rfjt said:
I read in one of the articles you shouldn't look at them until they look at you first but I feel like that would be pretty hard to notice someone looking at you when not looking for it.
If they do catch you looking at them first, looking away quickly then directing your gaze back to them will fix the aggressive/intimidating vibe that Ash was talking about.
However, yes it is ideal that you get them to look at you first. Here's what I would do in all other situations besides opening: Look in their general direction, but don't look at them straight in the eye. They may think that you are looking at them and look at you (you will notice it in your peripherals) but they will realize that you're just looking in their direction. Now that they've looked at you, you can make eye contact safely.
Once your fundamentals get solid, girls will become increasingly conspicuous in their looks. It's hard not to notice! And if you're good at observing with your peripherals they will look at you for longer amounts of time with more frequency because they don't think you've noticed.