Brace Face: Braces are On! 1 Month In!

So my braces have been on for a month now, I can't believe how fast it has gone!

Getting them on wasn't too bad, the worst thing I find is the mouth piece that stretches your mouth open. It really starts to pull while they're fitting the brace, so if you're getting one make sure you take plenty of lip balm for before and after. The brace itself didn't hurt at all while they fitted it, but did for a few days after which is to be expected.

My teeth have changed so much already, I'll put pictures below of before (see last blog post), when I first got the braces on, and what they look like now! I went back to the Orthodontist today to get the brackets and wires altered again, my mouth is aching a bit but it will be all worth it in the end.

Before

The day my braces got put on.

One month in!

 

 

A

 

xx

Holiday Planning & Organisation: Booking

Yesterday my boyfriend and I walked into a travel agents to get a feel for prices, and walked out almost 3 hours later with a holiday! Usually I'd say this was crazy, but it's a holiday we've been talking about for at least 2 years now, and sometimes in life you just have to go for it. When else am I going to be able to?

We're off to America for 2 weeks, Orlando, Miami & New York!

When booking a holiday it's best to go in with a basic idea of what you want. I've been shopping around to do Orlando & Miami for a while now, so had a rough idea of prices. Unfortunately, not many online travel agents can give you a straight price and all the details. I'd recommend just going into a store, they do all the hard work for you and the holiday is customised however you like! New York was an extra bonus for us, we would have had to get an indirect flight via there anyway so said we may as well stay over for a few nights too.

We used Thomson to build the holiday, then they use Jetsave who are multi-centre Florida specialists. We could choose any day, any hotel which we liked and the holiday is created step by step. I'm not going to let you guys know how much we paid, but I will say it was surprisingly cheap considering the parks we want to do over there and all the travelling!

As soon as we got home I wrote everything straight into next years diary, with all the payment dates etc. so I know exactly where I'm up to and to remind myself of the paperwork which needs doing. This to me, makes the whole things finally seem real.

A

xx

Brace Face: Getting Adult Braces in the UK

So the time has come when I've decided enough is enough, I need to sort out my teeth before it's too late. Since losing my retainer about 8 years ago, I've known this was coming. Thinking back, it would have been so much easier to go back and face my scary orthodontist and the £50 replacement fee, but I just couldn't do it. Now I'm stuck with teeth that I know need to be put back (again) to where they should be, and a long year ahead!

I've been researching about getting braces as an adult for a while now, and truth be told there's really not much out there. There's a few articles and blogs from Americans, but really nothing in the UK. Even the dentists themselves aren't forthcoming with information unless you enquire and fork out for the consultation fees.

It was quite handy to discover that my usual dentist was broadening its services to include orthodontic treatment (as well as plastic surgery, random?!). I enquired and managed to get a consultation deal. It was £80 for two consultations; one to take measurements and moulds, then the second to explain the treatments available and the costs.

When I was younger I went through this all pretty much the same, the strange minty flavoured mould brought it all flooding back. Apart from this time its different, I don't have to have extra teeth removed and no removable wire retainer first. They're going straight in with the fixed, silver 'train track' brace. I did get given options to have the white version which blends in better, or invisalign but they were significantly more expensive. As a student, I couldn't even consider the other options. I only need a brace on my top row of teeth, as back in the day I had a fixed bar put on to hold my bottom ones in place. God knows why they couldn't do that for both rows!

The cost for the train tracks is £500 up front, then £100 per monthly consultation after that until the balance of £2,000 is reached. I think it's pretty reasonable as the package includes everything I could need, and constant assessment. The orthodontist has estimated roughly 12-18 months for the treatment, meaning I'm going to be stuck with a brace for my 21st and graduation! It's not ideal but I'd rather have a brace now and perfect teeth later, than imperfect teeth that are just going to get worse.

Fixed white/clear braces.

 Invisalign

 'Train Track' Braces

I wouldn't say my teeth are terrible, I know people with a lot worse (my boyfriend being one) but I'm definitely not as confident with myself while they look like this. Teeth are one of the first things I notice on another person, I even have nightmares about them falling out! Below is a 'before' picture so that I can document the change, for myself and for this blog. I want to create this Brace Face series so it can help other people in a similar position, and maybe we can help each other out?

 

 

Link to the NHS website, about braces - http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/dentalhealth/Pages/braces.aspx

 

 

 

A

 

 

xx

Review: Aldi Twinkle Tealights

Walking around my local Aldi the other day, I came across these gorgeous tealights!

