sometimes I find myself thirsting for invention rather than just innovation.

Fun Factory really did reinvent the wheel a few years back when they launched their Stronic line of products. These toys actually thrust back and forth using technology I haven’t seen elsewhere. You can get Stronic-style movement in a whole bunch of different shapes now, which is great news because it means more people can enjoy this seemingly magical thrusting!

Recently I was lucky enough to be sent two new(ish) Stronic toys, and I’m gonna review them for you today. They’re both rechargeable, waterproof, made of silicone and plastic, and not anal-safe (due to the lack of a flared base), and both have a wide variety of speeds and patterns, but other than that, they’re pretty different, as you’ll see…

The Stronic Real (sent to me by the lovely folks at Betty’s Toy Box) is, as its name suggests, Fun Factory’s take on a “realistically” shaped toy. But this company isn’t exactly known for realism, so this toy moreso gestures at the idea of a penis than actually depicts one. I don’t mind that – dicks’ coronal ridge and thrusting action are two of my favorite qualities of theirs, and both of those are present here.

The thing you need to know right away about the Stronic Real is that it seems to be the best choice from the Stronic line for those of us who enjoy A-spot stimulation. It’s long enough to hit the spot in question, and has the exact shape that works best for me when I’m trying to reach my A-spot while satisfying the rest of my vagina too: a thick shaft and a tapered tip with a slight upward curve. If I ease the Stronic Real into my vag as far as it’ll go (using lots of lube, because Fun Factory silicone is draaaaggy), and brace the base of it with my hand or a pillow so it doesn’t slip out as it thrusts, it can stay pretty focused on my A-spot so I can pay attention to whatever I’m doing to my clit. (Probably using the Eroscillator on it, let’s be real.)

The Stronic G, by contrast, doesn’t usually even need to be braced against something – because it locks onto my G-spot and basically stays there. This phenomenon sets it apart from other toys in the Stronic line, to a significant enough extent that I could see turning to this one when the chronic pain in my hands is flaring up and I can’t (or don’t want to) hold a penetrative toy.

I’m not known for my squirting the way some other bloggers are, but boy howdy, this toy sure makes me squirt a lot. In my inaugural Stronic G session with my partner, I soaked through their bedsheets so thoroughly that we decided to belatedly put down a towel – which I then promptly soaked through, too. The thrusting feels a lot like a skilled partner fingerbanging you at the high rate of speed that many people find causes squirting. I find that it’s more of a constant trickle, unlike the bigger, more theatrical expulsions prompted by something heftier like the Pure Wand. If you’ve been curious about learning to squirt, the Stronic G might be a revelation for you – but on the flipside, if you find G-spot stimulation overwhelming or unpleasant, you will likely hate this toy. It is a G-spot-focused jackhammer and is, as Epiphora would say, not for the faint of vagina.

Neither the Real nor the G can hit my internal spots with the amount of force, accuracy, and frankly, slowness that I tend to prefer when partners use their fingers on those spots. It’s sort of like the difference between tickling and massage. I can definitely have orgasms with the faster, more surface-level stimulation provided by the Stronic toys – and I have, many times – but they have a different, more frenetic and less profound quality than orgasms I have when my spots are being stimulated more methodically and firmly. (This is why, as I get closer to orgasm, I sometimes ask my partner to switch from fucking me with the Stronic G to using something with more chutzpah, like the Eleven, to finish me off.) However, for toys that are more-or-less hands-free, they do an excellent job replicating the sensation of being fingerbanged. If you like getting fucked fast – or if you tend to thrust your dildos in and out on the quicker side of the spectrum – you’ll likely enjoy these.

Do I think you need both the Stronic Real and the Stronic G in your collection? Certainly not. The latter is best for hardcore G-spot stimulation enthusiasts, while the former is likelier to satisfy those who like A-spot stimulation and/or general vaginal fullness. But I am, admittedly, quite glad to own both. They’re both very damn good at their core competencies – and when you’re craving a Stronic, nothing else will do.

 

Thank you so much to Betty’s Toy Box and Fun Factory, respectively, for sending me these products to try!

