Braces | Week #22 Update + Check Up

I'm not in a very good mood today. I'm feeling tired, and annoyed. It has been a very rough week for me. So excuse my objectivity.

During the last weeks I had no pain at all. And everything was going great. I was pretty much able to eat anything, and the brace were not bothering me at.

But, today was appointment day. And I think today the doctor was feeling productive because she worked a lot on me. Any way, let me sum it up:

• I thought my top teeth were good. I was wrong. They need to be shifted, because the top canines are supposed to rest in the space right before the bottom one and mine don't do that .So she removed two brackets and she glued them back lightly raised, to create a wider arch. So one of my teeth (tooth number 13) is going to be all weird during the next month, at least. And since it is shifting already it hurts like crap. Makes my whole face hurt. She prescribed me some paracetamol. I wish she had prescribed me some oxycodone, it would make this whole experience so much fun!

• Good news: if this painful process works, I won't need to remove any teeth -- which I bet is even more painful soooo *fingers crossed*.
  
  
• She added brackets to all my last teeth. I didn't had brackets on the very last one, nor top or bottom. But now I do. Now, the wire pokes my cheeks and it is supper annoying.
  
  
• She told me my gums are not very healthy and that I need to go to see my dental hygienist. I kinda already knew that. I've been slacking on my "routine".

• I chose hot pink elastics (again). I like it. I think the color blends nicely with the rest of the inside of my mouth and I think so far it's the best color I've chosen.

If you any tips on how to handle the pain, let me know. I've heard salty water helps. Anyone confirms?

Review | CIEN Lip Gloss

Everybody has been talking about Cien and how awesome their products are. I've been told that this brand is actually produced by Nivea labs and that's why their skin-care stuff is so good. Cien products are exclusively sold on Lidl supermarkets and unfortunately I don't have any one near where I live. However, a lovely friend got me this lip gloss for me to try. She had one in her make up bag, I saw it and I was so in love with the color that she went and bought one for me. It was really nice of her! *Thank you*

Well, I have to admit I have some mixed feelings about this product. I mean, usually I am really white or black with this kind of stuff. Either I like it or I don't. But I'm not 100% sold on this.

This nude color is just perfect for my life. It's a really luxurious dusty old pink, just perfect for everyday. The packaging is simple but it lets the beautiful color show through. And I like that. As for the applicator, it's a really nice doe-foot applicator, sloped on both sides. When it comes for taste and smell, no complaints there but also nothing exciting to point out. 

When you apply it on your lips, it is not as pigmented as the bottle promises, but it's lip gloss, I was expecting some transparency. It feels very nourishing but at the same time it's very sticky! That bothers me, to be honest. But one thing that I really liked about it is that as it wears off, the shiny and stickiness go away, and it leaves behind just a slight shimmer and like shadow of color, that looks really nice.

I think that it is a really good product, for the price range -- I think it cost about 1.99€. But yeah I'm not completely sold because of the stickiness and the transparency.

If you've tried it, let me know your thoughts :)

EAT | SelFish

During the week I find my self eating frequently at the food court of the nearest mall. I don' have the time or patience to go home, make food, clean up and still do whatever I need to do before going to bed. But I don't want to eat fast food all the time. And Selfish presents a great alternative to your regular type of fast food. What do they serve? Fresh, top quality - grilled on the spot - fish.

Yep -- Salmon, Tuna an Flatfish. And it is so so good. They serve salmon and tuna burgers -- which I love. They also have braised salmon and tuna stakes, and salmon tartar! It's is truly divine, specially when we are talking about a fast-food joint! You can also add a sauce -- Lemon&Butter, Teriyaki or Soy -- and two side dishes, that are also very creative, healthy and flavorful. You can choose from your typical white rice or salad, or rosemary roasted potatoes, mashed-potatoes with saffron or slow roasted vegetables. To drink, they have a refreshing and tasteful mint lemonade, that has real pieces of mint in it. Wonderful.

I've eaten there maybe 10 times in the past two months.  The food is always delightful. The real problem is the service.
There are only 5 location in the whole country: Almada, Amoreiras, Cascais, Colombo and Gaia. I've only been to one of them -- in CC Colombo -- and the staff there are kinda rude and it feels like they are not happy to work there. And I don't know about you, but I enjoy the experience of eating out --  even if it's not in an actual restaurant --  if I'm paying for something I like people to be nice to me. But that always blows away as soon as I take my first bite.

