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Smilelign update: Finishing my lowers

2014-12-20T20:59:00.001+00:00

It's been a few weeks since i've written an update on how i've been getting on with my Smilelign treatment. In my last post i mentioned how I had to have further moulds taken as my upper aligners kept snapping in half. I went back to my dentist to collect the new upper aligners which would finish my treatment off. These aligners were a better fit and i'm now on my second aligner out of five and they haven't snapped yet - success! I've also noticed that these aligners have been moving my uppers better and my two upper canine are now starting to tuck in nicely.

When i went to collect my new upper aligners my dentist was happy with the whitening of my lowers and talked me through the next stage of the treatment. My front two lower teeth were smaller than the others so he decided to do some work to build them up; after about a hour in the dentist chair he showed me the final results! I was SO pleased! I couldn't stop looking at them in the mirror! They are perfect, he's done such an amazing job and the build up work he done on my front teeth look very natural which i wanted. We also discussed the best way to keep my teeth in their new alignment and i decided to have the small metal wire glued permanently onto the back of my lower front six teeth. I have to admit I was very nervous about this; I was worried that I would hate having the wire behind my teeth and that it would annoy me! I will be honest it took a few days to get use to it been there but now it's been a few weeks I really don't notice it there at all! As my lowers have been finished I no longer have to wear my aligners during the day as I have the mental wire but i still have to wear my final aligner at night which really doesn't bother me.

Now that my lowers have been completely finished I can honestly say that having the Smilelign treatment is the best thing i've ever done! I have a few weeks left until my uppers are finished but i could not be more pleased with my lowers.

Below i've put a few pictures of before and after which i still can't stop looking at! If you have any questions just leave me a comment and i'm more than happy to answer!

App: Lapse It

2014-12-20T20:34:00.000+00:00

A quick post on this app that I brought from the app store the other day. I was sitting in the office on Friday afternoon and I was looking out of the window and noticed that it looked like we were in for a beautiful sunset so i decided to prop my phone on the window and video the sunset. I wanted to create a time lapse but on my iPhone 5 it doesn't have this video option on it. I had a look at a few apps on the app store and came across Lapse It - it was £1.49 which wasn't too bad and the five star reviews swayed me into the purchase. Who else actually reads some of the reviews and looks at the star rating before purchasing an app or is it just me? The app is very user friendly and it didn't take too long to compress my video and speed it up to the final edit that i was happy with.

Here's the final edit of the video below. Enjoy!

Birthday Weekend.

2014-12-19T17:06:00.000+00:00

So last week i celebrated the grand age of 24! I had a busy weekend planned with my family & fiancé; we started the celebrations by visting Warner Bro's Studio Tour - The making of Harry Potter in Leavesden just near Watford. I've been to the Studio before in August but at Christmas they make it extra special by putting the event on 'Hogwarts in the Snow.' If you were thinking of visiting i would definitely recommend going whilst this event is on, it will leave you feeling very christmasy. I won't talk to much about it or ruin any surprises in case any of you are thinking of going but here are a few pictures of our day below.

When we got back home we then decided to hop the train to Winchester and have a look around the Christmas Market. This was VERY busy and this year we even had to queue to get into the market. We all kinda shuffled around the market area in a single file as it was so busy - it wasn't too enjoyable. We also tried to get on the ice skating rink but this was sold out all evening so we just stood and watched people fall over!

On Sunday Iain had booked us a hotel in London to spend my birthday on Monday in London. I'd gone on a few times about staying in the Citizin M Hotel near South Bank and he decided to book us a room there. I have to admit if you ever find yourself looking for a hotel in London then i'd defiantly recommend this one - it's easily the most modern hotel room i've ever stayed in.
I woke up to a lovely view from our bedroom on Monday morning and we headed to The Breakfast Club for breakfast and then i went shopping to spend my birthday money! We hit Oxford Street and then went to Covent Garden!

I was really spoilt all weekend and had a lovely 24th birthday!

Meet our latest family additions!

2014-12-03T13:16:00.001+00:00

In my household we are all pet lovers except for my dad. Who never gets his own way when it comes to a new family pet when he's got 4 girls going on at him!

So meet our latest addition to our family, Buddy & Chester. We've had them for the last 3 weeks but we've just been getting to know there little personalities and having lots of cuddles!

Here's a few pictures of them together! I will keep you updated on how they are both getting on & growing!

Anxiety Techniques.

2014-11-16T18:21:00.000+00:00

I know I've posted about this in the past but lately I've been feeling pretty anxious for no apparent reason. I've had panic attacks in work and yesterday evening I had one whilst watching the West End show Wicked I can't think of anything that triggers these attacks but I've come up with a few "coping techniques" that seem to work for me and thought I'd share them with you.

The first and most important thing is to BREATHE! I know it sounds ridiculous but when I'm in panic mood I oftern am so busy thinking of the things that are happening around me and the feelings I go through it is quite easy to forget to breathe and take deep breathes. I find that breathing definitely helps calm me down it helps to slow everything down. I oftern find myself going off to the toilet or out of the situation for a few minutes and just taking that time to calm myself down. Although I can't always say this as sometimes I don't do it but it's so important that you remove yourself from the situation and always go back in to the place that made you anxious when you have calmed down. From previous experiences I have found myself leaving the situation although this is what I'm screaming to do at the time of a panic it's often the worse thing to do as the next time you return to that situation you associate your anxiety and feelings with that place.

I always find it useful to try and drink sips of cool WATER. When I'm feeling anxious my mouth always goes very dry which I don't like so drinking small sips of water always helps to suppress that feeling for me.

