Etiquette Boss: Mind your table manners

Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts

Hold drinks in your left hand while at a cocktail party or other function. It leaves the right hand free for shaking without having to transfer the drink before extending a damp hand.

While at the dining table, do not hold your fork in your left hand while drinking water in your right. Multitasking is not for the dinner table. Good digestion depends on a relaxed atmosphere. Rest the fork before picking up the glass.

The same goes for wiping your mouth with one hand while holding your fork with the other.  Ditto for gesticulating with your knife and fork while talking at the table. The conversation can become animated and the knife and fork soon take on the appearance of a conductor’s baton. If you remember that the knife should never be raised an inch or two above your  plate, you will never be guilty of this faux pas.

While you may savor your morning cup of coffee while holding the mug with both hands, it is a habit best left at home. Drink coffee or tea with one hand, and remember that you may place your index finger through a coffee mug, but not through a tea cup. The thumb and forefinger are reserved for holding the handle of the delicate tea cup.

Beauty Tips –  Facial Exercise

This week’s beauty tip is another favorite that brings speedy results. As we grow older, our lips lose collagen, and muscles stretch,  like the other parts of our body.  Lips look thinner, lipstick does not look the way it once did, and the perky look of our youth is gone.

This exercise can help to plump the lip muscle. Place both index fingers at the corners of your mouth and pull it outward just a bit. Hold the corners firm while pouting your lips outward.  Hold for a count of 10 and release. Repeat three times. You can do this twice per day for faster results.

In addition, you can wash your hands, place your thumb in your mouth and pull it out slowly while trying to keep it in. This thumb sucking with resistance is great for plumping your lips.

Phillipa Morrish is the president of Etiquette Training International.