Smile Brilliant Review and Giveaway

November 10, 2017 By Hollie in Reviews Tags: Giveaway, personal, review 8 Comments

As most people know, I like coffee. As in I drink it almost every day. As much as I wish coffee didn’t stain your teeth, it does.

Recently, I had the chance to try Smile Brilliant. Smile Brilliant is an easy to use, smooth, custom fitted whitening system.

Spoiler: They work well as my parents asked if I stopped drinking coffee and I have received multiple compliments on my teeth.

A bit different review than running shoes, or fitness products, but Smile Brilliant was kind enough to send me a complimentary system and who doesn’t want whiter teeth?

What is Smile Brilliant?

A professional, custom whitening treatment that you can use in your own home. Prior to Smile Brilliant being on the market, a custom fitted tray system was only available at the dentist office. At the dentist office, these systems can cost upwards of 500-1000 dollars.

How does Smile Brilliant Work?

To get a custom fit, Smile Brilliant sends you a kit that includes: Base and Catalyst Paste to make your impressions.

Followed by all of the equipment you need to make it. It reminds me of going to the orthodontist and getting your lifelong retainer. After following the directions, it molds to your teeth, and you send it back so they can make your customized mold.

First, you mix the pastes together and then press them into the plastic trays. Like when you got a retainer made (if you did), you place them in your mouth, bite down for 2+ minutes and then remove.

You will make your own impressions, but if LOLZ can do it, believe me, it’s fairly simple. Smile Brilliant also gives you an extra mix in case you mess up.

Then you just have to mail them back in the prepaid mailer and Smile Brilliant will create your molds and send them back to you. For me, it took less than 2 weeks for my custom molds and get started.

Realistically it’s all about Results:

First and essential, the custom molds fit my teeth perfectly. I kept them in without noticing, and they didn’t fall out or irritate my mouth. I also didn’t feel as though I was forcing them to stay in or it was a burden to do. Like anyone, I want whiter teeth, but I don’t want to feel hassled while doing so! This was never an issue.

I’ve tried a few whitening systems where I felt like I was focused on keeping them in and was aware of the trays in my mouth. Smile Brilliant recommends keeping the trays in for a couple of hours, and I was able to do that with no issues. Typically, I put them in in the evenings when I was relaxing.

After using the whitening gel. They also include a “desensitizing gel” to use for about 15 after your sessions. The first few sessions, I definitely felt as though I needed it, but afterward, I did not. While I still used it, I didn’t feel as though my teeth or gums were more sensitive to using the system!

Did I notice a change? You Bet! I had several people, including relatives, ask if I had stopped drinking coffee or gotten something done with my teeth. I’m happy with my results, and it’s a system I will continue to use. You are able to continue buying more gel when needed!

Posting extremely close up photos of my teeth is not what I dream of, but it does show results.

If you are looking for something easy and simple to enhance your teeth, I would recommend Smile Brilliant.

View this post on Instagram

They say the early bird gets the worm and for me; that's missing the storm rolling through later.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Oct 26, 2017 at 5:28am PDT

Smile Brilliant sent the kit to use, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Plus, the photos are untouched, and results speak for themselves.

Deals and a Giveaway:

I have a 10% coupon code for you: Fueledbylolz10

You can enter the Giveaway to win your own Smile Brilliant kit here.
It’s open for 1 week and will end on Friday, November 17th.

Questions for you:
Have you ever used a Teeth Whitening System?
Are you a coffee or tea drinker?

//www.smilebrilliant.com/widget-article/fueledbylolz

The Differences of Non-runners and Runners

August 11, 2016 By Hollie in Reads, Reviews, Running, Running Reads Tags: blog, blogging, fitness, humor, lol, run, running 26 Comments

It may be hard to remember, but there are people in the world that don’t run! The life of Runners and non-runners is drastically different. I can remember a time I didn’t run and can relate to all of these. Thinking out loud, every person, athlete or not, has a routine.

How do runners and non-runners stack up against each other?

Budget

Non-runners: Non-runners save money for a lot of different things: happy hour, the newest technology or even a great wardrobe. Whatever if it is, they put away money to do the enjoyable “fun things”.

Runners: We save money for new shoes, new workout clothing and of course races. Don’t forget the newest GPS watch. The smaller the watch, the more money it is. Without these things we can’t do what we love! Right?

Beauty Routine:

Non-runners: Non-runners know how to make their features look great. They spend an hour preparing for the day and look flawless every single day. They have time to hit every last detail, all while looking through the best wrinkle cream reviews to boot. Each outfit is perfect.

Runners: Runners have mastered the ability to shower and put on makeup within 10 minutes. Did they just workout on the treadmill or are those fashionable leggings? The world may never know…Good thing fashion has evolved into a lot more comfort.