Another thing I've found useful is an app I have on my phone called RELAX (ANXIETY & STRESS RELIEF.) It helps control your breathing to calming music. I always try and have headphones in my bag for times where I just need to take five minutes to relax and breathe. You can adjust the timings on this app as to how long you want it to play for and the timings between inhaling and exhaling. I normally keep mine set to 5 minutes as that seems to be enough time for me to relax and calm down.

The last thing I always find helpful is TALKING. When I'm feeling anxious or having a panic attack all I want to do is not talk to anyone and just be on my own which seems to work for me but I've began to realise how important it is to talk to a family member or friend after an attack. I never use to tell anyone when I was feeling anxious or had a panic as I just didn't want to talk about it and just ignore it. For me this is the worse thing you can do, it's always good to have a little chat to someone you love and tell them how you feel as it will help you to stop bottling up your feelings but it will also help your loved ones understand what you are going through. I always find it best to talk to someone a good few hours after I've calmed down so I will sit and talk about it during dinner after I've finished work and I oftern find when you talk about your feelings out loud it tends to make sense and listening to others advice is always so important to me.

It's so important to remeber you aren't alone and there are so many people who are suffering just like you. I always tend to forget this because at the time it only feels like I'm the only one in the world dealing with these feelings and emotions but the more people you talk to the more people know someone or maybe themselves dealing with anxiety just like you.

Smilelign Update & Teeth Whitening

2014-11-04T17:02:00.000+00:00

Since i've last posted i've been back for a visit to my dentist as he had to take further moulds of my upper & lower teeth as my upper aligners kept snapping in half. He explained that Smilelign weren't happy with how my canine teeth weren't moving which i wasn't too bothered about at the start of the treatment as my main focus was getting my two front teeth straight but the more my front teeth have started to move i've slowly started to become more aware of my upper canines as they aren't perfectly inline with my other teeth. Smilelign have recommended me to have a further five upper aligners which i will wear over the next 15 weeks to complete my treatment and bring my canines more inline. I was given the first upper aligner out of the five when i went for my check up last week and i have to admit the fit of this aligner is perfect, it fits my upper teeth perfectly and doesn't look like i'm wearing aligners at all. My last aligners all fitted well but this one just feels stronger and a much better fit. The best news is that i've been wearing it for over two weeks and it hasn't snapped or broken in half! It was an optional decision to take the further aligners but i decided that i've come this far that i will carry on and take the last five upper aligners. As far as Smilelign are concerned my lowers are completed and with a little building up on my front two teeth they will be perfect.

My dentist has kindly included teeth whitening treatment within the course of my Smielign treatment. I started the teeth whiting process that evening and as recommended i am starting on my upper teeth first. I've been whitening my upper set for just over two weeks now and i have to say that the difference between my upper and lower set is amazing! It's a very gradual process and as i am very inpatient i was expecting to see results after the first evening but two weeks down the line i have started noticing results! I still would like my upper set to be whiter so i am going to carry on whitening them every evening until i see my dentist this Thursday and see what he recommends.

Here's a picture of the teeth whitening product i'm using. I will do a full updated post on how i'm getting on with the whitening product in a few weeks.

Smilelign Update

2014-10-14T19:59:00.001+01:00

Just a quick update to let you all know how i'm getting on with my treatment.
I'm currently on my last lower aligner; number six. I'm due to finish with aligner number six on Thursday and i should also be finished the whole of my Smilelign treatment but i'm not too sure if that's going to happen now.

I've had a few problems with my last upper aligner. Firstly it cracked and then snapped in half so i went back to visit my dentist and he took some more impressions which he got them sent off so i'm currently waiting on my new aligner which is due to come in when i visit him on Thursday. It's so annoying as my uppers are so close to been finished! I have the smallest movement left with my upper two front teeth and then they will be finished! I'm currently wearing half of the upper aligner that broke, i was told it's better that i should carry on wearing half of the aligner to stop my teeth moving further whilst i wait for the new one; the only problem is, is that it gives me a bad lisp and has cut the side of my mouth a few times. I'm hoping once i get this new aligner that it doesn't crack again and that i only have to wear it for a few weeks and then i'm finished!

I'm still so happy with the results I'm seeing. I guess I'm just getting impatient and wanting to see the finishing results! It will all be worth it in the end to have perfect straight teeth!

I will post a quick update with how things go when i go for my visit on Thursday.

Smilelign- How i clean my aligners.

2014-10-04T16:10:00.000+01:00

I thought i'd do a little post about how to clean clear aligners. Over the last few months i've found many useful tips and tricks on how to keep my aligners clean and hygienic.

What i use:
*Water
*Soap
*Brace/aligner toothbrush
*Small pack of toothbrushes
*Nitradine Disinfecting tablets
*Sensodyne Pronamel Extra Freshness Toothpaste

I firstly picked up a brush that is specifically designed for braces and aligners, the brush head is a lot smaller and softer so you can get a good clean on your aligners and most importantly it does not scratch them. I brought this brush from my dentist for £1 but i'm sure you can pick them up in places like Boots.
I also decided to pick up a pack of smaller brushes in Boots so i could get a really good clean on my aligners. (Can you tell that i'm slightly over the top with the whole cleaning process, i'm just so worried about food still been in the aligner and decaying my teeth.)

My dentist advised me on what i should be cleaning my aligners with. When i got my Smilelign aligners and box i was given a box of Nitradine disinfecting tablets that are designed for dentures and removable dental appliances. These tablets are priced at £13.99 for a pack of twenty which is a 10 week supply. My dentist told me to keep these tablets safe and not to use them until i get my final set of aligners as these are going to be with me for many years to come. In the meantime with my current aligners that i'm changing every three weeks i've been cleaning them with soap and water, it's been very hard not to clean them with toothpaste as i feel that this would give them a better clean but i was strictly told not to do this and that i can scratch my aligners which i definitely don't want. I clean my aligners in the morning after breakfast, after lunch and then after dinner before i go to bed.

