Lovin’ Lately

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A beautiful smile is a girl’s best accessory, isn’t it?

If you’ve been a part of the TT family for a while now, then you might remember me talking about Smile Brilliant a while back right here. I mean, if you have been reading this blog since 2015 and actually remember that post, I’m sending you a huge virtual hug- thanks for being an OG (am I too old to say that?). Anyway, back to Smile Brilliant. I’ve been a fan of their at-home teeth whitening system and actually still use it to this day as it’s one of the few whitening systems that work with my sensitive teeth.

For the last month or so, I’ve been using their cariPRO Electric Toothbrush*, and, since it made it to this month’s Lovin’ Lately you can guess that I’ve been… well, loving it.

I’ve used an electric toothbrush before and I have to say that cariPRO works better than anything I’ve tried in the past. You can choose from 5 different settings: Clean: for regular daily cleaning; White: for high-speed polishing; Massage: for gentle stimulation; Gum Care: setting that pulses and focuses on gum health and Sensitive: which is a setting ideal for sensitive teeth. This baby is quite powerful and the Sensitive + White settings are my favorite. I also LOVE the fact that the cariPRO brush head has a built-in tongue scraper.

The guys at Smile Brilliant are also offering my readers a 20% discount for the cariPRO Electric Toothbrush with the code: *thirteenthoughts20*!

One of my favorite things about cariPro is probably the fact that it has such a long-lasting battery. I’ve been using it for nearly a month now, twice a day, and haven’t had to charge it yet. There’s nothing more annoying than reaching for your electric toothbrush only to see that its battery is dead. Smile Brilliant also offer a 2-year warranty and I think that when compared to other electric toothbrushes, the price point is really great. I talked about my dental phobia in the past, so you might guess that keeping my teeth healthy is something very important- I LOVE my dentist (seriously, he’s the coolest) but other than those checkups every 6 months, I’d really rather not have to visit his office.

My skin has been loving all kinds of hydrating treatments lately, especially masks. Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask is great for a quick pick-me-up when traveling, before special events- pretty much any time you need a bit of a “quick fix.” It leaves skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated.

You know I like to keep it simple in the cleanser department- gentle and fragrance-free is what I am usually after. A while back I tried J.One Jelly Cleanser and my skin didn’t love it (or so I thought). Around the same time I also started using LaMer’s Crème de la Mer, and only recently realized that it was that, which my skin hated. So, I gave the cleanser another try and this time my skin didn’t freak out. It has a light honey-scent, a thin gel-like consistency and it sort of just melts into the skin. I love that it doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry and tight. As to its “makeup melting” capability, well I cannot attest to that as I do not use cleansers to remove makeup. I love non-stripping cleansers such as this one and always rotate between a handful (I get bored too easily!) so it’s been a nice little addition to my routine.

I still very much have a thing for nails and nail polishes. Pretty sure I’ve tried them all and at one point, my collection consisted of nearly 200 polishes- it just used to be my thing. There is something very therapeutic about painting your nails. Recently, I’ve been introduced to Londontown polishes*; they are vegan + cruelty-free and really long-lasting. There is a huge selection of colors from their enhanced color lakur collection– each shade can be used and paired with either their kur Gel Genius Topcoat (which is what I use and gives such a beautiful, glossy finish), kur Protective Topcoat or kur Protective Matte Topcoat. My favorite product from the collection is their Nourishing Cuticle Oil– it’s non-greasy and gets the job done nicely.

You might have seen me proclaim my love for this new Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence from Fresh* on Instagram right here. Before I introduced an essence into my routine years ago, I honestly doubted that it’d make any difference on my skin. My first essence was actually the cult favorite SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. My new favorite from Fresh helps with dryness, dullness and I really think it helps my skin look more “full” and plump.

In one of my recent lifestyle posts, I talked about my health struggles post my injury (and also about why I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself). Getting back on your feet after an injury is tough and it’s a process. One of my goals in the recent weeks was to completely clean up my diet and go back to my old routine. I’m not usually one for shortcuts and only reach for “real” foods, but once in a while, when I’m in a hurry or happen to be away from home, I have to decide between a shortcut or a bad decision. 8 Greens is a great option for those scenarios- it’s a dietary supplement made from real greens that helps you get those vitamins and minerals when you’re on the go and I’ve been really liking it. Again, I wouldn’t use it as a substitute for a healthy diet or my daily dose of veggies, but it’s a nice supplement to keep in your purse when you know you’ll have a long day or when you’re traveling.

What are you guys loving at the moment? Anyone else slowly getting excited about Fall?