Teeth whitening kit and a giveaway

I was given the opportunity to try out a teeth whitening kit by Smile Brilliant* a few months ago and also host a giveaway for this teeth whitening kit. I hope you don't mind another giveaway! This will probably be the last one for awhile, as I'd like to focus on my own blog content rather than doing reviews and product giveaways.

That said, I have been thinking of whitening my teeth professionally for awhile now so this whitening kit couldn't have come at a better time. I've tried a few drugstore whitening kits before, but they never seemed to work for me. The thing I love about this kit is that you have the ability to make trays that fit your teeth perfectly. They give you all the things you need to make an impression using a clay that they include in the kit. You mail your teeth impressions back to the company and within a few weeks you have perfectly fitting trays. The whitening gel they give you also lasts a long time, at least it has lasted me a long time (I still haven't finished the first container and they send you three). I decided to whiten my teeth slowly as I didn't know how they would respond to the whitening gel. The first time I tried it, there were white spots that appeared on my teeth and I admit I freaked out a bit! But they actually faded within an hour or less. Because of that, I decided to only use the whitening gel every other day for no more than an hour at a time. I can see a slight difference in the color of my teeth, but they never were very yellow to begin with. I drink coffee every day and I haven't given that up while doing this, so perhaps that makes a difference. So far I am happy with the results and I am planning to continue with the whitening gel every other evening up to an hour at a time until my teeth are as white as I want them to be. It's also important to note that you should not use this kit if you are pregnant or nursing.

If you would like to be included in a drawing to win this teeth whitening kit, sign up below and I will pick a random winner in one week. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*I received this teeth whitening kit, courtesy of Smile Brilliant, in exchange for this review/giveaway.

Three Year Wedding Anniversary!!

Today Jed and I are celebrating THREE whole years of being married! I cannot believe it has already been this long! We have enjoyed every bit of those three years (plus the two years we had together before we got hitched). Sometimes I think about how crazy lucky I am to have met him. How we met is kind of funny, actually. We "knew of" each other for a long time because we were both homeschooled and were enrolled in the same homeschool assistance program. However I was much more involved in that program than Jed was, so our paths never crossed during our school years. In fact, I actually went to his high school graduation without even knowing who he was! And he remembers seeing me at a high school play my little brother was in. I guess I was the only person knitting in the theatre and he thought that was cute! Anyway, years later he and one of my brothers became friends and started hanging out together with his siblings to watch movies every week. Apparently my brother talked me up so much that it led Jed to go find me on Facebook and invite me to movie night. He didn't think I would come and I thought FOR SURE my brother was trying to set me up and I almost didn't go. But I ended up going anyway and boy am I glad I did! At first I wasn't really interested in a relationship, so when Jed asked me out, I told him right off that I wasn't interested. But there was something in Jed's reply that made me re-think my decision. And actually, Jed said later on that he didn't actually think he was asking me out on a date and didn't realize how obvious it was that he liked me! But I think girls generally have a pretty good idea when a guy is coming onto them. In any case, I feel bad now that I turned him down so hard at first without thinking that maybe he just wanted to be friends. We ended up going on that date and it turned out to be an incredibly awkward time, at least that's what I thought! Soon afterwards, I got a Facebook message from Jed saying he had a wonderful time! No way! I really thought that it went badly and that he didn't like me at all after that date. Looking back now I see how much I read into everything. Needless to say, I agreed to go on a second date, and when I finally stopped over analyzing everything, I realized what a sweet and kind person he was and how much fun we were having together. The rest is history! I love him more than anyone in this world and that love grows deeper every single day. And I know he loves me every bit as much. He's my best friend and the one person I can talk to about anything and everything. We are both unique with somewhat different personalities, and I think that makes our relationship as a couple more interesting, but also challenging! He makes me a better person. I don't know what I would do without him! Perhaps it's silly to say, but I truly believe we were made for each other.