Since having the clear aligners i've noticed at certain points of the treatment my teeth have been feeling rather sensitive especially when i move onto the next aligners and i've found Sensodyne Pronamel toothpaste really good. I can definitely notice the difference in terms of sensitivity after i use the toothpaste.

I hope this posts helps a few of you out there with clear aligners especially if you are new to the system.

Color Run - Saturday 21st September - Brighton.

2014-09-23T17:51:00.001+01:00

On Saturday I completed my FIRST 5K run which is a massive achievement for me as lets say I'm not the healthiest person. Back in July I persuaded my fiancé

to sign up to The Color Run with me as I didn't want to train on my own. We both signed up and started training. I have to admit our training schedule wasn't perfect and we hit the gym when we had free time which wasn't as often as we both liked but we felt sort of prepared for this run when it came around to the day.

The color run is known as the happiest 5k on the planet which started in america (hence the spelling of colour) and has started to expand across the globe. The race celebrates health and happiness through colour. The race is un-timed event and every time you run a kilometre you arrive at a different colour station and are covered by friendly volunteers in different coloured powder which is made from cornstarch. There is no age limited on participants wanting to join in on the fun.

When you sign up for the colour run you can decide on different locations across the UK, we decided on Brighton as we thought it would be lovely to run along the pier and beach. You have to pay an entry fee of £25.00 plus £4.99 post & packaging. The entry fee includes your entry to the race, a color run t-shirt for the day, a color run sweatband, a poncho, some temporary tattoos and your race number. My color run pack was delivered two weeks prior to the race and definitely got me excited for the race!

The race we choose was at 4pm as we knew travelling down to Brighton would take at least an hour and a half, we arrived in the morning and looked around the lanes and grabbed a bite to eat before starting to walk down to the start line. We left with plenty of time as there is entertainment in terms of stretching and dancing which got us ready to head over to the start line. We started to walk over the start line a few minutes before 4pm and got ready to start, as there are so many people taking part in the run they let you off in waves of 900 people a time, we were in the first wave. The race was a lot of fun and we loved running through the different colour zones. We managed to complete the race in just over a half a hour which wasn't too bad considering we had a breaks where we walked to help pace ourselves. Once we hit the finish line we were given packs of the colour cornstarch and told to go back over to the entertainment area where you all open your colour packs and the same time and through the colour into the air, it was really amazing to see all the different colours.

I will definitely be doing this run again next year and will be more prepared then this year, it was such a lovely day out and I left Brighton feeling very happy and colourful! Here is the link if you want to see more, the last event is this weekend but keep an eye on the website and sign up for a color run near you!

Blog Lovin

2014-09-14T17:48:00.001+01:00

I know i'm late to the party but i've started using Bloglovin to read my blogs in one place! It's such a handy app to have on my phone and i now spend my lunch time catching up on the latest blogs i follow and finding new blogs to read!

I've also added my blog onto Bloglovin so if you want to follow what i've been up too then i've added the button down the side or you can follow this link!

Be inspired.

2014-09-13T08:29:00.001+01:00

Lately I've been feeling a bit lost, I've been stuggling daily with my new job. It's not what I expected and I'm feeling pretty unhappy about the whole thing. Whilst I've been sitting at my desk for over 7 hours daily doing the same thing over and over again it's made me realise that I need to find a career that will make me happy.

I've never been quite sure what I've wanted to do career wise since I left college, I tried university twice and felt like I wasn't quite ready, I've got my beauty qualifications but I know that's not a path I really want to take. I've been thinking constantly about becoming a Primary school teacher but it's going to be hard and means going to univesity to study. I've done a few days helping out in a local primary school and have had a great few days and it's made me determined to choose a career that I will want to wake up daily and actually want to get out of bed for! (Sorry for the ramble!) What I'm trying to say is that it's ok not to know what path to take all the time, sometimes the right path is often not the easiest!

I've found Pinterest very inspiring especially some of the quotes I've read, I know everyone goes through these phases of their life where they are unsure of what path to take I just need to remember not to loose myself.

Here some inspiring quotes that have helped me, I hope they help you too!

Smilelign Aligner Number 4 - Update

2014-09-12T16:56:00.001+01:00

So it's been a few weeks since I last posted on here. I've since finished aligner number 4, visited the dentists for a check up and moved onto aligner number 5.

When I last posted I mentioned I was having problems with my upper aligner. My upper aligner actually broke in half so I made a call to my dentist who made a call to Smilelign and asked them to make me a replace aligner. I waited just over a week for the new aligner to be delivered so for that week I wore a broken aligner which I thought wearing a broken aligner was better then no aligner at all.

When I went to the dentist to collect my new aligner he suggested that i carry on wearing my upper aligner 4 for a few weeks seems as it was my last aligner and my front teeth haven't completely finished moving. He also looked at the progress of my lowers. My lowers haven't been moving as much as I wanted but he assured me that this does happen and decided to file in between my lower front teeth to help them move. It felt slightly strange but it wasn't uncomfortable. My lowers are also slightly smaller in comparison to my other lowers so he explained once I've finished my treatment that he is going to build my two front lowers up so they are all the same size.

I've been wearing my upper aligner 4 and lower aligner 5 for a week now and have noticed a slight movement with my lowers. My upper aligner however has already cracked, I'm keeping an eye on it and still can feel pressure on my upper teeth so I don't think i need to call the dentist yet but I will if it breaks in half.

My next post will hopefully be one of the last one's regarding my treatment if all goes to plan as in two week time i will move onto my final lower aligner. He did suggest to carry on wearing my upper aligner 4 until I go back to see him in just under 5 weeks time.

I've attached some photos below of the current progress.

Santorini August 2014.

