Reader Request Week: Q&A With ElleSees

Hey you! I had such a sweet and positive response to the first video that I decided to do another one. I'm thinking about making this a weekly thing. What do you think? I admit I wasn't feeling too hot in this one, so it's not as entertaining, but learning from my video mistakes and getting comfortable in front of the camera is what it's all about.

One of the possible entries in my $75 Sephora Giveaway is to ask me a question. I randomly chose 13 of them and made a video, so check to see if your question was answered! Enjoy!

Highlights:

• Me, being awkward as usual
• The Southern Accent Returns!
• Charlie, who was asleep most of the video
• The fact that I found an almond in my bra after filming (what the??)

I'm off to Waycross to see my youngest sister perform in her high school's version of Grease! I'll be back Monday with more tutorials and tricks. Have a great weekend. Be safe, behave, and be well. Love, Elle

PS: If you really want your question answered, or if you can't understand my accent, let me know in the comments. Thanks for watching!

Winterlicious/December/Christmas Tags

My Christmas Nails, via my Instagram...follow me on there for pics like this and more of my pup :)

Every Christmas my Lil Sis and I do word searches, from this book I've had over 10 years, and we do surveys! Remember those from Myspace? And Blog Things? ;) Since it's the holidays, I thought I'd share a little something to do if you have a free moment/need an escape from family/bored/etc. Do a tag! I get tagged to do these, but I'm awful at remembering to do them, and thought for once I'd answer them here! Enjoy and I tag all of you! Answer here or on your own blog. Enjoy your day!

Winterlicious Questions:

1) Favorite Winter Nail Polish?
Orly Rockets Red Glare
2) Favorite Winter lip product?
Babylips
3) Most worn Winter clothing piece?
purple trench
4) Most worn Winter accessory?
scarves
5) Favorite Winter scent/candle?
sugar cookies or apple cinnamon
6) Favorite Winter beverage?
all of the starbucks holiday drinks, esp peppermint mocha
7) All time favorite Christmas/Holiday movie?
A Christmas Story
8) Favorite Christmas/Holiday song?
Silent Night, Christmas Wrapping
9) Favorite Holiday food/treat?
frosted sugar cookies
10) What is your favorite Christmas Decoration this year?
my tree, with my pup's pawprint (btw did you see his xmas card?)
11) What's at the top of your Christmas list?
watching nephews open presents; seeing family
12) What are your plans for the holidays this year?
visiting family in my hometown and opening gifts
_____________________________________________

DECEMBER QUESTIONS:

1. What do you love most about December?
Christmas
2. What is your favorite perfume to wear with the holidays?
Miss Dior Cherie
3. Which 3 products can't you live without this December?
moisturizing products, sparkly nails, red lips
4. What is your go-to look this month? Winged liner? Red lips? Tell us!
bold shadow looks, be it heavy liner or sparkly eyes
5. What is your favorite glittery product? It can be anything!
polish
6. Show us your favorite ornament from your Christmas Tree!
most of my ornaments are from my travels around the world, so those and a homemade one my sis made me when she was 6
7. Which candy are you going to eat too much of this month?
not really candy, more of baked goods
8. What is your favorite December/Holiday related movie or TV show to watch?
Christmas Story, Love Actually, Serendipity, CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS STORY, and the scary 1960s claymation (whatever you call it) movies
9. What do you really hope Santa has wrapped in a present for you this year?
Something expensive, since almost everything i wear on face/body is under $20
10. The Holidays are all about sharing the love, Who do you want to give a shout-out and why?
anyone who is a regular reader/supporter of my blog...that means the WORLD to me...THANK YOU!

____________________________________________________________________

1.- When do you start getting excited about Christmas?

day after thanksgiving

2.- Do you still have advent calendars?

yes, edible and collectible

3.- What are your favorite Christmas films?

Christmas Story

4.- Do you have any funny Christmas memories?

i would throw up every christmas from nervous anxiety...it's funny now.

5.- Talk us through your typical Christmas day.

wait on siblings/nephews to come over and open presents. spend the rest of day visiting 2-4 sets of families. 

6.- What do you eat for Christmas dinner?

pretty much the same as thanksgiving, but ham and chicken instead
7.- Do you have any Christmas traditions?

our parents get us lotto tix in our stockings. fact: i never win.
8.- Which are your favorite Christmas songs?

oh holy night, silent night, christmas wrapping, all i want for christmas is you
i prefer the old standards from the 50s, but i have a little of everything in my way-too-many-christmas-cds-collection.

9.- What is the best Christmas gift you ever received?

barbie dreamhouse!! 

10.- Real or Fake Christmas tree?

fake as a kid, but real as a grownup...i like both
11.- Worst present ever received?
Cheese slices from my neighbor

Answer if you'd like! Have a great day.

GIFT GUIDE WEEK! Elle's Unordinary Gift Guide

And so GIFT GUIDE WEEK continues! I hope you've enjoyed what I've featured so far. Today I'm showcasing Unordinary Gifts, you know--those off-the-wall-but-still-cool gifts. I think they're fun, so let's see what you think!

elle sees' unordinary christmas gifts by ellesees featuring a heart ring

1. Holiday Pens that smell!
2. Candy Cane Shot Glasses
3. Snow Globe Bottle stoppers
4. Xmas Candle to Go
5. Life-size Gingerbread house!! Ok, this is only $15k. Let's all chip in. K?
6. Charlie Brown Hot Chocolate
7. Giant Gummy Bear on a Stick
8. Bitten Gingerbread Men Cookie Cutters
9. Cupcake Floss
10. Sprinkle Heart Ring
11. Babushkups Nesting Glasses (I want these!)
12. Colored Bubbles!