P.S. These pictures were recently taken at my brother's wedding (the same brother who I thought was trying to set me up) at the very spot we were married three years ago. We were married in an old 19th century church in Amana Iowa and it just so happened that my brother had his wedding reception there this past May!

From the archive... One year ago, two years ago, the engagement, our wedding day, honeymooning in PEI

Pre-Order a Floral Sleeveless Top

Just wanted to give you all a heads up in case you are interested in having a Floral Sleeveless Top made in the fabric of your choice. I'm about to make an order for more floral lawn and before I do that, I wanted to give anyone who might be interested, the option of choosing your fabric. If you are interested in ordering a top, please send me an email and I will show you the fabrics you can choose from. You can send me an email at gracefullady@gmail.com

Thanks!! xx

I turned 30!!

Yesterday I celebrated my 30th birthday! I cannot believe I'm already 30 years old! Yikes, I guess I'm getting old? And before you tell me I'm NOT old, don't worry I don't actually think 30 is old. I don't even really know what old IS anymore. I definitely don't look 30, although truthfully, I wouldn't mind if I did look a bit older! I have always been mistaken for an age years younger than I am, and I would be lying if I didn't say that has always been a frustration. I shouldn't complain, though. Being mistaken for younger is, I suppose, better than being mistaken for older! In any case, it feels good to be 30. I feel like a real "adult" now!

Jed and I had the most wonderful time spending the entire day together and ending it by watching a silly romantic comedy and also a little Disney flick from the 1960's that I just had to see again (after 20 years). Perhaps the reason I look so much younger is because I'm really a child at heart. I doubt I'll ever get tired of those old 1960's and 70's Disney movies. I enjoy them so much, it's almost embarrassing how happy they make me!

Cheers to anyone else who has a birthday in June!

xx
Anna

Jord Watch Giveaway!

JORD*, a company that makes wooden watches recently contacted me about reviewing one of their products. I happily agreed and decided on the Fieldcrest watch in black for my husband. After receiving the watch in the mail, I secretly wished I had picked one out for myself! It really is lovely and beautifully made. Jed is very happy with his new watch and I think it really suits him. One thing to note, the watch band is sized for larger wrists so we had to remove two links which required a tiny screwdriver. Once we had the proper screwdriver, it was easy to adjust the size.

Now to the fun part! JORD has kindly agreed to offer my readers a chance to win the Fieldcrest Series watch in black. All you have to do is sign up below and a winner will be chosen in one week. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway



*I received the watch pictured, courtesy of JORD, in exchange for this review/giveaway.

New in the shop!

Edit 5/15: I have enough fabric for one more made-to-order Bachelor's Button Dress. When the fabric is gone, I will not be able to get more! I also have one size small ready made! 

I updated my shop with the items I currently have in stock. If you would like something listed in a different size, please feel free to contact me! gracefullady@gmail.com

 B I G  C A R T E L

or

E T S Y

 www.annaallenclothing.com

Anna Allen Clothing: SS2014 Preview

This season I don't have a big collection to show you because a lot is going on right now while being away from home. But I did want to make a few things for the SS2014 season! This dress is perfect for spring and summer. It's light weight and the fabric is to die for. I bought this fabric from England over a year ago and have been waiting to use it for the perfect garment ever since. This dress is based off of the sleeveless blouse I am also including in this season's collection. It's a staple that can be paired with a sweater or jacket, which is what I love most about this style. This dress is slightly more fitted, with darts in the front and back. I love how it reminds me of a vintage 1960's shirtdress. I hope to have it available this week and will update here when it is ready.

How to curl your hair in less than 20 minutes

This post contains affiliate links. Scroll down for coupon codes, updated 5/30/16

I thought I would share with you a quick hairstyle I like to do often because it's SO easy and lasts several days. Recently I purchased the NuMe curling wand (I used a coupon which made it very affordable) because I had been reading a lot about how good it was and I was looking for an easier way to curl my hair that would last longer than a day. I love my vintage hot rollers set, but they take a bit more time and they're not always convenient for travel. 

