Get Lippie

Monday, 7 March 2011

Win!

Psst! I forgot to mention in this post that if you follow @welbeckclinic on Twitter, they'll give away the full package of Zoom2! Whitening (exactly as I had) once they reach the magic figure of 150 followers!

So, if you fancy whiter teeth, and my description hasn't scared you off totally, go follow @welbeckclinic now! It could, as they say, be you ...

This post originated at: http://getlippie.com/ All rights reserved.

Zoom2! Tooth Whitening at The Welbeck Clinic

So, the amazing people at the Welbeck Clinic have finished whitening my teeth, and I can't wait to show you the results.

Before:

After:

I couldn't really be happier, I went a whopping six shades whiter! (Important note: no photos in this post have had the colours adjusted in any way, the only changes I've made to the originals has been to crop them) the difference is most noticeable in this picture here:

So, what does Zoom2! Whitening involve? There are three stages, Pre-whitening, Zoom2! Whitening itself, and a bit of aftercare. I'll take you through the three stages of my experience here:

Pre-whitening:

After being fitted for trays to hold the pre-whitening gel (as detailed in my last post here), you spend four days using the trays for four hours a day - or overnight, as I did - in order to get your teeth ready for the laser treatment. Basically, you're given a couple of tubes of gel, and you fill your trays with them, pop them in, and presto! Whiter teeth! Well, not quite, you have to make sure you don't over-fill your trays, or you can irritate your gums (I did this, please don't be like me, I had itchy gums for a while), and you can't eat or drink anything whilst the trays are in. I think you can see why I used them overnight, really ... Oh, and you can't drink tea or coffee, eat curry, or anything with a tomato-based sauce or beetroot etc whilst the pre-whitening is going on. Which, for four days of just white food can be a bit ... dull. But hey! Cheese and champagne were okay, so I did alright ...

The custom-made trays aren't the most comfortable thing in the world, but, they're thin, and won't make you feel like your mouth is overloaded with plastic. It is important to remember to clean them only with cold water though, or they will distort and won't fit well.

Zoom2! Whitening

So, after four days of white food, and whitening at home, you'll be in the chair, what can you expect? Well, I was pleased to find that the treatment was neither as painful nor as uncomfortable as expected, and the 90 minutes treatment time passed quite quickly. The procedure is explained in a lot of detail - again mentioning that results are unpredictable, and are therefore not guaranteed - then the whitening begins.

There are two stages, and the first is the one that takes most time. This is when they are isolating your teeth to ensure that neither the peroxide solution or the laser damages your gums. You are put into a cheek retractor (sheckshy!), then cotton wool and gauze pads are put into place to absorb excess saliva, but it is still easy to breath, and you can swallow normally too. It's not the most comfortable I've ever been, but it's in no way painful, and you soon get used to the sensation. At this point they colour match your teeth - they use your canines as these are usually darker than your incisors.

A gel is then placed onto your gums and set with an LED, and you're all set to start whitening. The technician will paint a peroxide gel onto your teeth, and then the laser is set in place and your teeth are zapped for between 12-15 minutes. This gel-then-zapping takes place three times, and it's oddly relaxing. The room is quiet and dark, and it's actually difficult to stay awake through! They do warn you that you may feel little "shocks" of sensitivity during the third round of lasering, but I was lucky enough not to suffer that.

Once the zapping has taken place, the gauzes and gel are quickly removed (in one go), and you are colour-matched again, this is where you discover how much whiter your teeth are, and it's quite astonishing to see.

Aftercare:

I won't lie, the 24 hours after getting my teeth lasered were a bit tough. Whilst nothing was painful, per se, my teeth did "zing" for a full 24 hours afterward, to the extent where I was grumpy and wanting to scratch my gums to death. The dentist did warn me about this, and I was given some oral-care gel to wear in my trays overnight if I was bothered by it at all, I was bothered by it, and using the trays did give me a little relief, I have to admit. But, almost exactly 24 hours after the treatment, my teeth suddenly stopped itching - if you've ever had prickly heat, it feels exactly like that, only in your teeth - and I've not had a problem with them since. There has been no increase in sensitivity at all since, and I've not had to use the gel since either. I have switched to a sensitive toothpaste (Colgate Sensitivity Pro-Relief + Whitening, in fact, it's very good) for the time being though, just in case.

You do still have to adhere to the white food diet for a few days afterwards, and, after a week of no tea, I can tell you that that first cup last Friday was the Best Cup of Tea EVAH.

