T. G. I. F. YO. If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that week’s after long weekends *rock* since everyday is that much closer to the weekend! #bless. This girl’s got a *jampacked* Friday ahead; we’ve got a wedding tomorrow (woo!) and then my girl Taylor is coming on Sunday, we’re hanging out with Lady Gaga, and then heading to New York Fashion Week. (Follow along on Instagram @ericaligenza – we’ll be documenting #AllTheThings via Instastories!) PHEW. I’m already pooped thinking about it all. HA. Before the chaos commences, kickin’ it back with an #AskE post!

This is one of my own personal favorite series on CUR, since it feels like a back-and-forth conversation – as if we were legit sitting down over coffee (or Cabernet 😉 ) to chitchat. I genuinely feel like y’all are my girlfriends (can we be friends? Cool? Cool.), so there’s nothing I lovelovelove more than being able to A any Q’s ya might have on anything + everything. Which reminds me – make sure ya drop any Q’s in this handy dandy form! I’m all for answering as many emails + DM’s as humanly possible, but if they’re all in one place, it just makes A’ing them a lot easier since it’s organized and such. Ya feel?

Let’s begin.

P.S. Also stoked to share the *cutest* known to woman…and it’s only $23. Bless up.

(Only $23! Runs TTS. A good embroidered top should be in every girl’s closet, especially right now since they’re so totally trendy!) // (On CLEARANCE! And get extra 20% off with code SHOP. One of my all-time favorite pairs of jeans ever. Highly recommend. Actually, can’t recommend enough. They’re a slightly cropped hem AND high-waisted, so they really make yo’ legs look loooooong. Worth it!) // (These were a last-minute NSale purchase of mine – they said they were backordered until November in my size when I ordered, but they showed up at my house early – hollah! They’re SO STINKIN’ COMFORTABLE it ain’t even funny. Seriously, a must – I’ll be wearing ’em all fall long! Come in 3 colors, run TTS) // (c/o – Mine is the Brynn with cobalt stones!) // (c/o – Only $8! Such a good giftable.) // (25% off right now!) // “Forbidden Kiss” // (c/o)

If you weren’t a full time blogger/influencer, what would your ideal job be?

That’s changed since I first started! Before I made the decision to blog fulltime, I was still in college; my supposed career path went from corporate marketing, to brand strategy in an agency setting, to a more creative gig still in an agency setting. But, I also knew I reaaaaaally wanted to be my own boss, so when I was lucky enough to be able to just transition to blogging fulltime, that was a go. Now, if I had to go to some sorta “9-to-5,” I’d want to be either a.) a creative director, b.) an interior designer, or c.) a dolphin trainer.

C is really a no brainer, since I’ve wanted to be a dolphin trainer (or at least a professional-swimmer-with-dolphins?) since approximately age 5.

B is more of a desire to just decorate all of my girlfriends homes for them? Ha! I just looooovelovelove finding the perfect pieces for the perfect spaces, especially when I know someone. You know that feeling when you walk into a store and randomly stumble upon THE PERFECT THING?!?! Especially if it’s for someone else? You’re like I DID IT!!! And you’re giddy like on Christmas morning.

A would probably be the most “realistic” option. While I’m all for putting on my strategy brain, I’m also all for letting my creative juices run wild. I had a kick of wanting to just be at an ad agency, too, and one of my favorite things has ALWAYS been analyzing commercials, coming up with ideas for ads, etc. So, in being a creative director, I think I’d really enjoy having some ownership over an entire project, overseeing creative direction (since creative directors do that, amiright? Ha.), and really merging strategic gameplan with the creative execution to bring a blueprint to life. I’m the type of person who loves connecting dots and bringing things to fruition, so being able to say what informs the creative side and then also have a hand in the actual visual representation of something would just be riiiiiiight up my alley.

I want to know how you find your clothes at such great deals!

Great Q! I think y’all know by now that I lovelovelove a good bargain. I used to be NUTSO with it, where I literally would not spend more than $10 on an article of clothing. By choice. Out of pride. Because I was crazy. Ha! Now, I’m definitely more into mixing “high-low”, as they say – pairing affordable steals with more splurge-worthy counterparts.

First thing’s first: Know where to shop. Over time, track your favorite places to find the best deals, and on what. For me, I know that I can ALWAYS count on finding way more shoes than I need at Burlington. I know that the Target clearance section calls my name for easy weekend basics. I know that Ross typically rocks for great dresses (they’re especially fabulous for affordable business casual attire – I got ALL of my internship/interview dresses in college there!). When you know where to find the best deals on specific pieces, it’ll make your overall search a lot easier + a lot savvier.

