Beauty

The 101 Routine To Reverse Sun Damage

November 28, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Reversing sun damage sounds ambitious. Let’s be clear from the start: You can’t undo what has been done on the spot. In other words, if you’re looking for a secret remedy to tame an unexpected sunburn, this is not the article for you. While direct sunlight exposure is beneficial for your mind and body, it’s fair to say that you can have too much of a good thing. After a hot summer, your hair can feel dry and brittle. Blond hair, especially, tends to take a turn for dull yellow hues. As for your skin, you may notice a lasting sensation of tightness. Unfortunately, once the damage is done, it doesn’t disappear as the sunlight reduces. While you can cover up with rich creams or vibrant hair dye, you also need to address the problem in the deeper layers of your cells. Winter is the best time to tackle the summer damages, as you’ve got plenty of time to heal before the next hot season.

Pixabay – CC0 License

Your Hair Deserves Some Attention

You need to nourish your hair from within if you want to get it back to health. Dry hair especially can feel unruly and messy, which in turn forces you to use additional styling products and heat – and you can guess that over-styling damaged hair is the last thing you want to do. Therefore, if you find that you haven’t been able to manage your frizzy and unruly locks, you should look for a combination of products that can repair the sun damage. The Joico Defy Damage hair care line is an excellent tip for anybody who is trying to regain full hair health. It’s also a good idea to stay away from the blow dryer for a while, and embrace the natural drying process to keep heat damage to a minimum.

Pixabay – CC0 License

Help Your Skin to Heal

Switching your skin care products for winter moisturizers is the best thing you can do to keep your skin hydrated and healthy in winter. However, if your skin isn’t healthy to begin with, then you’ll need to consider treatments that can help to heal the sun damage. You can look into professional support to boost your collagen production in the areas that have been affected by the summer sun. Med spa treatments tend to offer dedicated skin care cures, such as CO2 laser skin resurfacing, for instance, which triggers the healing process. Skin lotions can only address surface damages.

Give Your Body The Supplements It Needs

Last but not least, your body produces its own collagen. However, this production reduces over time. Collagen promotes skin healing, elasticity, firmness, and healthy hair. If you want to reduce the visible signs of sun damage, you need to help your body boost its natural collagen production. The easiest way to get more collagen is to consume it as a supplement. Not only does it help to reduce fine lines, but it also restores moisture to the skin cells and strengthens your hair.

Ideally, you need to protect your skin and hair from extreme sun exposure. However, once the mistake is made, the best course of action is to address the problem directly in your skin cells and hair follicles. Don’t cover it up, but build health from within!

•How do you protect your skin from the sun?

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

How To Protect Your Teeth As Best You Can

November 20, 2019 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

Pexels – CC0 License

Dental health is likely only something you think about when you’re experiencing an issue. For the most part, healthy teeth are not noticeable, but we all know how terrible toothache can feel, especially if we are in need of major restorative work. Even most of us who have been through the ‘retainer’ period as children may find that in adulthood, we forget about our dental health unless there is a problem.

However, it’s important to note that our teeth are not infinitely restorable, and so it’s best to look after them while they’re there. This is also an important practice to follow within the household, because the habits and practices we teach our children will set them up for their dental health (or a lack thereof) for life.

Of course, sometimes, such as in the case of emergency issues, you will need immediate help and the ability to cater to your particular needs. However, the following advice is geared towards the yearly sustenance of your teeth that you can adopt on a habitual basis. Let’s see what that may look like!

Cut Down On Sugar

Cut down on the sugar you consume. This can sound quite harsh, especially when the festive season is coming up. Of course, depending on your sugar intake and how that impacts your teeth, varying degrees of harm can come. Eating a fruit cake? Likely not as bad as drinking can after can of full-sugar Pepsi. It’s important to note that nutrition does have a real impact on your dental health though, and so trying your best to eat non-processed, or non-artifically-sweetened goods can be important.

Visit A Professional

Visit a professional if needed (though you’re supposed to go every 6 months!). Sometimes, we may find that our teeth are starting to hurt, and this dull ache or sharp pain may be difficult to assess where the pain is coming from. If you’re not used to something like this, and we hope you’re not, it can be hard to get a grip on what is even happening at this point. This is why it’s very important to visit a professional and try to ensure that you can have the problem taken care of, rather than letting it grow. Often, a wisdom tooth dentist is the most common form of help you’ll need, particularly in your late teens to early adulthood.

Care For Chips Or Pains

If you find that your teeth are hurting, or feel very sensitive while eating ice cream, that could signify a need to change your daily habits. Using sensitive toothpaste, going for more regular checkups, ensuring that you’re not being irresponsible with the foods you eat, sticking to healthier beverages such as water or green tea, and staying away from high concentration whitening kits can all have a positive effect. If your teeth become chipped or are in pain, always ask a dentist about the restorative work you can have done.

With this advice, we hope you can care for your dental health correctly!

•Have you had your wisdom teeth removed? What is your best advice to keep healthy teeth?

This post was a collaboration.

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Beauty Health

How to Improve Your Look- Without Focusing on Fashion

November 2, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

If you feel as though you don’t look good in whatever you wear, then you will know how debilitating this can be. You may feel as though nothing you do works and that your confidence is going to suffer as a result. You have to know that it doesn’t need to be this way, in fact, there are plenty of ways for you to improve your look without focusing on fashion at all.

Posture

Putting on nice clothes is only half of the formula. You also need to adjust your posture, as this will transform the way that the garment fits you. It will also help you to have a bigger impact on those around you, too. There’s a high chance that having a good posture won’t come naturally to you and this is understandable, but it is possible for you to change this. Stand in front of the mirror, lift your head up and line up your shoulders, hips and ears. When you are standing completely straight, you then need to curve your lower back and pull your stomach in. This will give you a new-found level of confidence and over time, you will start to do it naturally without even thinking about it.

Hair

Before you pay a visit to your local stylist, think about what makes you feel good. Your style will change as you age, and you need to take this into account if you want to get the best result out of your style. A collarbone-length haircut can be versatile and it can also work wonders for your natural weave. Bangs can add an element of precision, too. If you are stuck as to which look you want to go with, then chat with your stylist and channel your personality as much as possible.

Source: Pexels (CC0 License)

Smile

Researchers have found that forced smiles can increase happiness, and they can also decrease stress. A smile can go a long way in the workplace too, as it can indicate positivity and openness. Even if you aren’t feeling great, try to force yourself to smile anyway. This will improve the way that other people view you and it will also boost your self-confidence! If you don’t feel comfortable with your teeth or your smile for any reason, then you may want to pay a visit to your dentist. When you do, they can then advise you on the best way to fix your problems. You can also find out what you need to know about adult retainers if this is something that you are interested in.

Make-up

If you are not one for wearing make-up, this is understandable. But also, it can work wonders for your look. If you want to help yourself here then it is a good idea for you to wear make-up that compliments your natural skin tone. Don’t go too overboard and cover the features you don’t like, instead, try and bring out the features you do like. This will really help you to get the most out of your look and your style in general.

This post was a collaboration.

Beauty Health

What To Do When Your Toddler Develops A Skin Condition

October 23, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Children are out playing in the sandbox, in the mud, and rolling around in the wet grass. It’s what they are supposed to do! Toddlers are meant to be playing rough and finding out about the world around them by simply doing. This will give them a lot of opportunities to feel different textures, realize what is safe and what isn’t. However during this time, their body is growing rapidly and thus, big changes mean vulnerability. Whenever our bodies are growing there is always a risk that we will develop a condition of some kind. This is because our bodies are growing faster in size that the strength of our immune system. Skin conditions are among the most common for toddlers, so being able to understand and treat such ailments is going to be to your advantage as a parent.

Scalp Itch

There are lots of different scalp conditions that toddlers can develop. As mentioned they will be playing in some messy environments so they have a chance of picking something up. One of them is scalp ringworm is called tinea capitis. Ringworm is highly contagious and it’s possible to be spread from child to child. It usually happens when the toddler is between the ages of 2 to 3. The symptoms should be very clear. Look for a red scalp that is itchy and has developed small scales made of skin. The key is to look for hair loss from the scalp. This could be down to itching but also down to the fluid and inflammation building up underneath the scalp. There may be a rash close by the scalp, such as on the ears, head, face and neck as well. Go to the doctor and he or she will prescribe an anti-fungal medication which will be applied to the head. You may get a treatment that you need to apply to the area and leave it in for a while, or it could be a treatment shampoo.

A Wide Deep Rash

Eczema is more likely present in toddlers than at any other age. It’s because the skin is still developing and it cannot produce the necessary natural oils to keep it lubricated and moisturized. Therefore what you might see is that your toddler begins to have a wide rash that slowly gets deeper. For toddlers, a different kind of treatment such as Dermeze ointment cream should be used. More complex creams like E45 won’t always produce the best results. This kind of ointment cream will be delicate and still moisturize the skin, providing a protecting top layer for your child. Not only does it rehydrate the skin, but it creates a protecting seal for the skin. This is useful for keeping rainwater out of the pores so the natural oils can stay on top of the skin.

For toddlers, the body’s largest organ is perhaps at the weakest level it ever will be. Their skin is something that will almost certainly go through trials and tribulations, so prepare ahead for your toddler.

This post was a collaboration.

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Beauty Reviews

From Lackluster to Luscious; How Joico’s Defy Damage Line Transformed My Hair

August 8, 2019 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

My hair is usually a huge mess. It’s summer in Las Vegas, which means daily temps are over 100°F. Take that heat, add in humidity during Monsoon Season (AKA now), and like I said, my hair turns into a HUGE MESS. My long hair becomes frizzy and unruly. I have dry, damaged hair, yet I have oily hair at the same time (what?!). Not to mention, the sun strips my hair dye at alarming rates. I need a really good shampoo, conditioner, conditioning masque, and heat protectant to manage my long locks. Luckily, I discovered the Joico Defy Damage hair care line!

Disclosure: I received a sample of Joico’s Defy Damage hair care line, in exchange for an honest review. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are 100% mine.

I wasn’t familiar with Joico, so I was excited to do some research on this amazing company, and their life-changing hair products (that are sulfate and paraben free!). I was generously offered the Defy Damage Protective Shampoo, Defy Damage Protective Conditioner, Defy Damage Protective Masque, and Defy Damage Protective Shield. I’M IN LOVE!

I’m pretty picky about my hair care products. I don’t like greasy heat shields, oils (usually), and well, okay, I don’t really like any hair products besides shampoo and conditioner. However, I need a masque and heat protectant. I’m being totally honest: these products are PERFECT, especially because they smell so, so good!

I use the masque once a week (at night), and it leaves my hair SO SOFT. Even my boyfriend noticed the difference (he’s been brushing my hair lately, because I had neck surgery, and my shoulder is essentially useless). The protective shield gives my hair the perfect amount of protection from my straightener and the sun, in addition to strong, shiny hair, without feeling oily or greasy.

Look how gorgeously smooth and soft my hair is in this picture!

From the Joico website: “Protect all hair types from the ravaging effects of daily heat styling, UV exposure, and environmental pollution that lead to dry, dull, lackluster locks with Joico’s NEW Defy Damage haircare system. This damage-defying breakthrough helps protect and strengthen hair bonds for a healthy-hair transformation you can instantly see and feel.” Defy Damage products have SmartRelease technology. They continually release Rose Hip Oil, Arginine, and Keratin.

I’m really glad I’ve been introduced to Joico’s Defy Damage hair care line; I’ve easily become a regular customer! I bet you’ll feel the same way, too. 🙂

Buy a Joico DD Trial Kit at Ulta! And don’t forget to visit Joico’s website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Have you used Joico products?
What do you look for in quality hair care? Comment below!

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Beauty Health

What It Takes To Feel Confident In Your Own Skin

May 9, 2019 By lyndsinreallife 7 Comments

Feeling confident in your own skin can often be something that takes a lifetime to achieve. We all want to feel confident while we’re young and in our prime, but there are so many things that make us feel bad – like magazines only showing super slim, photoshopped women, and the media telling us we’re too much/not enough constantly. Yes, being confident in your own skin in 2019 is hard. However, it’s not impossible. Below, we’ll talk about what it takes to feel confident in your own skin so you can finally hold your head high and have a healthy self image. Take a look!

Become Aware of All Of The BS

Start becoming aware of all the BS out there. Ever noticed how magazines will give you great cake recipes on one page and then show you pictures of celebrities on the beach on another page, commenting on their shape and size? Magazines are designed to make us feel like we’re not enough so we buy stuff. They are full of contradictions. Many of us pick up insecurities from here that we wouldn’t have had otherwise!