 

 

They are an absolute bargain for just £1.99. There's 12 in the pack and they smell absolutely amazing! Cinnamon isn't a scent I would usually go for but I'd say the smell is just an overall Christmassy one, definitely not overpowering. The 4 hour burn time is pretty accurate, though I do wish they would burn all the way down. All of the left over glitter is slightly frustrating, but for the price I can't really complain.



 

 

My mum loved them so much, she sent me back to get 8 more packs so she can use them all the time. I think they're perfect for when all your friends and family are visiting over the upcoming holidays, and even unlit they still look beautiful and decorative.

 

 

If you're near to an Aldi store, I would definitely recommend you try these and stock up while you can!

 

 

 

A

 

xx

Autumn-Winter 2014 Part 1 - New Look Sale!

So, I woke up this morning to an email from New Look announcing their latest sale had started! So obviously I had to check it out before I surfaced from bed. This isn't the best sale I've seen in a while for my personal style, but there's some brilliant bargains.

Winter (Eg. Christmas dare I say it?) parties are coming up and there's a couple of weddings happening also, so I'm in the market for some seasonally appropriate dresses. So my top five picks from the New Look sale consist of 4 dresses and a jumpsuit!

This dress reminds me of pieces I've seen in Topshop recently, especially with the black and white collar. It really meets the 'sporty' trend while still looking dressy enough to wear out. At £12 it's a complete bargain! I'd wear this with black heeled boots and a biker jacket.

 A jumpsuit hasn't been in my wardrobe since I was about 8! There usually just not my thing, and can make me look a lot shorter and frumpy. However, I think this one would be different, due to the high waistline. The red berry colour is gorgeous and perfect for winter, I'd style it with black heels and a black clutch. Even better - it costs just £9!

Sparkly and sophisticated, need I say more? I'm a sucker for anything with a bit of glitter, and this would be so easy to wear. I'm eyeing this up for one of the weddings! £8 is nothing to pay for a dress like this.

I love the mix of the winter florals and 'sporty' sleeves and collar on this dress. I think it's a bit different to what I usually wear, but for £9 it doesn't matter if I only wear it this year. I'd probably dress this down with black tights & boots for a cinema date.

Finally this piece is one I think could be really versatile, and be worn for almost any occasion. I love the print on it and the slight hint of colour. This dress will flatter most figures with the dark pattern at the waist, a bargain at just £10.

A

xx

L'oreal Skin Perfection Miracle Cleansing Oil

Recently I decided to delve into 'better' ways to remove my makeup than using face wipes! Yes I used them all the time and do still use them occasionally, but they worked for me. However, recent blogs have been suggesting alternative ways to remove makeup, while taking much better care of our skin.

This reading lead me to find cleansing oils. They sounded perfect for use on my dry, sensitive skin, as they cleanse and moisturise at the same time. This article explains a bit more about the science behind it and how they work. The L'Oreal Skin Perfection Miracle Cleansing Oil is a nice one to try if you don't like to spend a lot of money on skincare, or would just like to try out a cleansing oil before you invest.

To use the oil, you just need two pumps of the oil rubbed between your fingers, and then gently smoothed over the skin. They are even gentle enough to use on eyes (in my experience). The makeup melts into the oil and washes off with some warm water, it's that simple!

This oil doesn't leave any residue on the skin if you rinse it properly, an doesn't leave you feeling greasy at all. For an extra boost of cleansing for my skin, once or twice a week I like to add a bit of scrub to the oil, which helps to draw out impurities and smooth skin. One which works really nicely with the L'Oreal Cleansing Oil is nspa Brightening Micro-Derma Scrub (sold in Asda). It contains the essential oil Neroli along with Ginseng and Vitamin E. This scrub works well with the oil as it doesn't strip the skin or leave it feeling sensitive.

Finally to finish off my cleansing step, a quick swipe of the L'Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Water on a Cotton Pad (I find the ones from Aldi to be the best). This can be used on it's own, but I find it a bit of a faff with lots of cotton wool being used. It's perfect to just swipe away that last remainder of oil and makeup.

I'd love some suggestions on different oils to use, but this one could take me a while to use up just yet!

A

xx

Glossybox January 2014 - Back To Basics First Impression & Review

I'm back with another Glossybox opening and this time the build up was even more intense. After a cheeky email arrived at the start of January announcing a bit of a change to the box, subscribers (and non-subscribers) have been eagerly anticipating that glorious dispatch email!

