If I had to choose 1 thing to focus on beauty wise for the holiday season it would be white teeth.  Your smile gives off such a strong impression when you first meet someone or walk into a room of people.  I always want my teeth and smile to look good, but especially when I have a jam packed social calendar! Crest 3D WhitestripsI’ve been using Crest 3D Whitestrips for over a decade – since I was a junior in high school!  I first started when I got asked to prom, and noticed my teeth were looking less than pearly white 2 weeks prior.  I stole my mom’s Whitestrips and they worked like a charm.  Honestly, I felt confident and beautiful and had the best time (despite my date being a total dud…lol.)  I’ve been using Whitestrips regularly ever since (they’re my secret weapon for white teeth!!!!) For the holiday season, I always like to amp up my whitening regimen and I just finished a “14 Day Challenge” of sorts using the Crest 3D White Glamorous White Whitestrips.  They’re so easy to use – I literally put them on first thing in the morning before I brush my teeth, and wear them for 30 minutes.  Within 3 days you start seeing results which is exciting and by Day 14 your results are amazing – trust me – and last up to 6 months.   They don’t slip and you can wear them while you’re talking on the phone, doing your makeup, dashing out to a holiday party – and you can even drink water in them. The first set of pictures is from when I started and was heading to a meeting, and the second set of pictures were pre-date night with Derek.  My teeth feel sparkly white and holiday ready :)  Amazon is including the Crest 3D White Glamorous White Whitestrips in their Cyber Monday sale so it’s the perfect excuse to snap them up and start your own 14 Day Challenge.  You can shop them here!

I’ve been testing face oils for the last 3 months and am SO excited to share my favorites with you!  I had never even heard of face oil until about 8 months ago (clearly I was living under a rock!)  Thankfully my beauty junkie girlfriend was kind enough to inform me.  Once I started incorporating face oil into my skincare routine I was HOOKED. Face oil is basically an extra layer of moisturizer that you can use alone or underneath your sunscreen, eye cream, and/or moisturizer during the day or at night.  I LOVE using mine with my Clarisonic and doing lymph drainage every morning.  *Note you should always use a generous amount of oil with this device otherwise you’re stretching your skin and creating wrinkles! I wanted to debunk a few face oil myths or preconceived notions you may have about them.  Face oils do not cause breakouts, clog pores, or make your face MORE oily.  The right oils actually balance your skin and help prevent/clear up breakouts!  It’s the fatty acids in face oils that stop your skin from producing too much of the bad kind of oil which leads to blemishes. I tested a wide variety of oils from all different brands and price points.  Some are drugstore brands and some are high end luxury skincare lines – all ranging from $12 to $180.  I went into this whole face oil testing completely unbiased and clueless. Also, I ordered 10+ oils and rotated new ones every week.  Honestly, I was really surprised at what I found!  Some of the fancy brands with the pretty packaging (I’m a sucker for packaging) that I totally THOUGHT would be my favorite actually weren’t – and some of the drugstore/inexpensive oils that I assumed wouldn’t work actually DID.  So read on to see what the verdict on all of these is! Face OilsIndie Lee face oilThis is the first face oil I tried.  I love the price point ($30!) and the texture.  It’s completely all natural and cruelty free.  The smell isn’t the greatest but it’s not terrible – it just smells exactly like what it is – squalane oil.  Added perfume scent typically has harsh chemicals in it, so I’d rather have no added scent than a fake floral scent! Mara Beauty face oilThis is one of my favorite face oils.  My friend Allison created it after working in the beauty industry for years.  The packaging is SO chic and I love the texture.  It makes my skin glow!  It ties for my #1 favorite face oil next to Drunk Elephant which I’ll talk about next! Drunk Elephant face oil I had heard so many amazing things about Drunk Elephant before trying it.  It was the most popular face oil on my Instastories poll so I knew I had to include it here!  I’m so glad I did because it ended up being my #1 FAVORITE face oil!  The texture is perfect (not too thick, not too thin), it’s 100% natural and it WORKS.  My skin feels hydrated and silky smooth after using it.  LOVE LOVE LOVE. Vintner’s Daughter serum/face oilThis face oil is a celebrity cult favorite for a reason.  I was SO excited to try this, and even more excited to be able to speak with the founder herself on the phone a few months ago.  She is incredibly genuine and I am so impressed with what she has built.  She really took the time and effort to create this product and it shows – it is extremely powerful, effective, and worth every penny (yes it’s a pricier one.)  I loved the soothing essential oil smell, the fact that it is all natural/organic, and the way it evened out the texture of my skin.  It soaked right in and was perfect to put on before my moisturizer.  I prefer using this at night, and the Drunk Elephant oil in the morning with my Clarisonic since its thicker. Cocokind face oilThis paraben, all natural, cruelty free face oil was another popular oil in my Instastories poll.   I was pleasantly surprised with it considering it’s only $12!  It wasn’t as thick or moisturizing as the other oils, but definitely a great option if you don’t have dry skin and want something to absorb super fast when you’re on the go. Herbivore face oilI had high hopes for this face oil because I love the brand and the packaging is GORG!  I didn’t LOVE the strong floral/orchid scent and felt like it didn’t really improve the texture of my skin or soak in like some of the other oils.  It still moisturized my skin and I could tell it’s good quality, but for whatever reason it just didn’t wow me! Rodin Olio Lusso face oilOk this face oil was PRICEY – we are talking $170 for 1 oz.  BUT it totally changed the texture of my skin.  It evened it out, made it so silky smooth and I was obsessed with the super luxe/rich geranium and orange blossom scent.  I had never smelled anything like that combo before.  In terms of rebuying it/splurging on it again… I am still up in the air.  Even though it works wonders, it’s hard to justify spending that much when I have found other oils that are much cheaper that I love.  All I know is that I will be using this oil sparingly for special occasions so it lasts longer! Honest Beauty face oilI was so impressed with this oil.  The scent is so pleasant – it’s sweet, but not overwhelming (I am soooo sensitive to scents.)  The texture was perfect, it went on smooth, and really moisturized my skin.  It also won an Allure beauty award!  Overall this is a GREAT drugstore buy (it’s available at Target) with an ideal price point at $28.  Out of all of the oils, this was my 3rd favorite (after Drunk Elephant and Mara Beauty.) True Botanicals face oilThis was a lighter texture face oil compared to the others.  I didn’t love the super earthy scent and just wanted it to be thicker so I could use it with my Clarisonic.  I’ve heard wonderful things about this company and will absolutely keep testing their other products, but their face oil just wasn’t my fave. RMS Beauty face oilI love RMS as a company, but the scent of this face oil was so strong I couldn’t continue using it after the second time. The Buff face oilMy friend Jasmine started this company after trying a zillion different face oils and beauty products as an editor in NYC.  I love that you can customize the oil for your skin needs and add your initials to the packaging.  It makes it a fabulous gift for the beauty junkie friend in your life.  I always smile when I see it sitting on my makeup counter – it just looks CHIC! Sunday Riley face oilThis face oil is my secret weapon for acne.  If I am ever getting a breakout or pimple I put this on and it instantly dries it up and my skin is CLEAR the next morning.  Seriously this is LIFE CHANGING!!!!!  You need this in your cabinet for emergency blemishes! GiveawayI’m giving away $1000 of skincare products split amongst 10 lucky readers.  To enter, leave me a comment below telling me what oil you’re most excited to try/or already use, then like my latest IG photo and tag a friend in the comments who isn’t already following me on IG – and tell them why they should be.  Winners will be announced on Thursday – good luck!