Ever looked at a picture on Instagram and felt that jealous twang in your stomach? There’s a good chance that this picture was tweaked and photoshopped in some way. Not every beautiful person photoshops their pictures, but many celebrities do. It may be only slight sometimes, but it’s still not what they look like. Even regular people use Facetune and filters to change how they look. Things are not all they seem online, on TV, and on social media. Don’t pay too much attention to it.

Make ‘I Am Enough’ Your Mantra

The whole idea of being confident in your skin isn’t thinking you’re better than anybody else. It’s feeling like you’re enough. When you feel enough as you are, you won’t worry about what anybody else is doing, or what anybody else looks like. You won’t want to change this or that about yourself. You’ll feel totally content. It can be a tough place to get to, but it’s possible! Stop comparing yourself, and when you start thinking that you need something else to be whole, whether that’s nail extensions, a new outfit, or even a new hair color, remind yourself that you’re enough just as you are. It doesn’t mean you can’t have those things you want, it just means you’ll get them from a more confident, informed place rather than a place of not liking what you see.

image

Practice Self Care Regularly

Self care is crucial to feeling confident. Show yourself some love! Take baths. Do things you enjoy. Eat your vegetables and fill up on food that you love. Look after your skin. If you have skin issues, such as psoriasis, see if you can get prednisone treatment prescribed to you. Skin issues don’t make you less worthy, but if they affect your self esteem then see a professional.

Don’t Let That Negative Voice In Your Head Take Over

We all have a negative voice in our head, but you’ll be surprised to learn that it’s not your own. You don’t have to listen to it! Like a radio station, just don’t tune in. Think of something else. If you wouldn’t stare at your friend or call them fat/ugly, don’t do it to yourself. You’ll feel much better very soon!

What do you do to feel confident in your own skin? Comment below!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Beauty

10 Ways To Save Your Skin

February 1, 2019 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

Image Source. Licensed under Creative Come mons.

Your lifestyle can have a big impact on your skin’s health. If you want to keep your skin looking smooth and rosy long into old age, try taking some of these measures!

Moisturize

As we get older, our skin naturally loses its ability to create sebum (our skin’s oil). Without this sebum, the skin dries out and wrinkles more easily. Moisturising daily can help to replace this oil in our skin as we age. While it may not be necessary when you’re young, it’s worth starting early just to set up a routine and supplement your skin’s health. If you have naturally oily skin and are prone to spots, regular moisturizer could make this worse and you may be better of using a specialist non-comedogenic moisturizer.

Exfoliate

Exfoliation is a method of removing the outmost layers of skin, which are often just dead skin cells, allowing the freshest layers to shine through. This can stop pores getting blocked, helping to prevent spots and acne. It can also prevent calluses from developing and prevent dry skin. The most common way to exfoliate is to simply scrub the skin with a sponge or loofah. There are also exfoliation rubs with a gritty texture that is perfect for rubbing off dead skin, as well as exfoliation face peels that take off the entire top layer.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking a lot of water is also good for your skin. When you’re well hydrated, your skin is likely to have more elasticity – making it less prone to wrinkles. Staying well hydrated also improves the flow of blood around the body, including under the surface of the skin, helping to maintain a rosier appearance. All in all, make sure you’re drinking enough liquids (coffee and alcoholics drinks don’t count as both of these can further dehydrate you).

Get More Sleep

Image Source. Licensed under Creative Commons.

We all need our beauty sleep. Getting a minimum of 7 hours per night allows the body to go through its full healing and rejuvenation cycle. If this cycle isn’t completed, you could find that wounds, rashes, and acne don’t seem to heal. On top of this, the body may not have a chance to flush out toxins, resulting in the skin taking on a pale appearance. You can get more sleep by going to bed earlier and cutting out bad evening habits such as snacking heavily and looking at bright screens. You can also find ways to improve your sleep quality so that you’re not waking up as often – this could include upgrading your bedding and blocking out the early morning sunlight with blackout curtains.

Stay Active

Exercise is good for your entire body, including your skin. By increasing blood flow, exercise allows nutrients and water to get around the body faster, helping to nourish the skin more quickly. Any type of physical activity that gets your heart rate up will achieve this.

Protect Yourself in the Sun

Sunburn doesn’t just temporarily make you look like a lobster – it can also permanently dry out and scar the skin, resulting in excess wrinkles. Not only that, sunburn is the leading cause of skin cancer. By protecting your skin while in the sun, you can reduce the risk of sunburn. One way to do this is to wear sunscreen – ideally anything over spf 20. Another option could be to simply cover up with clothing, or shelter in the shade. It’s also worth wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes – this will protect the actually eyes themselves and prevent facial wrinkles cause by squinting.