2014-08-26T16:48:00.001+01:00

Last week i went on a family holiday to a small Greek Island called Santorini. It's the most beautiful and idyllic place i have ever visited. It's very peaceful and has the most spectacular views of the Aegean Sea. We stayed in a beautiful resort called the El Greco which offered us the choice of five swimming pools,spa,gym, pool side bar and two continental breakfast restaurants. The hotel was very clean and had a traditional Greek feel to it especially with all the white buildings. Every room had a baloney with a small table and two chairs so you could enjoy the evening outside watching the sunset over the sea.

We flew to Santorini with Thomson on a package holiday which included, flights, coach transfers from the airport and the hotel for a week. The flight wasn't too long, it took just over three hours on the way out and three hours and forty minutes on the way home and that's flying from London Gatwick. We've done a few Thomson holidays in the years previous to a few different places in Italy and we have enjoyed the thought of been able to relax as soon as you get on the plane. We like the hassle free feel you get with the thought of a holiday rep meeting you at the other end of the flight and taking you to a designated coach that takes you straight to your hotel or resort you really don't need to worry about anything. Thomson also provide you with a small welcome talk either on the same day or the following day to welcome you to your destination but to talk about the different excisions they have to offer, i would defiantly recommend going to the welcome talk as they provide with a lot of useful information. This time we booked two excursions with Thomson, we booked one that included a wine tour and an evening in Oia to watch the sunset and the other tour we booked was to the volcano island by boat and included a quick swim in the mud baths on the way back to the island.

I would defiantly love and suggest to anyone to go to Santorini it was such a beautiful peaceful island. I've come back home feeling very relaxed and recharged. Here's a few pictures from the week!

Pretty blue & white buildings.

Such a beautiful view.

Me & my sister.

Santorini is well known for their beautiful sunsets.

One of the five swimming pools the resort had to offer.

Some of the lanes in Thera.

There were so many stray cats- I was in cat heaven!

I would defiantly suggest to anyone to go and visit Santorini for a week, there is plenty to do and see and it's such a relaxing welcoming island.

Smilelign UPDATE!

2014-08-17T16:42:00.000+01:00

Sorry i haven't posted in a while, things have been very hectic with work, going to see family in Dublin and taking a long weekend break in the Lake District.

I've been getting on very well with Smilelign and the results i am seeing with my upper teeth is amazing! I'm on aligner number three and i am due to swap to my final upper aligner tomorrow. I still have a few more aligners to go on my lower set as they are worse than my uppers.

I am so happy with my uppers, they have moved along well and I can really notice the results especially with the one tooth that slightly overlapped, there is just a little bit of moving left which should happen when I put my last aligner in tomorrow. It's strange to think that my upper set will all be finished in the next three weeks! I can't believe it!

However things haven't progressed as much as I wanted them to with my lower set. They haven't moved much even though the aligners seem to be going in fine and after three weeks become loose they just haven't moved. I did visit my dentist three weeks ago and he advised me to carry on with the next two lower aligners and then when I go back for my next visit that he may need to do some filling on my two front teeth as they may not have enough room to move. I will keep you posted on that.

Aligner number three went in ok, I put this aligner in during an appointment with my dentist, at first it felt like I didn't fit quite compared to the other aligner previously, my dentist knew exactly what to do and trimmed some of the edges at the back off and the aligners went in much better. About two weeks of wearing the aligner i started to notice that they were starting to show wear which i discovered was due to grinding my teeth every night! A few days before i was due to move onto aligner number four my brace actually spilt where the wear was, i called up my dentist and he said that as i'm only a few days away from moving onto the next aligner that i should be ok, he said i could move onto the next aligner a few days early if it broke completely but i was very delicate when taking it out and managed to get it to last till the Friday.

I've just moved onto aligner number four which is my final aligner for my upper set and have worn it two days and it has cracked already! It still feels tight on my teeth but i'm still not completely happy that it's broken so quickly. I'm going to see how i get on and if it cracks more than i'm going to have to book in to see my dentist. I'm slightly concerned that when i get my final aligners to put in every night when i go to sleep they are just going to crack after a few days or weeks then what am i going to do? That is one questions i need to ask my dentist and will fill you in on what he says.

So far i'm happy with how the treatment is progessing i just wish that my lower set were moving too as i feel like once he makes some room between my two lower teeth that i'm going to be a few weeks behind with my treatment plan, i will update in three weeks time and let you know how i got on when i go and see him again.

Smilelign - Three weeks with aligners one.

2014-07-06T16:53:00.001+01:00

I've just finished my first three weeks with aligner number one. The first few days were hard, my teeth felt very sensitive and the aligner felt very tight. The pain wasn't a painful pain ( if that makes sense ) it was just a dull ache. I knew the pain was good in a strange way as I knew that the pain meant that the aligners were moving my teeth.

My treatment plan meant that i would move onto the next aligner every third Thursday but I decided that I would move onto the next aligner every third Friday as it would give me the weekend off of work to get use to the new aligners & a few days for the soreness to subside before I go back to work on the Monday.

Wearing the aligners for 23 hours a day was harder than I thought, I didn't even realise how much I snack during the day and a lot of the time especially at work! I just can't be bothered to go to the toilet, take my aligners out go back to my desk, eat and then go back to the toilet to brush my teeth and put my aligners back in so I've definitely cut down on my snacking which is a good thing!

I've also found it difficult to brush my teeth when I'm out in public places like restaurants which has put me off of eating out which is a shame but it means I'm saving my pennies!

I haven't noticed that much of a change with my teeth yet. I guess I won't notice that much of a difference as I look at my teeth daily. Everyone around me said they've noticed a difference already especially with my upper front teeth which is nice to hear!

I've just finished aligner one and have just had a weekend of aligner two. I will update in three weeks time to let you all know how I'm getting on and the progress my teeth are making!

