Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and Holiday season, spending time with the ones you love.

White Elephant Gifts

1. Sharknado DVD $10, 2. Moose Drink Cozie $16, 3. Toilet Bowl Coffee Mug $10, 4. Like/Dislike Facebook Stamps $10, 5. Handerpants $5, 6. Soap shaped like food $7, 7.  Thumb Wrestling Ring, $7

I love white elephant parties. And, to be clear, I mean the gift exchange parties where people bring the most asinine gifts. Definitely not those gifts that people can actually use. If you are looking for some pretty awesome and totally useless gifts, ThisIsWhyImBroke.com and Amazon are going to be your best bet. You can find just about anything your weird imagination can dream up.

What is the best White Elephant gift you have received or given?

Gifts for the Beauty Queen

1. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette $50 / 2. Chi Orbit 3 in 1 Tourmaline Ceramic Curler $100 / 3. Clarisonic Mia Cleansing Device $100 / 4. Sally Hansen Salon Pro Gel Nail Colors $10 / 5. GlamGlow Gift Sexy Set $70 / 6. Beauty Blender Makeup Sponge and Blender Cleanser $25 / 7. Channel Ultra Wear Lip Colour in Light Rose $35 / 8. Forever 21 Makeup Bag $10

I am fairly certain that any girl in your life has a little beauty queen in them. They may not do their makeup or hair every day (I'm guilty of that), but most women do care about their appearances. And it is always really nice to get a friend a little luxury that they may not get themselves. Take for instance, the Naked Palette and the Channel lip gloss. Both are purchases I was hesitant with at first because of the price, but in the end they were definitely worth the extra bucks! I guarantee that both will become staples in any makeup routine. Plus, its nice to say you got someone something from Channel! The Beauty Blender and makeup bag are perfect for anyone and you don't even need to know anything about their makeup routine! For those looking to get that flawless complexion, then the Clarisonic or the GlamGlow will be right up their alley. I love giving nail polishes as a little stocking stuffer or just that something extra, and gel polishes are very popular right now. If you are willing to spend some extra money on your beauty queen, then the Chi 3-1 curling iron might be the perfect gift. It's currently on sale at Ulta, and I may just have to get one for myself!

What is the best beauty gift you have gotten?

Gifts for the Health Nut

1. FitBit Force $130 / 2. Nike Studio Wrap $50 / 3. SKLZ Weighted Speed Rope $20 / 4. Garmin Forerunner $130 / 5. Sony Walkman Sports MP3 Player $80 /  6. Grid Foam Roller $70 / 7. $10 / 8. Giada's Feel Good Food $30

Even if you don't have a friend that is a full on health nut, there is probably at least one thing above that would appeal to anyone who has a remote interest in fitness. For the runners, the Garmin watch/pedometer/GPS will track distance, calories, steps and the Sony Walkman has the earbuds and MP3 player included in one, compact device so they don't have to deal with extra wires while running. For the at-home exercisers, the weighted jump rope and resistance bands will add an extra punch to their workout. For the barre-lovers or yogis, the Nike Studio Wraps will give them stylish and practical footwear for their favorite classes. For those that are looking to loose some extra weight in the new year, the FitBit will help them stay on track and Giada's cookbook will provide them with some healthy meals to keep the pounds off. Then, for everyone, I think a foam roller is the best tool to add to a fitness routine, no matter how mild or intense. It helps relieve sore muscles and promotes flexibility. 

Do you have a health nut in your life? What are you getting them for Christmas?

My Black Friday Haul

Hey y'all! I'm back from beautiful Aruba. As much as I would rather be sitting on a warm, white sand beach right now reading my book, I am very happy to be home.

I will be sharing some pictures from our honeymoon with you soon, but today I wanted to share with you some of my Black Friday purchases! Just because I got home last night doesn't mean I didn't take MAJOR advantage of some sales. Come on, you should know me better by now.

My 1st Black Friday stop was Gap/Banana (all of my shopping was online, FYI). Gap had 50% of everything (now 40% off thru Sunday) and Banana Republic had 40% off everything (still offering 40% off thru Sunday). I couldn't help but pick up some Winter staples for both B and me.

Gap Moto Jacket / Gap Men's Slim Fit Jeans / BR Shimmer Vee / BR Fur Vest / BR Slim Fit Chinos

My 2nd Black Friday stop was at JCrew Factory. They are also offering up to 50% off everything until Tuesday, so I was able to snatch up some fun pieces for the holidays.

Tissue Turtleneck Tee / Sequined Mini / Cameo Chandelier Necklace

B also stopped by Amazon looking for some great deals on some gadgets. He didn't fine anything, but he did happen to notice some pretty amazing deals on Kindle ebooks. I bought a few books I have been meaning to read, each less than $7.50. Some of their best sellers are as low as $2.00!! Seriously, if you have a Kindle, this is a great time to stock up!

Catching Fire / The Book Thief / Killing Kennedy / Sycamore Row

Others you may want to check out: Gone Girl ($3.50), Divergent Book Series ($3.50 - $7.00), Inferno ($4.00), Game of Thrones Series (complete set $10.00)

The last early Christmas gift I got were new exercise shoes. I have had my old Reebok cross training shoes for a few years now, so they are pretty beat up. It was about time that I got a new pair. Reebok was offering their Crossfit Nano 2.0 shoes for $75 (orig. $110), which are perfect for my home workouts which are interval based.

Did you pick up anything good this Black Friday?

Christmas Outfits

Maybe you are like me and put a little extra thought into your Christmas outfits. I like to dress up a little more on Christmas eve since we go to Christmas eve church service after a family dinner. Christmas day is pretty casual in my family. I spend the morning with my mom and her side of the family then for dinner I head over to my dad's and his side of the family.

Christmas by lbralla featuring a cream shirt

Moral of the story: I need to go shopping!

Have you planned your Christmas outfit?