Keep Calm and Smile on: My Teeth-Whitening Regimen

I’m officially confused.  Is it regimen or regime?  Because I hear regime so much that I’m starting to think it’s regime…except a regime is not the same thing as a regimen, is it?  I always thought it was regimen.  Anyways, I digress…

Senior year Prom is supposedly a big deal.  And I’ve had it in the back of my mind every since this Beverly Hills excursion, where I helped my friend pick out a gorgeous, floor-length Banana Republic dress.  Even though I was completely burned out by the time Prom rolled around, I eventually decided to go.  As I got in my car, trying to come up with a plan to shower/change/do hair & makeup in approximately 20 minutes, I randomly burst into tears and drove all the way home crying.  And then I got home and cried for another hour.  By then, I knew I wouldn’t make it in time.  So I sat on the floor and stared at the carpet, wondering how I was going to write an article on Prom without having been there.  The next day I thought it would be a good idea to drink strong black tea at 1 am to help me sleep (LOGIC).  I may have gotten food poisoning somewhere in there too since I spent the day after that in a nauseous blur, trying not to move too much from my perch on a classroom desk and munching a few carrots.  And today, mail!  Why do important college things always get lost in the mail and cause me major anxiety?  I’m sending everything by certified mail from now on.

I digress again…

Despite these minor setbacks, I’m still trying to smile at least 50% of the time.  Partly because I believe in the theory that when you smile, you make yourself happier.  But mostly because I’m vain, and have discovered the joys of drugstore whitening.  This must be shared, my teeth are so much nicer than they were just a week ago.

If that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is.  So as promised, my teeth-whitening regimen!

Back in January,

Searching for Shampoo: A Melodramatic Review in 3 Parts

Part I

My skin, teeth, and hair all hate me right now.  And while teeth are an easy fix (I’ll get into my whitening regimen sometime next week), my skin and hair are locked in a perpetual battle of compromise.  See, I’m really into lazy beauty, the kind that lets you enjoy your extra 10 minutes of sleep in the morning.  This means I can’t be bothered to blow-dry, brush, comb, or fuss with my hair in any way.  It’s morning, ok?  I want to eat my Fage 2% with honey, pop in my contacts, and worry about the rest of my makeup as I drive to school be done with it.

What does this no-comb, no-blow-dry hair require?  Oh, just a shampoo that gives my hair a little extra help in the no-frizz-extra-smooth department.  I believe we also call that shampoos which contain dimethicone, at least in the drugstore world.  And dimethicone in shampoo wreaks havoc on my skin.

Part II

Have you ever tried to hunt down a dimethicone-free, non-clarifying shampoo at the drugstore?  It’s like an Easter egg hunt, only 99% of the eggs have already been trampled by the Easter bunny.  So far, I’ve only found one ‘cone-free, sulfate free shampoo, and that would be Pure+Simple Finesse right here.  They make one for dry/color treated hair, and my locks are neither dry nor color treated, so I picked up the version ‘for normal hair,’ whatever that means.

Part III

I’m Rocking the Glamorously Tired Look with Eylure False Lashes

As any longtime blog reader will know, dark circles have become a permanent fixture on my face.  This past week, I’ve watched them grow bigger and bigger each day (so proud, I imagine this is what it’s like watching your kids grow up…no?).  The weird thing is, I’ve been skipping dark circle concealer entirely.  This is partly due to the fact that I’m extra groggy in the morning.  Plus, why bother trying to hide my exhaustion if I’m going to be walking into poles all day?

The main reason though, is because I’ve discovered I can enough of a ‘lift’ with mascara and some hastily applied lipstick.  Instead of faking a fresh face, I guess I’m going for the glamorously tired look now.  Oh, who am I kidding?  No glamour involved.  But at least I look semi-polished, and here’s why: lashes make a big difference.  Am I using that colon correctly?

Right, we were talking about lashes.  Well, as obvious as this may sound, big lashes make an even bigger difference.

Which leads me to

L’oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Sahara Treasure: Review, Swatches, EOTD

I normally don’t do full-blown reviews on gifts, but I was so amazed by the quality of this eyeshadow that I had to grab my camera, and snap some pictures.

Before I get into this, I would like to thank Jian for sending me this UK-exclusive shade, along with other beautiful things and an impressive handmade card as a late birthday-Christmas/early Valentine’s day gift.  Initially, I hesitated to share my thoughts because I know that most of my readers are from the US, but I think the formulation of the product is very similar across the board.  It’s only the shades that differ from country to country, so I hope my review will still be helpful for those of you eyeing the L’oreal Infallible eyeshadows.

Infallible shadows are a cream-powder hybrid, with a texture between a loose and a pressed eyeshadow.  Make sure to keep the plastic stopper that comes in the jar, as it helps compress the product, and keep it from crumbling.  I assume these were created as a drugstore ‘answer’ to the Giorgio Armani ETK and Chanel Illusion d’Ombre shadows.  I don’t

Things That Are Nice: Revlon Cherry Ice

Yes, you read that title correctly.  Did I make you cringe?  If so, let me make it up to you with this pretty red(ish) lipstick.

*Note: For some back-story on the acquisition of this lipstick (alright, not so much a back-story as a rambling confession as to why I bought another red lipstick when I already have so many tubes), see here.

This is my first lipstick from the Revon Colorburst lineup, although I have heard that this particular shade (as well as several other shades released at the same time) are much sheerer than the other colors.

At the time of purchase, however, I had no idea.  I came, I saw the red square on the cap, and I grabbed it.  That is the normal response, right?

When I first swatched this, I’ll admit