So, am I glad I had it done? Yes, definitely. The shade of white I've been left with looks natural, and healthy (it's not over-white, like Simon Cowell or Jodie Marsh), and it's just brightened up my look in a subtle kind of way. I look "better", somehow, in a way that's difficult for people to put a finger on. And I love the look of them.

So, would I get it done again? Yes, most probably. The treatment last 2-3 years (with a top up at 18 months), and I think that will be more than enough time for me to forget how itchy my teeth were in that first 24 hours ... ! Plus, I love the subtle way that it has improved my looks! Let's face it, I need a lot of help ...

Would I visit the Welbeck Clinic again? In a heartbeat. The lovely friendly staff, and the clean comfortable surgery makes visiting a pleasure rather than a chore, and there's nothing like sitting next to the occasional celebrity in the waiting room to make visiting more interesting than my usual dentist! I'm considering booking in with them for my next hygienist appointment, in fact.

You can find out more about tooth whitening at The Welbeck Clinic here.

The Fine Print: Get Lippie was a guest of The Welbeck Clinic, and is very, very grateful.

This post originated at: http://getlippie.com/ All rights reserved.

Prai 02 Infusion with Vacuum Technology

At the moment, I'm on a bit of a cleansing kick, and when the opportunity came up to try this one out, I leapt at it, as it sounded intriguing. It promises an "innovative formula" which contains oxygen molecules to stop your skin being lackluster and promises a more youthful and "refreshed" look.

In use, this light, apricot coloured gel transforms into a mousse, and it foams, foams, foams it's way to cleaner skin. It's actually huge fun to use, you massage it lightly into your slightly damp skin, and watch it do it's stuff for a couple of minutes then rinse it off, and Presto! Cleaner, smoother, brighter skin!

Or ...

As in my case, itchy, flaky, burning, sparkly skin. For this cleanser contains micro-glitter, which adheres to your skin even after you've removed the foam (with a wet washcloth, in my case). Too late, I remembered that my (slightly oily, not as sensitive as it used to be) skin hates anything that foams, and boy, did it let me know afterward. It took several days of intense moisturisation, and very, very, very gentle handling to get it back to anything like its former equilibrium. This, plus looking like a Twilight reject once I'd used it makes this product a complete no-go for me, I'm afraid. On the plus side, it smells lovely, and a little of this goes a very, very, very long way.

One for the greasy-skinned, less sensitive souls amongst us to use for Father Christmas impressions, I feel. Prai 02 Infusion costs £19.75 from QVC

The Fine Print: PR Sample.

Lanolips - Now in Boots

(l-r: Rose, Rhubarb, 101, Dark Honey, Apples)

I popped along to Boots on Oxford Street last week, and noticed they now have Lanolips in store. They've been available on Boots.com for a couple of months now, but it's good to see them in-store finally. Even better, they're currently on 3-4-2, so it was an ideal chance for me to pick up a couple or three new ones to add to my collection (like I ever need an excuse to stock up on lipbalms ...)!

Made from medical grade lanolin (the tube labelled 101 is 100% pure), Lanolips are an Australian import, and are the brainchild of the lovely Kirsten Carriol, who has made it her mission to make a natural lip product based on lanolin. I'd say she's succeeded, I've pretty much swapped out most of my other lipbalms and this winter I've rarely been without a tube in one pocket or another.

Initially I started off with just Rhubarb (I love rhubarb, I couldn't not have this one) and Dark Honey, but I picked up 101, Apples and Rose in-store recently too. The shades are lovely and very wearable:

(l-r: Rose, Rhubarb, 101, Dark Honey, Apples)

Dark Honey (surprisingly) is probably the one I get the most wear out of, as it's a pale, dusky mauve shade that's very similar in shade to my natural lip-colour, and I find it evens out the tones in my lips very well - but I have very pigmented lips, with a natural "lip-line" that paler shades don't cover up too well.

The balms are fragrance and flavouring-free, and yes, they are a bit sticky. Sticky to the extent that you may have to warm it in your fingers before applying it to your lips, and it's practically solid on a cold day, but on your lips it's feather-light, and hugely moisturising. I haven't had cracked lips once, in spite of the bitterly cold weather, and I like to think it's because of Lanolips! I've also found that it makes a great overnight treatment for sore lips too.

Enlarge to see ingredients

So, do you need Lanolips? I think so, they're moisturising, flavour-free, and best of all they work. I'm not entirely happy with the packaging, the labels the UK distributor uses to seal the tubes peels the gold paint off, and there is just a plain nozzle on them, which means you can't apply direct to your lips from the tube, but these are minor gripes, my lips love these.

