Tried + Tested: Tarte Enbrightenmint BriteSmile® Whitener & Tarte Lipgloss

They call me mellow yellow. And unfotch., it ain't cuz I'm a laid-back lady. You see I've got a coffee habit that has quite possibly paid of the mortgage on at least three Starbucks locations in Manhattan. And now my pearly whites aren't so, um, pearly. Not only that, I'm just not one of those girls who looks good saying "prune" before getting a photo snapped a-la some newly 22ized twins. All of this of course makes me feel about as confident as a basement about myself, especially whenever I meet one of those girls with day-glow white teeth. I've tried those strips and the mouthwashes, but for some reason or another I haven't had the patience to wait for the results.

And then it happened—Tarte read my mind and came out with Enbrightenmint ($26) in May—and my mellow days were numbered. The handy-dandy, make-my-mouth better tool is a double-brushed (looove those!) tooth brightener from BriteSmile and a mint-scented gloss with blue under tones from Tarte (trust me that's not as weird as it sounds). First the whitener: Once you figure out the how to click the formula onto the tip, you simply brush-a-brush across the offending hued fangs.

The packaging suggests that you wait about 30 minutes before eating or drinking anything. But I personally found that swishing cold water not only assuaged the on-the-line questionable taste, but also spread the formula to some hard to reach spots. But please, pretty please if you use this tip, do only a simple swish.

Then there's the Tarte gloss. The the minty scent is so fabu, I've actually started an unstoppable cycle of apply, lick, yum-o, lick, yum-o, apply… But I digress, the real reason the radiant red and pearly pink shades are so fantaboluu is because they've got that blue undertone thing I mentioned. You see, the bit of blue plays a little optical illusion and brings the pearly back into the whites. So presto, chang-o I'm all Chesire Cat happy and ready to say "cheese." And the fact that proceeds go to support the rainforest make that smile all the brighter. - Jenna Mahoney