Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips

Oooooh Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips.... what am I going to do with you?! I have such a love/hate relationship with these clear little teeth strips.

I LOVE them because they are so easy to use. I usually will put them on my upper and lower teeth right when I get into the car on my way to my honey's house, and the half hour drive is the perfect length of time to remind me when I need to take them off, right before I pull up to his house. The convenience is amazing and the fact that he has been able to notice the difference, especially in my top teeth is awesome. I love having such a sparkly smile and the feeling of clean teeth. Also, I realized that the whitening process has also made me more aware of all the things I eat without even thinking about it. I make a bigger effort to avoid eating foods that may stain my teeth more than normal, especially in the hours after each treatment. So not only have the Crest 3D Whitestrips helped my teeth, they have helped me keep my unconscious snacking in check.

Why do I HATE the amazing whitestrips? Well, because they make my teeth hurt!!! Ok, actually, the tooth sensitivity has lessened quite a bit since the first week and it isn't as bad as it was, when just the cold air hitting my teeth hurt a whole lot. I can understand now why the directions say to only do a whitening treatment two times a year only, because after enamel is exposed to peroxide for so long, it hurts!

I am only halfway done with my treatment, but I am really loving the result so far. I look forward to posting pictures of the "Before and After" results on the whole 20 day program.

College VoxBox

Oh Influenster, how I LOVE thee.... You are one truly amazing website and you offer me some of the greatest treats ever!

I received one of the greatest little treasures just a couple of days before Thanksgiving, and unfortunately, between all the holiday baking, eating, and family time, I haven't had the opportunity to review the haul of goodies I got in the mail last week....

I opened my awesome little white box to find the following:

1. An NYC New York Colour Glitter Eye Pencil in Black
2. A Pentel EnerGel-X Pen in Purple (My fave color!)
3. Tropical flavored wafers from Necco
4. ImPRESS Manicure nails in a funky leopard/giraffe print
5. Energy Sheets

How do I feel about it all?

I'm intrigued, to say the least. While some may say that it looks like a box of stuff picked out at the 99 cent store, I am excited to try things I would've never bought for myself, even if it was at the 99 cent store! lol I just recently had to shorten my nails (dumb broken nail at the gym!), so I may try the ImPRESS Nails this weekend. As for the other stuff, keep an eye out for my review of the products within the next couple of days!

  

What is Influenster?

So by now, if you've read my previous blog entries, you would see that I have mentioned Influenster quite a bit.... You're probably wondering what exactly is Influenster, anyways... :)

Influenster is only one of the coolest websites ever! You register on there, submit your demographics (once they send you the invite to join), and take different surveys that earn you "badges". The more you do (surveys, essentially), the more you qualify for more points and more possibilities to get sent stuff to your home. Its pretty freakin awesome, to be honest... So far, in the month and a half since I've been a member, I have gotten the Crest 3D Whitening Strips and now a cool "College VoxBox" filled with goodies that I will write about tomorrow...

I like Influenster a lot, not just for the free stuff they send me to try out, but because I've learned about a bunch of different products I otherwise would've never even considered, had it not been for their review pages. I also appreciate that it gives me the opportunity to review products and services as well, which for someone like me who is such a big Yelper, reviewing is one of my favorite things to do, so I know more about different things out there.

If you haven't joined Influenster yet, I suggest you do it. I would offer an invite, but I've used up my 5 invites and am waiting to have more. Until then, you can go to their website and request an invite. It may take a couple of days, probably until you are done biting your nails in anticipation, and then you get that amazing ray of computer light that says "You've Been Invited to Join Influenster!" which starts it all...

Teeth, Teeth, Teeth

Quick note for the day::

So today is the 4th day of using the Crest 3D Whitening strips that I got from Influenster a few weeks ago. Technically, its been 5 days since I started on Thursday, but I took a break yesterday because my teeth were feeling super sensitive. Yeah, the sensitivity they say "may occur", occurred on the second day and my teeth were hurting real bad, for no apparent reason. 

