I meant to post yesterday. And I meant to post this earlier. But guess who has not one but TWO broken A/C units currently? THIS GIRL. Oh and it’s the hottest Dallas has been in about 100 years (but actually). So that’s great.

Obviously I’m not wearing this look in this weather. Instead, I’m stuck here dreaming of cooler temperatures. During which I can finally wear this gorgeous coat. BTW it’s included in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (as is the rest of this look) andddd that same sale is now open to all who wish to shop it (cue the yay’s!).

Okay before we get carried away: this look is exactly what I would wear on a date this fall. Like I might wear this exact look in fact. And how shall I meet said date? By perusing my favorite dating apps, of course!

What I’m Wearing:

Dress: ASTR the Label (sale price: $52.90 | after sale: $79)

Coat: Badgley Mishka (sale price: $229.90 | after sale: $349)

Boots: Vince Camuto (sale price: $159.90 | after sale: $239.95)

Bag: OAG New York (sale price: $ $329.90 | after sale: $495)

Earrings: Halogen (sale price: $29.90 | after sale: $45)

Amongst my friends, I’m kinda known for going on dates. And by “kinda” I mean I am. I’m fully known for going on dates. Mostly because of my ridiculous stories.

After about 6 years of post-grad dating (off and on), I’ve learned a thing or two about which dating apps to use and which to avoid. The ones on which you should pay to have the full services, and the ones for which you should use the free, basic services. Even with all of these parameters, I still have quite the list of favorite dating apps. And somehow still no shortage of ridiculous dating stories.

My Favorite Dating Apps

Over the years, I’ve used just about everything. I briefly paid for Match.com and for JDate in my very early 20’s (save your money until you’re really ready to settle down, in my opinion!). I went through the Tinder craze… and still adamantly refuse to give it a second chance, no matter how many people tell me it has changed.

So now for my actual favorite dating apps aka the ones that I’d recommend to any friend.

My Favorite Dating Apps: Bumble

While I haven’t yet tried Bumble’s BumbleBFF or BumbleBizz services, I keep coming back to BumbleDate time and time again. I love that the company is run by a woman and is all about female empowerment. And I kind of like having all of the power and deciding whether or not I want to reach out to a guy. Bumble is a free dating app (yay), but that does mean that you have to do a bit more sorting through the masses. Which can get annoying.

I do find that people tend to be a bit more flaky on Bumble. People will just randomly stop responding (annoying). And, almost as annoying, matches never expire so guys have a tendency to message you after 2 years and be like, “what up girl”.

Ew. No.

BUT I do still recommend Bumble as one of my favorite dating apps. Why? Because everybody is on it. Guys like it because the pressure isn’t on them anymore. Girls like it because we have the power to decide who to message once we match. Most people have a little bio to show personality and Bumble has a feature where it will verify your profile photos based on a selfie, lowering your chances of getting catfished substantially.

My Favorite Dating Apps: JSwipe

This one’s for the Jews. Or for you non-Jews who want to date a Jew (we’re awesome, so I don’t blame you).

This app is actually pretty basic. It has information pertaining to Judaism (level of Kosher observance and level of “Jewishness”) but little else that I want to see on somebody’s profile (height, education, current occupation).

What draws me to JSwipe as one of my favorite dating apps is twofold. One: just about everybody is Jewish so at least we have one thing in common and I won’t have to spend as much time explaining my family and our ridiculousness to them as they’re probably at least somewhat used to it. Two: the icons are A+.

What do I mean by that? Well, when you swipe left, you get a sad Star of David. When you swipe right, you get a happy Star of David. And, when you get a match, the screen fills with a gif of something gloriously Jewish: a foot stomping on a glass, chairs being thrown in the air during the horah, etc.

I’m really in this one for the A+ gifs.

My Favorite Dating Apps: The League

One of my dearest friends turned me onto The League when it came to Dallas last year. What’s unique about this dating app is that (a) it’s application-based and (b) it takes data from LinkedIn instead of Facebook. The League is based on the way people present themselves professionally, which I like since I would like for any man I date to be as career-focused and driven as I am.

Matches on The League expire, so you and your matches also have that extra push to “sh*t or get off the pot” when it comes to scheduling a real-life date. The League also hosts regular events in each city through which local singles can meet, mix, and mingle… but that may only be if you sign up for the paid version.

Which brings me to: I would not recommend paying for The League. At signup, the app makes it seem like you have to pay to join… which isn’t the case at all. Just skip paying and you’ll still have enough functionality on The League to make it worth your time.

My Favorite Dating Apps: Hinge

Last but not least, Hinge. Hinge started out as an app focused on matching people with things in common. Maybe you have a friend in common or a friend of a friend. You have worked at the same place, have the same interests in common, are from the same hometown, etc.

Now, Hinge is more similar to the other dating apps. It no longer requires that each suggestion be a friend of a friend. But it does require users to create unique profiles on which they answer  statements like “how my parents met,” “what I wanted to be when I grew up,” and “if a genie granted me three wishes they would be.” These questions make it easy to weed out people who don’t have a similar sense of humor to yours or perhaps have a control of the English language which could be best described as “lacking”.

Lili Alessandra Nordstrom Gift Card Giveaway

After you register for these dating apps and start going on dates, you’re going to need something to wear. Or, at the very least, a cozy abode to which you can return and pour yourself a glass of wine and laugh about your date. Today, I’ve teamed up with Lili Alessandra to give away one $400 Nordstrom gift card!

By the time this giveaway ends, you’ll still have plenty of time to shop the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, so be sure to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway