White & Bright! Tips for a whiter smile

Smile title

For me, when the weather gets warmer, some essentials are a toned body, tanned skin, and a white smile. All three take work, but luckily you can fake it ’til you make it (well the toned body part is possible with a little help from Photoshop, a good filter, or a strategic pose).

Good dental hygiene is a must, and I make it a priority to get my teeth checked every six to nine months.  There’s nothing like rocking a white smile, but unfortunately there are many elements that can prevent that smile from sparkling. Coffee, red wine, you name it, many things that we eat or drink wear away on enamel to leave us with dull teeth.

Toothbrush

So you want to get that mouth in tip-top shape? Well, it all starts with the basics.  A good toothbrush and toothpaste. In the past I haven’t been really picky about what kind of toothbrush or toothpaste to use, but I’ve been loving Arm & Hammer’s Truly Radiant Rejuvenating Toothpaste and Manual Toothbrush. This particular toothpaste has been around for a while, but the 2015 version has a new and improved taste that allows users to notice a visibly whiter smile in just five days. As for the toothbrush, this one is something new for me as it has a rotating head, so you can get an extra deep clean without the bulk of an electronic brush. The manual toothbrushes from A&H are the only ones like it on the market.  Honestly, I never thought I would be blogging about toothpaste and a toothbrush, but seriously, this toothbrush in particular is something different .  It also has this pad on it which cleans the inside of you mouth, leaving you with a fresh-tasting mouth. Totally better than those freebie toothbrushes I usually get when I visit the dentist.

Red lipstick

And now for the oldest trick in the book — one of the easiest ways to fake a white smile is to wear red lipstick.  Red lipstick will always be in style for numerous reasons, but if you need a quick fix to a dull problem, slap on some scarlet and flash your instantly white smile.  So why does this work?  It all goes back to the colour wheel.  Look for a red with a blue base, as blue and orange/yellow sit across from each other on the colour wheel.  Therefore, blue tones tend to cancel out orange or yellow tones when juxtaposed together, and vice versa.

I have a ton of reds, but I’ve been digging CoverGirl’s Coverlicious Lipstick in Garnet Flame. CoverGirl recently reformulated their lipsticks and this guy is infused with shea butter, leaving you with long-lasting colour and smooth lips.

It’s as easy as two steps for get brighter teeth, and just cause you want a million-dollar smile, that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank to make it happen. All three of these products are extremely affordable and don’t involve a trip to the dentist.  If you are willing to spend a little more, you can always invest in some Crest Whitestrips as well.  I always use one before a special event for a show-stopping smile.

How do you fake whiter teeth?

Please note, products provided by PR.

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Hop to it! EOS Spring Smooth Sphere set

Title

One of my absolute favourite things about spring is the colours.  With it being Easter Monday, I thought this would be as great a time as any to talk about pastels.  Summer is all about brights, fall is vampy, and winter is glitter (well, holiday-season winter), but spring?  It’s all about the pastel.

For nails, I love rocking Essie’s Mint Candy Apple or a baby pink or coral (like OPI’s Is Mai Tai Crooked? from their spring 2015 Hawaii collection).  For lip colour, I’ve been loving Maybelline’s Rebel Bloom collection, and for some hydration, EOS is rocking it with their new spring collection.

Eos box This two-balm set has already been popping into drugstores for a suggested retail price of C$7.99.  Included is two scents, passion fruit and limited-edition watermelon, housed in the iconic EOS sphere in pastel shades of lilac and pink.  If you aren’t familiar with these little Easter eggs, they are 100 per cent natural USDA-certified organic formula enriched with nourishing shea butter and soothing jojoba oil.  They are petrolatum free, paraben free and gluten free.  They provide long-lasting moisture for sensationally soft and smooth lips.

I have so many of these little guys, and not only are they great for your makeup counter, gym bag, work desk, you name it, but they are great to give as gifts as well.  Pretty much all my friends received one during the holidays.  Although they are great to play around with and hold/play with, I particularly love the scents they come up with.  Passionfruit is already part of the regular line, but the watermelon is quite nice (and this is coming from someone who isn’t usually a fan of that cosmetic watermelon smell).

Open If you spotted these in your local Wal-Mart like I have, hopefully you scooped up this set because it would have made the perfect Easter gift (and a fat-free one at that!).  If not, these always come in handy and EOS usually kills it with the limited edition packages (hello, look at that cute spring-themed box!).

Are you a fan of EOS Smooth Spheres?

Please note, product sent by PR. All opinions are my own.

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Light/Dark: Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo

Pro Sculpting

So if you’ve stepping foot in Sephora recently, or even if you’ve watched any beauty YouTube video lately, you’ll know that contouring is huge right now.  Like mega huge.

Anastasia Beverly Hills launched the contour kit trend last year with her six-palette Contour Kit (I have it and it’s amazing), and now most brands are coming out with their own version.

Make Up For Ever launched a two-shade Pro Sculpting Duo last month in Sephora stores, Sephora.com, and Make Up For Ever boutiques. Available in their iconic black compact (at 0.28 oz.), this comes in two different shades, Pink Beige (cool undertones) and Golden (warm undertones).

The two products are blended together in a crescent moon, one being the bronzer and the other the highlight.  The formula contains skin-enhancing ingredients, including spherical powders and polymers to smooth and perfect the skin with a silky finish, light-reflecting synthetic mica for a radiant effect, and micronized pigments of pure colour to create a naturally derived appearance.

Closed compact With brush

The Pro Sculpting Duo should be applied to areas where light is naturally reflected.  Create dimension by applying the luminous highlighter to cheekbones, the cupid’s bow, and directly under the brow.  With the bronzer, apply this to the hollows of your cheekbones, your temples, along your hairline, the sides of your nose, and along your jawline to carve out and define your face.  Make Up For Ever recommends applying this with their flat round brush #156, but any brush will do.

I really do like this compact, but if you are looking for a darker bronzer, try something else.  I received the Pink Beige compact (#1), since I have fair skin, and even then I really had to work the bronzer on my face. With that being said, most times with other bronzers I have to buff out the colour since it can tend to go on too dark and muddy, so it’s nice that this is so light.  If you are tan or dark though, you may find that this may not show up on your face the best.

As for the highlight, I really like it.  Again, it’s subtle, but noticeable.  You want a glowy look, not a disco ball face, and this totally gives you that “glow from within” look (anyone else sick of hearing YouTubers say that?).

Final

Overall, I like this product, however, if you want a true contour kit, look elsewhere.  Other kits include a banana powder for concealer, whereas this one is strictly highlight and bronzer.  The Pro Sculpting Duo retails for C$45, which is quite steep (compared to other contour kits, which include more than two products), but I do enjoy the compact size of this particular one and that fact that it’s more subtle, really letting you place the colour and build it up without looking too messy.

Will you be trying Make Up For Ever’s new Pro Sculpting Duo?

Please note, this post contains product that were sent by PR. All opinions are my own.

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