I decided on the 19mm curling wand and I really like this size. I watched a few reviews of the NuMe curling wands and a lot of people were using the 25mm or 32mm, but I wanted a little more curl so I decided to try a size smaller. However, I would really love to try out the larger curling wands and see if I can get a 1970's wave. If I am able to acquire one of those I'll update with another tutorial! 

If you have never used a curling wand before, make sure you use the heat protecting glove (the NuMe wand came with a glove, but I don't really use it anymore). Also definitely put something on your hair to protect it from the heat. I have been using this heat protection spray by Tresemme.

Step 1:  Curl front hair/bangs away from your face. Continue curling the rest of your hair away from your face, grabbing sections and wrapping it around the curling wand until you have curled all of your hair. This does not have to be perfect! The larger the section of hair you grab, the longer you hold it on the curling wand. Every type of hair is different, but mine is pretty thick so I hold the curl anywhere from 20-30 seconds (about 1" or more sections) or more like 10-15 seconds if I grab a smaller (1/2" section). If you have finer hair, hold it on for less time! As you can see in the last picture here, my hair definitely is not perfectly curled! Let the curls cool completely before you move onto the next step.

Step 2: After you have curled the majority of your hair, tip your head back and using your fingers at the roots, "shake" the curls out. At this point, you can add more curls if you think you need more.

Step 3: Take a section at the top of your head, towards the back and tease it with a comb. I like to add a bit of hairspray at this point. I sometimes tease more than one section, depending on how high I want my hair to be.

Step 4: Then curl the teased section of hair, wrapping the hair down around the curling wand. I sometimes add a few more curls around this area. Separate these curls with your fingers.

Step 5: Once I'm all finished curling, I like to add a bit of hairspray (I use Elnett) to add volume so I grab some hair and pull it up while spraying a mist of hairspray underneath the top layer of hair. This adds lots of volume. And you're done! This style takes me less than 20 minutes to complete, and lasts for days! I've found these curls last up to 2-3 days on my hair. I even like how my hair looks on the second day better. If you feel the need to have more curl the second or third day, just heat up the wand and add a few extra curls, which only takes a few minutes. So fast and easy! 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and do try it on yourself sometime! Let me know if you have any questions or if you would like other tutorials like this.

xoxo 

Anna

P.S. Here are some coupon codes if you are interested! 

(New discounts! Updated 5/30/16)

ANY wand $28! Use code: PICKONE (expires 5/31)

Buy any wand 50% off, get a FREE Style Setter Straightener and Free Shipping! Use code GETYOURS

Any set $88! Use code ANYSET88 (expires 5/31)

Silhouette Straightener + Argan oil $39. Use code QUICK39


(The codes below may or may not work. Some have expired.)

$110 OFF any set! Use code LOVETHIS

70% off all wands + Free US/Canada Shipping. Use code CURLS70

60% OFF all wands + Free US Shipping. Use code CURLS50

50% off Sitewide (excludes collections, haircare, access) + Free US Shipping! Use code SAVEBIG

Curl Jam + Dryer + WT Shampoo & Conditioner $179. Use code ITSALLGOOD

Megastar + Argan + FREE US Shipping $79. Use code MEGAGOOD

Power Couple Set + Free US Shipping $79. Use code POWERSET

Buy 2 CLASSIC WANDS + Free US Shipping $58. Use code 2FORME

Titan 3 + Free US Shipping $89. Use code 3WAYCURLS

Bold Dryer + Free US Shipping $59. Use code BOLD59

All Sets (including Octowands!) + Free US Shipping $99. Use code 99SETS

White Truffle Collection $49. Use code HAIRCARE

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small percentage of sales if you make a purchase using these links. However, the item featured in this post was purchased by me and I was not paid to write this review/tutorial. All opinions are my own.