I've been able to see a little bit of a difference in how white my teeth are, so I'm hoping that with consistent use I will be able to have "pearly whites". I'm hoping that I will be able to keep up with using the entire treatment for the rest of the 16 days ahead of me, but this teeth sensitivity is NO joke! Unfortunately, like they say, beauty is pain and it comes with the territory....

Crest 3D Whitestrips

Ok, so I have to admit I've been kinda bad with using any products lately, whether it be on my teeth or my hair or my nails. I received an awesome box with my first item from Influenster just a couple of weeks ago, but with my son's birthday and his party and my boyfriend's birthday and my coworker's baby shower that I planned, I didn't have any time to whiten my teeth, let alone breathe! With everything going on, I didn't want to half ass my usage, since the box on the Crest 3D Whitestrips suggests use for 20 days straight. I was worried that I was going to forget it and then skip days and then have some shitty ass results, so I just let it sit... for almost the past two weeks... In addition to being scared of forgetting (like a birth control pill), I was also scared because I've heard about how sensitive whitening can make teeth, and as someone with no dental insurance, I just chose not to put myself in that sort of situation where I would regret it later... but, the box had been staring at me, asking me when I would get on it so I could review it, and so I opened it up and read its directions last night.. FINALLY!

I decided to put the product to the test today. I decided that if I wait till when I get home, I will find excuses and reasons why I shouldn't put the strips on, so I put them on while I was at work. I opened up the box, pulled out one of the packets of whitening treatment (there are 20, for 20 days), and I went straight to our restroom and tore it open (the packet.. dirty minds!). I peeled off the smaller one and placed it, sticky side on my bottom teeth. I had a little extra, so I folded it over my teeth and put it so that it fit snugly. I noticed a white foaming right away. I then peeled off the larger strip from the backing and placed it gummy side on my top teeth and folded in the excess as well. It was an interesting feeling, as I had never tried any teeth whitening before. Both the top and bottom foamed almost right away, I'm guessing as a result of the peroxide on the dirt on my teeth, but it was pretty cool, minus the extra saliva and the fact that I talked a little funny at first.

I kept the strips on for 30 minutes, as suggested by the directions and then peeled them off. They were a little interesting to take off, but I almost felt an immediate sense of cleanliness afterwards. We shall see how this goes for the next 20 days, but I am super excited to see if there will be a difference made!

Super Excited!

I've been blogging for quite some time now, but never about beauty stuff. I guess I never really had the time or wanted to put in the effort to create a place to review products. With the fact that I just joined Influenster about a month ago, and the realization that I used quite a few products that are hit or miss, I decided that I should review my products, the same way I review restaurants on Yelp (yeah, I'm THAT girl). I mean, really, as a single mom who is usually on a budget, it's important to inform my other single mama friends (and everyone else) of what to splurge on and what to skip on.

A little bit about me: I'm a 29 year old Latina single mom of a totally awesome 9 year old boy. He is my light and my reason for working a full time job in community mental health and for going to school to get my Bachelor's. Yeah, it's not easy, but it is totally worth it. In addition to being a mama, and working and doing school work, I am also a girlfriend to a pretty fantastic guy. I got really lucky to be able to have an awesome guy in my life who pushes me to do my best and who motivates me to be a successful woman, in all that I do.

I live at home with my two younger sisters (well, at 22 and 25, they aren't that young) and my parents. They drive me crazy but without them all, I'm not really sure where I would be. Our house is sometimes like a mental asylum, but I don't think I would have it any other way.

I'm not the biggest makeup wearer or primper. I'm also not always the girliest girl. Anyone who knows me knows that I really love sports (GO DODGERS!) and I love things that typical girls don't like (pass the beer, please!). I love to dress up, but I also love to dress down, depending on the occasion. My sister's have nicknamed me Clarence, because shopping in the clearance section is my specialty. I love being able to look good while on a budget, as having extra money to buy expensive things is not usually in my budget. I hope you enjoy my blog and all that I have to offer...