Sophia Bush on Life, Career And The Secret To Her Gorgeous Smile

The Chicago P.D. star reveals her smile-brightening beauty tips that give her the confidence to be photographed makeup-free for People's Most Beautiful Women special issue

From the LifeMinute Team

May 8, 2015

She's the star of the hit show Chicago P.D. and a red carpet regular in Hollywood. We sat down with Sophia Bush to talk life, career and confidence--especially when it comes to doing a photo shoot for People's Most Beautiful Women issue without wearing any makeup. Spoiler alert--it's all about that sparkling smile.

LifeMinute TV: You've had quite a year. How is Chicago P.D. going?

Sophia: The show is going great. It's a little indescribable for me at times. I have a lot of pinch-me moments. It's a dream job to be working on the kind of material that we cover and to be doing all of my own stunts and stunt driving! I feel like a kid in the candy store all the time.

LifeMinute TV: You did a photo shoot without makeup for People's Most Beautiful Women issue. What was that like?

Sophia: Doing a shoot without makeup is very liberating. There's a lovely point of self-acceptance, where I can say, I like myself just as I am. Sure, I have fun getting glammed up, but none of that stuff has any bearing on my self-worth. That's an exciting conversation and it's really nice to have seen the great feedback.

LifeMinute TV: Your skin is beautiful and you have an amazing smile. What are some of your secrets?

Sophia: Because I'm doing photo shoots with no makeup and I don't wear very much make up on Chicago P.D., it's really about self-care, feeling healthy and taking great care of my skin. I try to stay hydrated. I always wear sunscreen. I take really good care of my teeth. I'm a little bit of a nerd when it comes to that stuff. I love to know what the new science. One of the things that really changed my relationship with my own oral care was, years ago my dentist recommended a Sonicare toothbrush to me. I got one and it made me feel like I was always leaving the dentist's office. My teeth feel so clean and knowing that it improves gum health in two weeks and can whiten your teeth in a week--that stuff is really exciting to me. While we all want to have a big bright smile, it's also about everything happening in your mouth. Your gum health is so important if you want to keep your teeth until you're 100 years, which I do! It has really improved my ability to feel confident in my smile. I find that when I start my day off right by drinking a lot of water and cleaning my teeth really well, I leave the house feeling energetic and smiling a lot.

LifeMinute TV: Like you said, even with no makeup, if you have a bright white smile, you're all set.

Sophia: Absolutely. Whether you're going to a black-tie function, a wedding, to work or even if just you're wearing no makeup at all, on all of those ends of the spectrum, you wear your teeth and your smile all the time. So I want to feel the best that I can about my own.

LifeMinute TV: How do you keep your smile so bright and white?

Sophia: It's funny becuase I always took pride in the fact that people would ask me how I whitened my teeth and I had never done a whitening reatment before. I used a Sonicare for so long--that was my secret. But over the last two years of filming Chicago P.D., our schedule is so aggressive, we're on set 14 to 16 hours a day, that I drink so much coffee. I'm a 4 to 5 cups a day kind of person! So I began to notice a little wear on my teeth and knew they need a I needed a boost. My dentist recommended the Philips Zoom treatment. It was so simple. It was 45 minutes and can whiten your teeth up to eight shades. It was kind of incredible! It was as easy as getting a cleaning, but I had a Zoom. It took the damage off that I done.

LifeMinute TV: Lastly, what's up for you next?

Sophia: We've got just a couple of episodes left to wrap up this season of Chicago P.D. and they are very intense. The stakes are very high. My character, Detective Lindsay, is spiraling. Her friend was killed and she doesn't quite know how to drag herself out of that. When you see one of your heroes falling apart, it's jarring, so I'm excited for the audience to see journey.

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