How to Do Solo Foreplay

Kate Sloan

Many of my sex educator friends despise the term “foreplay.” The way it’s traditionally used, it refers to any sexual activities that precede intercourse, from kissing to dry-humping to oral sex. This definition is problematic for so many reasons: it leaves out queer and trans people, as well as people who can’t or don’t want to have penetrative sex (for reasons medical, psychological, and otherwise), while devaluing and de-emphasizing sex acts that many people enjoy and find wholly satisfying all on their own. (My sex life, for one, is deeply enriched by self-contained oral sex sessions!) This conception of foreplay also implies that sex is a scripted endeavor that must unfold in a particular order without deviation. Overall, it leaves a lot of people unsatisfied and forgotten.

While many high school teachers forbid their students from using Wikipedia as a source for assignments, I’m a grown-up so I can quote Wiki as much as I like, and their definition of foreplay, being crowd-sourced, is pleasingly inclusive: “Foreplay is a set of emotionally and physically intimate acts between two or more people meant to create sexual arousal and desire for sexual activity. Although foreplay is typically understood as physical sexual activity, nonphysical activities, such as mental or verbal acts, may in some contexts be foreplay. Foreplay can mean different things to different people.” (Emphasis mine.) YES, Wikipedia!! This is the definition I want you to keep in mind as you read this post.

I’m enthralled by foreplay as a concept, particularly since reading Emily Nagoski’s book Come As You Are a few years ago and learning that I have what’s called “responsive desire”: I usually don’t get turned on until sexual stimulation – physical, mental, or ideally both – is already happening. Nagoski posits in her book that women’s desire is likelier to be responsive, while men’s is likelier to arise more spontaneously – though these are, of course, just over-arching trends and not set-in-stone rules. But maybe these tendencies are to blame for the cultural perception that foreplay is something women need and that men could take or leave. Nothing is ever that simple when it comes to sexuality (and where the hell does that narrative leave trans and non-binary people?!).

In any case, today we’re going to talk about solo foreplay, i.e. providing yourself with your own foreplay. The way I see it, there are 3 main reasons a person might like to do this:

  1. As a prelude to masturbation, to make it more pleasurable, decadent, romantic, momentous, etc., rather than just hopping into the action immediately.
  2. As a replacement for foreplay with your partner, perhaps because the foreplay you do with them is unsatisfactory in some way (in which case, I would recommend discussing that with them when you feel able to do so), because you have a limited time window in which to have sex with them (e.g. the 20 minutes between them getting home from work and the two of you having to leave for a family function) and you want to make the most of it, or because you’re feeling submissive and have been commanded (or have offered) to get yourself turned on before your partner arrives, so they can “use you.” 😏
  3. As a supplement to foreplay with your partner, to make the whole sexual encounter more pleasurable and exciting for you.

Whatever your reasons for actively turning yourself on, having the ability to do so can feel highly empowering – especially for people who have been socialized to believe that their arousal is someone else’s job to conjure up. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be, and you’re denying yourself a vast range of wonderful experiences if you depend solely on your partner to get you revved up!

With that in mind, here are some suggestions for ways you can stoke your own fire, so to speak:

Eliminate stressors, as much as possible. Stress has an actual physiological effect on your ability to get aroused, so – while you may not be able to tune out every little thing that’s making you anxious or sad – try to set the stage for a stress-free session of sensuality. I find that even just tidying up my room, putting on some relaxing music, and turning off my phone can help me breathe a sigh of sweet relief.

Fantasize. Let your inner perversions run wild! Recall a sexy memory. Imagine fucking your favorite fictional character. If you’re planning to have sex later, this step could be as simple as vividly picturing (or even sexting about) what you hope will happen. See where your dirty mind takes you!

Watch porn or read erotica. This is my go-to when I just don’t have the focus, energy, or creativity for fantasizing. If you’re nerdy like me, you may even want to start keeping a document or spreadsheet of the links that turn you on the most – whether they’re amateur blowjob clips, hypno erotica, or Brooklyn Nine-Nine fanfiction – so you can return to them whenever you need a reliable libido boost.

Use an arousal gel. These are topical products meant to be applied to the genitals (they are usually designed for clits, but can feel good on penises too!) to encourage bloodflow to the area through the use of mild tingling or warming ingredients. Promescent’s Female Arousal Gel, for instance, contains peppermint, which will certainly get your blood pumping! I find that these make me more sensitive, too, often resulting in longer and stronger orgasms.

Touch yourself, even just non-sexually (although sexual touch is lovely too!). Massage your aching muscles with a wand vibrator. Moisturize your whole body while gently kneading out the knots of tension. Grab a good lube and massage your nipples, the area around your genitals, and your genitals themselves – slowly and methodically, noticing how everything feels.

