How To Whiten Your Teeth At Home

*Note: This post was originally written on Feb 13, 2011 on my old blog (loveformakeup.com). I am transferring the content here. 

I have been getting many questions on YouTube regarding how I whiten my teeth. I figured since it�s such a FAQ, I will write a post about how I whiten my teeth.

Disclaimer: You should always consult your dentist before trying any new products on your teeth�especially if they are sensitive.  I am sharing my personal experience with teeth whitening solely for your reference.

Just FYI: I only whiten my upper row of teeth. I have never whitened the bottom row of teeth simply because I have a huge overbite and when I smile, very little bottom teeth can be seen. It saves me money not whitening the bottom row of teeth!

I buy my white strips on sale from drugstores like Rite Aid and CVS and they are usually around $30; however, they're sold for far cheaper on sites like Amazon.

My Teeth Whitening Personal History:
I first started whitening my teeth a little over 2 years ago using Crest White Strips.
I used the Crest Whitestrips Classic:

I was compliant in using the strips the first time around. I used the strips as directed: 2 strips a day (30 min. each strip) for 14 days.  I remember noticing a brightening/whitening of my teeth after just 5 days (just as the packaging claims). After a week my teeth where very white, but I continued with the 14 day course. I was very happy with the results and other people noticed my whiter teeth as well.

My teeth stayed white for a long time (probably about a year); but I do drink a lot of coffee and tea. So after some time I felt my teeth were less bright, so I used more strips to use.  I would consider this �touch up whitening�.

For touch-up whitening, I do not use the strips for the full course. I kind of got lazy and only used 1 or 2 strips for 3-5 days every so often (every 3-6 months). I found that this still works.
I bought the Crest 3D White Whitestrip Vivid because it was on sale. I honestly didn�t see any difference between the Vivid and the Classic kind.

These are pretty easy to apply; just follow the directions :]

Tips on applying the white strips:* Press the strips tightly to your teeth. Make sure there are no air spaces. This helps prevent the strips from slipping off prematurely.

* Do not have the strip touch your gums. I know these strips may be too big for some people�s teeth, but if you are going to have any part of the strip touching anything other than your teeth, have it touch the hard palette. I find the gums are more sensitive.

* Wipe any excess �gel� away.  When you press the strips tightly to your teeth, some of the whitening �gel� may squeeze out. This stuff makes you salivate and that will cause the strip to fall off. So just gently wipe the excess gel away with your finger.

Here is a photo of my teeth. Like I mentioned in the beginning of the post, I have only whitened my upper row of teeth and have never whitened the bottom. You can tell the bottom is not as bright.

My �natural� smile doesn�t reveal any of my bottom teeth anyway:

Happy Teeth Whitening!

Revlon Lipstick Allergy

*Note: This post was originally written on Jan 18, 2011 on my old blog (loveformakeup.com). I am transferring the content here. 

I�m allergic/intolerant to shellfish and mangos� but makeup products? Nooooooo.

I think I�m allergic to the Revlon Colorburst lipstick :[
I own the color "Soft Nude" and the first time I wore it, I didn't have any reaction. The second time I wore it, my lip felt a bit weird but there were only a few small bumps and I thought nothing of it. The third time (I reapplied it multiple times that night), my lips broke out in hives and were swollen the next day. The reaction subsided after  ~1.5 days.

First it felt tingly, then small bumps appeared and it was kind of itchy.  I also used Revlon's Super Lustrous Lip Gloss over it and I think I may have used ELF's super glossy lip shine that day as well.  But I re-tried all those products again and it never made my lip break out in hives.   I am planning to try the lipstick one more time to confirm my allergy because I refuse to believe that it was the cause of my hives!

I love the color so much :[

I know the color is very nude and doesn�t compliment all skin tones. It is too nude for me to wear alone, but you can just use a pink gloss over it to give your lips a little bit more color. Here are photos where I wore Revlon�s Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in �Pink Whisper� over it:

I know there are a lot of dupes out there, but this was a great color, worked well, nice packaging, and it was affordable.  Do any of you have any suggestions of dupes?