Our First Q&A with Carrie

Carrie’s Most FAQs

One of our favorite series on websites are Q&A’s. We absolutely love learning more about the people we follow online and on social media.

And then we realized we’ve never done a Q&A on our site! Ha! So, we decided to find out what you’re all curious about, and you sent in some great questions. We also included questions Carrie has been asked in the past.

And, thus, we’ve put together a fun little article that you’ll hopefully find enjoyable! Keep on reading…

Blogging / Business

What advice would you give to someone starting a blog?

The first question I always pose to someone considering starting a blog is this:

Am I doing this as a business or just as a hobby?

There is certainly no right or wrong answer to this, but just be honest to yourself about your motivations. Some people just want to write and share photos for the creative aspect of it. And that’s wonderful!

But if it’s a business, that should impact how you treat it. You should operate it in a professional manner. Be consistent with posting. Proofread your writing. Invest in your website, in yourself, in people, and whatever else you need.

Like with any other business, you need to put in the work to see the results.

One other question to ask yourself:

What value am I adding to the world?

In other words, what perspective are you bringing to the world that is different and special and unique? Especially when entering a landscape as crowded as blogging, you need to be able to differentiate yourself.

What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received?

My dad has always said, “Do something you love, and you won’t have to work a day in your life.”

That has certainly resonated with me as I’ve transitioned from 18 years of corporate work to starting my own business over the last two years. I’m grateful to love what I do and love the people with whom I work. It’s a special situation I don’t take for granted.

Another mantra I always lived by business-wise was this:

Work hard and be nice to people

In fact, I had a huge poster of it framed in my office when I worked downtown.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Building something that I am passionate about with people who share my excitement and vision and drive.

Fashion and Beauty

For those of us who are dipping our toes into the world of spending a little more on fashion, how do you start to make purchases of investment pieces? What items are good to spend on vs save? 

Ah yes, that’s one of the most fundamental questions when it comes to fashion. How do you allocate your budget? What pieces are worth saving up for and splurging?

In today’s environment where it seems like fast fashion is thriving and there’s a knock-off (or “dupe” for duplicate as some bloggers call them) for everything, is it still worth splurging on “investment” pieces? A resounding YES!

As to what to splurge on, begin with timeless pieces. Yes, the queen of color and quirkiness is telling you to go neutral and classic with your first investment pieces! Ha.

Specifically, I’d recommend splurging on these four items (in this order):

1. A handbag

2. A beautiful shoe

3. A trench coat

4. A tailored blazer

One cautionary word: Please never never go into credit card debt or anything for fashion. Live within your means! I love fashion. But we as women in particular need to be careful to make wise decisions in how we allocate our finite resources.

Are there any items you splurged on that have held up well over the years? 

Yes, yes, yes!

Namely, a few of the items I recommended above:

1. My first Chanel handbag – a white vintage flap bag purchased from The Vintage Contessa about six years ago

2. Two Burberry trench coats – one is neutral but interesting with a mix of colors and fabrics, while one is a bold red and pink ombre color palette. Both are beautiful! But for me, the red and pink ombre one has gotten even more use, since color is what I personally gravitate towards.

Related articles and interviews : one / two / three

Are there any expenditures you have made and maybe wished you hadn’t? 

Indeed! The more “trendy” in nature, the less likely the purchase is to hold up over time. One time, I purchased a pair of designer jeans in light denim with a flare hem with colorful sequins all over them. Sounds perfectly me, right? Well, there were just too many trends going on all at once, even for me.

Who is your all time favorite designer and why?

Oh this is a loaded question! So many amazing designers out there.

I’ve been fortunate to meet a few designers over the years, so my opinions are surely biased by my personal interactions with them.

As for cocktail and evening wear, I just adore Sachin & Babi! Lovely designs and lovely people.

As for shoes, I’d have to say both Aquazzura and Giuseppe Zanotti. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friendly with both of them over the years. I appreciate the artistry with which they both approach footwear – in very different manners, mind you.

As for bags, I undoubtedly gravitate to Chanel. It doesn’t hurt that their CC logo happens to match my initials!

What’s your favorite beauty product?

I am so basic when it comes to beauty and skincare. I have been trying out some products lately. And I’ll certainly share my favorites with you soon.

But my tried and true product I can’t live without is La Mer Renewing Oil.

I tend to have dry and sensitive skin. But this oil renews my skin’s moisture amazingly well.

Motherhood

What’s it like being a new mom at 40?

You know, I believe everything happens for a reason and at the right time.

I can’t imagine becoming a mom at a younger age. For me personally, I know I had a lot of maturing to do. I had some issues to work through. I had a lot to learn about myself before I could have been a mother.

Besides that, I was career-focused. I was very driven to be the best I could be in that realm. In fact, I worked full-time in a very demanding role and got my MBA simultaneously while going to school on the weekends.

So, having a baby didn’t necessarily fit in my life at that time.

But looking at it now, I of course simply cannot imagine my life without her!

She is surely the love of my life.

Is Elle sleeping through the night?

I hesitate to share this, as I never want to seem like I’m claiming to be some parenting expert or pro. But…

Elle has been sleeping through the night since she was 7 or 8 weeks old.

Yep – I’m talking ten to twelve hours straight a night, which is a huge blessing, as I spent 40 years being accustomed to getting a lot of sleep!

You know, I joke that she must have known that her parents were overwhelmed at the idea of a newborn, so she makes things as easy as possible on us — sleeps well, rarely cries, etc. Knock on wood. 😉

What do you miss most from pre-baby days?

Traveling.

2017 saw very little travel with my rough pregnancy and then having a newborn. But I’m looking forward to feeding my travel bug this year! It will be great fun to experience new places with my sweet baby.

Other fun things

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?

1. Traveling

2. Being physically active — working out, plus I love golf. I don’t play often anymore, but I played competitively growing up and still love the game.

3. Watching TV shows – somewhat embarrassed to admit, but we enjoy unwinding in the evening with a glass of wine and an episode of a favorite show.

What’s your favorite workout?

That has varied over the years… I tend to get really into whatever I’m doing at the time. So for a while, back in my college days, I was really into weight lifting. Then, for a while, I was into running. In fact, I ran twelve half marathons. I also had a phase of Bikram yoga and a phase of Define barre classes. I’m not much for cycling / spinning. That’s just never really been my thing.

Currently, I am all about yoga. I’m practicing hot Baptiste style vinyasa yoga at Big Yoga. I’m completely in love with practicing there. I’m seeing changes and improvements in so many ways.

What’s your go to coffee order?

I do not at all like the taste of straight coffee. So admittedly, my everyday coffee order has way too much sugar.

I get a grande vanilla latte. Way too frequently, I might add. 🙂

And happy hour drink?

If I order a cocktail, it’s usually vodka + grapefruit.

A Few More Things

Did you enjoy this post? We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below. Is this something you’d like us to do again? If so, be sure to send in questions to [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

As well, check out the updated “Carrie Curates” section on our homepage and Carrie’s latest look here.

And, finally, we wish you a very happy week and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!