

xoGift Guide 2019: Gifts For The Tech Guru In Your Life
For this rendention of our xoNecole Gift Guide, this list is comprised of some of the hottest technology out right now. It doesn't matter if you're the tech lover or you're in love with one, there's a contraption to catch your attention. Please don't be intimidated by all of the options out there. We tried to narrow down the catalog with some feasible, entertaining alternatives.
From self-rolling yoga mats to digital pens, you don't want to miss out on these shockingly fabulous products.
MotoChic Rose Keychain With Charging Cords
This is for the friend who loves technology but always needs a charger. We love when an item is fashionable and functional. Whether you decide to hang it on your work tote or simply use it as a keychain, you'll be styling and profiling.
Eone Bradley Mesh Black 36mm
Eone
Time is of the essence and so is this watch. There are still some souls who prefer not to have a digital watch. The most impressive feature on this watch is the raised markers that allow you to feel the time by touch. It includes a triangular marker for twelve, elongated line segments for three, six, and nine, and shorter line segments for the other markers.
Tile Mate (2020) - 1 Pack
Amazon
We all have that one friend that loses everything. They would lose their head if it weren't attached to their body. Tiles were specifically made for them. They can use their smartphone to make the Tile ring when they misplace something within 200 feet.
NAPATEK Digital Photo Frame 1920x1080
Amazon
Make it last forever with this digital photo frame. Your favorite person or photographer will enjoy this gift with its customizable, easy plug and play features. When you give this gift, you could even load the frame with some photos of you and them for a sentimental touch.
NeoLab Smartpen M1 With Pink Hardcover Notebook
Amazon
When I found out that this pen has a built-in camera that captures your handwriting and converts it to digitized text, I was sold. It would be a match made in heaven for the artists or writers in your life because they will have a collection of their doodles, stories and so much more.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera - Ice Blue
Amazon
Nostalgia is a great holiday gift and we think gifting your tech master with an instant camera will fulfill that sentimentality. It snaps a perfect picture every time and we know that's no small feat. It also has a selfie mirror so you can get yourself together and capture the perfect selfie photo every time.
Backslash Fit Smart Yoga Mat
Amazon
The techie who also does trap yoga will live for this smart yoga mat. This mat just may be smarter than all of us. Powered by Women's Health, you can access bonus yoga routines using a smart speaker; it's self-rolling and it has a soft but silky and grippy texture.
Bandai Americia Pac-Man Connect and Play 12 Classic Games
Game lovers can fight til the death with this old-school joystick. Help them bring back their childhood with this gift. It can be paired with almost any TV.
Campark X20 4K Action Camera 20MP
Amazon
We live in a world where seizing the moment via forms of media is a must. That's why copping the Campark Action Camera is a great choice. With crystal clear resolution and an anti-shaking feature, you can take the perfect shot and create beautiful content.
Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker
Amazon
Cooking has been made easier over this last decade and boy are we thankful. Treat your loved one with this nano precision cooker to cook like a pro. Word on the street is that it delivers perfect results every time. It makes it easy to cook, control, and keep track of your recipe from your mobile device with a super-fast Bluetooth connection.
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter here and check out the related reads below:
xoGift Guide 2019: Gifts For The Fashion Fiend
xoGift Guide 2019: Gifts For The Self-Care Enthusiast
xoGift Guide 2019: Gifts For The Beauty Lover In Your Life
11 Places To Buy Black This Holiday Season
Featured image by Shutterstock
Joce Blake is a womanist who loves fashion, Beyonce and Hot Cheetos. The sophistiratchet enthusiast is based in Brooklyn, NY but has southern belle roots as she was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Keep up with her on Instagram @joce_blake and on Twitter @SaraJessicaBee.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Megan Thee Stallion Shares The 'Intense' Workout Routine That’s Got Her Snatched
One thing about Megan Thee Stallion is that she’s going to motivate you to stay active. From afar, she seems like the perfect gym bestie, and up close, it looks like her workouts would have us gasping for air. But hey, she doesn’t call her routines “bootcamp” for nothing.
After an extended break from social media and the public eye, the Houston Hottie is back sharing the high-energy workouts that are keeping her lean and she’s happy to report that “the results have been resulting."
The 28-year-old rapper dropped an Instagram Reel, detailing the workout routine that’s putting her endurance to the test. With the help of her personal trainer, Megan has one word in mind when it comes to her progress and that’s: “Consistency.”
The “Savage” artist has been traveling, making “hot girl moves," and after returning from a trip to New York, she expressed that her trainer is pushing her to keep the same energy back in the gym.
“I had just gotten back from New York and I told my trainer, ‘Look, friend, I was having a time. Can you please take it easy?’” Megan said. “He said, ‘Hmm, I’ve seen you doing all that hot girl s—, so what you need to do is get in that gym and have that same energy.’”
Her trainer then instructed her to do jumping squats with an exercise ball and resistance band around her legs for an extra burn. “I put my thing down, flipped it, and reversed it and that’s what happened. This sh– burned like a motherf—,” she teased in the video’s voiceover while executing both forward and backward jumping squats.
It’s clear that when it comes to Megan’s fitness, her trainer doesn’t play around about pushing her to her limits. In the next set of her cardio moves, we see the Grammy-winning artist jumping rope and moving on to a combination of mountain climbers and lateral jumps over a speed hurdle.
“Right here, that’s when I realized: I’ve been saying my trainer’s crazy but I know he’s really, really crazy because he must think that I’m trying out for the Houston Texans or something,” she joked.
To finish her workout, Meg hit two more barbell exercises, one being a set of cleans with 10-pound weight plates on the barbell. She then closed out by doing lunges with the barbell racked on her shoulders.
Of course, the best way to close out a workout is to nourish yourself with a balanced meal. Meg showed off her delicious post-workout plate with salmon, a sweet potato, and assorted veggies.
With so much of her public life being shared on the internet, it’s nice to see her letting us in on her progress in a fun and motivating way. “I just want to be transparent with y'all. Working out hurts, but it’s really a mental thang, so go do it!”
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images