Smilelign- How i clean my aligners.

I thought i'd do a little post about how to clean clear aligners. Over the last few months i've found many useful tips and tricks on how to keep my aligners clean and hygienic.

What i use:
*Water
*Soap
*Brace/aligner toothbrush
*Small pack of toothbrushes
*Nitradine Disinfecting tablets
*Sensodyne Pronamel Extra Freshness Toothpaste

I firstly picked up a brush that is specifically designed for braces and aligners, the brush head is a lot smaller and softer so you can get a good clean on your aligners and most importantly it does not scratch them. I brought this brush from my dentist for £1 but i'm sure you can pick them up in places like Boots. 
I also decided to pick up a pack of smaller brushes in Boots so i could get a really good clean on my aligners. (Can you tell that i'm slightly over the top with the whole cleaning process, i'm just so worried about food still been in the aligner and decaying my teeth.)

My dentist advised me on what i should be cleaning my aligners with. When i got my Smilelign aligners and box i was given a box of Nitradine disinfecting tablets that are designed for dentures and removable dental appliances. These tablets are priced at £13.99 for a pack of twenty which is a 10 week supply. My dentist told me to keep these tablets safe and not to use them until i get my final set of aligners as these are going to be with me for many years to come. In the meantime with my current aligners that i'm changing every three weeks i've been cleaning them with soap and water, it's been very hard not to clean them with toothpaste as i feel that this would give them a better clean but i was strictly told not to do this and that i can scratch my aligners which i definitely don't want. I clean my aligners in the morning after breakfast, after lunch and then after dinner before i go to bed. 

Since having the clear aligners i've noticed at certain points of the treatment my teeth have been feeling rather sensitive especially when i move onto the next aligners and i've found Sensodyne Pronamel toothpaste really good. I can definitely notice the difference in terms of sensitivity after i use the toothpaste. 

I hope this posts helps a few of you out there with clear aligners especially if you are new to the system.

Product Review: Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Lip Protectant

Now the weather is getting colder my lips really do start to suffer, i think it's a mixture of the cold air outside and the appaling heating system at work that leaves my lips dry and sore. Every year i've tried mutiple lip products that are out on the market and they do the job but not quick enough for my liking! Last year my lip product saviour was Blistex Intensive Moisturiser  which can be purchased from Boots for about £2.50. I found this lip cream was the best on the market but if you applied too much than it does leave your lips slightly white which i wasn't a fan off because i like to plaster on the lip creams when my lips are looking disgusting and dry! I did plaster the Blistex on at night before i went to bed and left it to soak in overnight which worked wonders, i even had to purchase a tube for my boyfriend as he was forever asking to use mine!

Earlier this year i received my Glossybox and in it was a small tube of Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream which is a multi purpose balm that i throughly enjoyed using, i used it on the long flight to and from Florida for my lips and i also used it to moisturise my cuticles throughout the flight! Unfortunately the tube ran out and i was reconsidering repurchasing a tube especially for the winter months for my lips because i could see such a great improvement when it was applied. I was going through Duty Free a few weeks ago after a week in Dublin visiting my family and had purchased a few make up items in the shops at the airport as the price is slightly cheaper and at the till there was a box of Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Lip Protectant tins  which were a perfect size to have on you all of the time and without even looking at the price i picked two up one for me and one for my sister. They were priced at €7 which was very reasonable considering the size of the tin and how much product was in it.

When i got on the plane i opened my tin up and applied it even though it was a short flight back to Southampton i know the air con is prone to drying out my lips and as soon as i applied it i immediately fell in love with the product, it applied clear unlike Blistex and it didn't feel like i was wearing a thick layer of lip product which i liked.  Ever since then i have been applying it daily at intervals, first thing in the morning, after lunch and plastering it on before bed and so far my lips aren't dry or sore, i know we are expecting colder weather in the next few weeks but i really think this product is a dry lips saviour! I would strongly suggest if you happen to see the product in department stores that you pick it up. Unfortunately i haven't seen it in any department stores over here yet so i have no idea of the price but i could imagine it been about £10 which i don't think is bad if it stops your lips from drying out and becoming sore!

