Working in the fashion and travel space, I’m often asked about my packing list.
It’s also a favorite question for me to ask my ‘Nomads, eliciting interesting answers. One of my favorites? A machete. The more I become not just a traveler but a cultural ambassador, my answer becomes all the more obvious to me. It’s not the hair product I’m obsessed with this week, or the cool suitcase that charges my phone. It’s my smile!
From the self-deprecating smile as I butchered the French language at a restaurant in Geneva that led me speeding through the Swiss Alps on the back of a motorbike for “the best” fondue to the smile that let me and mom know that we could trust Julio as he led us through the back alleys and even into a rations market to see the real Havana that few tourists get to experience, it’s a smile that bridges these gaps.
Never having braces, my smile is a bit crooked and imperfect in all it’s glory and from what I’m told, quite disarming. 🙂 Pool flips, surfboards, a t-bone steak, they’ve all waged their war on my smile, and it comes out victorious — maybe with a chipped tooth here and there. (True story: I cried in the dental chair when they mistakenly told me I might have to replace my front tooth after an injury, “but my smiiiiiile! It’s my thing!”)
Everyone has their good side in photographs, and we don’t all have the luxury of insisting that we’re only photographed on that side (ahem, Mariah Carey). My good side has everything to do with the overbite on my smile. So when SmileDirectClub offered to help a sister out, for such a great deal, I couldn’t say no.
My SmileDirectClub invisible aligners now joins my packing essentials. Also, I love it when my smart room at CitizenM Tower of London matches my aligner kit! 🙂
I booked a 30-minute scan at their SmileShop — FREE FOR MY ‘N A PERFECT WORLD READERS! — and a few weeks later I had my invisible aligners. (Secret: As a freelancer, wearing invisible liners has been heaven sent in decreasing my snacking). Way less than other name brand aligners and pricey veneers, I didn’t want an overhaul, I just wanted a little fix.
My smile is my favorite feature. And, once you realize the power of your smile. I hope it will be yours too!
