21 Questions with… Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere

Life is pretty sweet for Emily Schuman. She’s the mastermind behind popular lifestyle and fashion blog Cupcakes and Cashmere and even published a corresponding book that became a certified best-seller along with a recently released follow-up focusing on the home. After first honing her craft at Domino and Teen Vogue (you may have even spied her diligently working in the Teen Vogue offices in the first season of The Hills), Emily launched her eclectic blog back in 2008, offering up her perspective on fashion, beauty, interior design and food. Not only is the blogger extraordinaire photogenic as evidenced by the portraits her husband frequently snaps, but she’s also got serious skills behind the lens, routinely capturing eye-catching images for her blog on her trusty Nikon D600. So, imagine our glee when Emily agreed to share her sartorial wisdom with us by taking on the role of our August guest editor.

Read on to find out Emily’s favorite designers, top beauty essentials, summer must-haves and her secret talent.

  1. When it comes to being a blogger, people don’t realize… how supportive the community is. I’m constantly being asked if the market is too saturated or how I deal with competition, but there’s room for everyone as long as you stick to your own specific point of view.
  2. My biggest fashion pet peeve is… too many trends at once.
  3. I’m dying to splurge on… a nice watch, but I don’t know if I’m ready to take care of something like that.
  4. The last thing I googled was… “Weather in Austin,” but that’s boring, so the search before that was “Where to take passport picture in LA.” I’m hoping we get some international travel in soon.
  5. My favorite designers are… Gianvito Rossi for shoes and for clothes, I love Isabel Marant.
  6. My life motto is… “Work hard, be nice.”
  7. The item of clothing I wear the most is… a dress or romper. I like the ease of both.
  8. My guilty pleasure is… candy.
  9. You’d never catch me wearing… mom jeans. It just doesn’t work with my body type.
  10. If I had one extra hour in the day I’d… read.
  11. The last great book I read was… All the Light We Cannot See.
  12. My favorite brunch spot is… Gjelina in Venice, California.
  13. My summer fashion must-haves are… caftans. They’re so comfortable.
  14. One of my secret talents is… that I can touch my tongue to my nose.
  15. I’d love to work with… Sheryl Sandberg.
  16. If you looked at my desk you’d see… my ever growing to-do list (I use a huge, college-ruled notebook and write everything I need to remember down).
  17. The one thing I can’t live without is… besides my friends, family and cats, I can’t live without nice sheets.
  18. My current Netflix addiction is… The Killing.
  19. My beauty essentials are… tinted lip balm, highlighter, brow powder and gel.
  20. I like to collect… scents. My mom is a big perfume-lover and she’s passed that down to me.
  21. One thing you’d be surprised to know about me is… despite my public persona, I’m an introvert. 

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