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The Arc of my Beauty Routine

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May 5, 2020

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of ARC. All opinions are 100% mine.

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As a frequent traveler, it can be so hard to stick to a beauty routine – especially since I travel with just a carry-on most of the time! Because of this, I have completely modified my beauty routine to reflect my on-the-go lifestyle, while still being effective. I’ve talked about how I stick to clean beauty products in the past, as well as shared my skin journey, but I’ve also incorporated another new item into my beauty routine: ARC whitening pen.

I have to be honest, I have never been a big teeth whitening gal. I tried it here and there in college, but I hated having strips on my teeth for so long and it made my teeth so sensitive! Like seriously unbearable. So I haven’t used any whitening products in over ten years. Cut to a couple months ago when I started noticing my teeth looking a little dull in my photos. I’ll be honest, I was tempted to whiten them up a little in an editing app. That’s when I realized I needed to take action to do something about it.

So back to my beauty routine. Whether I’m at home, or in Puerto Rico, or Bali, I follow the same steps.

Let’s start with my morning beauty routine.

First things first, I drink at least 8oz of water before anything else. It’s so incredibly important to stay hydrated for so many reasons, but the impact it has had on my skin is incredible.

Next, I brush my teeth (so exciting, right?!).

Now this is where it might get surprising: I don’t wash my face in the morning. I feel like it’s healthy for my natural oils to do their thang. I do rinse it with warm water though.

If I have some toner pads or any other kind of facial pads (I rotate a lot), I sweep one over my face.

Next, I moisturize! I absolutely love Beautycounter – if you’ve ever tried La Mer, this is like the better, clean version. And then if I’m going outside, I put on SPF as well.

Finally, it’s coffee time! I literally can’t live without it, so it is what it is. I realize some people like to brush their teeth after their coffee, but not me!

After my first cup of coffee (about 30 minutes later), I use some mouthwash and then it’s time for ARC! I quickly brush the whitening treatment on my teeth with the pen (I skip the molars). It takes about 5-10 seconds. Then I just smile for 60 seconds before closing my mouth and going about my day as normal.

When I’m in another country and we decide to go out for coffee, I just bring my pen with me. I can easily just run to the bathroom to brush it on, or use my selfie camera and put it on anywhere – so easy! You can’t eat or drink for an hour after applying, so good thing I chugged that water and coffee earlier, right?!

The pen is awesome because for only $20 (available at everyone’s favorite store – Target!), you can get whiter teeth within 14 days. I’ve been using it for a couple weeks now and I’m so glad I decided to try whitening again! In fact, since I’m not experiencing any sensitivity at all, I may try their other products too, like the whitening blue light. Another thing I really like is that ARC uses the same enamel-safe whitening ingredient that dentists use, which I think might be why I don’t have sensitivity.

Now I have to admit, my nighttime beauty routine has a few more steps than my morning beauty routine. It can be rough to do it all when I’ve been exploring all day or even just working all day. I tend to stay up past the point of being tired. I’m actually writing this blog post at 11pm – ha! Anyway…

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Here’s my nighttime beauty routine:

This one starts with water as well, I make sure to drink 8oz before I go upstairs to bed. I also bring a cup with my up there just in case, but I never end up drinking it.

If I wore makeup that day, I remove it with a makeup wipe. Then I wash my face with Beautycounter’s . It’s my all-time favorite beauty product and I can’t live without it! When I’m feeling lazy, I’ll only do one of the two, but I usually don’t wear makeup so that’s how I justify it.

Next, I brush my teeth and floss. Again, sometimes I’m lazy and skip the flossing but hey, nobody here is perfect ok!

Then, I brush on ARC using the same simple method described above.

The next step is my tretinoin cream. This stuff is an absolute lifesaver. It has completely transformed my skin and
is always my top recommendation for hyperpigmentation and breakouts! I get mine from WIFH.

Finally, I put on my again and by the morning, I’m glowing and my smile is brilliant!

I’m really excited that I decided to try teeth whitening again. I feel so much more confident when I’m smiling and it hasn’t even been the full two weeks yet! And the fact that I could so easily incorporate it into my very minimal beauty routine is such a plus. I read somewhere a long time ago that a great way to form a habit is to associate the new habit with an old one. So the old habit for me is drinking coffee. Now every time I finish that first cup of coffee, my mind instantly connects it with using the ARC pen. It’s pretty fascinating, but also very convenient!

It’s taken years, but I feel like I’ve finally found a solid, yet minimal beauty routine that works well for me. But I’d like to hear from you on this topic as well! What’s the story behind your smile?

What’s your beauty routine?

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Photos by Ryan Carpenter.

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