Second thing’s second: Know where to look. Specific stores have specific locations for the best stuff. Whenever I’m in Target, I make a point to take long, romantic walks by myself around every single clearance endcap. Target ALSO has their whole clearance pricing trick…have ya heard?? If a price ends in $0.06 or $0.08, it’ll typically be marked down again. If it ends in $0.04, though, it’s on final clearance and is as low as it’s gonna get. If you want help finding the best deals in specific stores, talk to the store manager! Don’t be afraid to ask when markdowns happen (like, which days of the week!), as well as where clearance pieces are put, especially if they’re not all grouped together in one little clearance section.

Third thing’s third: Be flexible + open-minded. I like to think that any sense of style I have was developed through years of shopping the Walmart clearance rack. When you have a mindset of making anything work, it really challenges you to step outside any sorta style rules or fashion comfort zone and get creative with mixing + matching. If you’re unsure if something will work on you, or if it’s a trendier pieces you’re just up for trying, it might not be worth spending the big bucks!

Some personal favorites of mine: (especially their right now! Use code 40naughty to get 40% off the entire site right now), , the Shopbop Sale section, , , , (would it be helpful to see a whole guide-like post to shopping Shein since I get so much from there + the price is right???) Marshall’s, HomeGoods, for classics/splurgier essentials

What is your favorite brand you’ve ever worked with?

Ahhh I can’t pick favorites! 😉 BUT, I CAN pick out a few projects that were personal favorites of mine to put together. Not saying it was because of the brand specifically, but saying moreso I really loved the concept, how the photography turned out, the sentiment behind it, or the overall start-to-finish of it.

Physicians Formula
Bond
Allstate (this post, this post, + this post in particular!)
Starbucks
Pepsi
Shutterfly
Smuckers

What keeps you motivated on tough days when really, you just want to stay in bed?

Honestly…you guys. I feel really lucky to have the most inspiring, kind, badass group o’ gals reading CUR. And anytime I’m feeling un-motivated, I look to a lil’ folder I have on my desktop called “For when you need faith in yourself.” It’s full of screenshots + nice words of anything a reader has said/sent to me over the years, and it is pretty much the BEST re-fuel to my fire.

Sidenote: I HIGHLY recommend doing that…create a folder on your computer/phone/etc where you collect nice notes from girlfriends. It’s the best pickmeup on off days!

Also knowing that, at the end of the day, no one is responsible for me but me. I don’t have a boss that can empathize with me – really, my boss is probably the hardest possible boss on me ever ;). I tend to be really hard on myself (not always a good thing), so I try to not make excuses. Also, I don’t have a team that can help out with workload. For the most part, anything that comes through the pipeline pretttttty much has to be handled by me (at least, anything that directly impacts the most important thing, YOU GUYS, or anything that directly impacts the bottom line of the business).

When you want to make it happen, you just have to make it happen. No one is going to make it happen FOR you. If you want it, do it. Point blank period.

Also tho…give yourself grace. There will be some days when you just wanna stay in bed – and that’s A-OK. I think every girl needs a break sometimes. Heck, it’s healthy! What’s NOT healthy is if it becomes too much of a habit, where it starts negatively impacting your work/social life/personal wellbeing/etc. But if you’ve gotta just stay in bed all day with Netflix + Ben AND JERRY once in awhile, I won’t tell. 😉

Reliable deodorant for job interviews?

I’m a big fan of my two tried-n’-true brands: Secret and Dove. Dove antiperspirants always do the trick, and any scent of Secret’s is a favorite of mine. (Right now I have ooh la la lavender). I know some folks mind if deodorant is scented, since you don’t want BO but also don’t necessarily want folks smelling your DEODORANT either, but if it smells good, I don’t mind. I’ve found some to be stronger smelling than others, so try hard stick and gels to see which of the two works better for your body. I really think deodorants are a personal thing, since we all have different body chemistries and different ways that sweat interacts with any sorta product. But I at least like those two brands as starting off points, and then you could spend a solid 20 minutes in the deodorant aisle smelling 32 different scents before finding your new fave. Ironically, I dug through my archives and found this post from last summer featuring one as great for when ya start to sweat! 😉

TBH, I’ve tried some of the more “natural” or “organic” deodorants, and I’m just not a fan. IDK if it’s my body’s natural chemistry or what, but they just don’t leave my pits feeling like a rose garden. HA. If anyone has any recommendations here, drop ’em in a comment below!