Smilelign - Getting the moulds taken & going for a fitting of mypre-aligners.

2014-06-13T17:20:00.000+01:00

After the 10 minute chat with my dentist i decided to go ahead with the treatment and he booked me in for a half hour appointment to have the moulds taken of my teeth. These moulds would then be sent off to the Smilelign laboratory and 3D images are produced. These 3D images are very important as they help make up a treatment plan that is suited to your teeth. It helps determined how serve your case is, how many aligners you will need and it is a nice touch to see these 3D images of how your teeth are going to move over the next few months.

I was slightly nervous about getting the moulds done at first because i wasn't sure what to expect but my dentist is fantastic and explained to me what to expect and the process before he started. Firstly he took a mould of my upper teeth, he made this paste which felt a bit like chewing gum been placed on my teeth, i had to keep my mouth open for about 5 minutes until the paste became hard and the dentist then popped this mould out of my teeth. He then repeated this process on my bottom teeth and then made up some more paste and placed this in the moulds he had just taken and then placed the moulds back in my mouth to make a more precise mould. He then made another paste and placed this on my bottom teeth and made me bite my teeth together which gave him a mould of my bite. I then left him with the moulds and he sent them away and i went back in two weeks time to get a fitting of my pre-alligners. I had to pay £250 for this appointment as it covered the cost of the moulds but it was a commitment that i wanted to go ahead with the treatment before they made all the aligners and i said i didn't want to go ahead with the treatment.

I went back excited to this appointment to see what he had to say and try my pre-aligners. He explained that my case wasn't severe and that i would need 5 aligners for my upper teeth and 8 aligners for my bottom teeth, each aligner should be worn for a minimum of three weeks before moving onto the next aligner. Smilelign believe that before they make all the aligners and realise that they don't fit that it best to make a pre- aligner, you go for a fitting to make sure that it fits correctly and then your dentist lets them know if there are any changes that need to be made before they make the full set. It also gives you time to get use to wearing the actual aligners before you get the aligners that start moving your teeth.

When i went for the fitting he put them in my mouth and they fitted fine but were very tight on my teeth even though the pre-aligners are just moulds of your teeth as they are already. I didn't quite expect them to feel like they did when he first put them in for me. My mouth felt really big and i started to think what had i done! I then spoke and discovered i had a slight lisp, which defiantly shocked me as i wasn't expecting that. He told me that it was perfectly normal as it was where my tongue was hitting the plastic aligner, he told me to talk all the time, when i was driving on my own, having a shower or just in my bedroom. He told me that my lisp would get better the more i spoke and that i would hardly notice it in my voice when i was talking. The first few days of my pre- aligners were hard, i took paracetamol to help cope with the tightness and pain which helped. My teeth became very sensitive so i went to Boots and got some sensodyne toothpaste which really helped with the sensitivity. I have to wear my pre-alligners for about two weeks until my real aligners arrive and then i will go back for a fitting of my first aligner.

I'm going to insert a few pictures below of what the pre-aligners look like and what my teeth looked like before the treatment.

I will update you on how i'm getting on with my first aligners once i have had them in for a few days.

Smilelign - The invisible aligner system.

2014-06-09T11:37:00.000+01:00

Firstly sorry it's been so long since i've last written on here, i've been so busy with moving jobs and just life in general.

I'm a few weeks into my treatment now but i wanted to document my progress with Smilelign a clear brace company in the UK and let you know how i have been getting on.

For a long time i've been considering getting invisible braces as i've always been self conscious about my teeth especially the top two which have a slight overlap. I was desperate to get braces when i was younger but unfortunately my dentist said that my teeth weren't considered bad enough for me to get braces on funded on the NHS. At the time i was still in school and defiantly couldn't afford it and i couldn't expect my parents to pay for the treatment so i waited for years until i was in a steady job and i knew i could pay for the treatment on my own

I finally plucked up enough courage and i have done a lot of research so i decided now was the best time for me in my life to undergo the treatment. I finally decided on Smilelign as i have worked with a few colleagues who have had the treatment done and are more than happy with the results, this helped me make my decision by having someone i could personally talk to and as them about their experiences. I did do my research online before making the big decision but i couldn't find much online about Smilelign nor could i find anyone's personal experiences.

Let me tell you a bit about Smilelign and why i decided to choose them over invisalign or any other clear brace company. Smilelign is an invisible aligner system that gives you a straight smile without having to have fixed metal braces and wires. The invisible aligners are designed to fit comfortably in your mouth 23 hours a day. You are only aloud to take out the aligners when you are eating and brushing your teeth. Once you have finished the course of treatment you are then given your final aligner which is to be worn every night to stop your teeth from moving. The prices are much more affordable which makes it a popular choice these days as a pose to other invisible aligner systems which can be pricey depending on how serve your case is. My case is a mild case as i only have an overlapping on my front tooth and my two bottom teeth are pointed in. My case has cost me £2,000 which includes a course of whitening and slight filling of my teeth at the end of the treatment. This is much more affordable as a pose to when i got a quote for invisalign which is another clear aligner competitive, they assessed my teeth and told me i was on the serve side and gave me the price of £4,000.

I'm going ahead with the treatment and have had a 10 minute chat with a dentist in Basingstoke that my colleagues have recommended and he spoke to me about the treatment, what to expect and answered any questions i had. I will let you know how my next appoitnment goes in my next post, the next step is to go and have impression moulds done which he will send off to the Smilelign Labatorary. They will then go ahead and make my pre aligners which i will wear for 2 weeks before getting my real aligners.

If you have any questions please don't hesistate to comment below and i will answer them, I'm actually one week into my first set of aligners so i will write about how i'm getting on with them in a few posts time.

'Tis the season to be Jolly!

