I like my teeth to look nice and white and Pearl Drops is a well-known whitening brand so when I saw the Pearl Drops Instant White product on sale I had to give it a go. The idea seemed sound- paint your teeth with this stuff and they'll have a sparkling white veneer. It wasn't too expensive (I got this for just under a couple of pounds, although if you go somewhere like Boots or Superdrug it will set you back a bit more) and it looked like it would do quite a few applications, so it seemed like a decent buy.

Pearl Drops Instant White is a glittery looking liquid which comes in a little rectangular bottle with a brush applicator, rather like the packaging you would get for a nail varnish or a lip gloss. It sounds easy to apply- you dry your teeth with a tissue, then apply a thin layer of the liquid to your teeth. Let it dry then apply another one. Easy, right? Except that drying your teeth with a tissue, for starters, is not that simple; dry a little too enthusiastically and you'll have to spend time picking bits of disintegrated tissue out of your teeth. Brushing the product on is easy enough, but it does not have a pleasant taste (I expected it to taste like mint- it does very slightly, but tastes predominantly of something chemical) and has a rather strange smell that reminded me a bit of varnish. It's quite hard to know when to apply the second coat, too, as it's difficult to know when your teeth are dry.

Once it's on, the results are not good. I found that my teeth didn't look much whiter but they did have a hint of glitter. Glitter!!! Very weird, as I can't think of any occasion when it would be good to have glittering teeth. All I can think is that someone at Pearl Drops took the idea of having sparkling white teeth a bit too literally. I didn't like the feeling of this product on my teeth either- it just felt like I needed to give my teeth a really good brush.

I think the best thing I can say about this product is that at least it brushes off... and makes you appreciate your normal, non-glittery teeth.