Eating there is more expensive than eating on a regular fast-food place, of course. You are heating fresh fish, and quality and freshness are not cheap. The prices range from 7.50€ to 12.50€, being the burgers the cheapest thing on the menu, and the braised tuna stake the more expensive item.

My favorite combination -- so far --  is the salmon burger, Lemon&Butter Sauce, roasted vegetables and Mashed-potatoes with saffron, which is what you are seeing here in the picture.

If you come by one of these restaurants, give it a try. I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed.

SELFISH

INBOX | L'Oreal Paris Samples

Click here and ask for your sample.

My Week #14 | Boring as usual

It has been a while since I've shown you little pieces of my week. -- actually from the last two weeks. Here's the truth:  I don't have anything exciting going on. Just work, and more work, and more work. I would could show you that, but I think now one wants to see pictures of a messy desk and some excel sheets! Instead, I have some fun things to show you!

So I had to go and renew my Citizen Card -- because it had expired three months ago. I'm such a responsible adult, I know. I went the IRN at Av. Fontes Pereira de Melo, and I have to tell you, the service there was super fast. I went right after lunch and I was thinking I was going to have to wait the whole afternoon but I was so wrong. It took me like half hour. I love when people are efficient!

The heather has been kinda rainy and grey but when the sun peaks though, everything changes. It actually feels like spring! The smell of wet grass and all the little flowers just makes me think that I'm on the county side -- not at this polluted, car-full city. Beautiful.

This week I also received a cute gift from another blogger that I love so much --  Simple Girl from the blog Um refugio para a vida. I love this girl, she is so sweet and nice. And I love her blog as well. Always so down to earth. A few months ago she celebrated her blog' one year anniversary with a giveaway and I was super lucky and I wan this cute bracelet that I think she made. I've been wearing it all week!

And the last thing: I have been obsessed with blind-bagged toys! OMG You guys have no idea how much fun it is to open this stuff until you've tried! It is crazy fun -- the curiosity, the expectation, the disappointment! Ahahah! It's a roller-coaster of emotions. Super Fun. And... You may see in a near future here on the blog some posts about it! I've opened Simpson Lego MiniFigures, Shopkins (and yes, all my pens at work have now a Shopkin on top) and Zomlings! But one thing I have to say -- this type of toys are actually more expensive then I was expecting. But it's so worth the money!




I hope your weeks are more exciting then mine! Tomorrow a brand new weeks starts, with 7 new exciting days! Any exciting this happening this week?

Must Watch | Making a Murderer

Let's all agree, this is awesome. All the twists and turns. Awesome.

TIPS & TRICKS | I bet you didn't know this!

Today I want to share with you some information that is not common knowledge and I think it's really important. If you have been here for a hot minute, you know that since I got my braces I've became a little bit obsessed with oral hygiene and making sure that I'm doing the best I can to improve my oral health. Hereupon, I'm showing you here 6 facts that I didn't know before and that

completely blew my mind! All this information was given to me by my Dentist and Dental hygienist

I'm not in any form an expert about this subject, and if you are, and if I am saying something that is completely wrong let me know!

1- Mouthwash is not supposed to be used after brushing, but BEFORE BRUSHING. Mouthwash helps to release the pieces of food that are stuck in between our teeth. It should be the first step of your routine.

2- Unless you have braces, or gum problems, you shouldn't use Mouthwash with Alcohol in it. Alcohol is proved to cause cancer in your mouth and you should try to avoid it. My Dental hygienist was the one who told me. The alcohol is good if you have braces or gun problems because it helps not only to numb it but also to disinfect. Even so, you should not used it for more than two weeks in a row, or you should deglute it. I am telling you all this, but to be honest I need that burn of the alcohol to really feel like my mouth was really disinfected!