2013-12-02T16:22:00.000+00:00

Christmas is finally coming! As yesterday was the 1st of December the christmas tree went up and it was time to decorate my bedroom which i always really enjoy! In the morning we went and brought a real tree down the road from my house, this year we opted for a real christmas tree as we have had an extension downstairs so the conservatory was the perfect place to display a huge tree! We opted for a 7ft tree which we could cover with decorations and just about fitted in the car!

Yesterday evening we got down all the decoration boxes from the loft and i started decorating with a glass of mulled wine in my hand i was feeling very festive! I started off decorating my room, last year i had brought a little real tree for my room and once christmas was over i brought it into the garden where it actually lasted the year so that was brought back in and placed on my shelve ready for this year! I was very surprised it lasted the whole year especially during the hotter weather we had which now feels a lifetime ago! I brought some Christmas bedding the other week from Primark as i was concerned that it would sell out and i will be honest, it has been on my bed for the last few weeks. I covered my room in candles and put a cute wooden star hanging from my curtain pole and that was my room sorted!

I then went downstairs where i was joined by my two sisters, we covered the tree in lights and baubles and that was that, complete! Once we had finished we assembled a cardboard light up star which took pride of place hanging in the middle of the conservatory!

Overall i had a lovely evening and enjoyed spending quality time with my family! I've inserted a few pictures below for you all to have a look at. ( I thought i'd include a few pictures as i enjoy looking at pictures of people's decorated trees... i know slightly strange!)

Book Review: Three Girls and a Baby by Rachel Schurig.

2013-11-22T09:25:00.001+00:00

Book Review: Three Girls and a Baby by Rachel Schurig.

It's been a little while since i sat down and enjoyed a good read, i always find that i start a few pages and than get carried away with other things and never get back to the book i started which is a shame. So recently i thought i would dig out my Kindle and have a look at the free downloads section when i came across this book Three Girls and a Baby. It follows the main character Ginny as she finishes college and should have been planning her wedding to her long term boyfriend Josh. Unfortunately things didn't quite go to plan with Josh and she ends up pregnant with his baby, with the help from her best friends and room mates Jen and Annie so manages to rebuild her life.

I read the reviews which were all good and said how much previous readers had enjoyed the book, i decided to download it and finished the book within a week! It was very enjoyable, easy to read and i enjoyed the way that Rachel Schurig writes. I always find that i read a book and enjoy the way the author writes than i look into other books they have written and find it's their only novel. I decided to have a look on the amazon store and found that this is the first book of a three part series! YES! I have already downloaded the next book Three Girls and a Wedding and started it last night!

At the moment this book is still free on the Amazon store so you can either download this book on to a Kindle or through the Kindle App for iPad.

Enjoy!

Product Review: Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Lip Protectant

2013-11-18T11:44:00.000+00:00

Now the weather is getting colder my lips really do start to suffer, i think it's a mixture of the cold air outside and the appaling heating system at work that leaves my lips dry and sore. Every year i've tried mutiple lip products that are out on the market and they do the job but not quick enough for my liking! Last year my lip product saviour was Blistex Intensive Moisturiser which can be purchased from Boots for about £2.50. I found this lip cream was the best on the market but if you applied too much than it does leave your lips slightly white which i wasn't a fan off because i like to plaster on the lip creams when my lips are looking disgusting and dry! I did plaster the Blistex on at night before i went to bed and left it to soak in overnight which worked wonders, i even had to purchase a tube for my boyfriend as he was forever asking to use mine!

Earlier this year i received my Glossybox and in it was a small tube of Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream which is a multi purpose balm that i throughly enjoyed using, i used it on the long flight to and from Florida for my lips and i also used it to moisturise my cuticles throughout the flight! Unfortunately the tube ran out and i was reconsidering repurchasing a tube especially for the winter months for my lips because i could see such a great improvement when it was applied. I was going through Duty Free a few weeks ago after a week in Dublin visiting my family and had purchased a few make up items in the shops at the airport as the price is slightly cheaper and at the till there was a box of Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Lip Protectant tins which were a perfect size to have on you all of the time and without even looking at the price i picked two up one for me and one for my sister. They were priced at €7 which was very reasonable considering the size of the tin and how much product was in it.

When i got on the plane i opened my tin up and applied it even though it was a short flight back to Southampton i know the air con is prone to drying out my lips and as soon as i applied it i immediately fell in love with the product, it applied clear unlike Blistex and it didn't feel like i was wearing a thick layer of lip product which i liked. Ever since then i have been applying it daily at intervals, first thing in the morning, after lunch and plastering it on before bed and so far my lips aren't dry or sore, i know we are expecting colder weather in the next few weeks but i really think this product is a dry lips saviour! I would strongly suggest if you happen to see the product in department stores that you pick it up. Unfortunately i haven't seen it in any department stores over here yet so i have no idea of the price but i could imagine it been about £10 which i don't think is bad if it stops your lips from drying out and becoming sore!

2013-11-04T15:03:00.000+00:00

Just thought i'd write a little post about my love for Pinterest! At the moment i can't get enough of it, especially the handy app that i have on my iPhone! I've had Pinterest for a few months but recently i've really got into the handy app and end up spending hours browsing through the different categories and clicking on different pictures which bring me to handy websites that i would have never came across before!

If you haven't used Pinterest before than let me explain a little bit about it, it's a site that allows users to pin images, quotes and DIY tips to name a few different categories to different boards, these boards will be linked to your username and you can revisits these images,quotes or links to websites when ever you want. If i haven't explained it that well then think of it as simply pining things to a real life pin board but instead you are pinning things online that you can look over whenever you want. The website & app is full of inspiration and has given me plenty of hair and nail ideas but has also given me crafty tips for Christmas and ideas for presents for my five year anniversary with the boyfriend that i would have never thought of on my own!

