Birthday Barbie!

 http://takeashotxatlife.tumblr.com/page/12

Today is my birthday meaning there will be many upcoming posts on presents I received such as products and clothing! Thank you to all my new followers, it's a total boost logging onto Blogger and seeing I have new subscribers! Hope you girls have a fab day

xoebc

A Cheap and Foolproof Way for a Fabulous White Smile

All girls desire a shiny white smile. A woman or mans smile is one of the very first things you notice about someones physical appearance; so why not start off with a great first impression? Through trial and error I've found the most efficient, low cost, and result yielding process for pearly whites. Plus White 5 Minute Bleach Whitening Gel has been on the market far longer then Crest White Strips etc. The assumption that you get what you pay for, I opted for pricier whitening systems. Did I see a difference with pricier whitening products? Yes. Were the results worth the price? No. So while in Walgreens I picked up my last alternative before professional whitening. Thank god I did. Below I will give detailed instructions on the process I use. Hope this helps some of you girls! (and guys)

 

Plus White 5 Minute Bleach Whitening Gel can be found at Walgreens and occasionally Walmart, unfortunately I haven't been able to find it anywhere else. You can also purchase it select websites for a few dollars cheaper, such as Amazon. But beware, the last time I ordered Plus White to save three dollars, I received a bottle filled with an unidentifiable liquid.....ew (I believe the gel melted for whatever reason)

You do not necessarily have to follow my way of apply Plus White, you can also simply put it on your toothbrush in combination with your toothpaste, or apply directly to your teeth with a qtip. I have found however that making my own trays ensures I don't ingest 90% of the gel, and also I can be positive that the product was working on my teeth for the instructed 30 minutes.

Make sure when purchasing your tube you shake it beforehand. I've noticed occasionally the gel can turn to a liquid for whatever reason

Purchase moldable mouthguards from a sports supplier, or any store such as Target, Walmart etc. Because mouthguards are meant for your upper teeth only, it will feel weird molding the second mouthguard to your bottom teeth. I personally think the results are worth the slight discomfort.

 

After thirty minutes is up, remove the mouthguards and rinse your mouth out. Although the gel is okay to ingest, I'd rather not be swallowing a product containing bleach.

The results are fantastic, and I would love to hear from those who try this method out. Did it work for you? Did it not? What whitening products do you use?

xoebc

A Little Pre Birthday Gift

Being a June baby my birthday is coming up. While out shopping for graduation gifts I couldn't help but pick a little something up for myself. I've been hearing for quite a while that Revlon's "Pink Pout" is a dupe for several MAC lippies. So while purchasing a Butter nailpolish for a friend, I wandered to Revlon's isle and scooped up Pink Pout.

I am extremely picky when it comes to lipsticks so I am still trying out different looks with Pink Pout. It is a gorgeous color though, not to mention I'm a huge fan of matte lipsticks

Are you a fan of Pink Pout? Do you own any Revlon Matte Lipsticks? Do you prefer a creamier lippie over those that are matte?

xoebc

Nails of the Month: Essie Chinchilly

 

A polish I have been absolutely loving lately is Essie's Chinchilly, a beautiful creamy grey. Chinchilly is the ultimate neutral that goes with just about anything. Two to three coats is necessary for it to be completely opaque. Essie's nailpolishes are my go to for great colors and quality. Although grey isn't exactly a "summer" color, I just haven't been feeling bright polishes these past few weeks.

What shades have been gracing your nails this month? Are you a fan of Essie? If so, what are your favorite colors?

xoebc

Finding the Right Brush According to Your Hair Type

 

There are an infinite amount of combs, brushes, and styling tools to choose from when walking through a beauty supply store. There's wide tooth, and fine tooth, ceramic, tortoise shell, vented, thermal, cushioned, round, flat, paddle, and the list goes on. An overwhelming amount of questions leaves a girl wondering whats necessary and whats not, a question I asked myself before I bought my Bass Premiere Boar/Nylon Brush and began doing a little research on.

1. Every girl should own a wide tooth comb and a boar bristle brush (as these are most essential). 

  - After getting out of the shower, your hair is at it's weakest state. Why? Because it's wet. When hair is wet its hydrogen bonds (what binds your hair together to form a strand) begin to breakdown. Because of this, tugging at your hair with a regular brush after a long shower can cause breakage and excess loss of hair. Gently grooming your hair when wet with a wide tooth comb removes any tangles, but is much less damaging then your everyday brush

  - A good quality boar bristle brush also is a necessary brush that should be in any girls hair arsenal. Boar bristle brushes are very dense (helps quite a bit to manage African American hair) and are usually a combination of a synthetic fiber and boar bristles. Boar bristles evenly distributes natural oils in the hair, which in turn creates, healthy, shinier hair, and seals the hair cuticle to improve the appearance of dry or split ends. Massaging the scalp with the boar bristles increases blood flow, in turn promoting hair growth

2. Purchase your styling brush..by how you style your hair! Do you like a lot of volume? Or prefer sleek and straight? 

  - For women in search of lift at the roots, turn to a round brush. Do you want a little oomph? Or a lot? Round brushes have a huge selection of widths, meaning the bigger the circumference, the bigger the hair

  - If you prefer a straight and chic look, opt for a paddle brush. Paddle brushes can have plastic bristles or boar. Ceramic paddle brushes are also known to make hair shinier when used while blow drying

What type of brush(s) or combs do you use? Do you have a favorite? Do you use different brushes according to how you plan on styling your hair?


xoebc

Quick Update

Hey Girls!

This week I have several posts planned including some recent clothing items I purchased, my favorite cream blush, a contouring how to, and a couple others. Check back soon!

xoebc

How To: Deep Clean Your Brushes

(this brush was wet, that's why it looks so grimy fyi !)

 

1. When cleaning your brushes always have your water at room temperature, water that is too hot can damage the fibers of the brush

- if your water is "hard" meaning you have a well system, opt for bottled water instead. Hard water is high in minerals and just like how it can be detrimental to your hair, it can be to your brushes

2. There are many brush shampoos that you can purchase, however using a light shampoo such as Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo or Dial soap is completely fine

- purchasing a shampoo created specifically for brushes is perfectly ok, I just find I save quite a bit more money by sticking to baby shampoo or just regular Dial handsoap

3. When washing your brushes, make sure you treat them with care. Avoid getting water anywhere besides the bristles. Water can loosen the glue that binds the handle of the brush.

- Use back and forth motions like you are actually using the brush, this prevents damaging the brush bristles and keeping them properly shaped

4. After thoroughly rinsing the brushes to ensure no soap is left over, place them on a paper towel to air dry

- some brushes come with brush guards, such as Sigma brushes. If your brushes do, have them dry with the guards on. Although it will take them ten times longer to dry, they will maintain their shape and stay in perfect condition

Things to avoid:

- drying your brushes with a blow dryer, no matter how low the setting is, or how careful you are being, it is very easy to ruin the shape of a brush. Just don't risk it

- never use a clarifying shampoo to wash your brushes, this can cause the dye in the bristles to seep out

How often do you do a deep clean of your brushes? Every week, every few weeks? Do you buy a brush shampoo, or make use of products you have at home? Let me know

 xoebc