January 2018

Having beautiful white teeth is often considered as a sign of good health. But for many reasons teeth discoloration is one of the most common problems we face on a daily basis. Normally discoloration of teeth occurs when the enamel coating of our teeth gets thinner. Our drinking and eating habits play a vital role in maintaining the whiteness of our teeth. Let’s have a look at some of the most common reasons of having stained teeth.

• Smoking cigarettes
• Drinking too much coffee or tea
• Tobacco use
• Medications
• Aging
• Excessive Fluoride intake
• Poor dental hygiene
• Genetics

Luckily you don’t need to worry about teeth discoloration as there are several home remedies by which you can get a whiter teeth. You can try these remedies at home without having to face any side effects. Take a look at them. In case you need to check other options visit TeethWhiteningAtHomeTips.com

Teeth Whitening Tips

1) Baking Soda and Lemon Juice

This combo is one of the best teeth whitening remedies. Lemon is often used by many people for lightening the scars on their body. In the same way it lightens teeth discoloration as well. Baking soda is also good at reducing stains from your teeth. So combining these two would give the best teeth whitening solution. Mix lemon juice and baking soda and brush with this solution once a week. Make sure you don’t overdo it as it may result in damaging your tooth enamel. Baking soda may cause irritation to some people. They can use lemon juice alone.

2) Coconut Oil Pulling

Coconut oil pulling is one of the most effective way to remove teeth discoloration. You can do this by taking a spoon of coconut oil into your mouth and then swishing it for around 10-20 minutes. You can also add a few drops of oil on your toothbrush before brushing to get whiter teeth. Another way to do this is to apply a spoon of coconut oil on a small piece of cloth and then rubbing it on your teeth. The antibacterial properties of the coconut oil are great for cleaning your gums as well.

3) Eat strawberries

Strawberries is rich in malic acid and Vitamin C which helps in teeth whitening. The vitamin C helps to remove plaques while the astringent in it removes surface stains. You can use this by mashing a few strawberries and then brushing your teeth using the same mixture. Otherwise you can eat strawberries by chewing it really slow and well, thereby giving them the space to brush your teeth on their own.

4) Use Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider Vinegar is known for its amazing cleaning properties. The acetic acid found in it kills bacteria. This antibacterial property makes it one of the best remedies to cleanse and whitens your teeth. Make sure you don’t use it on a daily basis as it can damage your tooth enamel. Also take care not to keep it in contact with your teeth for a long time. You can use it as a mouthwash as well by diluting it with water.

5) Lemon or orange peels

Just like Apple Cider Vinegar, citrus fruits like orange and lemon contains beneficial acids that helps in teeth whitening. These foods are very healthy and helps in regulating the stomach acid in your body. But make sure you don’t use it on a regular basis as it can destroy your teeth enamel. Also after using orange peels make sure you wash your mouth with water or hydrogen peroxide.

6) Food grade Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is an excellent solution for teeth whitening. It helps to prevent the growth of bacteria and prevent infections and bad breath. You can use this remedy by swishing food grade hydrogen peroxide in your mouth for a few seconds and then spit it out. You can also mix it with water with 1:1 ratio and swish for 60 seconds and then spit it out. Make sure you use this only few times a week as excessive usage can result in damaging your tooth enamel.

7) Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal helps in whitening your teeth by removing plaque that causes staining. To use this wet a tooth paste and dip it in activated charcoal. Brush as normal but pay special attention to stained spots. After that sip a bit of water, swish thoroughly and spit. Wash your mouth with water after that.  Repeat this twice or thrice a week to get best results. Avoid this if you have crowns, caps or porcelain veneers.

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Picture Keeper and BraVoMark. All opinions are mine.

If you’re like me you take hundreds of pictures with your camera phone. If you’re also like me then you’ll appreciate this handy little gadget known as Picture Keeper. The first time I was introduced to it, it changed my picture taking and video recording habits for the better.

