Betty Blog

My Dating Life's Making Me Ugly!

... and I don't care!

-Carrie Seim

Legend has it that you can tell when someone has a happy love life just by looking at them. They have a sparkle in their eye, a flush in their cheeks and a spring in their step. SUPPOSEDLY. I think the more obvious signs are dark circles, zitty skin and a big old grin.

I'm a late bloomer when it comes to love. After years of staying home from the dating prom, I'm finally peeling my petals off the wall.

In the last couple of years, I've gone from lonesome Friday night TiVo marathons to more dates than I can count. This zero-to-60 change was mostly an occupational hazard. (Because dating columnists kind of have to, you know, go on dates once in awhile.) My Love/Sex Writer Extraordinaire title has afforded me new confidence and gusto when it comes to meeting men.

Old me, upon seeing a hot guy on a bicycle: "Hi ... um. Hi? Okay, bye!"

New me, upon seeing a hot guy on a bicycle: "Nice bike. Hey, I'm writing an article about dating and bicycles, can I ask you some questions over drinks?"

(Seriously, use that line, ladies. 100 percent guaranteed.)

Here's the thing - all this dating is great! Meeting interesting people, visiting romantic locales, bingeing on a diet of compliments and flowers, kissing and telling about it all - has been an incredibly enlivening experience.

But here's the other thing - all this dating is making me ugly! Okay, not exactly ugly (or so I'm told). I still manage to pull my hair, makeup and clothes into an alluring little package. It's just that I'm burning the midnight oil, which means my once-vigilant bedtime beauty routine is frequently sacrificed for the good of a Saturday night seduction.