Wellness

Real Sh*t, Wellness

Who doesn’t want white teeth?! Our teeth can yellow due to genetics, what we eat and drink – hello coffee lovers! I love me some coffee, so making sure that I keep my smile white and bright is very important to me. Let’s get into 3 ways to make your smile whiter AND maintain it:

1. SMILE BRILLIANT SYSTEM

What’s better than a dentist quality whitening? NOT going to the dentist to whiten your teeth! Smile Brilliant offers dentist quality whitening without having to sit in the chair. You know, that anxiety inducing char. Okay, even if it is for whitening, I still don’t like it!

Anyway, Smile Brilliant offers two different systems: one for people with sensitive teeth and one non-sensitive. You guys…their system is really the best. And it’s easy & made just for you. What do I mean? You’ll take a mold of your teeth, send it to Smile Brilliant, and then they’ll send you custom trays to use. Want more info? “From dental lab to your door. Our teeth whitening process is recommended by more dentists than any other procedure in America. We proudly produce our custom-fitted whitening trays right here in the United States for 70% less than your dentist and 3x to 5x faster. We ship worldwide & our customers trust our team’s honesty and experience.” How is that for amazing?

I was afraid that my teeth and/or gums would hurt from the whitening gel, but I felt no discomfort. I used the trays everyday until I was out of syringes, and recommend doing this for the best and fastest results.

See the my results for yourself:

2. BE MANIPULATIVE!

A fake tan and a good lipstick will do the trick. Both will make your teeth look A LOT whiter.

Let’s get specific. Opt for a natural looking tan. My favorites are NKD SKN and Loving Tan. Neither brand sells orange toned tanners. The same goes for lipstick – go for cool toned colors to make your teeth look more white. Orange-y tones will bring out the yellow in your teeth. So, if you go for red, use a blue toned red.

3. USE A CLEAN TOOTHPASTE

By clean, I mean using a toothpaste without the bad shit such as: carrageenan, fluoride, and sweeteners. Yes, many toothpastes contain all of these ingredients! My new favorite is from Dr. Bronner’s. It’s pepperminty and fresh, and makes your smile sparkle and your mouth feel clean.

Side note: Before I started using Dr. Bronner’s, I was using a charcoal toothpaste because I thought that it was beneficial for dental health and the color of your teeth. While charcoal toothpastes DO whiten your teeth, they are also damaging to your tooth enamel. We’re talking permanent damage.

“Prolonged use of charcoal to whiten teeth is likely to lead to dramatic enamel erosion and permanent damage to the tooth with incredibly superficial results.” – Smile Brilliant

I am so grateful to Smile Brilliant for educating me on this, as I would have continued on using charcoal toothpaste. Check out their page HERE for more info.

**GIVEAWAY**

Smile Brilliant is so kind to give away a whitening kit to one lucky winner!

Want to get a system now? Smile Brilliant is offering my readers 15% off any kit with code: allgussiedup15 at SmileBrilliant.com !

Good luck!

xo, Lynn

Wellness

TURMERIC LATTES.

Have you tried one?

I have been making my coffee each morning with turmeric after having the best iced turmeric coffee ever in Newport Beach, and had to recreate it at home..

You’ve probably seen turmeric everything everywhere lately, and it’s not surprising, because ayuerveda is becoming more and more popular…and turmeric is a key spice used in ayurvedic recipes.

Most benefits of turmeric come from its key compound, curcumin, which has strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antiseptic properties.

Here is a list of turmeric’s benefits for your health:

♡ treats colds and coughs
♡ detoxifies
♡ boosts immunity
♡ helps with inflammation
♡ reduces period cramps
♡ makes skin GLOW

Let’s talk about the recipe:

Beauty, Wellness

I am very specific about my makeup, and I like to use what works best for certain wants and needs – such as covering my rosacea, using products that are cruelty free, and the list goes on. I’m not a one brand kind of person either – I pick and choose from different brands based on what products work best for me.

Recently, Sephora released a section on their website and in their stores called “clean at Sephora“. Of course I knew about natural products before, but I hadn’t given much thought to using natural products.  I stick to my tried and true cruelty free items, but that does not mean those products are natural. It just means they’re not tested on animals. So I looked at what was available in the “clean” section and was intrigued.

The more I thought about putting certain products, specifically foundation and concealer on my face and how it’s absorbed into my bloodstream, I started to do more research on ingredients.

Here is what I have learned so far:

+ The average woman uses 515 synthetic chemicals on her skin every day, without even knowing.

+ The FDA doesn’t require any pre-market testing or approval before beauty products hit shelves. The European Union has banned over 1,300 chemicals found in cosmetics, as scientific studies suggest that they could be linked to cancer, reproductive harm, and neurotoxicity. However, the FDA has only banned eight and restricted three.

{via source}

While I’m not going all out natural all at once, I did just start using two Lawless Beauty face products and I am obsessed. So obsessed that I have to share with you guys. What really caught my attention with Lawless Beauty over some of the other brands I’ve seen is that the packaging is so glam and you can tell that there is so much thought and care behind the brand. Annie Lawless wanted her brand of makeup to reflect luxury and glamour while still being natural. LOVE!

♡ Lawless Beauty Foundation

I’ll start with the description, because it perfectly describes the product:

“This SPF-free, non-comedogenic, skin-nourishing formula won’t clog pores, and wears comfortably throughout the day with a weightless feel that won’t fade or disappear. Lightweight, antioxidant-rich, skin-balancing oils, including abyssinica, camellia, kukui, grape seed, and jojoba oils, help plump and replenish the skin’s moisture barrier for a supple, youthful appearance. Soothing, anti-inflammatory shea butter helps soften and repair skin, while promoting collagen production and protecting against free radicals. With this formula, you can achieve medium to full coverage with a natural, skin-like finish that never looks cakey or dry on the skin.” – LAWLESS

There is so much that I love about this foundation, but most of all, I love the consistency as it is not matte yet it’s not shiny, it has no SPF (which makes it perfect for a wedding!), and it wears very well throughout the day. I’m a huge fan, and I will be wearing this foundation on my wedding day.

♡ Lawless Beauty Seal The Deal Setting Powder

What’s different about this setting powder is that talc is not used. Instead, mica us used as the base. The powder does not add any cakiness, it is very fine and applies like an airbrushed finish.

Are you guys into natural makeup? If so, what have you loved? Please share!

xo, Lynn


 
Real Sh*t, Wellness

Every morning, I drink a smoothie. Plastic straws are a NO-GO due to environmental reasons, and paper straws become so soggy. I ordered metal straws a couple years ago thinking that they were the way to go. They’re reusable, which is what I was looking for.

But then my dentist found out that I was using metal straws every morning and told me to STOP. Why? Because metal can chip your teeth and can lead to metal toxicity.

And then I found glass straws (insert hallelujah music).

At first I was scared that glass straws would be too fragile, especially when it came to washing. But they are so sturdy. And digging deeper into how they serve as a vessel vs. stainless steel, I learned that the resistance of the glass to erosion from acidity from foods is so much higher than with metal straws…this is how stainless steel is prone to heavy metal problems.

The icing on the cake is that since glass straws are clear, you can be sure that they are clean.