Stop Smoking

Smoking is terrible for the skin in a number of ways. The heat from cigarettes often helps to speed up facial wrinkling, while carbon monoxide and nicotine restrict the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the skin, making healing more difficult and causing skin discoloration. By quitting smoking, you could stop this damage from taking place (& giving yourself lung cancer). Vaping is a much healthier habit for the skin – with so many weird vape flavors to choose form, it can be an exciting alternative. You could also try nicotine patches and hypnosis.

Image Source. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Cut Down on Cosmetics

If you cake your face in make-up every day, this could be having an impact on your skin. Excessively using cosmetics like foundation, mascara, and lipstick can lead to clogged up pores and permanent skin discoloration. You should try not to wear make-up every day and you should always remove your make-up at the end of the day before going to bed. If you like to wear makeup, invest in good quality, oil-free products!

Consume Less Sugar

Too much sugar can also be bad for your skin. When we consume sugar, our insulin levels spike. This in turn can lead to greater skin inflammation – it could help to aggravate acne or make conditions, like eczema, worse. Soft drinks are some of the worst contenders when it comes to sugar, and by cutting down on these, you could find that you make a big positive difference.

Get More Vitamins

A number of vitamins are required to keep your skin healthy. Vitamin A is one of these – this vitamin is efficient at treating wrinkles and is found in foods ranging from sweet potatoes to eggs. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient in the production of collagen, while also serving as an antioxidant – it’s most commonly found in citric fruit, broccoli, and bell peppers. Other vitamins that are good for the skin include vitamin D, vitamin K, and vitamin B5. You can take these as supplements in many cases, and they could improve your general health, as well as your skin health.

I’ve been working hard on improving my skin (thanks acne & my 30s). It takes work, but it’s worth it! Let me know what tips and tricks you have for good skin- comment below!

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Beauty Reviews

How Science and Technology Can “Formulate” Your Personalized Hair Care [Giveaway]

December 12, 2018 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

My hair has always been a greasy, frizzy, flat and thin mess. Every single morning, I have to wash my hair, try to figure out the right products (I need oil but also dry shampoo but that doesn’t make sense ahhh), and hope that it holds up okay throughout the day. Spoiler Alert: it never does.?

Don’t even get me started on the ridiculously hot and dry weather we get in Vegas, along with those random days of 40+% humidity (humidity is my mortal enemy). I find myself looking at tons of shampoos and conditioners in the aisle at Kroger, trying to figure out the difference between this brand/color/ingredients/name/whatevenisthis. Yet, I never seem to find the right fit.

Well, it’s a great time to be alive, because a haircare company called Formulate creates CUSTOM shampoo and conditioner, literally JUST. FOR. YOUR. HAIR. They use science (gasp!) & technology (double gasp!) to figure out your specific hair type, based on your hair issues, your goals, your environment… basically everything that plays a role in your hair. A chemist (yep, like an official scientist in a lab and everything) creates the perfect formula for you. Your best ~~life~~ hair has never been So. Flippin. Easy.

Formulate Bottles, so chic!
white bottle: conditioner
black bottle: shampoo

*Disclosure: I received a set of shampoo and conditioner as part of a campaign with Formulate. No monetary compensation was received. All words & opinions are my own.

Here’s how the process of using Formulate was for me:

First, I took a personalized hair care quiz (found on their website). I answered questions about how my hair was dull, lackluster, thinning, had split ends, and so on. It asked if my scalp had any issues or sensitivity. I shared that I wanted to mend those issues to create shiny, healthy, thick hair without weighing it down. The quiz asked for my zip code, which I thought was strange, BUT, it’s so they can take into account what the weather will be like where you live for the next month. SO COOL! Environment plays a huge role in our hair, but lot of people don’t think about that. I was able to select the scent (I went with Shoreline), and the intensity of the scent (I chose Medium).

After finishing the quiz, I submitted my order for one 14oz bottle of custom shampoo and one 14oz bottle of custom conditioner. *Note: you can order a small sample bottle to give it a try before committing to the bigger bottles!

My pretty package with the hair products and a mini booklet of info about my hair (everything that was gathered from the quiz) arrived in less than a week. The mini booklet provides a list of ingredients (no sulfates, parabens, or any of that nasty junk) and instructions of how much to use (I appreciated this SO much).