Eating on the Go and Snacking:

Non-Runners: Non-runners can go hours without eating. Forget to pack a snack? That’s fine, they just hit up the vending machine and are ready to go.   Life doesn’t revolve around snacking and being rungry all of the time. If a meeting goes late, oh well!

Runners: Our non-running friends know us as the vending machine to go. We have more snacks in our bags than a mini-mall. Are you craving an apple or a chocolate bar? We have both. Runners are never without snacks because you never know when the stomach will start talking. When Runger hits, you have approximately 5 minutes to get us to the nearest supply of food, or you will see rage that you have never seen before.

Weekends

Non-Runners: After the work week is over, non-runners often catch up with friends by going out for happy hour or dinner. They have a few drinks, dance and let loose. Most of Saturday and Sunday is spent relaxing and catching up on other hobbies.

Runners: Runners look forward to the weekend too! It’s either race weekend or long run weekend! Either way, we are waking up earlier than a weekday. We spend Friday night cuddled up in PJs, watching a movie and in bed sleeping before 9.

Weekend Brunches:

Non-Runners: Non-runners wake up anywhere between 8 and noon. After a well-rested sleep, they meet friends at a neighborhood breakfast spot. It doesn’t matter if it’s crowded because nonrunners are just waking up and going out to eat. They aren’t starving yet. Of course, our non-running friends look gorgeous and spent a few extra minutes getting ready for brunch. Heck, they might even fill up on mimosas beforehand! No wonder they are so happy waiting hours for a table!

Runners: On the weekend, runners wake up well before the weekday. We get our long runs in and before we know it, it’s time to eat, and we are just trying to make it there on time. There is nothing more cringeworthy than waiting for brunch after a long run. A messy bun, somewhat fashionable workout clothing and an old pair of sneakers are our signature brunch look.

Question for you: What is something you do that your “non-running” friends might not understand?

Silver Coin Diner

May 28, 2016 By Hollie in Diners, Resturants, Reviews Tags: diners, food, hammonton, new jersey, restaurant, restaurat 5 Comments

Last month I celebrated my 100th New Jersey Diner. While I’ve been to several diners out of state and even repeated a few, The Silver Coin Diner was my 100th different diner in the state of New Jersey. I do plan to have a recap sometime later next week.

Both my parents and in-laws were in town and got to celebrate with me as well. I didn’t wait for the Silver Coin to be number 100, it just happened that way! Since it was late after work, we decided to meet at a more local diner, the Silver Coin Diner in Hammonton, NJ. A fun fact about Hammonton is it’s the Blueberry capital of the country. It’s a beautiful local town.

Getting to the Silver Coin Diner wasn’t challenging. It’s located right on the main road and easy to get too.

Atmosphere: F

I should preface this with the outside of the Silver Coin Diner is a cute, old shiny metallic building. It’s a picture perfect stereotypical diner.

The inside has the typical diner layout of a bar, multiple booths, and tables. You’re probably wondering, how does it fail?

The tables were on top of each other. They were so close both the waitress and host asked us multiple times to move the position of how we were sitting so they could get around the table. It felt like they were trying to put ten tables in a space only three should have been. What bothered me the most was the emergency exit door was covered by another table. If there is an emergency, you wouldn’t be able to get out of the door.

Service: C
The waitress was friendly, and she refilled our water, coffee, and food. She made an ironic comment about “how much I ate” which I didn’t appreciate but other than the comment I don’t have any complaints.

Coffee: A
The Silver Coin Diner uses the local brew Lacas coffee. I enjoyed my coffee and didn’t have any complaints. The coffee was my favorite part of the experience.

Food: C
The menu at the Silver Coin Diner is smaller than most diners.

I ordered a Greek salad with salmon and extra pita bread. The waitress said the salad came with pita, but I was running the next day and wanted extra. When the food came out, it came with a small plate of bread. I assumed I would just receive two plates but didn’t.

The salad itself was mediocre. The salad itself was small with watery lettuce. I wasn’t impressed and still hungry afterwords. I felt like I could have eaten 2-3 more meals. It was ironic because afterwords the waitress kept saying how impressed she was that I finished the salad.

What saved the salad from failing was the salmon which was cooked well.

If I come back, I’ll be getting just the salmon or something different all together.

Cost: $$$
For my coffee and salad, the cost was $16 which was expensive for the portion size and quality.

Summary/Would I come back?
The Silver Coin Diner was ok but not my favorite. I was disappointed after hearing great things about it, and I doubt I’ll be back.

Overall:
Atmosphere: F
Service: C
Coffee: A
Food: C
Cost: $8-15
Overall: C

Questions for you:
What’s the strangest restaurant layout you’ve been too?
Do you like blueberries?