3 - Whitening toothpaste doesn't make your teeth whiter. Have you noticed how some toothpastes have like a sandy texture? The truth is that most whiting toothpastes are very abrasive for your teeth. When you are brushing with them, it's like you are exfoliating the top layer of your teeth enamel  --top layer of your teeth --  that is stained yellow. And yeah, of course that they will look whiter, but after several years of using this, your will lose this top layer and you will have a lot of sensitivity to heat, cold or acid beverages. I've actually noticed this before --  when I use Max White or Oral B tooth paste my teeth get super sensitive to temperature.

4 - You shouldn't rinse your your mouth after brushing. Toothpaste usually has a lot of fluorine. That is great for avoiding and preventing cavities! After brushing you shouldn't clean your mouth with water. Instead you should just spit out all the excess toothpaste and just leave some remaining in you mouth. Usually people do this with mouthwash -- after brushing, you gargle with mouthwash, then you spit it out and you leave some lingering around in your mouth...  but hey mouthwash only has (if it even has) 300-500 ppm of Florine. While toothpaste has around 1500 ppm!

5 - Softer toothbrushes are always better than harder one. The bristles on your toothbrush should be hard or medium, but soft. The strength of the bristles doesn't make your teeth cleaner. Again, it only hurts your enamel or your gums. You should always use a soft toothbrush, And you should never forget to brush closer to your gums --  because that's where all the junk gets stuck!

6 - Electrical toothbrushes do not clean your teeth better than a manual one. It's a misconception transmitted to us by this industry and marketing. In fact, my dentist told me that now-a-days electrical toothbrush are advised only for people that may not be able to do an OK job with a manual one, because their mobility or dexterity is compromised. Like kids or elderly people. Otherwise there is no point on investing in a electric toothbrush.

Did you knew these facts? If you know any other interesting tips and tricks, leave me a comment and tell me, please ;)

Inbox | Dresslink

Back in January, I did a post about Dresslink and I ordered some of the items on that list. All the things were awesome and too good of a deal to pass on! I received my package today and I'm loving everything so far! Everything came in extremely well packed, in individual bags and super well protected! I have no complaints about the size or the materials of the products. The T-Shirt fits me perfectly -- I ordered an M -- and the ring is gorgeous and it feels like it could have been bought at any other accessories store. The make up brush is super soft and fluffy. I haven't tried it with actual make up --  because I just want to wash it first -- but it feels super good on my skin! But the pièce de résistance is this barbie pink bag! It is so pretty IRL, the material feels really nice.  And it was so cheap. I've seen bags like this in regular stores, costing 20+€!  The only thing is that I feel like the zippers and the hooks for the handler aren't that great, but it should be fine since usually I don't carry a lot of weight in my bags, specially on smaller bags like this. 

HERE

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Healty Habits | Sparkly Water

I've talked about this here on the blog before --  I have a problem when it comes to drinking water. I don't have the habit of drinking water during the day. I've tried so many different things to fix this: having a water bottle with me all the time, using an alarm to remind me, drinking tea, and even some pinterest hacks. But the only think that was really working for me was drinking sparkly water.

When I was living in Paris, I would buy every day a 1L of Badoit Sparkly Water.

 

Some times I would buy the flavorless kind or the one with flavors. The mint one was supper good and it was my favorite flavor. But there was also raspberry, lemon, lime and passion fruit! They are all so tasty! It tastes almost like soda, but it was just flavored water. I would buy one bottle before going to work and my goal was to drink it all before leaving at the end of the day. And it was working perfectly! Badoit, although is a very fancy brand of water, is supper cheap --  the flavorless kind costs maybe 0,85€ and the flavored kind 1€. (It's expensive when compared to regular water, I know, but it's not that bad. It's cheaper than an expresso, there!). But since I moved to Lisbon, well let's say I have a problem with this method. We don't have Badoit here. We have Pedras Salgadas or Frize. And they only sell 1L bottles for the flavorless kinds and it costs 1.40€! Am I the only one that thinks this is extremely over priced?! I have been buying the Pedras Salgadas Flavorless 1L bottle because I need to drink water and apparently this is the only type  of water my brain craves. But hey, if I need to sepnd 1.40€ everyday to keep me hydrated I will!  

This or That #6 | Sports

I'm dying to see your answers on this one! 

Can I say both?

Weird Habits | Pillows

I always need to sleep with at least two pillows: one for my head and one just to have near me, to hold or just to lean up on. This extra pillow just comforts me.