Get a picture-perfect smile!

There's a month designated for everything nowadays, but this month was new one for me... May is National Smile Month! And considering I'm always working to make my coffee and wine tinted teeth look like they belong on the front page of a celebrity magazine at home WITHOUT SPENDING MUCH MONEY. So when I got a few tips from a dentist to make my teeth look great without a treatment or service, I was excited to share these with you. But after I did a little more research on this dentist office, I found out this was no normal dentist and it's possible to get those pearly whites - looking a lot more white at home with a home kit!

First, because I can't keep a secret, I had to share the juicy stuff. After a little Googling I discovered this dentist was in CHICAGO...so immediately, I started to delete her info since I wouldn't be traveling out of state just to do a crown. However, it was the words "SPA" in Mitchell Dental Spa that really peaked my interest. While you get your dentistry, you can get a facial, massage or botox while you are laying horizontal in the chair waiting for your cavity to get filled. BRILLIANT! So the question remains, when are these guys coming to DFW? 

Second, the free way to get your teeth picture-perfect for National Smile Month, check out these great tips: 

A great smile can go a long way when it comes to making a first impression. White, bright teeth and a wide smile convey an air of confidence that is important in any situation, from a job interview to a first date. Teeth whitening procedures are certainly effective, but small daily steps can also be helpful and less expensive.  

1.) WEAR LIPSTICKS THAT CONTAIN A HINT OF BLUE—Blue tones around the mouth can make teeth appear whiter, so when shopping for new makeup, consider red lipstick with blue undertones.  These will make your smile appear brighter by offsetting any yellow coloration in the teeth.  Coral and orange based lipsticks can make the teeth appear more yellow, so avoid these if you are self-conscious about your pearly whites.

2.) SNACK ON CRUNCHY FRUITS AND VEGGIES –Mildly abrasive fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots or celery not only provide the body with essential nutrients, but also act as a natural toothbrush by gently scrubbing off small bits of plaque that have gathered on the teeth and gums.

3.) SWISH WITH WATER AFTER DRINKING TEA OR COFFEE—Coffee, tea and other dark liquids can stain the teeth and leave them looking dingy. To prevent discoloration, simply swish water around in your mouth immediately after consuming a staining liquid.

4.) CHEW SUGARLESS GUM CONTAINING XYLITOL—Xylitol, a naturally occurring sugar substitute, has been added to many sugar-free gums as a sweetening agent, but it also has healthful properties. Chewing a gum containing xylitol, such as Trident, has been shown to reduce the levels of harmful oral bacteria, reducing the likelihood of developing cavities.

5.) BRUSH TEETH BEFORE GOING FOR A RUN—Running dries out the mouth and any plaque that already exists on the gumline will tend to dry out and calcify, resulting in discoloration and even gum disease. A quick brush before leaving for a run can help solve this problem.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: 

While I have tried some reasonably good teeth whitening systems at home, it always seems after I wear the trays or gel on my teeth for an hour, the next morning when I turn on my friend Keurig that it seems like I just wasted the treatment from the night before. So when the IntelliWHITE Pro Whitening Kit system appeared on my doorstep, I figured it would end up in the drawer with the other products. But in addition to the bumpers that keep you from getting the ointment on your tongue this kit gives you an eraser pen to use after your coffee, wine and any other foods that stain your teeth. And best of all, the actual IntelliWHITE Pro Whitening Kit (retailing online for $70 for two packages - buy one, get one free) seems to work well and I give it a pretty good challenge!

 No matter what, remember the best way to celebrate Smile Month is to SMILE! Besides, it increases your face value.

Looking for a better way for a picture-perfect celebrity smile? May is SMILE MONTH so make sure you give those teeth a little extra love!

DISCLAIMER: I received IntelliWHITE Pro Whitening Kit for consideration of a review. However, all the comments listed here are my own. 

Take care of my skin (the right way) for 1 month

During the month of my big 3-O, something less than magical happened to me: I found gray hairs (yep, that's plural) and I found wrinkles. Needless to say, getting older was taking its toll. It was then I also realized that being ignorant about what "stuff" I needed to be putting on my face was no longer a real option. I needed to take responsibility for the future in front of me and learn really what I was doing (or in my case, not doing) for my skin. 

So recently, when I got the opportunity to actually learn about how to take care of skin (rather than just randomly trying all the free products I got in my free Clinique Bonus bag), I was ecstatic. Finally after years of school, I felt like I was going to learn something I really should have learned when I was 12 - how to take care of my skin.

Let me be clear; I'm not completely stupid about skincare. I just have so many other things going on I don't take care of it the way I need to. Many times once I sit down it doesn't take long for my body to completely go limp and my eyeballs to roll into the back of head, so washing my face is not even an option. Then once I wake up in the morning, I'm happy to splash on some cleanser to get off the leftover mascara and baby slobber from yesterday and then slap on another topcoat (my husband's reference to foundation) to start it all over again the next day.

As part of Galleria Dallas' Beauty Live 2012, a three-day event totally devoted to all things beauty, The Body Shop had asked a few friendly volunteers to commit to a four-week test drive to use their products and then share what we thought when we were complete. Always happy to take on a challenge, I was happy to finally learn what type of skin I really had, what it really needed and most of all, what it was doing to my skin. After all with all the products out on the market with so many promises, I'm not sure what is really what I need. 

My consultant, Lori, was amazing. She sat me down, cleaned off my makeup and instantly got down and dirty about my skin. Once she was able to assess my skin type, she developed a custom skin care regime to help combat my problem areas and keep potential issues at bay. During our consultation, she told me about The Body Shop's commitment tofair trade practices and using natural products. Considering our skin absorbs almost 80 percent of what we put on it, I was happy to begin using products that were as healthy on the inside as they are the out (and mucho points for environmentally and economically friendly business!) And best of all -- she wrote on the bottles when and what order I needed to apply the products (who would have thought this would be so helpful.)

All I had to do was promise her that I would commit to a four-weeks, 2 times a day skincare regimen using the following products:  

1.   Seaweed Purifying Facial Cleanser $14.00

2.   Seaweed Pore-Cleansing Facial Exfoliator $15.00

3.   Seaweed Clarifying Toner $12.50

4.   Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream $16.50

5.   Seaweed Clarifying Night Treatment $20.00

6.   Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask $22.00

7.   Seaweed Pore Perfector $21.00

8.   Tea Tree Oil $ 9.00

9.   Vitamin E Eye Cream $18.00

          *******For a total of $150

Now that I have promised another human being, I'll be held accountable for being good to my skin (what a thought!) Best of all after being treated like a total queen, she let me know that anyone can come into the store and get the same type of one-on-one time to help you find what you need for your skin type. Two points!

So ready for the big reveal? You're gonna have to wait!

For my own benefit, I'm not going to post my before photo at this time, but I will tell you tell you that after four weeks, I hope to be happy to show you a great post-photo. Also, you can come out and see me talk about the product at BEAUTY LIVE at Galleria Dallas on March 19!