Try a little pain. This is totally optional, since not everyone finds pain sexy, but it can encourage bloodflow and greater sensitivity, so it’s worth a shot! You can slap, scratch, or pinch your skin, or experiment with nipple clamps, Wartenberg wheels, and other instruments of sadomasochism. Straight-up pleasure is nice, but pain can feel delicious too!

And finally… Don’t put pressure on yourself to get super turned on, or have an orgasm, or look hot while doing it, or anything. The traditional concept of foreplay paints it as a goal-oriented on-ramp, but sometimes it can just be play. If it leads to more, great! If not, great! Solo play is about getting in touch with your own body and your own pleasure, however that manifests for you.

Do you ever do your own foreplay? What are your favorite methods?

 

This post was sponsored by the wonderful folks at Promescent, who recently released a new collection of lubricants as well as a pepperminty arousal gel that I think lots of you would enjoy. As always, all writing and opinions are my own.

The Fine Art of the Romantic Bruise Selfie

Kate Sloan

Content note: this post discusses, and contains photos of, bruising – only the happy, consensual kind, but bruising nonetheless. I encourage you to take care of yourself and skip this one if that’s tough subject matter for you.

 

“Aftercare” in kink is a somewhat nebulous concept, deliberately so: its definition varies from kinkster to kinkster, as do its purpose and scope. I know people for whom aftercare is, by necessity, a lengthy cuddling session filled with kisses and compliments – and I also know people for whom it is “Thanks for the good time; see ya!” followed by street meat and a volley of texts to a friend. It can be whatever you want it to be, as long as it works for everyone involved.

It’s important to remember, too, that aftercare can be an immediately-afterwards thing, or it can be a quite-a-while-afterwards thing, or both. The blissed-out cuddle sesh after a kink scene might satisfy your body and your snuggly neurotransmitters, but your rational brain might want additional aftercare a few days later in the form of, say, a text dissecting what went right and what went wrong. Sometimes those texts contain pictures of bruises.

It’s been said (I think by Jillian Keenan?) that bruises are to kinksters what hickeys are to vanilla people: tangible proof that a particular encounter happened, that someone likes you enough to have marked you in this very romantic and/or erotic way, that you are desired and desirable. Sending “bruise selfies” the day after a scene – like sending “hickey selfies” the day after a makeout session – can convey a flirty message: I like you and I like what we did together.

But bruise pics also serve another, more kink-specific function: they’re a way that a submissive or bottom can communicate more info, post-scene, to their dominant or top. “Even though what you did to me probably would’ve looked scary, dangerous, or even abusive to an uninformed outsider,” these photographic missives seem to say, “I loved it, I’m glad we did it, and I love the results.” Tops are being immensely vulnerable and brave when they communicate their desires and then act on them; sending bruise pictures is one way of showing them that their bravery was well-received and was worth it. This can teach them, over time, that it’s okay to be even more brave, even more often.

“It makes me proud of our time together and I love knowing they’re thinking of me.” -@stryker_von

“When topping, it’s an affirmation that they had a Really Good Time and are still thinking about it. That’s a great feeling! As a bottom, it feels like a little wink to our complicity in a scene – “Look at what we did to my body, together. Isn’t it pretty?” -@tinygorgon

“I sometimes get self-conscious and worry that I have hurt them too much. My other reaction is wow, they endured that much for me and were so wonderful 😍” -@cewa1308

Once you go out into “the real world” with your bruises, you’re apt to encounter all kinds of pushback – family might scoff or stare if they spot the damage, doctors might pry or even assume you’re in an abusive relationship, and your other partners (if you have any) might wonder why you didn’t leave them more real estate on your skin for marks of their own! But in those first, pure moments of mutual bruise enjoyment that ensue when you snap a pic the morning after and send it to the bruise’s creator, you don’t have to feel guilty or self-conscious about the perverted masterpiece that has bloomed on your body – you can just bask in its beauty together.

Taking pictures of your bruises is also a gift to your future self, because – if you’re anything like me – someday you’ll love having a record of your kinky journey over the years. I’m less prone to bruising now than I was in my early twenties, in part because I simply don’t play as hard as I used to, so I love paging through my old bruise shots as a reminder of how strong I am and how much I am capable of enduring. The people who gave me those marks have mostly disappeared from my life, but the memories, and the photographic evidence, remain – allowing me to celebrate my own resilience whenever I revisit them.

