Rave: Crest Whitening Strips

Over the last year or two, one of the things I have got a little obsessed about is WHITE teeth.

I spent a significant part of my teenage years in braces and even had my jaw realigned to straighten my teeth (yet amazingly I've never had a filling, touch wood). After all that, I kind of feel a duty to do my best by my teeth so enter several whitening missions using Blanx, Pearl Drops and RapidWhite among others but I can honestly say, I feel a bit stupid given that I've invested all that time and energy in to these products when the Crest Whitening Strips did the job so quickly and successfully.

I started wearing the strips in about May, twice a day for about half an hour to an hour each time. There were 42 pouches in the pack and I still have a handful left so I'd say I wore the strips probably for about three weeks cutting it down to once a day or every other day in the last week. I can't remember exactly but I just remember that I used them more or less as detailed in the instructions.

My teeth very quickly got whiter and got to a point where I felt I didn't need to wear the strips any more (and to be fair, the teeth didn't seem to be getting any whiter at this point but alas, they were already now white ) but kept some by just in case, my new bright, white teeth quickly faded.

Like I said all this occurred in the spring when I wasn't really blogging but now three months later, I'm still really struck by how white my teeth look in photos.

I honestly have to say that I can not recommend these strips enough, they did the job very well and with very little fuss. I have not had to result to my spare strips yet. To me, my teeth still look pretty white.

I'm aware that there there are horror stories out there about these type of products. So please do not purchase just on my say so, do your own research. I can not be sure how these will work for you or if you would go through the Crest whitening so effortlessly or with as little sensitivity or with so much success but I can honestly say I just wish I had used the Crest Whitening Strips from the very start. It would have saved me a whole lot of fuss and money on other products that never quite made the (white) mark and even with those products that almost did reach it, I have never had results that have lasted this long.

I used the Supreme Professional Whitening Crest Whitestrips and I purchased mine from here.
These particular strips are not recommended for under 18s.

What teeth whitening tips do you have? Do you swear by a particular system?

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Five little obsessions!

Some of you may be used to my passing phases now. Sometimes I get all obsessed with some item or regime and then one morning, I wake up and it is all forgotten.

Remember, the Shred?!

Ouch!

However, when I'm indulging in the passing phases, they become the cornerstones of my beauty routines.


Here are five phases that I'm currently entertaining.

1/ Bitter Chocolate from Botanics

Over the last two or three months, I keep returning to this colour. Yes, the colour payoff (in the semi-permanent) does not last very long maybe only a couple of weeks but I do love the shade that emerges after the first shampoo. Dark hair may seem a little boring or blah but there is no doubt that the darker my hair is, the healthier and shinier it looks.

Sometimes my hair colour seems half-hearted and just a mish mash of lifeless browns. For once, my hair looks solid, shiny and polished. I initally took note of this colour after Carolyn Bax commented used a Boots Semi-Permanent Chocolate dye recently.

2/ The Teeth Whitening

It was back in the summer when I last became obsessed with my white pearlies. That was in the BlanX era. The BlanX product that I used did seem to work. However, the full white results do not seem quite so lasting so now I am using the Beverly Hills Toothpaste. Sarah has raved about one of their toothpastes before. I'm hoping my new habit will keep my teeth on the right side of white economically. I really do lay stock in the fact that Sarah believes in it and also that Watchdog have given it a thumbs up.

3/ RapidLash

For me, this year has been all about the lashes. Lash enhancers and mascara. I have just fallen for yet another mascara which I will tell you about soon but I have also started using another lash growth product. So far, I have used Lipocils, Ardell, the L'Oreal Lash serum and now I have started to use RapidLash. I must admit that I am using this very tentatively after reading an earlier post of Laura's. However, there are so many positive reviews out there for this product and as I'm so desperate for Bambi lashes. I am now applying this little product each evening and keeping my fingers crossed that firstly, I do not lose my lashes altogether and secondly, that I infact gain more lusterous, fluttery lashes.