My LOVE for Essie nail polishes!

Since i tried Essie nail polishes last year i've been hooked! I was VERY excited when they hit Boots stores across the UK and went out and brought my first three nail polishes there and then since then i've accumulated a fair few that proudly sit in my nail polish box in my room! ( I will do a blog post on that in a few weeks ) 


I just want to talk about this recent shade i've got on my nails this week.  A few months ago i received my monthly Glossybox ( which is a beauty box that gets delivered to your house monthly, it costs £12.95 inc delivery and you get to sample five new products!)  and to my surprise there was a Essie full size nail polish in there! I received the shade Geranium which is a lovely shade of bright red. I have to admit it's taken me a few months to decide to give this a go, i wear red but i feel like it's to bright on my hands so stick to wearing it on my toes. This week i thought what the heck, i'll try something different and the more i look down at my finger nails the more i'm growing to like it!


At first i have to admit i wasn't too sure as i tend to always stick to the same neutral shades  and don't tend to be so adventurous on my finger nails, so it was nice to try something different. I have to admit that i don't think i would have gone out and picked this shade up in my local boots store but it is nice to try something different.


As always the application of Essie nail polishes was spot on, it applied perfectly as the brush is just the right size to do the three strip application. The consistency of the colour was great and i only needed two coats and the shade was opaque. I finished my nails off with my all star topcoat Kensington Caviar 45 Second Top Coat by Nails Inc which can be purchased from larger Boots stores across the UK. 


I would definitely suggest when your next in your Boots or Superdrug stores that you check out the Essie stand, they have a large selection of shades and for £7.99 i can surely say they are worth every penny! 

Product Review: Revlon Colorstay Nail Enamel

I was in Boots just having a look around and came across these nail polishes by Revlon. I actually don't own any nail polishes by Revlon so i thought it would be worth a try as i've turned into a bit of an Essie girl!

So what makes these polishes different? Well they promise a gel like shine and are suppose to be long wearing. I looked at the 30 different shades painted on fake nails in Boots and found it hard to pick just one but i thought i'd purchase one incase i didn't like them. I decided on Passionate Pink after taking 10 minutes to decide! I also picked up a bottle of their topcoat which was along side the nail polish that promised the extra shine. I thought i'd try the both together to give maximum shine!

Last night i decided to give it a try, my nails tent to chip after a few days just down to everyday wear and tear so if this polish does what it promises it will be perfect for holidays!

I put on my normal Nails Inc base coat and once dried applied the nail polish, the brush was nice and easy to apply to my nails and the colour is a beautiful shade of pink! I applied two coats and followed it by the Revlon Colorstay Nail Enamel top coat.

The topcoat takes a long time to dry but i don't know if this is because i'm use to my quick drying Nails Inc topcoat that dries in 30 seconds!

Overall i wasn't to impressed with the nail polish. I love the colour as i always reach for nude shades so it's strange to look at my nails and see pink! It gives a shiny finish but i could have got that from any of my Essie nail polishes. I wouldn't say it was a gel finish as promised which is slightly disappointing. I'm just waiting to see how i can go without it chipping, today is day one!

I'll keep you up to date on how long it lasts on my nails without chipping! Has anyone else tried these new nails polishes? What did you think?

♥

What are you giving up for LENT?

So today is the first day of LENT. I have to admit i never really give anything up for Lent i always say every year that i'll give something up and give it up for a week MAX! I'm sure this year will be different, i mean how hard can it be to give something up for forty days?! 


This year i've set myself the challenge to not buy make up for FORTY DAYS! I have to admit i'm a make up ADDICT! I can buy up to three new make up items a week! Especially if take a visit Boots and see there is a new product and it has like £3 i'm a sucker for those promotions! 


So i can officially buy make up again on Thursday 5 April 2012 to me it sounds like LONGER than FORTY day! Lets hope i don't cave in!