I’m insecure and perpetually unsure if I’m actually a “good submissive.” But in those photos, I can see evidence that I am, in stark black and white. (Or black and blue, as the case may be.)

 

This post was sponsored. As always, all writing and opinions are my own.

25 Non-Boring Things to Do on Valentine’s Day

Kate Sloan

A month ago, I walked into an upscale sex shop in New York and saw that it was festooned in hearts, red lingerie, and Hershey Kisses. “OH GOD, NOT THIS AGAIN,” I shouted into the romantic void. How is it that I’ve been writing about sex and relationships professionally for nearly 8 years and Valentine’s always sneaks up on me?!

My beef with Valentine’s Day is mostly that it focuses on all the wrong things – showy, insubstantial displays of love, rather than the admirable daily work of keeping a relationship functional and fun – while making people feel terrible if they can’t afford exorbitantly priced roses/chocolates/dinner, or if they don’t have a partner to lavish attention on. I firmly believe love is worth celebrating, but some of the conventional ways of doing that have gotten awfully stale!

With that in mind, here are 25 ideas for Valentine’s activities you could do with your sweetheart that don’t make me yawn. These are intended for couples, but singles, please feel free to do ’em with a close friend or a fuckbuddy – or read my Valentine’s suggestions for the uncoupled. Now let’s get romantic!

Go see a comedy show. Forever one of my favorite date-night activities. Laughing together is good for your relationship and your neurochemistry! (If you’re in Toronto, my picks are Catch23 and Black & Funny; if you’re in New York, the Valentine’s edition of Tinder Live is a must-see.)

Watch a decidedly unromantic (or unconventionally romantic) movie. Perhaps at an actual movie theatre, if you can swing it. (If you’re in Toronto, the Revue Cinema is screening the 2001 slasher film Valentine as part of their Drunken Cinema series.) Here are some of my top picks: The F Word (known in some countries as What If), He’s Just Not That Into You, Her, Misery, Brokeback Mountain.

Outline your next creative collaboration. Is there anything hotter than working on a project with your brilliant partner?! Sit down and figure out if you’d like to collab on anything soon, whether it’s a tiny undertaking like devising a new dinner recipe or a massive hoopla like writing a book together.

Go dancing. Yes, even if you’re “bad at it.” Sweating together is oddly fun and bonding (I removed “exercise together” from this list in favor of something less preachy, but the point stands), and it can be surprisingly sexy to see the way your paramour moves on a dance floor – even if they’re charmingly awkward (or you are)!

Go to a strip club. Traditional vanilla/monogamous wisdom holds that you “shouldn’t” find other people sexy if you’re in a relationship – and while this type of traditionalism works for some people (I would imagine very few), IMO it’s fake news. Take your partner to the best strip club in town, tip generously, and make some mental notes about how you could best give your sweetheart a stellar striptease later in a more private environment…

Make each other’s gifts instead of buying them. I’m not a crafty person (and my songwriting habit isn’t an on-demand type of thing) so I’ve never been very good at this, but hey, you might. There’s something so romantic about creating a gift rather than choosing it off a shelf, whether it’s an embroidery of an inside joke you share, a hand-painted wooden figurine of their favorite animal, or a necklace assembled from crystals they think are pretty. (If you want to commission a queer trans artist to paint you and your beau, I highly recommend C. Murphy, who did this rad portrait of me and mine!)

Dine in. I don’t mean that as an oral sex joke, although… that too. Seriously, a homemade Valentine’s dinner would be so lovely, whether you make it together (you don’t truly know someone until they’ve been your sous-chef for a night) or the more cooking-inclined one of you throws something together while the other watches lovingly. Or does something actually useful like making drinks or setting the table.

Draw all over each other’s bodies. My friend Caitlin is very into this practice, and I once volunteered to get drawn on at a party she held. You might be surprised by how sensual it is to feel marker strokes feathering along your skin (or, if you’re a masochist like me, a sharp pen digging into you) – and certainly, it’s nice to be focused on like a work of art.