If you haven't got Pinterest at the moment i suggest you have a little look at the website or app and i can promise you will be hooked!

If you want to follow my and look through all my pins than my username:becki0812

Ulcerative Colitis & Crohn's Disease...

2013-10-14T14:01:00.000+01:00

This is going off to beauty side of this blog but i've decided to write a bit more of a personal post. I decided to write this post to raise awareness about Ulcerative Colitis & Crohn's Disease. As a suffer myself i feel like when i mention to people that i suffer from this disease it always ends up with my awkwardly trying to explain what it entails! I would love to help raise more awareness and i thought this is one way that i could.

 Ulcerative Colitis

 Ulcerative Colitis is a long term condition that affects the colon, symptoms include weight loss, abdominal pain, frequent need to go to the toilet, bloody diarrhea ( i never thought i'd write that on my blog!) The cause of this condition isn't exactly known, but researchers have looked into a few causes. The first one being your immune system, one theory believed by researchers is that the immune system mistakes "friendly bacteria" found in the colon for an infection so it tries to stop the infection and attacks the bacteria causing inflammation and pain in the colon. Genetics may play another part as well. They have researched that one in six people who suffer from Ulcerative Colitis have a close relative that suffers from the condition as well ( which i do, my auntie and my nan are both sufferers.) The last cause researchers have found is that the environment around us may play a part in developing this condition, various factors have been suggested such as air pollution, diet and hygiene. Diagnosis of this UC can be easy you will first have a blood test, send off a stool sample for testing and finally have a small procedure called a colonoscopy, this procedure involves having a small tube containing a camera inserted into your bum ( embarrassing ) which goes up and looks at your colon, there will be a screen that is connected to the tube which is where the consultants will look at, take pictures and may take samples of your colon to be sent off for testing. The procedure only takes a half an hour and once you have rested a bit after and have eaten they let you go home the same day ( the worse bit of this whole procedure is drinking the strong laxatives and having to starve the day before as they need you to be completely empty!) Once you have been diagnosed you may be given a small dose of steroids to help with the infection and inflammation initially and after the course has finished they will give you regular medication to take daily to help keep the condition at bay.

 Crohn's Disease

 This is slightly different from UC but there are some similarities between the two. Crohn's Disease is a long term condition that causes inflammation to the lining of the digestive system ( so the inflammation is slightly higher that Ulcerative Colitus.) The symptoms between the two are generally the same which can cause problems for consultants when they are initially trying to diagnose you. The causes of Crohn's Disease are unknown but researchers believe that factors like environment, smoking, genetics and your immune system play a part much like UC. Diagnosis follows the same pattern as UC which will eventually involve a colonoscopy and endoscopy which involves swallowing a small tube with a camera at the end of it while your consultant looks at a screen to see what's going on inside. Once you've been diagnosed depending on the severity of the condition you may be prescribed daily medication to help keep the condition at bay or you may need to take a small course of steroids to help with the inflammation quicker than the medication would.

 Here is how it started for me...

 I was 13 at the time and started suffering from stomach aches, i didn't really think much of them as they weren't so serve i couldn't go to school so i just carried on with my school work and going to school daily. One evening i went to the toilet and noticed that there was a lot of blood when i got up to flush. I was so shocked i shouted my mum and thought that there was something was really wrong with me and started worrying! My mum tried not to show that she wasn't shocked but she told me now that she was and was really concerned! At the time we had a nurse as our neighbour and mum decided to call her up and show her! ( At this time i was hiding in the lounge all very embarrassed!) She didn't really know what it could be so she suggested to my mum to take me up to hospital and that she would stay and look after my younger sister because at the time my dad was away in New York on business. Mum took me straight up and they didn't seem to be too worried and told me to visit my doctor the following day. I didn't go to school the next day and mum took me to see my local GP he was lovely and decided to take my bloods and got me to do a stool sample which he sent both off for testing. I went back to school the following day as i wasn't feeling unwell i was just shocked and worried about going to the toilet. The following days i went back to see him for the results and he explained that he thought i may be suffering from Ulcerative Colitis of Crohn's Disease which is when my mum realised that my nan & auntie are also sufferers. He referred me to see a specialised all the way in Southampton who i saw within the following weeks, he was lovely. He carried out a Endoscopy & Colonoscopy within the following weeks and hopefully he would diagnoise me with either Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's Disease. Once the procedure was finished he came up to see me to tell him how it went he explained that he wasn't exactly sure what one it was but told me that it was one or the other. He gave me a course of steroids to help suppress the inflammation and bleeding. At the time i was still 13 and wasn't sure what was exactly going on so he explained it to me in a simple way and left my parents to go and do some further research for themselves into the conditions to help them understand more and how it would affect me long term.

I went back to see him in the following weeks once i had finished my course of steroids and he put me on daily medication that i had to take every morning to help me with the symptoms which they did, the pain in my stomach slowly started to get better and the bleeding had stopped.

 Over the following years i carried on going to see this consultant every few months who carried on monitoring me and everything was finally at bay. When i was 16 he decided that it had been a few years since he had seen my colon and now i was getting older he wanted to make sure that nothing had changed so i went back down to Southampton for the day and was put to sleep for the small procedure, thankfully nothing much had changed but he was still unable to diagnose me with one condition exactly he said he feels like it is UC but couldn't say for sure. After the procedure he was happy to refer me to a specialist that was closer to my hometown. I was sad to be leaving his capable hands but was very thankful as he made me feel better and looked after me so well.

 I then visited a new consultant in my hometown and because i was still only 16 i was classed as a child so i every time i went to see my consultant i would be given extra special care especially when it came to taking my bloods, which was nice as it never gets easier going to the hospital, well i don't think anyway. She looked after me well over the following two years and thankfully i had no flare ups.