I started using my personal shampoo and conditioner right away. I was so excited!

About 2 weeks into the use of my formula, I noticed that my hair was feeling like I had left product in it. You know, that gross, weird greasy feeling, like someone put Crisco in your hair? I remember reading that the first formula may not always be perfect, and it may need tweaking. I contacted Formulate; they indicated it was coating my hair a little bit and they’d update my formula right away. I received the new formula quickly, and it was PERFECT! Six weeks later and my hair is shiny, full, thick, and easy to manage, without the oiliness. I am not joking when I say that I get compliments all the time. It’s a nice little confidence boost! ☺️

Before Formulate // After 6 weeks of using Formulate

I’m seriously so obsessed with my personalized shampoo and personalized conditioner, and of course my “new” hair. I’m no longer stressed when styling it, and it takes half the time it used to. I’m so happy Formulate exists; it’s my new haircare FOR LIFE! #FormulateForMe

GIVEAWAY! YAY!

Formulate has graciously offered to give away ONE FULL SET of personalized shampoo and conditioner ($49 value) to one of my lucky readers/followers!

It’s super simple to enter. Visit this link: www.formulate.co/u/lyndsinreallife

Enter your email address & click submit. That’s it!

*US only, 18 & over. Giveaway ends Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. The winner will be notified by Formulate through email.

Thank you Formulate for creating a great product & fixing my hair issues so quickly! #FormulateForMe

Find Formulate on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Download the app here!

Thank you for reading!

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Beauty Reviews

Getting My Confidence Back with Smile Brilliant Teeth Whitening + Giveaway

July 17, 2018 By lyndsinreallife 5 Comments

2018 is MY year (even if it’s halfway over). The year I really take control of how I look and feel. I’m tired of seeing pictures of myself and thinking, “ugh, who is that person?” I want to meet up with old friends and hear them say, “wow, you look great!” I want to feel confident when I’m out and about, whether it’s on The Strip, at the pool, or at my apartment complex. I just turned 30 and I want to look and feel my best!

So, I decided it was time to take charge and make a change. I want to feel confident and proud this summer.

I took up running, made healthy changes in my diet, purchased better skincare products, and I chose to #SmileFearlessly with the Smile Brilliant teeth whitening kit!

Disclosure: I received a free Smile Brilliant whitening kit in exchange for a review on my blog. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

I drink a lot of coffee (hello #NannyLife), and tend to eat acidic foods. My teeth seemed to become yellow so fast, and I guess I never really thought about what was causing it (colors from food are absorbed through microscopic pores). I realized I needed a way to make my pearly whites (erm, yellows?) sparkle, especially for those Insta-worthy photos. 😉

Smile Brilliant provides at-home whitening kits, complete with molds (to create custom whitening trays), whitening gel, de-sensitizing gel (depending on your kit), and a holder for your trays. It also includes a prepaid postage envelope to send the custom molds to the lab to create the clear custom fitted whitening trays.

With SB, you get the same results as you would at the dentist office, but for much less money!

There are 6 kits to choose from; ranging from heavy stains to light stains, and nonsensitive vs sensitive teeth. I have sensitive teeth, especially when it comes to whitening them. I tried whitening strips and trays from the drugstore in the past, and they always made my teeth hurt. Plus, they never fit my teeth well. The strips were always too small, and the trays didn’t feel comfortable. They were basically useless!

I’m happy to note that my teeth experienced very little sensitivity when using Smile Brilliant. The desensitizing gel is a life-saver!

CUSTOM WHITENING TRAYS

Luckily with Smile Brilliant, you’re able to make your own custom trays. The kit comes with 2 pastes: base and catalyst. There are enough to make 3 molds (mix the pastes together), which will become blue. These molds will be used to make impressions of your teeth to create your trays. A mixture of paste will go into 2 blue trays, which you will use to insert in your mouth to get your teeth impressions (for both your bottom and top teeth). There is a third paste mixture that can be used if one of the molds needs redone.

After creating your molds, you mail them back in the prepaid envelope. Your clear, custom trays will be sent back to you about a week later!