Do drugs together. Famously, there’s an OkCupid question from the early days of the site that asks, “Do you think drug use with your partner can be a romantic activity?” I was a firm No when I was straight-edge, but having eased into a more drug-accepting lifestyle, I now think it totally can be. Moving through altered states together can be a bonding ordeal, like climbing a mountain or running a marathon. It doesn’t much matter if it’s a drug you’ve done together lots of times or one neither of you have ever done – as long as you’re risk-aware and prepared for any potential mishaps, a shared trip could be a super sweet and intimate experience.

“Fuck first,” as Dan Savage often advises. Sex when you’re overstuffed (or overdrunk) from dinner is not always the most fun. Why not get it on before you leave for your romantic rendezvous? You can always fuck again later.

Talk about your goals and how you can help each other achieve them. Self-improvement power-couple alert! New Year’s is traditionally the time to talk about such things, but hey, collaborative goal-pursual is romantic, so why not discuss it now?

Devise a relationship check-in. This is a series of questions you can ask each other, in a formulaic way, once a week/month/whatever works, to determine which areas of your relationship are working and which need a tune-up. It can also simply help you become more present and aware of the things about your relationship that you’re grateful for. (Here are the questions me and my partner use.)

Take sexy pictures of each other. You don’t have to be a master photographer to capture your sweetie lookin’ fine; you will catch different aspects of them in your lens than most people would, just by virtue of being their partner. This would also be a great opportunity to pull out those mesh briefs/seamed stockings/”fuck-me” heels you’ve been hoarding!

Do karaoke, either at home (check YouTube or Spotify for tracks) or at a local bar that offers it. What a goofy good time.

Record a podcast together. You don’t even have to release it (although, if you do, Soundcloud is a good spot to host a one-off) – just sit down and record a conversation about your relationship, or a passionate interest you share, or the general idea of romance, or whatever. I always love having tangible records of earlier periods of my relationships and audio documentation can be particularly salient!

Go to an arcade or board games café. (There is no beating Snakes & Lattes here in Toronto, IMO.) Hell, maybe trouncing your nerdy love at Scrabble or Skee-Ball will inspire them to “punish” you later, in bed…!

Have a staycation. Book a hotel and read some travel guides for your city to find out which landmarks, restaurants, bars, and other miscellanea are most recommended for visitors. Love can make your mundane reality feel fresh again, and staycations can do that, too!

Make a Clone-a-Willy. I can’t think of much that’s more romantic than gifting your partner a fuckable facsimile of your genitals.

Spend time in silence together. You know, I used to believe that lapsing into long silences around your partner was a bad thing, because it meant you didn’t have anything to say to each other anymore – but it can be a nice thing, too, sometimes. Especially if you and your partner are both introverts and/or homebodies, maybe the best Valentine’s gift you can give each other is a quiet night at home, each separately reading or writing or crafting or meditating or whatever you want, together in your silent sovereignty.

Ask each other the “36 questions to fall in love” from Arthur Aron’s study. This list of questions was designed to foster intimacy between strangers, but you can learn a lot from going through it with an established partner as well.

Issue each other a day-long challenge. Can your girlfriend stay off Twitter all day if you remind her how unhappy it makes her (and keep her distracted with more fun activities)? Can your boyfriend stop complaining so much if that’s something he wants to stop? Can your enbyfriend write 3,000 words in a day, if you sit beside them sipping coffee and reading and offering moral support?

Play Truth or Dare. Yes, like teenagers at a suburban basement rager. It’s a classic for a reason! Here’s an online version if you need help coming up with prompts.

Do tarot readings for each other. Even if you think tarot is bullshit, this can be fun. The internet is chock full o’ sites that will tell you how to position cards in a reading and what each card means. You can pontificate on how you think the cards you pull are indeed relevant to your partner’s life – you probably know them best, after all!

Roleplay as a conventional vanilla couple. Oh, go ALL OUT, honey. Flowers. Chocolates. Restaurant reservations. Chaste pecks on the lips. Confessions of “I love you” and “You’re my soulmate” while having sex under the covers in the dark. Sometimes there is nothing more perverted than pretending you’re not perverted.

Read each other love poems. They don’t have to be Shakespearian sonnets. They can be raunchy, like this fave of mine by Richard Brautigan: “The sweet juices of your mouth / are like castles bathed in honey. / I’ve never had it done so gently before. / You have put a circle of castles / around my penis and you swirl them / like sunlight on the wings of birds.”

 

What are your favorite unconventionally romantic activities?

