smiling bright teeth whitening system

I bought the Smiling Bright teeth whitening system when livingsocial.com had a special deal to get one at home whitening system with LED light for $29 when it is regularly $180. I had been wanting to whiten my teeth (I have used the crest white strips before but not for a year) and this was just such a good deal I couldn't pass it up!

The instructions were very clear and easy to follow:

• prep your lips and gums with the provided vitamin e
• insert the tray and make sure your teeth are pressed right into the gel
• put the light right up against the tray and inside your lips
• turn it on for 20 minutes
• remove tray and rinse out your mouth

I took before and after photos (see below) and of the kit, but because it has been raining here for the past couple of days the photos are not that great. I will post a follow up after photo once we see the sun again! Also I took the after photo right after and I think with some time they might become whiter. But I think you can see the difference, top one is the before and bottom one is after.

My overall opinion is that it worked! There was some tingling during and after the process but nothing too bad. My only warning is that you can't breath through your mouth for 20 minutes which I didn't think of so it was kind of a problem for me because I was so stuffed up today! But the LED light can be reused and you can purchase more tray and they sent a coupon for 50% off the refills, so maybe I will do it again.  

Also I would highly recommend joining Livingsocial and Groupon because they have some really good deals in your area and new ones everyday such as this and you don't want to miss out. 

*I purchased this myself and can not guarantee that you will have the same results that I had* 

bare face: part 2 aka the most important part

Like I have said before I am always trying to make my lashes bigger, longer, more noticeable and of course that all begins with mascara. I think I forgot to talk about it because I was so focused on what I keep in my brush roll case and I keep my mascara and eyelash curler in my purse.

The first step to great lashes is to CURL THEM! I can not stress this enough. Everyone should curl their lashes unless they have super curly lashes to begin with. My lashes look so much better just from curling them alone. I never leave home without my eyelash curler!

I layer two mascaras in order to get the results that I am looking for. This was actually a tip I learned from Leslie by reading another blog (although so long ago that I am not sure who's blog it was!) Usually one for length and one for 

volume. They have changed over the years mostly 

because I love to try out new mascaras. To the right is what my lashes look like with mascara only.

For the longest time I was devoted to Cover Girl's Lash Blast (the orange tube) until watching Leslie present the new BE Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascara on QVC. I was convinced that I needed to try it and thanks to the glass of wine I had had I was buying it before I could talk myself out of it. Once I tried it, I was hooked, and it became 

my "volume" mascara. 

For the longest time I was using it with their regular Flawless Definition Mascara which gave me the length I longed for. When I ran out of the original formula I tried other kinds and am currently using Cover Girl's Lash Blast Volume (the purple tube) but I don't like it as much so once I am out I will be trying something else.    

spring / easter nails

I thought this color was just perfect for spring and easter. It is such a pretty pastel pink with subtle gold sparkles running throughout just to make it shimmer in the sun. This is from Zoya and is called Happi and can be bought here for $8.

They are also currently running a nail polish exchange in honor of earth day. You just send them your old out of date colors (that are not zoya brand) and choose the colors you want and you get them for half price! All the details about that is here. But hurry the promotion ends April 27th!



If you are not familiar with Zoya their nail polishes they are made without all the bad ingrediants normally found it nail polish such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde and are vegan friendly!

the perfect gift #2: the look

I wore this look the first night it came in the mail and I loved it! Then the next two times I wore it I thought that the eyeshadows just made me look and feel a little clownish. The photos below are my fourth attempt at this look and my final decision is that I like it. I followed the tip card that came with this kit to create this look: 

• buff Thoughtful eyeshadow from lash line to brow
• apply Treasured eyeshadow to the crease and blend
• line upper lash line with big and bright liner in Midnight (tip card says to line lower lash line too, but I skipped that)
• apply mascara in black
• sweep Smitten blush to apples of the cheeks 
• buff tinted mineral veil
• finish the look with Pretty Amazing in Charisma 

the perfect gift #2: kit and swatches

I absolutely could not wait for the second shipment to come in the mail. I am notoriously horrible when it comes to waiting for things in the mail and this kit was no exception. My first thought on the colors (before wearing them) was that Smitten blush was absolutely gorgeous and the eyeshadows and lip color were just perfect for springtime. When I photographed this kit I forgot to swatch the colors! If you want to see the swatches then just comment below and I will do it otherwise I will let this one slide.

     

12 Hour Sale

For some reason I am not getting BE's emails (hopefully that will be fixed soon) but thanks to my fellow bloggers I found out that be is having another 12 hour sale this friday! I have been wait for this since the last two. I got to the 12 hour sale 45 mins after it started and everything I wanted was sold out already so be there early! I will be. Here is the link:

And don't forget to watch QVC tomorrow! I can hear my wallet crying already! I am trying to save money...this is not helping! I am going to need to control myself this week.

the perfect gift #1: the look

When I first opened the jars I was a little unsure about Creme de la Creme as an eyeshadow. It just looks a little muddy in the jar, I was worried it would make my eyelid just look dirty. Boy was I wrong. I was in love with these colors the second I put them on. I wore them for a month straight, and they are still one of my favorite go to combos especially when I am going out at night because it is so easy to take it from everyday to smokey. I did this look based on what the look that came with the kit said to with a couple differences. On the day I wore this look it was daytime so the pretty amazing in Rouge was a little too much for daytime so I used Samantha buxom which is my go to daytime gloss. Here is what I did:

