Behind The Blog featuring Emilia from Irregular Collection…

Hey Beauty Buddies…

This past few mornings have been bliss. Waking up to sun rays streaming through the window, I finally feel like we’re beginning to shake off the dismal grey skies of winter, even if it is ever so slowly, the welcoming feel of a sunny morning (and stretch of a slightly brighter evening) just really helps to lift the mood! Heck, I even discovered a few cheery looking little Daffodils blooming in my front garden yesterday afternoon! Don’t you just love the feeling of sunnier seasons creeping in? Roll on brighter coloured clothing and pastel polishes is what I say 😉

Talking of cheery, I’m super excited to introduce y’all to this lovely young lady… as the gorgeous Emilia from Irregular Collection joins us on the virtual sofa today for a quick chatter about behind the scenes of her blossoming beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog. Her fresh faced approach to creating super stylish reviews, news and tips is incredibly refreshing. If you haven’t already popped over to check out her sassy little corner of the interweb then I suggest you take a trip over pronto as I’m pretty sure you’ll love it just as much as the rest of us do… she’s such an inspiration and one heck of a focused gal!

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

Fabulous fashion and beauty musings.

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What inspired you to start blogging?

I’ve always adored creative/casual writing, ever since being little – journalism sounds like heaven to me! But I suppose I was originally inspired by the many talented bloggers on my social media site; they had such amazing opportunities to influence the world and, ultimately, that’s my goal. Also, I’ve been an ELLE subscriber for years now, I LOVE a good magazine and I’ve always dreamt of getting involved with one – I guess blogs aren’t too different from magazines, so I decided to go for it!

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Tell us about your blog name… what made you decide on it?

Well, to begin with, Irregular Collection was a shared blog between myself and 3 friends whom all have very different passions and perspectives, I guess that answers that for those readers who have always wondered why IC has such a weird name! However, I decided to hold onto this name when these girls left the blog simply because I feel like it’s still relevant. Although my blog content is mainly fashion/beauty related, I’m not afraid to do a post on a different topic, such as mental illness, baking or even travel once in a while, so it’s still a pretty ‘irregular collection’ of posts.

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

Yes, sometimes, I think to myself “Damn, I haven’t posted in a while; I probably should” and go to blog, but if there’s nothing that I’m really wanting to talk about, I simply don’t do it. Blogging has to be impulsive for me, I’m not a ‘planning’ type of girl. But for those moments when I feel like I’m neglecting the Irregular Collection readers (it’s like having a child almost!), I look to my notepad, which is where I collate blogging ideas when I think of them but don’t have time to write them.

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What’s your favourite post to date?

This is tough as I love writing every single one, but it has to be my Highlighters: My Collection (https://irregularcollection.wordpress.com/2015/12/02/highlighters-my-collection/) post; partially because I love highlighting, but also because my boyfriend thought that I was blogging about actual highlighter pens!

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Describe your everyday clothes style:

Sophisticated, simplistic and quality neutrals with a pop of pattern or colour.

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What are your current top 3 beauty items?

This is where I start to curl up into a ball and deliberate over my answer to this question for roughly two months…

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

Laura Mercier Pressed Setting Powder

Chanel Le Volume De Chanel Mascara in Noir

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

This sounds stupidly unrelaxing to begin with, but if I’m stressed, I find that exercise really helps. I’ll usually slip on some boxing gloves or go on a run. After this, I love a good bath with a Bomb Cosmetics Bath Brulée, Clarins Pure and Radiant Face Mask and my Jo Malone candle. Before bed, I highly recommend jasmine tea; it’s proven to have relaxing, weight-loss and even blemish-banishing properties.

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Describe your ideal Saturday night:

This one could vary so much depending on what mood I’m in! Sometimes I just want to be snuggled up watching Disney movies and eating Indian takeaway with my boyfriend, but sometimes I’m in the mood to party for hours with my friends…

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What do you do to relax?

Blog, watch House or Friends, drink mocha and paint my nails.

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Everyone has their bad habits, what’s yours?

