Behind The Blog… Featuring Mil & Jules from South By Northwest

Hello again lovelies…

Today I’m bringing you double the fun in Behind The Blog as I’m joined by two rather fabulous ladies, Mil & Jules, as they enlighten us a little on some interesting & fun facts about themselves. If you haven’t already acquainted yourself with their gorgeous little corner of the inter-web then I suggest you pop over asap and say a big cheery hello, as they really are an incredibly lovely duo – always chatting, extremely interactive and their posts are something I always look forward to reading!

Mil & Jules have a friendship many of us wish for, having met in sixth grade the two have been best chums ever since, and although they live many miles apart (a few thousand to be exact) that hasn’t deterred them from staying the closest of friends and creating the wonderful South By Northwest 

If you’re new to Confetti & Curves and need a quick update on what Behind The Blog is all about then do *click here* for further info… you might even find yourself taking part! Why not? I’d love to have you feature!

So without further ado, I’ll hand you over to my favourite blogging duet, Mil & Jules…

In only 5 words describe what readers can expect from your blog:

Mil: Fashion, beauty, food, fun and friendship! (And lots of alliteration, apparently.)

Jules: Girly, down to earth, personal, fun, friendship.

What inspired you to start blogging?

Mil: Julia did! We’ve both been avid blog followers for years, and she frequently encouraged me to start one myself, but I never got my act together…then she had the brilliant idea for the two of us to start a blog together, and South by Northwest was born.

Jules: For at least a year Mil and I had been talking about how she should start a beauty and fashion blog. Finally we decided to launch one together as a fun project for us to share and to lessen the time commitment.

Do you ever suffer from Blogger’s Block & if so how do you overcome it?

Mil: We’re pretty new to the blogging scene, so at this point I feel like it’s less about running out of ideas and more about struggling to find the time/energy to write after coming home from a full day of work. We try to plan ahead as much as possible and I keep a list of topics I’d like to write about, so there’s always a pool of ideas to draw from.

Jules: Not yet! We started blogging just a few months ago. Ask me in a year.

What’s your favourite post to date? 

 Mil: The one that was probably the most fun to write was 20 Questions with Mil & Jules. But I also looked forward to doing my Gift Guides for months…and I absolutely love writing about beauty products! Winter Beauty Updates is a recent favourite.

Jules: My very first one! http://southbynorthwestblog.wordpress.com/2014/09/02/on-friendship-part-2/

Describe your everyday style:

Mil: Casual glamour (at least that’s what I aspire to)!

Jules: Casual and comfortable. I wear a lot of dresses with cowboy boots, blazers with jeans, and leggings.

What are your current top 3 beauty items?

Mil: This is so hard to narrow down, but I love NARS Audacious lipstick, Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Moisture Cream, and Oribe Thick Dry Finishing Hairspray.

Jules: Moisturizer, NARS blush, and Benefit under eye concealer.

How do you like to relax & unwind after a stressful day?

Mil: Depending on the type of stress, either curled up on the couch with Netflix and a glass of wine, or cocktails and a rant session with my friends at a neighbourhood bar.

Jules: Drink a cup of tea while I catch up on my favourite blogs or my current show on Netflix.

Describe your ideal Saturday night:

Mil: Dinner at The Pink Door (my favourite Seattle restaurant), then either a concert or a movie at Big Picture, this super cool, underground, adults-only movie theatre downtown. They have a full bar and serve truffle popcorn in vintage champagne buckets. It’s amazing.

Jules: Dinner.

What’s your favourite junk food snack?

Mil: Cupcakes.

Jules: Non-dairy vanilla ice cream with candy chunks.

Everyone has their hidden bad habits, what’s yours?

Mil: Cupcakes. (Though my addiction has lessened somewhat since my favourite cupcake shop, which was formerly two blocks from my apartment, relocated.)

Jules: Biting my fingernails and smacking my gum.

What’s your most cherished childhood memory?

Mil: Family vacations to the beach or going to the theatre with my dad.

Jules: A family reunion at Lake Erie when I was in first grade. Life seemed so idyllic at that time.

What was your favourite school subject?

Mil: Literature and history.

