If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered how to compliment girls without being too aggressive. Let’s face it, when a guy hits on a girl, it can be with good intention, but, sometimes, he lacks the confidence or delivery necessary to have it come across that way to her.

Fear not, though, because we have some dating tips for how to compliment a girl and actually have it lead to a smile back — if not more. Since we care about your dating well-being and success rate with girls, take these notes and go apply them on the next cute girl you see out and about. Or, hell, impress your current girlfriend by following these rules to brighten her day; either way, you can’t lose.

“You’re sexy”

Come on, guys, if you’re not telling your girl that she’s sexy on the regular, you’re just not doing it right. We all have those days where we hate what our reflection shows or we get laid into at work for something that happened, so, when someone gets told that they’re sexy — for both beauty and brains — it’s a feeling that can combat all those negative feelings.

“I love spending time with you”

From trips together to simply laying around on the couch and watching movies, telling a girl how much you love spending time with her is never a bad thing. Be careful with wording here, though, because if you say something like, “it’s so much better spending time with you than my buddies,” it doesn’t really have the same impact. Remember, you want to make her smile, feel wanted and special, and by focusing the phrase on just her, that’s what you’ll do.

“Your eyes/smile are incredible”

Eyes are the way to the soul and smiling is good for the heart, so telling a girl that she’s got one of both that are incredible will get her in a great mood and feel wanted. Unlike telling her she looks good in heels or when wearing some dress, focusing on features that are mainstays, like eyes, smile, hair, lips, etc., will show that you like the real her, not just the way she gets done up. When a guy can make a girl feel sexy without makeup on while she wears a white t-shirt, she’s going to be much more into him.

“You’re funny”

Look, there’s a common myth that women aren’t funny. First off, that’s untrue, but, for some reason, people still think it’s the case. Due to this common misconception, when a girl hears that she, in fact, makes you laugh, it’ll instantly brighten her day and make you look really good. Sure, she’s feminine and doesn’t want to make you laugh like your buddies do, but, hey, telling her she’s funny is a good way to get her to smile.

“There’s no one like you”

Being told you’re unique isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but, even if she shows a bit of hesitancy externally after you tell her this, just know that, deep down, she’s lighting up and feels good. Everyone wants to be wanted, and when a guy tells a girl that there’s literally no one in the world like her, she’s going to feel just that. You’re telling her that, for whatever reasons, she’s the person who you enjoy being around the most and makes you feel good.