What to Wear on Valentine’s Day

Kate Sloan

Not to get too Hallmark on you, but I kind of love Valentine’s Day. Unlike when I was younger, my enjoyment of this weird invented holiday no longer depends entirely on my partnered-vs.-non-partnered status at the time (although that is a factor) – mostly I just view Feb. 14th as an opportunity to celebrate the very notion of love. And what better way to do that than by dressing like a walking embodiment of romance?

As you can see from the collage of my past Valentine’s outfits above, there are some common themes in my overall philosophy for Valentine’s Day dressing… While you are (obviously) not in the least obligated to follow any of these directives, here are my core commandments for assembling a Valentine’s outfit, whether your plan is an over-the-top candlelit dinner with your sweetheart, a raucous “Galentine’s” celebration with some friends, or a solo hangout at home watching rom-coms!

Pink and red are key. The way I see it, this is literally the only day of the year when pink and red don’t look overly cutesy together. (Or rather, they do, but that’s the point.) Comb your wardrobe for anything pink or red and figure out how you can pair various items. You can go as subtle or as bright as you like – though of course, I favor a loud and proud aesthetic!

Go wild with hearts. This, again, is the only day of the year when you can wear as many heart-themed items as you want and people will think it’s… slightly less weird than they might otherwise. 😂💖 Tarina Tarantino does the best heart-shaped jewelry (unless you have Tiffany’s money, but honestly, I’ll take a flashy giant rhinestoned heart over a small understated silver one any day), and typing “heart” into the search bar of any clothing or accessories website will bring up a lot of cute stuff. Also great: anything floral-print or polka-dotted.

Choose romantic fabrics. What does this mean? Well, that’s up to you. I think some fabrics are traditionally coded as delicately feminine and thus romantic, like tulle, chiffon, and lace. But sensual fabrics like velvet, silk, and satin carry their own romanticism as well. Anything swishy and/or soft to the touch is a good pick. (And hey, if you’re a kinkster comme moi, maybe leather and latex are the most romantic materials you can think of!)

Dress to match your partner, if you have one and you’re both into that! What would normally seem ridiculous can just seem sweet on Valentine’s. Dressing in sync can be a visual manifestation of your luuuv.

Hide something fun underneath. Even if you’re not much for high-end hosiery and luxury lingerie (and I don’t blame you – that stuff’s expensive and high-maintenance, though it is beautiful), you could still delight your partner (or yourself) with some Valentine-y undergarments of some kind. MeUndies makes adorable matching heart-print underwear sets every year that are definitely worth a look!

Wear what your partner thinks you look hot in. This one is fully, 100% optional, because 1) you might not even have a partner, 2) you might not trust or prefer their aesthetic tastes over your own, and 3) you might not even know what they like you in, especially if it’s a new-ish relationship. But say your sweetie has told you they love you in striped stockings, or a well-fitting suit, or peeptoe heels, or with your hair slicked back – there’s no better occasion to wow your love with your choice of ensemble.

Go all out with your makeup, if you wear makeup (or if you don’t regularly wear it but want to on Valentine’s!). I like a classic smoky eye and red lip – that’s what feels the most romantic to me – but if you’ve got shimmery pink eyeshadow, or big fluttery false lashes, or iridescent pink lipstick, or stick-on hearts and cosmetic glue, by all means, use ’em! Be sure to consider longwear formulations if you’ll be out late and/or you plan on doing some kissin’.

Keep the weather in mind, because – while I do want you to look and feel excellent – in many places, it is snowy and/or freezing in February! Maybe you don’t want to be skidding around in your sky-high suede heels, or shivering sullenly in your translucent tights. If you must be impractical (and I get it), at least throw on a warm scarf and great coat when you go out, and maybe switch from boots to pretty shoes when you get where you’re going. Fashion is fun, but it’s not worth getting frostbite or a broken ankle for!

Wear what you feel sexy and gorgeous in. You can ignore every other rule here if you want, but this one is vital! Whether you’re making heart-eyes at your sweetie across a restaurant table, giggling with friends over a tipsy game of Spin the Bottle, or lounging solo at a cocktail bar with your favorite romance novel, you’re gonna wanna feel like a babe – whatever that means to you personally. Think about the times when you’ve felt your hottest/prettiest/handsomest and try to incorporate some elements from those past looks into your present one.

What do you plan on wearing for Valentine’s Day?