The Season of Giving With Picture Keeper Connect

The Perfect Gift For Preserving Your Memories

I’m a blogger that is constantly at events and I take a lot of photos. A LOT! I also take a lot of videos whether it be an interview or a fashion show.  Plus I have  big family and our gatherings are a time to take as many photos as possible since we don’t live as close to each other as we used to. There will be plenty of candid and styled shots taken over this holiday season as well as random videos. One of the biggest issues I had with my phones in the past was storage space. I’d run out of space fairly quickly and would have to delete apps or even worse, decide right then and there which pictures I needed to delete to make room for more.

When I first got my iPhone there was option to buy in monthly to upload your pictures to the cloud. While it’s a great option it  didn’t always work for me because if I took a ton of pictures and ran out of room you have to back up the photos and that requires Wifi which isn’t always available when you’re out.

Another issue is that I’ve been one of those unfortunate enough to lose my photos for whatever reason even though they should have been backed up on the cloud. Picture Keeper doesn’t need Wifi or even data to save your photos and you can do it instantly.

Acts of Kindness

The holiday season theme for Picture Keeper is “Acts of Kindness” which is quite fitting because I lent my Picture Keeper over the summer to a friend that desperately needed it and I’ve yet to receive it back. I shall send that into the holiday wind as my act of kindness!

What I Love About Picture Keeper

Easy to Use

The one thing I like most is that it’s easy to use. I just pop it in my phone and download the photos instantly. This has been a habit of mine since I first got a Picture Keeper. I’ve lost my phone after events and because there was no wifi to back the phone up, anything that didn’t make it to the cloud and stayed on my phone was lost forever. I lost an entire events worth of photos one night. Not fun. With the Picture Keeper, I pop it in my phone and save the photos before I leave and I feel safe.

Great for Less Tech Savvy People

I have family members who love to take pictures but, their phones don’t have cloud options so this is perfect for them. There’s nothing to download. Just pop it in, save your photos and keep going.

Easy to Edit Photos Later

My aunt loves to edit her photos and add little stickers and sayings to them before uploading them to share with everyone. She loves that she can just pop the picture keeper into her computer and grab the photos she wants to edit with a simple click of the button. She’s  a little more tech savvy than my other older relatives but, she appreciates the convenience and ease.

I Got My Photos From My Old Phones

I have a couple of old phones that had key photos that I really wanted to keep or quite honestly forgot about. I went back to all of them and grabbed the photos that I want it. Some of them were great memories with my kids. I also had one of the last photos of my dad with my kids on a phone that I was able to grab with the Picture Keeper.

40% off Picture Keeper

Picture Keeper starts at $119 for 16GB of storage and make a great gift for Moms, Dads, grandparents, that budding child photographer, travelers and even BLOGGERS (hint hint wink wink)!

So, what do you think about everything I said? Do you think the Picture Keeper would make a great gift? I do and to help make it easier for you to decide they’re generously offering my readers a discount.  You can get 40% off your purchase using code: RAINOFTHOUGHT40.

We’re also doing a giveaway because it’s the holidays and we love you guys. Enter to win and good luck! Be sure to share the giveaway and also share the discount code because ‘Tis the Season!

About Picture Keeper

Picture Keeper Connect offers a simple backup solution for the irreplaceable pictures, videos, and contacts stored on your iPhone and iPad, Android smartphone and tablet, and Mac and PC computer. Whether you’re switching to a new phone, running out of storage on your smartphone, or wanting to safeguard important photos, Picture Keeper Connect offers simple photo backup solutions for all devices.

Stay Connected With Picture Keeper

Website|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram

Picture Keeper Season of Giving Giveaway

• return to A Rain of Thought Gift Guide
• return to SMGuru Gift Guide

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

The weather is getting really nice here in NYC and that makes me so very happy. It also makes me realize that I need to do two things soon. 1) Buy new workout gear for outdoors so I can get bikini ready and 2) Plan my vacation, in that order because, I can’t plan a vacation without at least starting to get bikini ready. Well, I could but, never mind.