The Wisdom Diner

September 5, 2015 By Hollie in Diners, Resturants, Reviews Tags: Diner, food, new jersey, restaurant, review, salmon 5 Comments

Last month my brother, Tim and I all decided to go to the Wisdom Diner in Bordentown, NJ. I have driven by several times but never stopped. It’s always been on my “diner to do list”. It’s much closer to my previous house so when we moved it got put on the back burner until we happened to be in the area.

Atmosphere: B

The outside is clean and modern looking. It’s a tall, white building on the corner of the road. The building certainly catches your eye and makes you want to stop. That is a good thing because there are about 5 other diners within 5 minutes of the Wisdom Diner.

From the Wisdom Diner Website

The inside is festive and heavily decorated for the closest holiday. Judging by several photos, it appears the Wisdom diner decorates for every season. I like that sort of hometown feeling!

Service: C

The service at the restaurant was one of the most awkward experiences I’ve ever had. I ordered a typical coffee with whipped cream. The first waiter brought over an entire can of whipped cream. The second waitress seemed very upset we had the container of whipped cream at our table.

We were the only ones in the restaurant, but the service was still extremely slow. You would have thought it was a packed house! At one point we saw every staff member behind the counter chatting and watching TV.

Food: C

The Wisdom diner has a lot on their menu but stick with simple foods and menu items. There was honestly nothing too unique or to write to home about. They had breakfast options, lunch and dinner. There wasn’t anything unusual from the restaurant.

I ordered the large Greek Salad with salmon. It was clear they gave a piece of frozen salmon. The middle of salmon was still slightly cold. The salad wasn’t very large and I finished feeling hungry. With the exception of the frozen salmon, it wasn’t a bad salad but I do wish it had actually been larger.

It looked and tasted like food I could have made at my house.

Cost: $

For my salad, my brothers wrap and Tim’s burger the cost was $35. It was a relatively cheap diner but the quality of food reflected that.

Overall thoughts/Would I come back?

The service at the Wisdom Diner wasn’t great and the food was just okay. There are a few diners right down the road (such as Mastoris, Daphnes or Town & Country) that I would go too before the Wisdom Diner. It’s not a bad stop but there are better choices down the road.

Cliff notes:
Atmosphere: B
Service: C
Food: C
Price: $7-15
Overall: C

Question for you: What is the strangest experience you’ve had at a restaurant?

Green Eggs Cafe

August 22, 2015 By Hollie in Diners, Resturants, Reviews Tags: Diner, food, Pancakes, philadelphia, restaurant 10 Comments

A few weeks ago, I went into Philadelphia to eat at the Green Eggs Cafe. I heard rumors Green Eggs have the best pancakes around. Of course I had to test it out. Green Eggs Cafe is very well known for their large square stack of red velvet pancakes.

I arrived to the Green Eggs Cafe around 11. It wasn’t crowded and I was seated immediately.

Atmosphere: B
It’s open and modern. There are plenty of seating and open tables. The entry way was a little strange and I felt like I was awkwardly standing in front of tables to wait. The inside is spacious and I never felt like I was sitting on top of anyone. The entry is just extremely awkward.

From the Green Eggs Cafe website

Coffee: A
The coffee was excellent. The waitress went into a lot of detail to tell me they used home made vegan whipped cream. I thought that was really interesting and unique. I would have never guessed it was vegan but honestly it didn’t matter to me either way. (I forgot to take a photo of my coffee!)

Food: A
The Green Eggs cafe has plenty of options from breakfast to lunch. They had quite a few different egg selections, French toast and pancakes. They are best known for their French toast and red velvet pancakes. I came specifically for the pancakes so I already knew what I wanted before looking at the menu.

Red velvet cake is my favorite type of dessert so I was set in getting the red velvet pancakes. They were deliscious and one of the best stacks of pancakes I have ever had. They were dense and very filling. The red velvet pancakes had chocolate chips baked in.

The actual pancakes were square with the edges a little bit crispy. I liked the crispy edges a lot. It was topped with chantilly cream which it also had in the center. Honestly it was one of the best breakfasts I have ever had.

Cost: $$
For my pancakes and coffee it was $20 dollars. Honestly it was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had and completely worth it.

Overall thoughts/Would I come back?
I would come back everyday if I could. The service and staff was extremely friendly and the food was deliscious. I want to try the cookie dough French toast next.

Cliff notes:
Atmosphere: B
Coffee: A
Food: A
Price: $15-20
Overall: A (top 5 overall)

Questions for you:
Where are the best pancakes you’ve ever had?
Do you like red velvet?