4/ The Probiotics

After reading in the amazing Beauty Bible, that an annual 90 day course of probiotics could be of benefit to troublesome skin. I have been glugging the old Actimels down. I'm not sure if they are helping but this habit is a lot cheaper then some of the other regimes and creams that I have tried this year and at the very worse, the daily dose is probably only of benefit to my general health.

5/ Manuka Honey

Some of you may have read my earlier post on the benefits of honey. Well, now I'm going further and trying Manuka Honey. I will do a post on this soon but apparently Manuka Honey has special antibacterial properties which can be of benefit to your well-being which of course, will be reflected in your appearence. This phase has struck at the right time as there are few things that can get me out of my warm bed in these cold, cold mornings like the promise of hot porridge and honey.

Do you have daily beauty habits? What are they?

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Another pearlie update!

If you remember about a month ago, I started using BlanX http://essjay23x.blogspot.com/2010/05/blanx-intensive-whitening-treatment.html . I used the Intensive Whitening Treatment which was basically an intensive whitening toothpaste. I was meant to use it twice a day but to be honest, sometimes I would pick up my tube of Aquafresh and start brushing with that before I remembered my regime. I probably did this three or four times. So when I remembered, I was using my BlanX treatment instead of conventional toothpaste and the tube lasted me exactly two weeks. I finished using BlanX about two weeks ago but bad blogger I am, am only updating today. So here are my teeth before And here are my teeth after. This pic was took about two weeks after I finished the BlanX treatment but you know what, I think you can still see a difference and I'm sure my teeth were even whiter just after I'd finished the treatment. I think BlanX worked. Probably by only a shade or two but there was and still is a definite difference. I am convinced of this. So it has to be a thumbs up for BlanX, it was easy to apply and reasonably priced. The product also lasted long enough to do the job it was designed to do (unlike my earlier RapidWhite treatment, see my earlier posts). I know that the intensive treatment is only designed for occasional treatment but I see no reason not to buy it again in a few months if a big occasion was coming up and my teeth needed a bit of a boost. I'm currently using up my normal toothpaste, Aquafresh but I think once that tube has finished, I may either buy Blanx everyday toothpaste or Beverly Hills Formula Toothpaste (Sarah raved about this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEcxOCuK73U ) to maintain my new whiter teeth. I would also be very interested in a toothbrush that Sophie of Sophie Is Made up (http://www.sophieismadeup.com) reviewed earlier in the year. For now though, I am just happy that even though some of the products out there may not perform miracles, they do deliver near enough what they claim. So, what whitening solutions have you found? Have any of you had professional teeth whitening? X PS Don't forget you can now follow me at http://essjay23x.wordpress.com http://essjay23x.blogspot.com http://www.youtube.com/user/essjay23x

BlanX Intensive Whitening Treatment.

So you know I really want to tick the white teeth box?! To be honest, I was a little disappointed with RapidWhite but it is time to move on. So I have. I have started to brush my teeth twice a day with the BlanX Extra White Intensive Whitening Treatment. It is basically a toothpaste with very special (whitening) qualities. After 15 days, I should have visibly whiter teeth and all I have to do is brush with this instead of my normal toothpaste. Sounds good! It gets better, BlanX products derive from a natural ingredient, Arctic Lichen. BlanX are the only company to use this lichen in a cosmetic toothpaste so it is different from other whitening products. This magical ingredient was found by scientists when they went to the Arctic and noticed that the native population had extraordinary white teeth. Arctic Lichen was what this population cleaned their teeth with. So the bits of Lichen responsible for this have been identified, isolated and put in to the BlanX products. Oh, how I love a little trivia! My BlanX product is intensive. It contains not only the active lichen magic but a unique whitening agent and particles to remove stains. BlanX as a brand seem to pride their products on the fact that their products whiten teeth without stripping away the tooth enamel in the way that whitening toothpastes often do. I can not find any information but I do wonder if my product is a little more abrasive then some of the other BlanX everyday products (including a classic toothpaste and an anti-aging one!). After all, my product is an intensive one and probably needs to be more abrasive to whiten teeth in 15 days. BlanX are very clear that their products in general are not as abrasive as other whitening products but I can find no specific claim relating to this intensive treatment. However, they are very clear that this product does contain particles to remove stains. BlanX do suggest that this product is used twice a day for two weeks, four times a year. In the meantime, they advise that you use a product from the BlanX Non-Abrasive Whitening range for maintenance. Straight away, that says the Intensive treatment is not one that BlanX have placed in their Non-Abrasive Whitening range. Anyhow, I will let you know how I get on with my little whitening mission. I'm interested to see if you can really get whiter teeth just by changing the toothpaste you are brushing with. No extra gizmos or graft required. Could it be that simple?! BlanX claim that none of their products have been tested on animals. I brought my 30ml tube in Boots. The normal price is £10.99 but today it is advertised on the Boots website for £7.33. While there, I noticed that there are mixed reviews for this product. However when I was in store, the major reason that I picked this product up is because two girls were raving about how much their friend loved this brand. So I guess, we will have to wait and see. Please, please, whiten my teeth! See the BlanX website for more information and better scientific explanations! http://www.blanxuk.com/ Any thoughts? X

Ready, set and twinkle!

Last week, I posted on Wordpress http://essjay23x.wordpress.com/ about a new beauty routine I was going to try. I will very soon be revealing the results so here is more or less a copy of that post for those who might want to catch up!:)
I like the idea of white, white teeth. Somehow it takes me a little closer to the glamour of Old Hollywood, the Oscars and well, perfection.
When I think how many lippies I have brought trying to make my lips the 'right' colour and then, how many months (years!) I spent as a teenager having dental treatment and braces so that my teeth could be straight then I really had no other choice but to pick up, Rapid white.

They are offering me white(r) teeth in ONE week and at £7.99! I'm guessing the results will last a little longer then a lippie. I think some of the Crest products promise lasting results for 18 months. If Rapid white works even for six then I believe, it is a bargain!
Rapid white claim that in seven days, your teeth could become whiter by up to four shades if you use the system twice a day. There is a little whiteness guide included in the system so you can keep an eye on the progress of your pearlies.
Previous to this, I have only used one other type of whitening treatment and this was a Pearl Drops special tooth polish. I used that last year to prepare for my sister's wedding and I felt happy with the results but I think it took a little longer then a week to get results and well, what can I say?! If I achieve anything with my week off then it will be white teeth. The rapid results of the Rapid white system along with price was certainly one of the reasons that I chose this system. Even if I'd ordered the renowned Crest Whitestrips to use, I would have had to wait for them to arrive after ordering online since they are not available in the shops and then a lot of reviews seem to suggest two weeks application before an effect can be clearly seen.
Rapid white works a little bit differently to the Crest Whitestrips and the Pearl Drops.
I recieved two standard plates which are moulded by the consumer (with boiling water) to fit their teeth. Instructions are included but it took me a couple of goes. No wonder Blue Peter never called me back . . !
To actually whiten the teeth, the system uses three products. A whitening accelerator which comes in the form of a pen which is painted on to your teeth before the plates are applied.
Before these plates are placed in to the mouth, they are filled with whitening gel. Once the plates are sitting in the mouth, this should mix with the accelerator and ta dah, whitening should occur.
The plates are meant to be left in like this for five to ten minutes. After removing the plates, the teeth are to be brushed with the third product in the system, the whitening toothpaste.
All of this needs to be done twice a day and then after seven days, the system should have worked and the pearlies should be twinkling. Yay!
So let the challenge begin. I took some photos of my teeth before I used the system and next week, I will take some more pics and hopefully, we can spot a difference. Fingers crossed!

What do you think, do these systems work? What have you used? Did you get results? Did they last?

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