If you think that men have it hard when it comes to the first date, you have no idea how hard it can be for a woman! Yes admittedly, they have to choose the venue, the time, the date, and then get the girl to agree to it all, but just think about the things that women have to think about – the hair, the shoes, the outfit, the accessories, does the outfit match the date, will the shoes allow for walking, should I take money to cover the date or will he pay….? This list could be positively endless, and just when the ladies think they have all the questions answered, along comes another!

Thankfully, we can lend you a hand. The first date is bad enough, with all the planning, without having to worry about all the other little things, but with these top ten first date tips for women, maybe you can cut down on the things you have to freak out about!

10. Shave your legs! Who cares if you have no plans to have sex in the first date, it could happen anyway, and the last thing that you are going to need to worry about later on when you are making out in the taxi home, is finding a razor you can steal for five stolen minutes in the bathroom, at his place later on.

9. Take enough money to cover the date. This is important – if you don’t take enough money, you look like a money grabbing hussy. It is always best to take some to cover yourself if he doesn’t decide to pay, and at least then there won’t be any embarrassing situations that you can’t get rid of it.

8. Always make sure you have an "emergency stash" of cash somewhere on your person. This is just sensible when you think about it – what if he’s crazy? If you don’t enjoy the date, you need a way to get home. If you do enjoy the date, you are going to need taxi money for the morning. If he’s crazy, you need to know you have money on your person just in case the worst happens. You shouldn’t leave the stash in your purse either – tuck it inside your bra, or somewhere equally subtle just in case.

7. Take a "lifesaver" bag with you. This means that you need face wipes to take your make up off in the morning, concealer to cover a wealth of bad blemishes in the morning, mints to save you from morning breath, flat shoes like the ones that you can buy that roll up into a neat little ball, and a hair band. These are essentials, and you shouldn’t go on any date without them.

6. Think about your outfit. Yes, you want to appear sexy and beautiful, but at the same time, do you really want to be hiking through a meadow to a romantic picnic in 6 inch sky-scraper heels? The heels DO make your legs but beautiful, but how beautiful are your legs going to look covered in blood if you fall over? At the very least, have the flat shoes that you can change into. You also should think about the outfit itself – where are you going? A hussy-looking tiny black number is never going to do for a real upper class restaurant. At the same time, a ball gown isn’t going to look good at a baseball game.

5. Take safety precautions. Tell a friend or relative where you are meeting this guy, when, and how long you expect to be away for. If they don’t hear from you by a certain point of time, or keep up with regular communication, start worrying and looking for you!

4. Have a "Get out of jail free card". This could be something as simple as a friend calling you at a certain point in time. So, for example, if you are meeting your potential new date at 7pm, have your friend call you at 8 or 8:30pm, and by doing this, you can pretend something bad has happened to get away from the bad date.

3. Be yourself! There is no point in pretending to be someone that you are not, just to impress your date. This pretence will get not only boring, but also very exhausting should the relationship continue past the first date phase, so be honest and upfront at the beginning, and there will be no hidden surprises later on.

2. Have fun! This goes without saying, but for some reason, so many women forget about this part. Who cares if you aren’t that into him? You could, at the very least, get a good friend out of it, so go ahead with the date assuming you are friends, even if the initial attraction hasn’t yet reached you. Also, don’t take him at face value – he is going to be just as nervous as you are, and is likely to make a few mistakes along the way.

1. Never talk about the ex! This is something that is fairly common sense, but yet so many women bring their past relationship emotional baggage into the next adventure with them. If he asks, skirt around the topic or tell him that you don’t’ want to put a dampener on your first date by talking about past experiences. There is no point starting a new relationship with the last one still stuck firmly in your mind!