What are you giving up for LENT?

Photo taken from www.weheartit.com

♥

£1 Lipstick Bargain!

Well i was in luck today when it came to shopping! I went into Boots like i always do and had a little look in the clearance section at the back of the store, usually when i pop in there is nothing worth buying but today i was in luck!

They had SO much discounted make up! I did restrict myself as i'm flying to Dublin on Monday and my aunty works in a hotel that reguarlly holds conferences for different make up brands and she always get's bags full of stuff and she said that she would make me up a bag full of new make up! I'm dead excited as she always have lovely Estee Lauder make up!

Anyway getting back to my bargains today! I did restrict myself and only brought two make up items even though it was all discounted down to £1. So i picked up a Lipstick by L'Oreal Paris in shade 285 in Pink Fever and it's LOVELY! I tried it on my lips when i got home and it's a lovely pink colour! I have to admit i have never brought a lipstick in pink and now i have this one i'm not sure why i haven't! I'm defiantly a nude colour gal but hopefully this little bargain will draw me away from picking up another nude lipstick... for a while anyway!!

I also picked up a L'Oreal Paris eye shadow in shade 016 Cocoanut Shake which was also £1 and i'm yet to try it, i'm going to try it tomorrow but it's defiantly going to be a great base on my eyes if i want to put other shadow's over it but also it will be great on it's own if i feel like i don't want to wear to much make up!

Let me know if you have picked up any make up bargains lately!

♥

No7 Exquisite Curl Mascara

I just wanted to do a little rave post about this mascara by No7. Quiet simply it's AMAZING!  I purchased this mascara a few months ago on a bit of a impulse. All the mascara's i have already i'm really fed up of using,  i always tend to always go for the plastic brushes even though i don't necessarly get on well with them! I just wasn't getting the lashes i longed for!

A few months ago boots were giving out £5 No7 vouchers with puchases over £5. I had my fair collection of vouchers as i'm ALWAYS in boots! So while i was looking around the No7 make up stand i came across this masara and i'm SO glad i did! What drew me to it was the NEW sticker on the bottle and the fact that it was called Exquisite Curl mascara! I'm always longing for my lashes to have a lovely curl and had yet to find a masara that could meet my curl needs! The mascara comes in two colours, black and black/brown.

Anyway to cut the story short i LOVE the mascara! I couldn't rate it enough! I use it everyday and only put on one coat and it gives me the blackness and curl that i was so longing for from a mascara but could never find!! I use it on a daily basis, just popping out of the house or going to work ect. However if i'm going out in the evening or out for a speical occassion i tend to use Rimmel Day- 2- Night masara as it just goes on a bit thicker and gives my lases the extra length i need for an evening out.

I was getting to the end of my No.7 mascara before Christmas but was trying SO hard to make it last till after Christmas as i had some Christmas money. I'm SO glad i waited as i went in the other day and purchased a few items of their 50% sale ( I'll do a little post about what i brought this week ) and because i spend over £5 the lady gave me a No.7 £5 voucher! I have to say i was well chuffed! I went straight over to the No.7 counter at the front of the store and picked up another bottle of the mascara! I debated about what colour to get as they also sell it in a brown/black but ended up sticking to the black to be on the safe side! I have to say i'm LOVING the new bottle of mascara i was so excited to use it the following day and it's defiantly living up to the standards i was expecting! I have to admit this is the first time i've EVER repurchased a mascara so that should show in it's self how good it actually is! Another reason to go out and get this mascara is at the moment they are throwing in their rose quad palette when you buy any No.7 mascara. The women did say to me the palette is a promotion so once they sell out of the palette's that's it they won't get any more there was a few left in my local store so i was lucky! The palette is great and it includes four metallic pigmented eye shadows that could be used for evening and daytime looks!

If you have any picked up any No.7 £5 vouchers i'd suggest popping into your local boots and having a little look at the No.7 mascaras!

♥