Quandary: One of my favorite restaurants employs a bathroom attendant who pretty much forces you to dry your hands with the paper towel she hands you. Sometimes I'll use the hand cream, but do I need to tip her for this "service" I didn't ask for?
Solution: If you're eating at the kind of joint that hires someone to work the powder room, you've "got the spare dollar to throw down," rationalizes Post. "It's clearly the intention of the restaurant to have the attendant be of service, so don't discredit her for doing her job." And, since she's the one shelling out the money for the sundry products, you absolutely should tip her if you use something.
Remember, it's a good rule of thumb to bring your purse with you to the bathroom. You never know what you might need.
Put your napkin on your lap. Say "excuse me" when you burp. Don't shave your legs on the bus.
You don't have to be Miss Manners to get the basic rules of decorum down pat. It's the other things, the things mom didn't teach you, that can get tricky -- especially when it comes to beauty Dos and Don'ts.
We need guidance. We need answers. We need Lizzie Post.
Besides being the great, great granddaughter of Emily Post (the unequivocal authority on manners), Lizzie Post is an acclaimed author and spokesperson for the Emily Post Institute, an organization that works tirelessly at being a social barometer for etiquette and civility in America. Judging by the many things we've witnessed while in line at the bank, on the subway and more, they sure have their work cut out for them!
So if you want answers to beauty questions that have long confounded you, questions like: "Do I have to be naked at the spa?" and "How much perfume is too much?" Or, if you want to know how to handle awkward situations like whether to tell a friend that she looks like a pig in a blanket in those jeans, you've come to the right place.
