For many years, there have only really been a few choices when it came to the tools you used in your mouth i.e. mouthwash, floss, toothpaste etc. Now, it’s a booming market and you certainly have your choice of products to choose from. Yippee!

If you like to look beyond the drugstore then this brand is for you. KNOTTY FLOSS was created by a dental hygienist after seeing a gap in the industry and it feels like the timing is perfect. I think more people not only want a choice when it comes to these items but they want their choices to do good and not pollute by adding to our growing waste issue.  

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This is a sponsored post by Oral-B and Gillette at Sam’s Club. All words are my own.

Now that we are in the thick of holiday shopping season, where do you find yourself doing most of your shopping? Are you loyal to one place or do you bounce around depending on what you need? I shop a little during the year but the majority of it is done just after Thanksgiving. I like to plan my purchases and get just the right thing for each person on my list so I know they'll use it. If there's any advice I can give when it comes to getting the most out of gift giving this year, I'd say make a list so you don't overspend. This alone helps me stay on budget.

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Teeth. So important to everything in life! And since today is #WorldSmileDay, I thought I’d focus on 3 products that you should be using to keep your pearly whites, well white, and healthy.

CREST 3D White Whitening Therapy ($6.99/4.1oz @ crest.com, target.com) – this is the latest whitening fluoride toothpaste from Crest that uses silica to break away stains on teeth. And I’ve always had a thing for the mint flavor of this brand’s toothpaste.

POP WHITE Whitening Primer + Toothpaste, Whitening Toner + Oral Rinse ($48 @ popwhitesmile.com) – this is actually a two-part whitener – first brush with the purple paste (think Barney the dinosaur purple!) and then rinse with the Oral Rinse (yup, also mega purple). Use morning and eve and within 14 days you should notice your teeth whitened. Purple neutralizes yellow (teeth) and they claim up to four shades! I'm rounding out the week now of week 3 and so far, so good. You’ll also save money by getting a subscription to their products too.

Radiant Toothpaste by Colgate Optic White ($7.99/3oz @ colgateopticwhite.com, target.com) – this too is a fluoride toothpaste and whitener in one. It uses hydrogen peroxide to help white teeth and its technology claims to help remove deep set stains below the tooth’s surface.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

It never fails, I always find myself needing something beauty-related when I’m in the car going somewhere, so over the last year, I’ve put together a small kit that I keep with me in the front seat, so I’m never without ... anything. Here are 6 of my must-haves in the car. 

1. Nail Clippers, Nail File - REVLON Deluxe Nail Clippers ($2.49 @ bedbathandbeyond.com) – these clippers have been my favorite brand for years. The cutters are always sharp and it never falls apart. Of course things don’t last forever, so glad these are inexpensive. And for a nail file … I have my favorite that I keep in the house, so for the car, I just use the cardboard ones like these Beauty 360 Emery Boards from CVS ($1.99/10 pack @ cvs.com).

2. Tweezers – there’s always a stray brow hair that needs-a-pluckin’ and I’m in a serious relationship with ones from TWEEZERMAN. They’re strong, always there for me and I’m really attracted to their Pink Perfection Mini Slant Tweezers. $14 @ sephora.com.

3. Nail Polish Remover – L.A. COLORS Nail Polish Remover ($1.59/32 pads @ lacolors.com) these handy removers come in 6 different fruity scents and the grape-scented ones I have are actually able to mask the strong scent of the acetone.

4. Floss – I keep floss picks everywhere! In my purse, my car, my desk, hidden in a box on my coffee table. I’m not married to any particular brand but these Complete Clean Floss Ultra Strong Shred Proof Floss in Fresh Mint ($4.29/125 flossers @ target.com, amazon.com) by DENTEK work well.

5. Face Wipes - wipes are soooo handy to have in the car and they’re great for so many other things! After using one, I find myself using it afterward to clean parts of my car interior when I’m stuck in traffic. In my car now is BURT’S BEES Facial Cleansing Towelettes with White Tea Extract ($2.99/30 wipes @ walgreens.com).

6. Clear Nail Polish – great for touching up a run in a stocking, a loose thread on a shirt button and I don’t have a favorite brand. I just use whichever one I’m using on my nails that’s starting to run out. One I like is MAYBELLINE NEW YORK Show Nail Lacquer in Clear ($4.29 @ target.com).

Now when it comes to makeup, yes, a makeup palette will do but remember, we are talking about a very small stash of items for an e-m-e-r-g-e-n-c-y. I found a really cool 2 ½” x 1” x 3” tall kit that houses 4 swippers of eye shadow, a small eye liner, lip liner, mascara and lipgloss. White the products are not your Lancome kind of quality, it will get you by and I so feel like this kit was made just for this story!

It’s called the Majic Kit and is put out by MAJIC BEAUTY. Choose from Golden Peach and Healthy Nude for $19.99 @ amazon.com.

Do you have anything else to add to the Car Emergency Kit?

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

I’ve tried different versions of the below items in their categories and here are the ones I have found to work best. Yes, some may seem trivial (a nail clipper, really??) but only when I’ve used one that’s crappy, do I actually think about it. And now, you don't have to!