There was a few hints I found on the Glossybox Twitter and Facebook pages, but I still didn't truly know much about the changes until the box arrived on my doorstep this morning. The box seems a slightly different, deeper shade of pink, with a much glossier finish to the packaging which I love. It just feels much higher quality. The box itself is also a little bit different inside, with a larger Glossybox print and a thinker, different style ribbon. I'm not sure if I prefer this ribbon to the old one or not, I have kept all my old ones in all the different colours, to wear in my hair. The new ribbon has the Glossybox logo all over it and so I definitely won't get any use out of it. A bit disappointing but that's the only part of the new style I don't like.

Now, the contents of my Glossybox are slightly more debatable. I'm happy with them, and will certainly get use out of all the products, but there wasn't anything that really made me think 'wow'.

 

 

1. Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream - another cream which claims to be 'multi-use'. I'm not sure if I believe this yet but I do enjoy using the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream which has similar claims. Sometimes I just wish products would concentrate on just one type of usage. According to the leaflet which comes with the cream, it is one of the longest and best-selling skincare products in Japan.

Ingredients include; Glycerin (to attract and retain moisture), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) and Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C). The cream also claims to be a 'year-round product' but I can't find anywhere about it's SPF content?

It goes onto the skin smoothly and isn't a thick consistency like most other skin protectant treatments I've used before. At first it smells quite odd but once it sinks in, which it does very quickly, the smell completely disappears. I often find that unscented products work better with my sensitive skin, so hopefully this will do the same. I've only tried it on the back of my hand so far, but it didn't leave a residue behind and my skin does feel a bit smoother. I am looking forward to trying the product out a bit more.

Yu-Be moisturising skin cream retails for £13.50 for 33g, so my two samples (3g each) are worth approx. £2.45.

 

2. Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash - I've never tried a toning body wash before so am excited to see this in my Glossybox, the Balance Me brand has released some brilliant products recently and I'm definitely looking into trying some more things from them. The blend of essential oils it contains is really lovely; calming lavender, anti-bacterial bergamot, circulation-boosting juniper and relaxing geranium oil. According to the Glossybox information card it can be used as a wash or added to a bath, and I love this idea of being able to use it for both.

The wash smells absolutely divine and anything which is 99% natural origin, has a big tick in my book! This kind of product usually works really nicely with my skin, and I do love to choose products based on how natural they are.

The balance me super toning body wash retails for £10.25 for 250ml, so my sample (50ml) is worth £2.05.

3. The Vintage Cosmetic Company Floral Slanted Tweezers - A new pair of tweezers has been on my shopping list for some time, as I've been waiting for my favourite brand Tweezerman to have a sale or offer going on. Unfortunately that never happened, so these tweezers were very welcome in this box. The print on them is gorgeous and they feel quite sharp to the touch. I've not had chance to use them yet but I've got high expectations, and if they meet those expectations I will definitely consider moving my loyalty over to these. They retail for £8 which is much cheaper then Tweezerman, I just hope they last as long and as well.

4. Anatomicals Puffy The Eye Bag Slayer Wake-Up Under Eye Patches - With claims to help reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and revitalise the delicate skin around your eyes, I can't wait to try these out! I currently use collagen eye patches from ebay, which I was surprised to find out, actually work! I've not opened them yet, so can't comment on the smell, texture or whether these actually work, but I have bought from Anatomicals before and have loved every product from the brand. They retail for £6 for 3 pairs, so my sample (1 pair) is worth £2.

5. Vaseline Essential Moisture Lotion - I do love Vaseline moisturising products, and have used them for years. It's just one of those classic brands which I don't think can ever fail me. Though I do have this niggling feeling that I kind of wish Glossybox had included the new Spray & Go, which I've been wanting to try out for ages!
On a brighter note, this lotion does smell really nice, sort of after-sun like (which for some reason I really like) and I will definitely get use out of this. I might in fact save it to take on holiday with me as it's from a brand I trust and have had really good experiences using.
The full size 400ml of this retails for £4.99, so my 50ml sample is worth approx. £0.62. (Kind of disappointing?!)

So overall I do think the theme of this box works very well in that, all of these products I would class as basics. I'm glad to get something a bit different from Glossybox and will enjoy using every product in this month's box. The total value for this box is £15.12 which is pretty low compared to previous boxes I've had. Though I can't really complain, it's value is more than what I paid for it and everything will get used, when in the past some products I received have just gone straight in the bin. Already looking forward to my next box (pretty pleaseeeeee be Valentines themed)!!!

A

xx