 Around my 18th birthday i was passed on to an adult consultant who was to look after me, because my Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's Disease wasn't too bad and was looked after with the medication i was taking, i only saw her twice a year.

 Recently though i haven't been too well, I've been suffering from pain in my stomach, bleeding and have been generally feeling unwell and tired. I've also started suffering from the worse pain in my stomach higher up than the usual. I was admitted to hospital over the last weekend and got discharged the following day and they suggested i booked to see my consultant as my appointment wasn't until Decemeber. I went to see my consultant last Wednesday and she suggested that seems as it's been a good few years that i would have to have a colonscopy and endoscopy and she has booked me in for two days time! I'm slightly nervous as it's been a few years since I've had this procedure and because i am an adult they won't put me too sleep, I'm going to be sedated and she made it clear that i will be awake but not in pain which terrifies me! Hopefully when i go on Wednesday they may be able to put my worries to rest, sometimes the anticipation before doing something is actually worse than doing it.

 I know this post was a long one and is slightly off of the beauty direction but i hope you understand that i just want to try and raise awareness.

 If you are suffering or know someone and you want to do a bit to try and understand what they are going through there is a great website you can check out. It is full of useful information and they run a sponsored walk yearly and other charity events if you feel like taking part. I especially enjoy doing these sponsored run as it gives me a chance to raise money.

 http://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk

  Becki x

Here's a photo of me & my two sisters and my sisters friend many years ago at the start of the sponsored walk.

Just waiting to start the walk - 2013

My LOVE for Essie nail polishes!

2013-10-02T19:56:00.000+01:00

Since i tried Essie nail polishes last year i've been hooked! I was VERY excited when they hit Boots stores across the UK and went out and brought my first three nail polishes there and then since then i've accumulated a fair few that proudly sit in my nail polish box in my room! ( I will do a blog post on that in a few weeks )

 I just want to talk about this recent shade i've got on my nails this week. A few months ago i received my monthly Glossybox ( which is a beauty box that gets delivered to your house monthly, it costs £12.95 inc delivery and you get to sample five new products!) and to my surprise there was a Essie full size nail polish in there! I received the shade Geranium which is a lovely shade of bright red. I have to admit it's taken me a few months to decide to give this a go, i wear red but i feel like it's to bright on my hands so stick to wearing it on my toes. This week i thought what the heck, i'll try something different and the more i look down at my finger nails the more i'm growing to like it!

 At first i have to admit i wasn't too sure as i tend to always stick to the same neutral shades and don't tend to be so adventurous on my finger nails, so it was nice to try something different. I have to admit that i don't think i would have gone out and picked this shade up in my local boots store but it is nice to try something different.

 As always the application of Essie nail polishes was spot on, it applied perfectly as the brush is just the right size to do the three strip application. The consistency of the colour was great and i only needed two coats and the shade was opaque. I finished my nails off with my all star topcoat Kensington Caviar 45 Second Top Coat by Nails Inc which can be purchased from larger Boots stores across the UK.

 I would definitely suggest when your next in your Boots or Superdrug stores that you check out the Essie stand, they have a large selection of shades and for £7.99 i can surely say they are worth every penny!

Update...

2013-09-24T21:11:00.000+01:00

EDIT: It's been such a long time since i blogged, last year at college was so hectic i hardly had anytime to myself between college & work. I've missed writing on here but as things have changed ( As i've explained below) hopefully i will now have time to spend writing on this blog which i really did miss last year!

Where do I start? Since I went back to finish off the second year of my BTEC it just hasn't been as good as last year. The college that I'm studying at has brought in too many first year students and seems as there is only 8 of us second year students studying for the BTEC we've been put in one big class with only ONE teacher! We have all expressed our concerns and disappointment in how this year has been organised and the only thing they have suggested is to get another teacher in but only for one day a week! They also mentioned that they want to reduce the size of the class from 28 to 24 by moving 4 students to another group. I don't quite understand how 4 students is going to make a MASSIVE difference but what do i know, i'm only a student doing the course!

I still think that 24 girls in one room studying for a BTEC,VRQ & NVQ with only one teacher is just not going to work out! So after a long talk with my parents I've decided that I won't be carrying on with my final year. I feel that £1000 for the year for teaching that I am not going to get is just not worth paying out for.

I'm very disappointed and upset with the college but they just aren't willing to put out for the students so I will have to go somewhere else!

I have decided that I will be starting an evening course to help me get a qualification in nail technology and then I will be starting a fashion make up course in London mid 2014.

I want to spend time on this blog so I hope you will all carry on reading! It's just a shame that this year has ended like this!

ADVICE: If you are thinking about starting a beauty course in September have a look at the ratio of teacher to student there is going to be in the class. As beauty is a practical subject the ratio needs to be low as you want to be able to see the beauty demo's your teacher is going to be showing you throughout the year & remember your education is the most important thing as it sets your life!

I will update in a few days about the nail course in planning to take in the beginning of 2014!

Becki x

It's been to long...

2012-07-04T19:25:00.002+01:00

Where do i start?! I start with saying sorry i haven't been blogging recently i've been pretty busy with sorting out this and that just general life things!

I've been searching high and low for a new job but well like everyone else in the country looking for jobs there just aren't any out there so i think i'm going to have to stay put even though i'm not very happy there! It's just not what i want to do anymore!

Anyway i've signed up to start a 2 year BTEC in Beauty Therapies starting in September and i have to admit i'm so excited to start! I finally think i've found something i'm interested and passionate about! I've just finished a three day summer school at the college that i've been studying at and i really enjoyed it!

Anyway just a quick post hopefully i'll be posting more often just depends on work but in September i hope to be posting more on everything i'm learning and sharing a few tips!

For the moment i need to find a work placement ready for September!

♥