Do you have any beauty tools that you stand by? Do share in the comments!

Best Foot Exfoliator and Nail File - FAN OUT Foot Scraper (small $35, large $42) and Nail File ($42). Both @ fanout.com – when did I write about both of these? Wow, back on September 7, 2011 and both are still going strong and I use them quite regularly! Now that’s proof in the pudding.

Best Nail Clipper - REVLON Deluxe Nail Clipper - $2.49 @ ulta.com and bedbathandbeyond.com - I’ve tried a lot of different nail clippers over the years and these from Revlon truly are the best. They're always sharp and never break. I keep one in the house, one in the car, one in my purse. I think I own about 6 of these total!

Best Tongue Cleaner - BREATH RX Gentle Tongue Scraper - $6.99/3 scrapers @ amazon.com – I know, I know, who wants to talk about something as sexy as cleaning your tongue? Food can get caught in there and simply using your toothbrush to clean it just doesn’t do the job so invest in some of these scrapers and really get that tongue clean.

Best Hair Styler - INSTYLER 3-1 Rotating Iron ($99 @ kohls.com, ulta.com) – a great tool for quickly taking out bedhead kinks in the morning. And they just came out with a new MAX version. Details coming soon!

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

What It Is: LUSTER Pro Light Teeth Whitening System - $90 @ asos.com. 

Why I Like It: If she’s heavy into Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, chances are she always wants to be on point and that includes her smile. This whitening system is quick and soooo easy! Just rinse with the Accelerator Mouth Rinse, brush each tooth with the Super Whitener Gel, apply the activating whitening light for 2 minutes and voila, done!

Each system will complete 20 whitening sessions. 

Little known fact – did you know I almost went to dental school after high school? I worked in a dentist office as an assistant for about 1 year my junior year in the afternoons after school would let out for the day. Assisting the dentist with fillings, extractions (yup, gross, I know) and the like, I really considered it but senior year hit and I just kept thinking about how long the schooling was for it and at that point, I was so done with going to school, but to this day I still think about it.

That’s why mouth health and new anything having to do with teeth is always fascinating to me. Take this new COLGATE Slim Soft Toothbrush ($3.99 @ amazon.com). Like the name states, it’s slim in width so I feel like I get a more precise brushing in certain areas like in the back, where I think everyone has issues when it comes to cleaning there properly.

The other benefit is that it is super soft. I’ve been told by my dentist that I am a hard brusher so glad to hear this may help with that issue.

Don’t forget, you are supposed to change out your toothbrush every 3 months depending on wear so consider this your reminder! 

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

How often do you change out your toothbrush? Only after getting over the flu (yes, you are supposed to do that)? They say every 3 months or when you see some bristles starting to bend off to the side. Mouth health is very important!! I mean, who wants to kiss a yuck mouth?

Going to the toothbrush aisle can be almost as intimidating as going to the cosmetic section in the drugstore with so many choices in your line of sight. I was pretty excited when the decision was made for me by TOM’S OF MAINE’s PR when they sent me the new Naturally Clean toothbrush to try out. Like I would imagine, the handle is made of a recyclable plant-based handle that is made from renewable castor oil plants instead of petroleum. And something I never thought about, toothbrushes are not recyclable! But these are through their TerraCycle collection program, which you can learn about here. I like that!

And this one seems to stack up with the other major brands like having a angled neck and multi-level bristles. Something they add is the handle is dye-free and contains no BPAs (a chemical that makes plastics last for 25+ years and found it everything you see every day) or artificial colors.

Choose from Soft or Medium for $3.99 @ amazon.com.

Let’s get real. Do you floss every day? I mean every day? I keep those floss sticks next to my computer so I can try and remember to do it but overall, I don’t, so I too hear the groans from my dentist twice a year about my lack of. Thankfully someone has come along to try and help us get more consistent with it. PHILIPS Sonicare AirFloss ($89.99 @ target.com, walgreens.com) is sort of like a Waterpik that I used to use when I had braces as a teen but not as messy with the water squirting everywhere.

How this works is that it when the tip is inserted between two teeth, you press a button and it jets a quick burst of water and pressurized air (45 mph, they claim, wha???) to dislodge any food and also existing plaque.

I was first curious as to what I own dentist would think of this but in reading the fine print on their website, they worked with dental professionals in creating this product. Phew!

So no more sore tips of fingers from floss being wound too tight around fingers or making sure you make a perfect letter C with the floss around each tooth as I now have the AirFloss. And I love that it takes about 1 ½ minutes to complete both the top and bottom teeth after brushing!

Will you be trying this one out?

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

I’ve shied away from at-home teeth whitening kits in the past year or so as I always seem to end up with sensitive teeth and I’m just not going to take it anymore! Alas, now my teeth could use a little perk so when I was offered to try NOVA WHITE Professional At-Home Teeth Whitening System, I wasn’t really into it, but I am a guinea pig, so I sucked it up and said yes.

So what happened? Click after the pic!

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