The Fine Print: I bought these, with my ill-gotten gains garnered from my other life as an accountant.
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Nail of the Day: OPI The One That Got Away

I could give a stuff about Katy Perry, and the associated crackle polish from her recent collection for OPI, to be honest, but even so I can't deny this deep fuschia-purple shade that's just packed with glass flecks is almost too gorgeous for words:

I'm about to get MrLippie to paint my toes with this too... Don't tell him! Perfect happy-making shade for a wet Saturday afternoon.

This came from Selfridges, and cost £10.50. Thought the rest of the shades were just a bit ... meh, so passed on the rest of them.

Chantecaille Turtles Palette - Swatches

I saw this just after Christmas in some promo pics, and I have to admit, I fell in love a little bit. Chantecaille has always been a brand I've admired, but have never really seen what all the fuss is about previously, but this palette might just be the one to change my mind. It's beautiful.

A shimmering sand shade, a glimmering brown, a multi-tonal greyed out forest green, and a golden coral shade, it's almost as if the palette was made for me (and, if the brown had been a taupe, I may well have thought it was!)

Every year, Chantecaille produce a palette where a proportion of the funds raised from the sales go to help sustain wildlife. Last year it was tigers, and this year (via the Widecast Organisation) it is turtles. I've spent a few nights - in the dim and distant past - on turtle watch in Greece, so this was a bit of a no-brainer for me, but it helped that the colours are so pretty. So, how do they swatch?

Well, the answer to that is, very nicely indeed, thank you. The colours are on the sheer side, to be honest, but they build up well, and can also be used wet or dry with no damage to the shades in the pan, which is great. Swatches above are shown as several passes of dry shadow on unprimed skin. The shades are shimmery, but in a very subtle way, and they're amongst some of the softest, most velvety feeling eyeshadows I own. Sort of a Rouge Bunny Rouge texture, only slightly less pigment, making them - in my eyes - slightly easier to work with. Personally, I find shadows with too much pigment difficult to deal with at times.

I love that charcoal green! It looks so different on the skin to how it appears in the pan, but it's gorgeous either way. I used it as an eyeliner this morning:

I applied the sand as a base, the golden brown in the crease, and the green as a liner on both top and bottom. The colours are easy to blend for a seamless look. Here's the full face shot so you can see it in context:

I wanted a clean, professional look today for a board meeting, eyeshadows as above, plus the blusher from the palette, foundation is Guerlain Lingerie de Peau, and I'm wearing Lanolips in Dark Honey on my lips. I'm going to try a smokier look with it tomorrow.

So, do you need a Turtles palette? If you like polished neutrals, then possibly. It is expensive, at £73 the price is more than comparable to, say, a Le Metier de Beaute Kaleidoscope, but the inclusion of blusher makes them a slightly different proposition. I can see it's something I'm going to use a lot, but your mileage may vary.

Finally, one last shot which is actually an outtake, but I thought it looked kind of cool:

Before I discovered Browhaus, I used to alternate between going to Blink at Selfridges and Malika in Westfield to get my eyebrows done. Both are marvellous, and I never had a bad eyebrow shape from either of them, pop along if you get the chance, you won't be disappointed.

However, just because I've sold my eyebrows to Ellie at Browhaus, doesn't mean I'm planning on abandoning Malika (mainly because it's on my doorstep, practically) any time soon. I was invited along to their Westfield store recently for a signature facial to find out more about other services the threading chain is offering to their clients.

The signature facial is based on ayurvedic principles, and, after answering a few questions about your skin, your facialist will mix up a personalised selection of fruits, aloe vera, juices, milk and honey, based on your requirements. This facial is all-natural, and there are no pre-prepared ingredients and/or creams and unguents used during the 80 minute facial.

Far from relaxing, this is an exceptionally cleansing facial with an amazing massage attached, the facialist really goes to town, and gives your skin the most thorough workout you've ever had. I liked it a great deal, afterwards my skin was smooth and blemish free, and the enzymes in the fruit juices definitely had a slight peeling effect on my skin, leaving it brighter for a good few days afterwards. The only downside is that it can be a little messy, so make sure you take something with you to tie your hair back with. Oh, and the treatment room is tiny, so if you're claustrophobic at all, you might have problems. The Signature Facial costs £80 and lasts 75 minutes.

You can find out more about Malika here.

The Fine Print: Get Lippie was a guest of Malika

This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.