Happy Halloween Weekend!  I am so excited to share my first “Catch up with Christine” Q&A today.  Ps you guys voted on the name and this is what won!  I wanted to create this hang out time to share more, answer commonly asked questions, and get more personal with you all. I am going  to post this Catch Up series every weekend, it will be a Friday or a Sunday post. So be sure to look for it every weekend! There were soooo many great questions to pick from.  If I wasn’t able to get to your question this week, please ask again next week or leave in comments below! Love you all!

Favorite foundation and concealer?
I use Lancome 24 hr long wear foundation right now. For concealers I like this Nars one, and I actually got this drugstore one in the mail a few weeks ago and have been loving it! It’s super light it and not too heavy and cakey.

Also My friend Jill (@jillmariemakeup) did my makeup the other day and she used this 2 in 1 foundation & concealer from….Walmart!!! I seriously love it and couldn’t believe the amazing drugstore price! (Under $10!!!)

How did Hello Fashion start? What is the story?
This question was asked a lot so I am going to do a full blog post on this!  The short story is….I was rejected from fashion school and really wanted a way to still showcase the things I am passionate about. Cody and I had just gotten married and I was working as a manager at Aldo shoes in the mall, but I always knew I wanted my own business at some point.   So on the side I started ILY Couture (my clothing line) which is now ShopHelloFashion. I wanted a way to show some of the stuff we were selling, and I loved finding stuff on sale so I started my blog for fun to just write about sales finds and show pieces from our shop. I never thought it would lead to what it is now!  

How long did it take you to build up your brand to the extent it is today?
It will be 7 years in December since I started…its so crazy to think that I have been blogging this long! The first year to year and a half I didn’t post a ton, maybe once a week, but around year two I started making my content a lot more consistent.  Once I became consistent it grew and took off from there!  I have an E-Book that talks more about this and has lots of tips on growing your platform!

Favorite date night ideas?
Cody and I would have different answers for this for sure!  For me it’s nothing crazy, we are so busy during the week and work together a lot,  I honestly love finding a good series and getting cozy and watching our favorite show at home. I do love doing random adventurous things together…the other night on a whim we made a list of things and did a picture scavenger hunt at the mall and that was so much fun!  Cody would definitely say something adventurous and is all about things that aren’t routine. 

Do you ever fear an expensive purchase will go out of style quickly?
No, I used to think about it more a couple years ago but now I feel like there are so many opportunities for people to resell stuff. I think if you take care of the item, especially handbags you can always re-sell for a good amount back. Bags hold their value pretty well!  I remember when I bought my first Celine bag Cody thought I was crazy. I remember setting a goal and saving up for it as my first big purchase and I still have it today years later.  I did a post about investing in handbags here!

Pros & cons about traveling while having kiddos?
Pros- Especially with our older kids is definitely that on trips with just our family its fun for us to be their friends and experience new things with them. At home and on trips with family they are always focused on their friends or cousins, so on trips with just us its nice to have their full attention and make fun memories! And when things go wrong… like coming off a an international  flight and the hotel not having our room so we were hotel-less for 24 hours, sucks at the time but always makes for the best memories in the long run:)

Cons- Everything takes a little longer…packing…activities on the trip, etc!  I think its important to have a balance of both traveling with kids and without. Cody and I did an adult trip this year and that time away together was so special. I think it’s important to have alone time but its also so special to have that family time.

Do you wear hair extensions?
Yes I have worn extensions for the last 4 years. After I had Beckam I lost so much hair, it would come out in big wads! So I got extensions as my hair grew back and now I just love them to keep the fullness. I have a beaded sewn weft – I used to have 2 rows and now its just one row for fullness. My friend Tatum does my hair she has been doing it for like 4 -5 years she is amazing.

What’s your favorite food?
I love Mexican food!  But I feel like that’s such a typical response….so, some random favorites are – green bean casserole and chickpeas with ranch dressing! haha I also LOVE pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls.

How do you edit your pics?
With my Hello Fashion Lightroom presets – you can get them HERE! All you need is the free Lightroom mobile app and then you purchase my presets and import them into Lightroom. I am about to launch a couple of new ones soon too! Also if you have questions about installing here is a quick youtube video on my channel here. 

Your messy bun is always on point!! Tutorial? 
Aww thanks! I have a dated video on my youtube – so here is a good start if you haven’t seen it. I am going to make a new one soon so stay tuned!  I look back on this video and my makeup is a little intense!! LOL

Did you go to college?
Yes – I graduated with my Bachelors in Fine Arts with a minor in Business 

Where did you grow up?
I have lived all over!  I was born in Bogota, Colombia and I lived in Washington DC, Port Angeles, WA (everyone knows that from Twilight!) and then went to high school in Montana. 

Do you always have a photographer take your photos? Even the ones at your house are so pretty!
No not at all! 90% of my shots are shot by someone in my family (Cody, one of the kids, my parents, sister in laws, etc) or someone that works with me.  For bigger campaigns and brand shoots sometimes we have a photographer but I always edit my own pictures now to keep a cohesive feed.

I’m looking to purchase my first designer bag…thoughts on which to purchase?
I would say the bag I wear and use the most is my Givenchy – I love both sizes . The bags that hold their value the most are Chanel for sure so it really comes down to personal preference 🙂 

How old are you?!
32 – does anyone else forget their age sometimes and when people ask you you have to stop and think about it for a second haha, I feel like this more so happens the older you get 😉

Can we be friends?! But really, will you do a meet up or something here in Utah?
Awww these type of messages make me so happy!  We did the blogger sale a couple weeks ago and had such a great turnout. We will for sure do something again soon!  I have the best followers and love getting to know you guys!! Speaking of which if you see us out and about please always say hi! I love meeting you guys and taking a pic together!

I’m so sorry if I didn’t get to your question this week!  I’m so excited to answer more next week! Also this isn’t a questions – but Pottery Barn Kids, and West Elm are both running 25% off site wide ending today. I just ordered a bunch of cute kids Christmas stuff! So if you want to save a little – enjoy some lazy day Sunday shopping 😉

XX,
Christine