Jules: In college I loved my finance courses. Doing math makes me feel smart!

What’s your dream job?

Mil: Beauty editor (or cheese babysitter, which apparently is a real career)!

Jules: I have a lot of them. Whatever my job title is, I want it to be in a position where I can affect positive change on my community both locally and regionally. I want a job that’s meaningful and improves peoples’ lives.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Mil: Hopefully retired and sipping mojitos on a beach in the Caribbean. Kidding…well, not about the mojitos on the beach. That sounds awesome! Ideally, I’ll be working in a role that leverages my creativity and living in a two-bedroom apartment with a water view and a walk-in closet so big it has its own zip code. I also hope I’ll have the means to travel a lot more often than I do now.

Jules: Successful in my career, but hopefully no longer working like a dog. I’m going through a career change at the moment, so I’m not sure what my career would be! By that time I hope to have at least one little kid running around. I also hope that I’m still close with my current best friends. Everyone is all over the country, so it’s hard, but I love ‘em!

What top 5 things are on your bucket list?

Mil: Most of my bucket list is travel destinations…the top 5 right now are probably Egypt, Australia, Spain, Poland and Thailand.

Jules: Visit every continent, hike a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, take a cross-country road trip (preferably with a girlfriend), run a marathon (preferably the flattest one known to man), and conquer my fear of heights.

What’s your biggest achievement to date?

Mil: Successfully making it through a year of Ancient Greek in college was pretty triumphant for me.

Jules: Buying a home by 25.

Who inspires you?

Mil: Gertrude Bell (and a long list of fictional characters I won’t go into right now…)

Jules: Tina Fey, Eleanor Roosevelt, Malala Yousafzai.

Do you have a favourite inspirational quote?

Mil: “Established truths are comforting, but it is the mysteries that make the soul ache and render a life of exploration worth living.” – Brian Greene

Jules: “Everything happens for a reason.”

Name 3 things that’s top of your Christmas list:

Mil: A cashmere infinity scarf, a massage, and a stocking full of Julep nail polish.

Jules: Minnetonka moccasins, new dresses that work for both the office and after-work cocktails, and Harney & Sons cinnamon tea.

What top tips would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own blog?

Mil: Write about what you love and just have fun with it! Try not to be too concerned with what other bloggers are doing because it will inevitably happen that you end up posting similar content from time to time, no matter how unique and original you try to be. That being said, do try to connect with your readers and other bloggers—there’s an amazingly fun, supportive community of people out there, and they’re a pretty welcoming bunch!

Jules: Before you start, know what you can commit to as far as time and effort are concerned.

QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS:

Tea or Coffee?

Mil: Coffee

Jules: Tea

Coke or Pepsi?

Mil: Coke

Jules: Coke

Salad Cream or Mayo?

Mil: What is salad cream?? Is it like salad dressing? I don’t like mayo, so I may just take the plunge and say salad cream, whatever it may be.

Jules: Ew, neither.

Cute kitten or Playful puppy?

Mil: Oh god. One of life’s hardest questions! I grew up with cats and a dog and I love them both. Though if we’re talking spirit animals, my personality is probably closer to that of a cat.

Jules: Puppy!!!

Night In or Night Out?

Mil: Night out

Jules: Night in

Heels or Flats?

Mil: Flats, if I’m walking more than three blocks.

Jules: Flats

Lipstick or Lip Gloss?

Mil: Lipstick

Jules: Lipstick

Rock Chick or Pop Princess?

Mil: Depends on my mood! I can go either way.

Jules: Rock chick (I went through a black lipstick phase when I was younger!)

Paperback or E-book?

Mil: Paperback

Jules: Paperback

 

Contact Mil & Jules: 

Blog: http://southbynorthwestblog.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southbynorthwest

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sxnw/

Mil’s Instagram: http://instagram.com/ameliakvesper

Jules’ Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JuliaMalinowski/

Jules’ Instagram: http://instagram.com/julesmalinowski

Jules’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrsMalinowski

If you would like to feature in Behind The Blog then please either leave your details below, otherwise get in touch via *here*, I’d love to hear from you!

As always, thanks for reading & don’t forget to say hi in the comments below…