TEETH WHITENING

Before whitening, it’s important to floss, and then brush your teeth with only water. Continue as follows:

Dry teeth as much as possible.
Apply thin layer of whitening gel to the top and bottom trays. Make sure it’s directly in the middle along the front side.
Apply trays to teeth, trying not to smear the gel (it will cover the teeth on its own once pressed in).
Leave trays in anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours, depending on sensitivity. Start out at the 45 minute mark, and gradually work your way up.
Once the time is up, remove the trays and wash with water, then dry.
Brush your teeth as normal (with toothpaste).
If you have the kit with the desensitizing gel, apply the gel to the trays just like with the whitening gel.
Put on trays for 15-20 minutes.
Remove trays, spit out the excess gel (but don’t get your teeth wet), wash off the trays with water, then dry. Put the trays in the container provided in the kit.
Don’t eat or drink anything for at least 30 minutes.

It’s recommended to whiten at night, right before bed. This way, you give your teeth more time to absorb the gels, giving you the best results!

I’m really excited to share my results; just look at this before and after photo!

“From dental lab to your door. Our teeth whitening process is recommended by more dentists than any other procedure in America. We proudly produce our custom-fitted whitening trays right here in the United States for 70% less than your dentist and 3x to 5x faster. We ship worldwide & our customers trust our team’s honesty and experience.” (smilebrilliant.com)

Smile Brilliant has graciously offered to give away a free whitening kit (valued at $149) to one of my readers! Isn’t that amazing?! Simply enter through the link below:

https://www.smilebrilliant.com/g/lyndsinreallife

TERMS: Must submit name and email address on the giveaway page in order to enter! The winner will be selected and contacted via email 2 weeks after the post is live. Giveaway is for $149 credit and is open to USA, UK, Canada, and Australia.

You can also get 10% off any Smile Brilliant purchase by using coupon code lyndsinreallife.

Home Teeth Whitening

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Beauty Fitness Food Reviews

Holiday Gift Guide 2017 + Giveaway

December 20, 2017 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

The holidays are here! I love this time of year. I’m a huge gift giver, and I strive to make sure the gifts are as personal and awesome as I can. This Christmas (and all holidays!), I’ve put together a list of great gifts; for food, fitness, and beauty lovers!

Nuun Hydration Tablets: Nuun tabs create the perfect sports drink, without all the sugar. There are three categories: vitamins, electrolytes (my favorite), and Nuun performance.

Photo from nuunlife.com

Water enhancer includes:

better performance: the addition of non-gmo sourced dextrose helps the body to absorb fluids more efficiently while still containing 1g sugar or less.
clean ingredients: we used plant based sweeteners and ingredients to increase health benefits
gluten-free, dairy + soy free, safe for clean sport certifications

Each electrolyte tab contains:

sodium: 360 mg
potassium: 100 mg
magnesium: 25 mg
calcium: 13 mg
vitamin c: 38 mg
10 calories
1 g of sugar

2. Slim Clip Case (GIVEAWAY): The Slim Clip Case by Wonderful Things Factory is AMAZING for working out, especially running! I was sent two cases to try, and I don’t think I’ll ever get another case again. The back is able to clip onto your leggings, shorts, or jacket (or really anywhere that works!), and STAYS THERE. I am training for a half marathon, and I need my phone to be easily accessible. Plus, the case comes in different sizes (fits all phones) and colors. The Slim Clip Case is perfect!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This giveaway runs from 12/21/17 – 1/1/18. Two people will win a Slim Clip Case shipped directly from Wonderful Things Factory. Winners will be selected randomly. Open to U.S. residents 18+.

3. Fuego Box: Fuego Box is perfect for the die hard hot sauce lover. The goal is to bring you emerging hot sauces that you most likely haven’t heard of. It opens up a world of heat! You can buy individual bottles, curated single boxes, and a monthly subscription delivered straight to your door. Plus, they offer great gift boxes! Enter your email on the site and receive $10 off your first box!

4. DERMA⋅E: DERMA⋅E skin care is my all-time favorite! I use their cleansers, lotions, toner, masks etc every day of my life. The products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free, and do not contain parabens, sodium lauryl sulfates, petrolatum, mineral oil, or artificial colors. They’re gentle, yet effective! My favorite product is the Firming DMAE Moisturizer, which contains Alpha Lipoic Acid & C-Ester (affiliate link). Also, be sure to check out the holiday bundles they are offering right now, and at a discounted price!

I hope you enjoy the items I’ve recommended for this holiday season! What else would you like to see on the list?

Happy Holidays, & thank you for reading!

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