Wedding Countdown - Beauty Bootcamp

4 DAYS TO GO

Here's a little peek at the beauty regime I have been following in the run up to the wedding. As you know it was all booked last minute and so I had little notice to start looking after myself but I've been using most of these things for around two weeks now. Some are part of my usual routine and others have been brought in to up the anti for my "beauty bootcamp" 

Facial Skincare

I now religiously use Liz Earles Hot Cloth cleanser with my Clarisonic mia every evening. I use the original hot cloth to remove my eye makeup and my mia to polish the rest of my face. I have a full "first thoughts" post on the Clarisonic here and although I still don't feel like I've had it long enough to give it a proper review I can tell you that so far I LOVE it! It leaves my skin so soft and I honestly believe it's shrinking my pores. After I've cleansed I use S&G's Wish Upon A Jar which is sold as a 21 day collagen treatment to be used every three months but I've been using it off and on since I bought it and since the start of this month it's been firmly in my every day routine. The best thing about this cream, other than it's genuine magical powers, has to be that you can use your regular moisturiser on the top. I don't tend to need that but as and when I get a breakout I can use my Clean and Clear dual action moisturiser to neutralise is. Although I find that my skin needs a little more moisture lately the Clean and Clear remains one of my all time favourite products.. you can watch my rave review here. Lastly I use Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream on any super dry patches but more often, my lips. It's officially winter out there now and for me this is a must have.

Bodycare

Other than my regular body lotion (Garnier 7 day Moisture - Shea Butter) I have been experimenting with the above two products over the past fortnight. The Loreal Cellulite gel is something I'm hanging a lot of hopes on because if it works it will be a staple in my bikini prep before we go to Vegas in March. My Wedding dress is short.. just above the knee and my pregnancy cellulite still lingers and is (no joke) also all the way to my knee so I'm doing the crazy lymphatic massage and all that jazz in the hope this will diminish it before the big day. Does it work, who knows? I'm not sure it would be feasible to gather accurate before and afters but I figure it only matters that you think it's worked, right? As Gok would say.. "It's all about the confidence!"

The Palmers Gradual tan is up for discussion. I used it last week in preparation for my hen do and loved the result but I'm not sure I want to be fake tanned, let alone risk it going wrong. Most of all I don't want to make Lee look even paler beside me.. he's practically translucent as it is!!

Teeth Whitening

Very briefly.. I know this works, You can see my review and results in this post. I only started using them on Monday night so I'm not sure what effect they'll have in 5 days but it's another last minute attempt at improving my overall appearance. I have pretty yellow teeth and always have, I don't drink coffee of red wine I'm not a smoker, there's no rhyme or reason but I've never had white teeth so anything that can help is something I'm willing to try.

Haircare

I'm going to do a comprehensive current haircare post very soon because I've found my perfect products but this masque is one thing I've recently added to the mix that I am totally in love with. It advises to use it a maximum of twice a week but having read and watched reviews I know that some people use it in place of their regular conditioner on a daily basis. I'm sticking to the recommended usage for two reasons, 1. I add macadamia healing oil to my regular conditioner every time I wash my hair anyway and 2. it's not cheap! I can't afford to use this as a conditioner!!! It does leave my hair soft, shiny and manageable and I will be using this the night before the wedding to give my hair an extra bridal-worthy gleam.

Phew.. that was a longer post than I anticipated and it's very much my bedtime now but I hope you enjoyed it and can get some tips for your own "beauty bootcamp"... whatever the event.

Miss BB

Crest Whitestrips Review

I picked up these Crest Vivid Whitestrips a couple of weeks ago and promised a review so here it is...

They are the mildest version of the infamous strips so I wasn't expecting a Kandee Johnson smile overnight but I was expecting SOMETHING. I got 10 pouches with a strip for my upper a lower teeth. I have now completed the course and so can share my results with you. I took daily photos after Wearing the strips for 30mins and brushing my teeth.. before you say anything... yes I am aware I have crooked teeth!

Okay... so I got results but they aren't exactly going to set the world alight are they?

My teeth are noticeably whiter but I don't feel the result will be permanent and the roots of my lower teeth still seem yellow. My top teeth are much whiter so I am pleased but I am still disappointed. It hasn't put me off trying the stronger strips so watch this space for news on that in the coming months. These strips seemed different to ones I've seen people review on YT, they weren't stiff, they were like a mixture between clingfilm and bubble wrap  for your teeth.. very odd and very difficult to get used to and to keep in your mouth. I don't know if we had an older pack or if it is just the vivid strips but they were not at all what I was expecting. Another thing I noticed was that sensitivity increased towards to end of the course but I'm pleased to report that that wore off a day or two after I stopped using them.

Overall it's a mixed review I suppose. I wasn't super impressed but I wouldn't say no to another box in the future. They definitely did something, maybe my expectations were too high.

Here is the before any after again..

If you've tried these strips or would like to recommend others please do! I am definitely going to try some other form of home whitening before our wedding next year so leave me a comment if you've found the holy grail of home whitening!

A Whiter Smile in 10 Days?

I recently caved into the hype that is Crest Whitestrips and purchased 2 boxes on eBay

They were shipped from Canada and cost me £33.61

Each box has 10 pouches containing 2 strips - an upper and a lower.

I cannot WAIT to bust these out and try them. I thought I would share my whitening plans with you all so I will be documenting my progress day by day here on my blog. In preparation for the delivery of this wonder product I have been using a whitening toothpaste and mouthwash (below) to start with the cleanest whitest teeth I could in order to get the best possible results. I have to say I've never rated a whitening product before but the combiniation of these two have already dont wonders. I have always had very yellow teeth, I don't know why, but I'm very excited to whiten them up.

I watch people like Kandee Johnson with her insanely white teeth in envy and I would love to be able to tell you in 10 days that I'm on my way to a Kandee-white smile!

Have you tried anything fabulous to whiten your teeth that's really worked for you?