I don’t know about you but, I personally search for and buy most of my things online and I don’t like to pay full price for anything. So I always do a coupon search. I am the online coupon queen. No really. Whatever it is I want to buy, I’ll find a coupon which is why I love Groupon Coupons.

I’ve always been a fan of Groupon and I actually learned about Groupon Coupon when someone mentioned that they purchased a Mac on sale through Groupon Coupons. It almost made me take the leap into that world but, alas I am still very much a PC girl.

Make that a PC girl with a love of Groupon Coupons. My mission for today is to find some nice workout gear from Puma (don’t tell anyone but, I’m really digging the Kylie Jenner Collection) and then I’m going to move on down the internet road to Travelocity to plan my birthday trip to Trinidad. Both will come at a sweet discount thanks to Groupon Coupons. You should head over and get your discount on too. I don’t want to be the only one getting in on all these savings.

What are you thinking of getting from Groupon Coupons?

For more information you can visit the Groupon Coupons website and follow Groupon on Facebook and Twitter.

If you’ve followed my past Holiday Gift Guides then you know that I’m a huge fan of yearly subscription boxes as gifts. It’s a great way to make your bucks go a long way. 365 days to be exact. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. I can think of a few people on my list who I’d give this Single Cup Club subscription to this holiday season. The perfect friend in the pursuit of amazing coffee, Single Cup Club is like having your own “guy” in the coffee world. Each month, a box of artisan coffees is shipped right to your door for just $19. You’ll experience three small batch roasted coffees with each month’s box in the convenience of Kuerig compatible single serve cups. Get 25% off your Single Cup Club membership (Gift & Ongoing Membership). It’s the perfect box for the coffee lover in your life, especially if that coffee lover is you!

Check out more of our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide.

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Mysterious restaurant in NYC with a built in vault. ✓CHECK. Mysterious unannounced celebrity in the building. ✓CHECK. Red velvet curtain with something to hide. ✓CHECK.  Delicious […]

The first time I wore a pair of Rachel Stewart Collection earrings (Gold Cassette Tapes), I was stopped throughout the day in the street, at the deli during lunch and especially at the lounge I went to that night. Everyone wanted to know where I got such unique earrings. The Rachel Stewart Collection is not your average jewelry, it’s a work of art. Hand crafted pieces make up the beautiful pieces of earrings, pins, necklaces and more. The details that go in to each piece really make them stand out in the sea of jewelry. Just look at  these Solid Wood Pins which range in price from $10 – $25: I unapologetically love big earrings and these Emerald City Wood and Acrylic Earrings are calling my name. They’re big but feather light: The creativity and detail that goes into every piece is a testament to Rachel’s artistic ability whatever piece you choose will be appreciated and talked about for years to come. You can find out more and purchase jewelry form The Rachel Stewart Collection by visiting RachelStewartJewelry.com . Buy a piece or two and pick out something for yourself too. Feel free to get something for me as well, if you’re feeling generous. Check out more of our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide.

The best way to show your appreciation towards a person is to gift them with something valuable on their special days like birthdays and such. However, finding a perfect gift that they will end up liking can be tricky since you have to take into various factors like their preferences, culture etc. into consideration. Below, we look at seven such tips you should keep in mind when gifting someone.

Know Their Likes And Dislikes

The first thing you should know is the person’s likes and dislikes. While giving a gift that the person will like is of importance, a matter of even greater importance is to ensure that you never gift something that they dislike. So, try to learn as much as you can about their preferences and you will be in a better position to select a suitable gift. If you are unsure about a person’s likes and dislikes, then a good way to know it is by checking their Facebook profile. For example, if you find that they have liked pages related to Michael Jackson, then you can be pretty sure that they are a big fan of the pop star. As such, if you find any Michael Jackson memorabilia on eBay, then gifting it would be ideal.

Make It Eventful

What makes a gift special is not only the gift item but also how it is gifted. There is a big difference between giving someone a gift while they are alone in an office and giving the gift when the person is surrounded by their workmates cheering them. The latter will obviously be more memorable and make a greater impact in the mind of the person. So, make sure that you set up the gifting environment in a way that will make the person not only remember your gift but also how it was gifted.

Add Personal Touch

An easy way to make a gift more special is to add a personal touch to it. For example, if you find that your loved one, named Mark, likes the books of Dan Brown, then you can go ahead a gift them a copy of author’s latest book. However, you can make it extra special by adding a special note in the beginning like ‘Wishing my dearest Mark a happy birthday. May our relationship last forever’ or something similar. By doing so, you have given the gift a personal touch. The book is no longer the exact same copy as the millions of other copies in circulation. Instead, it is a unique book that declares your love and affection towards a person. And such a gesture will truly be appreciated by your loved one.

Long Lasting

As far as possible, buy a gift that is long lasting. So, if your friend’s birthday is coming up, and you are thinking of buying them a big cake as a gift, think about other alternatives that will have a long-lasting value. For example, if they love music and you see them always hooked on to their headphones, then try finding a top-notch headphone that delivers world class sound. Not only will your friend appreciate it, but whenever they wear the headphone, they are likely to think of you since you gifted it to them. In addition, they will be able to use the gift for a long period of time. So, make sure your gift is long lasting and useful if you want it to be impactful.

Cultural Considerations

Always take the cultural differences into consideration when buying a gift for someone. For example, if you are a British national working in the Beijing office, and the birthday of one of your Chinese friends is coming up, you need to educate yourself as to the culture of China before you buy a gift. Only this can ensure that you don’t end up buying something that is considered offensive or condescending in their culture. So, avoid gifting anything wrapped in white since the color white is seen as a symbol of death in Chinese culture.  And the last thing you want to do is to give a gift wrapped in white cloth to someone’s birthday. Sure, they might brush it off as your ignorance and maybe even laugh about it. But why risk creating an uncomfortable or insensitive situation? So, if the person you are gifting to is very different from your culture, then factor in the cultural difference before you give them the gift.

Employee Gifts

Are you the owner of a business who is planning to give a gift to an employee? If so, you can use this opportunity to strengthen the bond between your employee and the company. Let your HR department learn what the employee likes and buy something that fits your budget and the employee’s interests. You should then hold a small office meeting and then hand over the gift to them in the presence of other employees.  Talk about how their work has been contributing to your business and helping the company grow. Doing so will not only ensure that you make the gift a memorable one for the employee, but they will also feel more indebted to your organization for the special care you have shown them.

Specificity

Finally, be as specific as possible when buying a gift for someone. Being vague about a gift will not help in finding the ideal gift for the person. For example, suppose that your brother’s birthday is coming up and you are planning on giving a car as a gift. Now, just knowing that you should buy a car is insufficient. You should know which model of car your brother like, which color of car he prefers and so on. Only then can you buy the perfect gift for your brother – a car that he had always wanted. Without knowing very well what the other person truly desires, you might end up buying something that the person may not be too fond of. Imagine that your brother likes a red Honda Civic, but you bought a blue Honda civic for his birthday. This can be a pretty awkward situation. So, know about the other person’s preferences in detail and you will not have to face such issues.

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The best way to show your appreciation towards a person is to gift them with something valuable on their special days like birthdays […] This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine. The weather is getting really nice here in NYC and that makes me so […]

The best way to show your appreciation towards a person is to gift them with something valuable on their special days like birthdays and such. However, finding a perfect gift that they will end up liking can be tricky since you have to take into various factors like their preferences, culture etc. into consideration. Below, we look at seven such tips you should keep in mind when gifting someone.

Know Their Likes And Dislikes

The first thing you should know is the person’s likes and dislikes. While giving a gift that the person will like is of importance, a matter of even greater importance is to ensure that you never gift something that they dislike. So, try to learn as much as you can about their preferences and you will be in a better position to select a suitable gift. If you are unsure about a person’s likes and dislikes, then a good way to know it is by checking their Facebook profile. For example, if you find that they have liked pages related to Michael Jackson, then you can be pretty sure that they are a big fan of the pop star. As such, if you find any Michael Jackson memorabilia on eBay, then gifting it would be ideal.

Make It Eventful

What makes a gift special is not only the gift item but also how it is gifted. There is a big difference between giving someone a gift while they are alone in an office and giving the gift when the person is surrounded by their workmates cheering them. The latter will obviously be more memorable and make a greater impact in the mind of the person. So, make sure that you set up the gifting environment in a way that will make the person not only remember your gift but also how it was gifted.

Add Personal Touch

An easy way to make a gift more special is to add a personal touch to it. For example, if you find that your loved one, named Mark, likes the books of Dan Brown, then you can go ahead a gift them a copy of author’s latest book. However, you can make it extra special by adding a special note in the beginning like ‘Wishing my dearest Mark a happy birthday. May our relationship last forever’ or something similar. By doing so, you have given the gift a personal touch. The book is no longer the exact same copy as the millions of other copies in circulation. Instead, it is a unique book that declares your love and affection towards a person. And such a gesture will truly be appreciated by your loved one.

Long Lasting

As far as possible, buy a gift that is long lasting. So, if your friend’s birthday is coming up, and you are thinking of buying them a big cake as a gift, think about other alternatives that will have a long-lasting value. For example, if they love music and you see them always hooked on to their headphones, then try finding a top-notch headphone that delivers world class sound. Not only will your friend appreciate it, but whenever they wear the headphone, they are likely to think of you since you gifted it to them. In addition, they will be able to use the gift for a long period of time. So, make sure your gift is long lasting and useful if you want it to be impactful.

Cultural Considerations

Always take the cultural differences into consideration when buying a gift for someone. For example, if you are a British national working in the Beijing office, and the birthday of one of your Chinese friends is coming up, you need to educate yourself as to the culture of China before you buy a gift. Only this can ensure that you don’t end up buying something that is considered offensive or condescending in their culture. So, avoid gifting anything wrapped in white since the color white is seen as a symbol of death in Chinese culture.  And the last thing you want to do is to give a gift wrapped in white cloth to someone’s birthday. Sure, they might brush it off as your ignorance and maybe even laugh about it. But why risk creating an uncomfortable or insensitive situation? So, if the person you are gifting to is very different from your culture, then factor in the cultural difference before you give them the gift.

Employee Gifts

Are you the owner of a business who is planning to give a gift to an employee? If so, you can use this opportunity to strengthen the bond between your employee and the company. Let your HR department learn what the employee likes and buy something that fits your budget and the employee’s interests. You should then hold a small office meeting and then hand over the gift to them in the presence of other employees.  Talk about how their work has been contributing to your business and helping the company grow. Doing so will not only ensure that you make the gift a memorable one for the employee, but they will also feel more indebted to your organization for the special care you have shown them.

Specificity

Finally, be as specific as possible when buying a gift for someone. Being vague about a gift will not help in finding the ideal gift for the person. For example, suppose that your brother’s birthday is coming up and you are planning on giving a car as a gift. Now, just knowing that you should buy a car is insufficient. You should know which model of car your brother like, which color of car he prefers and so on. Only then can you buy the perfect gift for your brother – a car that he had always wanted. Without knowing very well what the other person truly desires, you might end up buying something that the person may not be too fond of. Imagine that your brother likes a red Honda Civic, but you bought a blue Honda civic for his birthday. This can be a pretty awkward situation. So, know about the other person’s preferences in detail and you will not have to face such issues.

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