Biting my nails. I would love to have beautifully long nails like so many other girls so I could have them manicured, but I just cannot stop biting them. I grew them for a while last summer with the incentive of my mum paying for me to get gels, but once I got back to school, all of my efforts were ruined.

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What’s your most cherished childhood memory?

For most people, I’m probably still classed as a child, but I have to say, I will never forget the feeling of skiing in Austria when I was 13. It’s given me the urge to ski for life – the adrenaline, sense of achievement and freedom was priceless.

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What was your favourite school subject?

Seeing as I’m still in school this one’s pretty simple… Funnily enough my favourite subject is probably maths, although French is very close by. Neither of these, you’ll notice, are blogging-related in the slightest and this is because English GCSE is pretty much the polar opposite of blogging, in my opinion.

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What’s your dream job?

I would love to work as a magazine editor or fashion/beauty journalist – it’s probably the job that I’d enjoy most, but for the moment I’m going with my head, not my heart and aspire to be a financial director/stock broker/economist, as I find maths and economics super interesting too.

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Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I’ll only be 21, so hopefully, I will have graduated or be soon to graduate Cambridge University with an Economics or Mathematics degree (this is the absolute dream). In realistic terms, I see myself as a fashion/beauty loving city girl who is happy doing her own thing, whatever she is doing, with plenty of memories made and still to make. I’d love to see a more confident version of myself, oh and maybe a me with a 10 x bigger cosmetics collection!

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What top 5 things are on your bucket list?

To spend time living in France and become naturally fluent in French

To blog London Fashion Week

Go skiing again!

To participate in a speech/presentation about mental illness

Experiment with my personal fashion, hair and beauty more

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What’s your biggest achievement to date?

I know some people may not see it as an achievement, but the thing I am most proud of is beating anxiety’s ass. No-one, most definitely not myself, expected me to suffer from a mental illness and it is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever faced. I’d describe it as a long and constant roller-coaster of odd emotions and something I would never wish on my worst enemy. Mental illness is not often spoken about, hence it’s often misunderstood and this needs to change. There were times for me when my mental state was just as disabling as any physical illness, but I didn’t give up, I’ve come out the other side and that, for me, is in an astounding achievement.

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Who inspires you?

My friends, Suki Waterhouse and the Internet. Alright so the internet isn’t really a ‘who’ but there really is nothing with more outreach that the Internet – I love searching new products and articles to feed my fashion & beauty addiction! As for Suki Waterhouse, I just think she’s beautiful and I love her ‘60s style. And, well, my friends… They inspire me because they’re all so talented in a variety of ways and we are able to support eachothers’ talents; I think we encourage each other to be our best.

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Do you have a favourite inspirational quote?

“If it’s meant to be, it will be”

 

It’s a widely popular quote, but my family have taught me to live by this rule ever since being little. It helps me see failures as less of a brick wall and more a change of direction.

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

If you’re worried that you’re not good enough, worried that people will judge you etc. Stuff it! This is for you, not them, and you will NOT regret this. Persevere and if you want opportunities, well then you have to go and get them! On the more practical side of things, I’d say, use WordPress not Blogspot, it’s harder to use but it’s easier to customise, think carefully about who your audience is and adjust your content accordingly and, finally, photographs are everything – get yourself a decent camera!

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QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS:

Tea or Coffee = Coffee

 

Coke or Pepsi = Pepsi

 

Messy mayhem or Super Organised = Messy Mayhem

 

Cute kitten or Playful puppy = Playful Puppy

 

Night In or Night Out = Night Out

 

Heels or Flats = Heels

 

Lip Stick or Lip Gloss = Lip Stick

 

Rock Chick or Pop Princess = Rock Chick

 

Paperback or E-book = Paperback

Contact Emilia:

Blog address: www.irregularcollection.wordpress.com

Instagram: @emiliahurrell

Facebook: Emilia Hurrell

Twitter: @emiliahurrell

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Don’t forget: If you would like your blog featured on Behind The Blog then get in touch via the contact page by clicking *here*, I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks so much for reading & of course do say hi in the comments below… we adore a good chatter here on Confetti & Curves  🙂