What unordinary gifts are you into this season?

PS--Coming up: Stocking Stuffers, Gifts for Guys, Elle Sees' Official Gift Guide

GIFT GUIDE WEEK! Under $20

elle sees under 20 bucks gift guide by ellesees on Polyvore.com

Today's GIFT GUIDE focuses on Gifts $20 and Under. I hope you enjoy what I've rounded up for you!

EAT

• Don't you hate how it's hard to clean the bottom of your water bottle? Enter the CLEAN BOTTLE.
• These classic caramels from CRATE AND BARREL make a great hostess gift.
• Burn your hands no more with the reusable HANDISLEEVE.
• How adorable is this MINI FONDUE KIT?

THIS & THAT

• For those that live in the big city & eat lots of take out, this TAKEOUT MENU ORGANIZER is for them!
• I cannot wait to review this GARNIER SLEEK & SHINE BLOW DRY KIT.
• You can STILL send a TELEGRAM. I had no idea this still existed (stop).
• This lovely PASHMINA scarf is what she needs for the plane ride back.
• ANGEL WINGS are an adorable way to prop up your phone/mp3.
• I love this HOW TO MAKE ANYTHING book by READYMADE.

HOME

• I want these SPARROW HOOKS to hang my winter coats.
• This CHIRPING BIRD is magnetic and holds paper clips. Sweet.
• For the coffee/cocoa/tea lover to get in the Christmas season, here's a JOYful Mug.
• A unique lighting option instead of a candle is this one from IKEA.
• Two things I collect: Matryoshka nesting dolls & manger scenes. The NATIVITY DOLLS is quirky but definitely different.

Halloween Goodies

I just wanted to share my list of Halloween Goodies that I've been collecting. Enjoy.

Beauty
Cha Cha Cha Polish--perfect for fall
Villainous Vixens Collection
Wicked Polish Collection
Monster Mash Perfume
Halloween Soaps

Entertaining & Recipes
Spooky Candy Apples
Tentacle Pot Pies--perfect for kiddos
Spooky Finger Cookies
Creepy Halloween Recipes
Zombie Body Jello Mold
I Scream Ice Cubes
Scary Faces Glass Tumblers
Dexter Blood Slide Suckers--creative!
23 Halloween Recipes via Martha Stewart

Decorate
Glow-in-the-Dark Halloween Balloons--there's jack-o-lanterns too!
How to Make Glow In the Dark Eggs--Not just for Easter
Wine Cork Candles
Creepy Crow Decorations via Dollar Store Crafts--TONS of good stuff here

Dress Up
Seriously EVERYTHING crafty & Halloween via Instructables (like the Gaga costume above)
Theatrical False Lashes
Stockings with Bats
Handmade Costumes for Kids--really easy & cheap
Special-FX Fangs
Last Minute No-Sew Costumes for Kiddos
Bloody Apron

Are you gonna dress up for Halloween? As...?
Do you decorate your house for Halloween?


PS MY GIVEAWAY ENDS ON HALLOWEEN. HAVE YOU ENTERED?

rAnDoM Party

pic

So yesterday I was down in the dumps. Luckily, I'm doing better today, because it's a new day! Full of possibilties! And this was due to last night's rAnDoM PARTY. It was just the thing to cheer me up. We made fried chicken BLT tacos, had some nicely chilled tequila, teased my hair like Snooki's pouf, practiced my Jersey accent, and had an East Coast/West Coast 90s rappers Dance Off. None of these things really went together (hence rAnDoM) nor are they my normal style, but we had a blast. Here's the playlist below. Some songs are NSFW. Enjoy!

Scenes From The Weekend

What did Elle See this weekend? I "celebrated" another month of not working. Because crying over it isn't gonna help, I might as well celebrate it. And so we had martinis (pineapple upside cake) and movies. Friday, we saw Iron Man 2 (good! Stay thru past the credits) and Babies (loved it! go see it!) on Saturday and rented It's Complicated (funny rom-com) Saturday and Nine (I love musicals, but I found myself more drawn to the scenery than the story) Sunday.

Saturday we went to the European Market (totes lame, skip it), saw more movies (see above) made Creamsicle smoothies, and found a store that sold outdoor fountains/plants. It was so relaxing. Spilling drinks on the same exact spot where my roof leaked earlier this week was not relaxing. 

Sunday during church I looked down and realized my toe polish matched my cardi. Random. Since the weather was so nice, I tried to hit the park, but it was impossible to find a parking spot. So I put up a hammock that we got in Mexico on my porch and dove into the Sunday paper. The bestie decided to play Minute to Win It (on NBC) and managed to win the challenge of empting a box of tissues in 1 minute. I was the time keeper.

And then my other beautiful sister Jessica (you've met my sister Holly and my brother Kenny) sent this adorable picture of her first Mother's Day. She's holding The World's Cutest Nephew #2, who was passed out after swimming in his first pool! He has to sleep holding the duck! He's too sweet. It was a perfect weekend. How was your weekend? And for the moms out there, how was your day?