Hey girl hey! Happy Monday. And holy Monday feels at that. I had the wise idea of staying up with J to watch Wrestlemania last night. Who am I?!? Granted, Wrestlemania has been of his favorite things since he was a little kid, so it was pretty fun + sentimental to tune in together. But that thing went on past midnight, and this mama’s tries to adhere to a 10 pm bedtime since we’re up all through the night with Olivia’s tube feedings. So…can we say POOPED?!? Couple that with the fact that Liv did *not* sleep well last night, and we’re already filling up coffee numero dos before 9 am. Ha!

I did have a #MondayMantra on the calendar for today originally, but truth be told, I’m a bit too incoherent still to whip that together in a well-worded way that won’t reflect the number of hours of sleep we’re running on today. 😉 SO, sharing another #AskE post, A’ing some of the Q’s I’ve gotten from you ladies as of late! Also sharing another look from a new boutique fave, Red Dress (whom I also shared in the last Cool Sh*t I Lovelovelove post – woo!), as seen in the lil’ try-on haul we did on Instastories together last week. Didja catch it?? I lovelovelove sharing those with you, so let me know if you’re a fan or not and what would be most helpful to see next!

(SO soft + cozy, but lightweight – great transitional piece!) // (worth the pricetag, seriously! They feel as thick as your fave jeans but as stretchy as your fave leggings) // // Sunnies (under $10 Amazon lookalikes for Karen Walker glasses!)

Best mascara????

has been my holy grail mascara for YEARS. It’s just the bomb. Lengthening + volumizing without clumping…lovelovelove. Another goodie is the beauty cult favorite, . I’d say my lashes don’t get as thick from this one, but it’s just a really great everyday mascara. Folks say that is an alternative for Better Than Sex; I have both, and I wouldn’t say that it’s an exact lookalike, but it’s definitely similar + does the trick if you don’t want to splurge on Better Than Sex!

I’ve also had good luck with a lot of Maybelline + Covergirl mascaras from the drugstore! I’ve repurchased before since I think it’s suuuuuper similar to the It Cosmetics one above. And is going to be my next drugstore testing, since I’ve heard good reviews!

How to focus your brand image?

This sort of Q nerds me the heck out since it’s what I went to college for, and I’m just so friggin’ fascinated by consumer psychology, brand strategy, the whole nine yards.

In creating any brand, continuity across everything is so key. Folks often confuse a “brand” with “branding” or even “graphic design” – all different things! Your brand is SO much more than a logo, or having the same font family; it’s everything from the language you use to the way people feel when they think of it.

When creating your own brand, think first + foremost about who your “target audience” is – the folks who will be primarily consuming your brand. You can’t be all things to all people – that just doesn’t exist, and it’s the complete opposite of “focused.” It’s A-OK to turn some folks off, since you won’t be everyone’s cuppa tea. So “EVERYONE” is *not* your target audience. 😉

Come up with a few words that you want associated with it. That way, as you continue on with the process, you’ve got a sort of center ground to come back to to make sure that all pieces thereafter are in alignment with those key elements! To help with this, think about two comparable competitive brands, like Walmart versus Target. Both sell a variety of products in this sortof “big-box” store setting. But the two brands are so different at their core. One is often viewed as “cheap” while the other is more affordable chic.

Don’t be afraid to get really specific with how YOU want to be viewed, and let everything else be directed from there!

What devotional do you recommend? I’m looking for one now!

The devotional I read currently is this one – and I’m obsessed. They’re short, digestible pieces with accompanying scripture that really hit the daily nail on the head. It’s been the best way to start the day, and isn’t a huge time commitment at all.

What’s your lipstick color?

This was asked on Instagram when I was wearing – will forever be one of my favorites for springtime! It’s got bluer undertones, so it helps make your teeth look whiter while wearing. (Select shade Candy Yum Yum!).

Other favorites that I’ve been playing with lately include this nude with the prettiest sheen (it’s one that Jaclyn Hill swears by and it’s drugstore, so I had to have it – ha!), this drugstore lippy that’s a pinkier red (“Raspberry” in its name really fits – it’s so universally flattering on all skin tones!), and which I’ve raved about before, since the formula is INCREDIBLE. They’re quite possibly the most hydrating lippies on the planet (thanks to that Murumuru butter), but have such beautiful color pay-off. Also drugstore!

What’s that thing you always use to clean your makeup brushes?

. It’s the coolest. And it’s forever the most swipe-ups ever on Stories, so I know y’all are as intrigued as I was! 😉 It’s essentially a circular bar of soap with prongs to get inside your makeup brushes for a good, deep clean. It’s got suction cups on its back, too, to stick to the basin of your sink, so that you can go brush-by-brush and clean everything well.

Before having this, I would just use a light Dawn dish soap for my brushes and it was fine – they’d be clean, but I’d go through so much soap in the process. I’ve used this handy dandy device a whole handful of times now, and it’s still chugging along, so you really get your money’s worth (and sidenote, I always end up procrastinating on brush cleaning and clean ~10-15 in one sitting, so it’ll last you longer than me if you clean less brushes than that at one time!).