Think of the following products as concealers, not permanent solutions to your problems, but means to camouflage or neutralize your flaws, measures to tide you over while taking more lasting treatments or steps toward your beauty goal.

Problem:  Yellow teeth.  A more long-term solution is teeth whitening via laser.  But not only does it hurt when the dentist strips off the top yellow or stained layer of your teeth, but it costs P20,000 at least (and that was the price when I had it done 10 years ago).

While you are deciding whether to go for broke for laser,  I have the quick fix for you: Close-up White Now Toothpaste.

The toothpaste brand has blue-foam technology: What it actually does is work as a color corrector.  The blue foam neutralizes the yellow tinge so teeth look instantly whiter.

Just brush your teeth for two minutes and you are all set.  Avoid coffee, tea, red wine, tobacco and colored food that stain if you have an event, or you will just cancel out the effects.

Waist woes

Problem: Post-childbirth weight, or just stubborn fat at waist, stomach and hip area.  The solution is, of course, to diet and hit the gym, but we all know how long that will take to get the

desired results.

Solution:  Wink Postpartum Shapewear offers an instant two inches off.  Unlike most girdles that dig, restrict breathing, hurt the wearer and take minutes to put on, this is actually comfortable and slips on easily.

I have the ultra-bikini style (P3,870) with adjustable hooks.  I wear it not only because it gives me a sleeker finish (without the fat back hump) with clothes, but it also controls my food intake so I stop when satisfied, not continue gorging.

The “you lost weight” compliments you get also inspire you to exercise more and lose the weight on your own.

The Ultimate Belly Blaster is P5,590, and the belly and hip shaper is P2,370.

Aside from the reasonable price, I like that it does not retain heat like other girdles. This is because the three-dimensional knit pulls moisture away from the body and allows air to circulate.

(To order, go to www.urbanessentials.com.ph and fill up an order form, or call 0919-7012800.)

Bad tan

Problem:  How to fade a bad tan. A bad tan is uneven or sallow. What I usually do is apply a green- or blue-tinged body cream or lotion, like The Body Shop’s Green Apple, to counteract the reddish brown tones and make skin appear instantly lighter, closer in shade to the lighter areas. This multitasks as my body moisturizer.

It also serves as a fragrance, as its smell is similar to Dolce and Gabbana’s Light Blue.

Option two is a body scrub with bleach which actually plows through the damaged dead skin, making room for the new, lighter, softer skin to emerge.  Yes, you are visibly lighter-skinned after the first session.  The salt- or sugar-based body scrub is easy enough to obtain, but the bleach is medical grade so it can be offered only at skin clinics with doctors.

Others

What else can you do to hasten recovery?

Use IV Glutathione with Placenta or Vitamin C. If you have no anti-aging concerns, IV Glutathione combined with Vitamin C is sufficient to give you glowing skin.

If you detect the first signs of aging like wrinkles, loss of firmness and an increase in uneven pigmentation, go for Glutathione with Placenta.

Of course, it is also okay to go for just plain Gluta IV but results are much faster with Vitamin C or Placenta.

You may also try supplements with Glutathione tablets. But make sure the tablets are not plain glutathione but contain other supplements like Vitamin C, Alpha Lipoic Acid and NAC, which serve to raise glutathione levels in your body.

Aside from the glutathione tablets, I make sure whatever beverage I have aside from water has skin benefits.

Pr1mera Vanitea White Tea’s Glutathione, Vitamin C and ALA (www.primera.com.ph) are for liver support, but they also help in skin whitening.

Poxxion 22 peach red tea is great for people like me who are not fond of fruits and vegetables but just cannot take a multivitamin as I have to watch my dosage of certain vitamins that stimulate my appetite.

These drinks use the equivalent of Splenda, so those watching their sugar intake are safe.