Get Whiter, Brighter Teeth

There is an unprecedented obsession over the whiteness of teeth these days. You’ve got whitening toothpastes, mouthwashes and gums, brightening strips, at-home tooth-whitening trays, and of course professional tooth bleaching treatments from the comfort of your dentist’s chair.

Thanks to widespread indulgence in teeth-staining beverages like coffee and tea, yummy tooth yellowing foods like curries, mustard and chili, and celebs with impossibly white teetth, we’re all fixated on the brightness of those pearly whites. What’s a gal to do when her teeth are looking a bit dull, or even (god forbid) yellow?

Natural Tooth Color

Let’s get something straight right now: contrary to the aspirations of celebrities and cosmetic dentists everywhere, teeth are not naturally white. Even the cleanest most pristine teeth fall somewhere between a shade of light grey and pale yellow… Not white. Aside from the natural shade of your teeth themselves, other factors like skin color and even makeup can make your teeth look whiter: due to the effect of contrast, people with darker skin and/or red lipstick have teeth which appear more brighter.

Teeth naturally darken with age and their appearance can be affected by the accumulation of surface stains acquired from the use of tobacco products (ick!) and the consumption of those tooth tarnishing foods we hate to love.

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Top 5 Foods to Burn Belly Fat

Trying to shed your pooch and that get rid of that muffin around your middle? If you’re serious about banishing belly fat you’ll need to target your abs with exercises that crunch your middle into a rock-hard stomach, melt away fat with cardio, and eliminate sugar and processed carbs, while incorporating these fat-burning foods into your diet.

Check out the top five foods to help you torch calories and shed fat faster:

Oatmeal

You should never skip meals, especially the first meal of the day. It may seem counter-intuitive that eating might be a solution to burning belly fat, but eating healthy foods throughout the day is an important part of achieving sustainable weight loss.  And there’s no better way to kick start your day and jump-start your metabolism than with a steaming hot, hearty bowl of oatmeal. This low-glycemic index food regulates your blood sugar levels, and helps you feel full and satisfied until lunch, decreasing the chances that you’ll indulge in a muffin, bagel or sugary pastry mid-morning.

Go with old school plain oats — preferably steel cut — as flavored oatmeal is usually laced with sugar. Instead, top with fresh fruit or stud with raisins for natural sweetness, and try spicing it up with a dash of cinnamon and a few drops of natural vanilla extract.

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10 Home Remedies for Cold Sores

There’s no way to make a cold sore cute, but you can’t hide inside your house, missing out on hot dates or important work presentations until one has passed. And unfortunately, since there is no way to rid the body of the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1, once you’ve got the virus, you’re open to outbreaks for life.

You can, however, learn to cope with these blistery blights by minimizing their duration and preventing their recurrence. Here are some easy but essential home remedies to help banish cold sores.

Avoid Triggers

Even when you’re not experiencing a cold sore outbreak, the virus is still there, beneath the skin lying dormant, just waiting for a reason to “wake up.” Different people have different triggers which cause the virus to awaken and wreak havoc on your lips, but here are a few of the common cold sore triggers; some you can control, and some you can’t. Do your best to avoid or minimize the triggers that are within your control, and you may reduce the recurrence of cold sores.

• Stress
• Food sensitivities and allergies
• UV radiation and/or sunburn
• Exhaustion
• Menstruation
• Dental work
• Trauma
• Immune response
• Fever
• Infection, colds and flu

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Colored Denim Rules!

Spring flowers aren’t the only stems sporting vibrant colors this time of year; colored jeans are all the rage for both women and men this season. Forget about the same old blue jeans; fashion lovers can brighten up their everyday style by choosing from a rainbow of colored denim: from bright and bold primary colors to pale pastels.

A throwback to both the 1990s and the 1960s, the colored denim trend shows no signs of slowing down as the temperatures heat up this summer. Designers are serving up a vibrant assortment of candy-colored denim in a wide selection of styles ranging from beachy cut-off shorts and cute Capri cuts, to trendy straight legged jeans, boot-cut skinnies, and fit-like-a-glove legging jeans.

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Top 10 Bridal Shower Games

Here are some fun games you can play at your next bridal shower!

The Price is Right

Purchase 10 cleaning or household items; for instance, cleaners, polishes, detergents, soaps, etc. Set them out for everyone to see and have them guess the grand total of all items. The closest to the total price wins a prize.

Pass the Balloon

Have the party guests stand in a circle. The guests will pass the balloon around the circle to a song. The host will be in charge of the music and randomly stop it. Whoever is holding the balloon when the music stops has to sit down and can no longer play.  Keep this going until there is one person left; the last person standing wins a prize.

Brand Name

Cut 12 to 15 grocery/cleaning/drug items out of a flyer or magazine. Paste each item onto index cards and black out the brand name of the item with a permanent black marker. Number the index cards and have the guests guess which brand name each item is. The person who has the most correct wins a prize.

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How to Buy a Watch

We expect reliability, quality, versatility and durability from our few timepieces, since a watch, indeed, should be a lifetime possession that just keeps on ticking.

Here are things to consider when buying a watch.

Select Your Watch Style

Think about what kind of timepiece you want to add to your collection. Are you looking for a delicate evening wristwatch to add to a formal ensemble, or do you need a sturdy model with all the gadgets for your run around the track? If it’s an everyday watch, what’s your lifestyle?

Who you are and what you do with your day drastically changes what sort of wristwatch will give you the versatility and compatibility you desire:

• Trendy: Think outside the box and look for watches with some serious style.
• Athletic: Opt for models with a stopwatch and adequate water resistance.
• Professional: Stick to classic, larger looks that ooze confidence.
• High Roller: Go big or go home: think diamonds or a complex mechanical model.
• Youthful: Keep you look playful with a digital display or an over-sized style.
• Delicate: Do feminine and flirty with a thin design and minimal markings.

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Dining in the Dark in Paris: Dans le Noir?

“I‘m flicking you off right now,” my friend says. “In fact, I’m flicking off everyone in the entire restaurant with both middle fingers.”

Normally I would be shocked, horrified, or at minimum, embarrassed, but right now I’m too busy making faces at the waitress to care.

Beside me, a couple exchanges lip-smacking kisses and across the room, a man with a booming voice announces to his date that he has just put his entire hand in “something gooey.”

More Than an Unusual Restaurant

At Dans Le Noir, one of the many restaurants in Paris’ fourth arrondisement, this kind of behavior is typical. Guests are expected to drop their food, stick their fingers in their drinks, and walk out wearing at least a small portion of their meal. That’s just what happens when you eat in absolute darkness.

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