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Girls Night In - Spa Night Party
by Debra Rosenberg
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!