• take the larger end of the smokey eye brush and buff creme de la creme from lash line to brow and then add more to just the lid and buff it out really well
• then sweep magnifique into the outer crease and outer "v" area with the soft sweep eye brush
• next take a clean crease defining brush to blend out all the edges
• take the small end of the smokey eye brush and line your under eye with magnifique half of the way (or all the way under if you like) 
• line the upper lash line with the big and bright eyeliner in black coffee and the lower waterline as far as you took the eyeshadow
• apply mascara to complete the eyes
• apply blush in Avant-Garden to the checks and the hydrating tinted mineral veil all over   

if you want to be tan this summer you can't miss this deal

This thursday April 21st Leslie will be presenting the todays special value on qvc. Beautifully Bronzed collection will include faux tan sunless tanner in the deluxe size and the deluxe tan brush for an amazing price. Personally I have not tried this but my roommate has and she is very pale (she wears fairly light like I do) and she used it on her legs and it looks natural but tan with no streaking! The only problem she had was she didn't have the brush so her hands were brown, so I would highly recommend getting this in the deluxe size with the brush which you can't buy separately.
Just click here for the one shipment, or click here for auto-delivery to lock in the price.

So be sure to tun in, the times are:

*all times are eastern time zone

• midnight - 2 am
• 4 am - 5 am
• 10 am - 11 am
• 4 pm - 5 pm
• 7 pm - 9 pm
• 10 pm - 11 pm

Also be.com has added a new section called the "last chance" sale section and it is online only. They have some great deals on there so be sure to check it out. Just click on the image to go straight to the deals.

the perfect gift #1: kit and swatches

When I first saw this kit I knew that I had to get it and on auto-delivery. For those who don't shop on qvc very often, auto-delivery means that you get four shipments of the kit spread over a couple of months and in most cases the kits include the same elements in different colors with each shipment. Although some of them have the same things such as mascara and mineral veil. This was the first kit I have bought on auto-delivery. 

The kit includes two eye shadows, a blush, hydrating tinted mineral veil, flawless definition volumizing mascara, a big and bright eyeliner and an exclusive new lip color they are calling pretty amazing. (although by the time this is posted the lip color can now be purchased separately on qvc.) And it all comes in a gorgeous hat box. Here is the link to purchase it from qvc.

 

loreal lash boosting serum: after

I used this morning and night for 4 weeks as the directions said to for best results. After the four weeks I could notice a difference in my lashes. They were longer and it seemed to me that I had lashes in spots that used to be bare or sparse and they appear to be darker.

Pros:

• The applicator is made so that you can apply it to your lashes and the lash line which I like rather than just applying the serum to the lash line like some other brands do.
• Did not have any problems with it irritating my eyes at all and I have VERY sensitive eyes.
• In my experience it delivered on its promises and for an affordable cost.

Cons:

• In the morning you have to wait for it to dry before applying mascara and I don't always have that kind of time.
• Sometimes it would glob up on the lashes once dry and flake off while I was applying my mascara. But I would usually just pick it off and it wasn't a big deal.

Overall I really like this product and have continued to use it at night only to avoid the drying time and just to keep up the results I have seen. I would highly recommend it to anyone that wants to try a lash serum but is hesitant or doesn't want to spend a lot of money. Now for the before and after photos:

Before

After

loreal lash boosting serum: before

I am always in search of a product that will give me more defined, voluminous, longer lashes. So when this product came out I tried it right away and saw results after a month of use. That was almost a year ago and I have been using it off and on since then. So when I started this blog I wanted to take before and after photos to share my results. As far as I know this is the most affordable of all the lash products, as it retails for around $12-$14.

The directions say to apply to lashes morning or night to bare lashes. You use the applicator to sweep it over the lashes and then apply above the lash line like an eyeliner and to allow it to dry before applying mascara. For best results use both morning and night. And that is what I did for a month straight, morning and night. Results to come soon. Here is the before photo of my lashes without mascara. I have curled my lashes otherwise they just stick straight out!

 

bare face: foundation / everyday routine

One of the best products that I have ever bought from BE is the Brush with Greatness kit. Unfortunately they do not sell it anymore but there are a few on ebay and Amazon and I would recommend that if you can get your hands on it buy it! Especially people that do a lot of traveling or, like me, bring their makeup in their purse with them almost everywhere. This is what it looks like all rolled up.

The kit comes with the brush roll and 5 brushes along with a zippered pocket to hold your makeup. Perfectly designed to hold your pots of be! The brushes are: multi-tasking face brush, tapered blush brush, eye defining brush, soft sweep eye brush, flat edge liner brush. All of which have special silver handles.

I bought this when it first came out and paid full price for it and absolutely love it and use it everyday. It holds all of my basic face makeup and brushes perfectly. The only thing I would change if they brought it back would be to make it slightly bigger and hold a few more brushes. Here is the makeup and brushes that I keep in mine. Sometimes the eye brushes change but this has everything I need to create an everyday look or a nighttime smokey eye using the HS meteorite. Also I usually have Buxom lashliner in Leatherette and there is a small (non-be) angled liner brush that fits in beside the makeup that was not in this photo.