The Trolley Car Diner

August 8, 2015 By Hollie in Diners, Resturants, Reviews Tags: Diner, donuts, food, philadelphia, restaurant, review 13 Comments

The Trolley Car Diner (Philadelphia, PA)

After the “Run For the Hill of It” 5 miler a few weeks ago, Kara and I decided to head to a local diner. I heard the Trolley Car Diner was excellent and it was only 2 miles away.

Atmosphere: A

It’s hard to beat the atmosphere of a diner in an old trolley car. There have been additions to the trolley car so the actual inside has plenty of space. For a crowded Saturday, they had plenty of tables open. We were seated quickly in the back.

awkward trolley car photo

The inside is a throwback to the fifties. It’s exactly what you picture a diner. Everything about the diner from the outside to the inside to the menu is a throwback to the 50s.

Coffee: A

The coffee came in a cute personalized Trolley Car Diner mug. I always enjoy coffee mugs that aren’t boring and plain white. The Trolley car diner had their logo on the mug, which added a great touch. The coffee itself was also delicious. The waitress gave me whipped cream every single time. Even though they were busy she gave many refills.

Food: A

The menu at the Trolley Car is overwhelming. Like most diners, they have everything from pancakes and eggs, to nova lox, to salads and burgers.

The Trolley car diner is known for their donuts. I don’t know many diners known for donuts but it made it unique. I will say their donuts were some of the best best! there were bite sized and before I knew it, I had eaten a dozen…whoops…

To offset the donut eating, I ordered the Judy’s salad with salmon a side of pita bread. The salad consisted of roasted beets, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds and spinach. I liked how fresh the spinach was. The dressing was a homemade ceaser. It was tart which paired well with the beets and feta. The salad was really good and I liked how tart the dressing was.

Cost: $

For my coffee, salad and donuts it was 17. That is really inexpensive compared to many other diners.

Overall thoughts/would I come back?

I will absolutely be back. It’s close to a new park I want to run in frequently and the quality of food was great. It is a contender for a top diner! If you go, you must try the donuts.

Cliff notes:
Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Price: $10-15

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of doughnut?
Have you ever eaten in a Trolley Car?

CW-X Compression Tights Review

March 11, 2015 By Hollie in Reviews Tags: product, review, running, tight 21 Comments

Before my marathon I bought a pair of CW-X tights. I bought them on my own free will…(IE: I’m receiving no payment and this post is not sponsored).

These tights

With flying to a goal race, I wanted to keep my body as compressed as possible (like if you open a can of Pillsbury dough boy bread and the dough explodes out). That level of compression was probably a good idea we ended up traveling 14 hours.

Actual Fit:

Moving on, I am 5’8 and 130 pounds. I ordered the small and it fit as it was supposed too. It wasn’t too comfortable but they aren’t supposed too be. I have to be honest though, they held everything in place and made my legs look better then the standard black legging. I actually think I might buy a plain black pair for that reason. They fit extremely well.

Compression:

The compression itself is good. I felt like my legs received a lot more blood flow than if I wasn’t wearing them. My calves are normally extremely tight so I’m very particular with my compression. I felt as if these gave enough to butt, hamstring, IT band without being uncomfortable.

After the race, my entire left side was tight (hip, hamstring, IT band) and I felt like it held it into the correct place. Mentally I felt a lot better with the compression tights on. My IT band gets pretty tight so I felt like these compressed appropriately. I think wearing them after the marathon is a big reason my legs are recovering quicker than I expected.

Running in CW-X Leggings:

I took these out for a few shorter runs before my race. I could notice a difference in my runs when wearing them. Similar to wearing compression sleeves or socks while running, you feel less fatigued. My quads, hamstring and upper IT band felt less fatigued than it normally would.

I didn’t chafe or overheat in them. A few pairs of leggings cause me to chafe or they are not comfortable to run in. This is not the case with the CW-X legging. They breath well and they are a comfortable legging to wear around. They aren’t the most “fashionable” but comfort over fashion.

Cost:

The cost of the CW-X legging is $105 but I do think it’s worth it. I’ve spent 90 dollars on Oiselle, Nike and Lululemon leggings that have no compression. I think they are worth it if you are looking for full leg compression.

Final Thoughts:

I would highly recommend if you are looking for compression leggings to give these a try. I would also recommend if you are looking for a legging that also makes you look great I would give these a shot as well. I think CW-X leggings are well worth their price and I would recommend them to any runner (injured or not). They have a few fun patterns out that I am debating myself.

I do believe they live up to their claim of less fatigue and faster recovery.

Questions for you:
Have you tried compression tights before?
Have you ever had IT band issues?

FueledByLOLZ

Running and Laughing through the Garden State

Category Archives: Reviews

Smile Brilliant Review and Giveaway

What is Smile Brilliant?

How does Smile Brilliant Work?

Realistically it’s all about Results:

Deals and a Giveaway: