The idea of doing an ASK ME ANYTHING post came to me right before I shut my eyes to go to bed one night. I usually would just doze off, wake up the next day, try to jog my memory on the epic post idea I hate before I feel asleep, & then moved on with my day… forgetting all about those money thoughts (the best ideas come to me at the worst time).

This time though, I made note in my iPhone to DO A Q&A with the readers (you guys), so here we are today.

Introducing my very first, hopefully of many, Q&A series!!

You guys have the best questions & I got an overwhelming response, so this is def. a part 1 situation. I had to break it up & save some for later… but if you’re question wasn’t covered in this posts , PLEASE free to shoot me an email with your most burning questions (or comment below) & I will be sure include them in my next few AMA posts!!!

Happyyy Thursday babes, loved this short week way too much!! x, E

P.S. I got a WHOLE bunch of blog tip related posts, so if you need more information, be sure to check out alllll of my super helpful tips on dominating the blog world!

ASK ME ANYTHING

Question: “You have mentioned you have bad dark circles & you have tried under eye fillers to help with the appearance. Doest it work & what filler did you use? Full or half syringe?” -anonymous

Answer: Yes! I did try, you guys can read all about my thoughts here, & it did work…. temporarily. Some doctors say I may have metabolized it quickly, but unfortunately for me it just wasn’t worth it do again. I got Belotero cause I specifically said I wanted it to last & supposedly it lasts longer (plus, less expensive than Restalyne) & I got about 1 syringe worth!

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Question: “I have always wanted bangs like yours & they get cut differently than I expected & I regret them immediately. What did you ask for when you went to the salon?” – @marishapareek

Answer: Totally get it cause I’ve had the same experience in the past! I asked her for a bardot bang that I could also wear straight across if I wanted to- they are a bit longer, but I love how they aren’t SUPER thick & heavy!

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Question: “Where did you and your boyfriend meet each other?” – @jenben36

Answer: a dive bar, the diviest dive bar actually! I guess we are kinda the exception to the rule when they say meeting someone at a bar is neverrr a good idea.

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Question: “What are your best tips and tricks for living with a guy? Bathroom time, keeping the nice decor nice, anything that helps keep you both san and happy in the realm of sharing space…” – @bouquetsandbaguettes

Answer: accept each others strengths & weaknesses. You may be better at cleaning the bathroom while he may be better at taking out the trash- don’t try to even the score with who does what, cause in the end, it balances out & you guys are putting in the work for eachother! Also, prepare yourself for a good 6 month adjustment period. It takes some getting used to, & there may be more bickering than usual. It’s totally normal!

Question: “What was the general response from your readers when you first posted about using marijuana for anxiety? I have a mom blog and have considering writing about my experience and management and was curious if you regretted sharing with us or not?” – Deana | @margaritasandmommyhood

Answer: not gonna lie- I was definitely super nervous to open up to my readers about being “420 friendly” (slash, super into smoking weed. HA!). It was something I wanted to do for a long time, but I didn’t want to turn anyone off… or worse- offend someone’s personal beliefs. I am very blessed with a super awesome audience who fully embraced & related, with very minor judgment (got a few thumbs down emoji’s on instagram… but that was expected!).

Being a Mommy blogger, I actually think it’s a really great idea that you are open about it! There are so many mom’s out there suffering from the stress of being responsible for other tiny lives, along with postpartum depression MANY new Mom’s face, that I think it could be really informative. Plus, it will make you stand out from the crowd of Mommy bloggers & could make you more relatable. I am not a Mom myself, but my sister just had a baby & I know it’s not all flowers & daisies. Mom’s needs self care too, & that comes in many forms. Be prepared for some flack, but don’t be put off by it. 

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Question: “When you’re just starting out blogging and have a ton of other stuff going on like work and college/uni, how do you motivate yourself to blog consistently? Especially when you know that there aren’t a ton of people looking at your blog yet.” – Tache | @tacheforbister

Answer: I actually did a post about why you shouldn’t be blogging everyday of the week, which could help take some of the stress off… but I do totally know how you feel. When I started blogging I was in school & did it as much as I could in my free time (you can read my blogging story here)… but when I decided to really take it serious, I was working a full time office job & it was a real balance.

I shot outfit posts with a coworker during my lunch break, did hair tutorials with another coworker after we got off (she was great at braiding hair), & then I would work into the night when I was off work posting my content! 

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Question: “How do you manage your work and life? Do you have a set schedule? Do you plan everything in advance? Do you have a morning routine? Or habits you can’t live without? Would love to know how is the routine behind this beautiful brand of yours!” – @dryelleart

Answer: Hey girlllll. Fab question! For the blog, I do have a posting schedule I try to stick to & yes- I def. plan in advance. Each week I shoot atleast 3 pieces of content & I “stack” that content for future posting dates. Every Sunday I set a loose posting schedule for the week. I reference the content I have “stacked” & work it all in the best I can. 

I also set time in the week to shoot with my photographer, edit photos, shoot content on my own, & work on my other company, blog-doo.

As far as any habits go- I have to work out atleast 4 days a week. I used to hate working out, but that hour in a day disconnected is SO refreshing. I also try to disconnect on the weekends as well. 

You can find my morning ritual here & my nighttime ritual here. I also take a hot bubble bath every single night & spend a good thirty minutes in there so I can read a few chapters in whatever book I am currently reading!

Question: “I’ve been thinking about turning my Instagram into more of a fashion gram. How did you take photos when you first started blogging? Did you hire a photographer right away or take them yourself?” – @1eme

Answer: When I first started, I asked anyone & everyone around me to take some photos. I didn’t have a budget then for a photographer, so I had to get creative. My sister ended up being really good at taking photos in the beginning, which was awesome. 

When I met my boyfriend, I quickly learned he was a stellar skateboard photographer & he was super down to start taking my photos! This was great for a while & he actually shot all the photos for this post (we still love taking photos together), but I needed photos A LOT so it was better for me to find someone who had more time to dedicate to that!

I actually met my photographer on a magazine shoot for an interview I was doing with a local magazine. I loved her work, asked her if she wanted to shoot me for the blog, & we’ve been together ever since. 

Another good idea is to try to find a local new photographer looking for experience & models. You can both help each other that way, & you will get professional photos in return. Be sure to check out their work to make sure there shooting style will represent the vibe you are going for with your photos. You want to be consistent with your photography style, so try to stick to one or two photographers who get what you’re trying to put down. 

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Question: “How did you start blogging & instagramming? How long did it take you to get your first 1k followers & how did you gain a following? I know people have good content, but with so many good bloggers, how does one get started? It’s daunting.”- @jetnoguchi

Answer: honestly- I feel like it took me longer than most. I have watched fellow bloggers go from 10k less than me to 100k in NO TIME at all & that is super discouraging. 

You are 100% right, there are a TON of bloggers out there- I really think the best thing for new bloggers is to find a niche (be a big fish in a small pond versus a small fish in a huge ass pond of fashion bloggers!). I feel like I am finally growing at a faster speed, & I honestly feel like it has to do with the fact I really stopped trying to compare to other bloggers & just embrace who I am.

Talking about my anxiety & how marijuana has helped me  with that anxiety were frightening, but they made me stand out & I feel like people could relate more… small things like that could make all the difference. 

Don’t compare yourself to others, create good content, be yourself, share you content on social media, & PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE. Go to events, network, reach out to brands, & be confident in yourself/what you’re doing!

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Question: “Why do I see people post hashtags in a comment instead of an addition to their caption?” – @jetnoguchi

Answer: simply because it’s less of a distraction from the caption itself! Crowding up a caption with hashtags could cause people to keep scrolling solely because it’s overwhelming to look at. You can read more about my top hashtags here.

Question: “I’ve been trying to get more traffic to my site and channel so I am constantly posting on my social media account about my content, but sometimes I think I’m posting about it too much? Do you think a person can self promote too much? If so, what’s a good amount to post on one topic?” – @beautywithbree

Answer: I definitely think you need to break it up with other real life content, but self promotion is great!! I post all my content to a ton of social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, WeHeartIt) & always use hashtags/tags to help new people find my content. 

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Question: “Advice for a fellow blogger: growing readership & how to keep new content for blog posts! please!” – @thattrendyfellow

Answer: growing your readership takes time- but make sure you are networking on social media, commenting on other peoples photos, sharing your posts on your account & other social media accounts you manage, create beautiful/shareable content, etc. 

Also- when you take photos wearing different brands, check out their feeds & try to shoot for their aesthetic in hopes of a regram. Tag brands in the photo, & even send them the photo to bring it to their attention! 

As far as new content goes, I am always writing notes in my phone. Ideas come to me all the time, so I jot things down & see if I can make a post out of it. Content needs to provide value to your readers so take note of what people are asking for & provide them with just that!

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Question: “How do you feel about IG stories? What tips do you have for staying consistent with it, while not getting too obsessed with making sure each pic is designed properly or looks good? Do you stockpile photos to post, do you have idea of what you’ll share each day? Is it totally spontaneous? I’m finding that I’m getting stuck overthinking shit & each pic is taking too much time. I don’t feel like I’m providing enough value to be totally transparent, and the stories are inconsistent because I feel like if I try to IG stories stuff all day I spend my day distracted by that & am not being as productive as I could be!” – @juleswick

Answer: ughhhhh… IG Stories & Snapchat are honestly hard for me. I try so hard to be consistent but real life definitely gets in the way. As far as stories go, I don’t worry too much about the branding aspect as much as I do about sharing all the in the moment content. I don’t break my neck over it… but I do try to keep it at the forefront so I can provide my readers with a more BTS look at my life!

As far as my Instagram content goes, I do have some photos stockpiled for a rainy day (aka don’t feel like getting out of my pajamas) situation. I do have ideas of what I will share each day based on the content going live on the blog & I use the app SNUG to lay it all out to make sure it will look good on the feed. 

I do like a spontaneous photo though & A LOT of the ones you see on my feed are taken that day in the moment! 

I totally get that it can be a lot, but don’t beat yourself up over it! I can totally get sucked into the editing process & spending way too much time making a photo look like my aesthetic… but it is a major distraction. I’d try to nail down an editing routine & just stick with that, then everything will match your vibe & you won’t need to spend a bunch of time making it perfect. 

For insta-stories/Snapchat, the beauty in those apps is that it’s NOT curated… so just have fun with it & don’t over think!

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Question: “What do you predict will be the big trends for fall” – @kayyellebee

Answer: a Fall twist on the early 2000’s- striped ribbed knits, low waist jeans (think Frankie B circa 2002. I know, sounds crazy- but rumor has it the low waist will be making a hugeeee comeback), velour, Kurt Cobain style cable knit sweaters, metallics, chunky boots, etc. Basically, my entire 7th grade closet will be back in style. 

What I’m Wearing

Kendall & Kylie embroidered coach jacket | Kendall & Kylie ribbed bodysuit | PacSun skinny straight jeans | Public Desire ‘Libby’ flared heel sock boots | Quay x Kylie ‘Star Struck’ Sunglasses in red

[ PHOTOS BY ZACK DOWDY ]