Spotlight : Ashley Curran

Today, I’m resuming my Spotlight series after a small hiatus and I’m thrilled to bring it back with one of my favorite bloggers, Ashley Curran, the creator of Minck Co.  Ashley’s beautifully designed site is chock full of unique finds, innovative start-ups and cool, new apps to elevate your everyday.  Aside from Ashley’s impeccable taste and keen sense of style, Ashley is a talented writer and web designer.  I highly suggest you add Minck Co. to your daily blog roll and don’t forget to follow Ashley on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!  So, without further adieu, let’s get to know Ashley better…

1. What was your inspiration behind your blog and how did you come up with the name?

Minck is actually my middle name and for a lot of my life it kind of embarrassed me. It wasn’t until I was well into my college years that I really started to embrace it and actually kind of love it. To me Minck represents me owning a new chapter in my life and really starting to feel pretty solid about my own individual brand of uniqueness.

When it comes to the inspiration for starting my blog, I’d had to say that it was a perfect storm of events that lead me here. Feeling unmotivated in my daily grind, wishing for more from life without actually taking the steps to get there, and feeling a burning desire to put myself out there like never before. I can’t really pinpoint one thing but I kind of figured that I’ve spent so much of my life feeling like I have something to say in this world so I might as well start saying it.

2. Describe your personal style:

Elevated basics all the way. I love neutrals and can’t have enough black in my wardrobe. Think Theory & Vince with a little bit of edginess thrown in there. I love neutrals and probably only have a handful of colorful pieces in my closet. I guess you could say I started building a capsules wardrobe long before I even knew that was a thing. I like to take risks with fashion but when it comes to my daily style those risks are usually on the beauty side. Thankfully I have a boyfriend who isn’t scared off by a BOLD lip.

3. Where are your favorite places to shop?

With no budget Barneys, Vince & Theory hands down. If we’re talking practically, I do a lot of my shopping at Zara & COS. When I’m really on the hunt for a good deal I’ll take a trip to the TJ Maxx near my old apartment. The designer pieces they have there are worth the hour drive. On a beautiful day in Philadelphia you can find me shopping down in Old City. There are a handful of amazing shores on 3rd street that I adore.

4. What is the most treasured item in your closet ?

I have a few items that I treasure, but I would have to say that the three pieces of jewelry my grandmothers passed down to me are my most treasured. There are these two ridiculous cocktail rings and a stunning gold pendant that says my grandmothers’ name in Egyptian. On any given day you can almost guarantee I’ll be wearing one of the three.

5. What would we find in your cosmetic bag?

A ridiculous amount of products. I modeled when I was much younger and quickly became obsessed with the makeup artists. For makeup, I always have two foundations, one from YSL and the other from Armani. I am also pretty obsessed with Chanel Soleil De Tan Bronzer, Trish McEvoy High Volume Mascara, and Kat Von D Eyeliner. For skincare, I’m always testing out new products but the one that is consistently in my makeup bag is the M-61 Power Glow Peel. It is seriously life changing for a beauty product.

6. Describe your decorating style… modern, traditional, rustic or minimal?

This might be the hardest for me to answer. I have very defined taste in most aspects of my life but when it comes to decorating I love it all. My current apartment could be described as industrial with minimal & modern influences but I just as easily could have a space that was very rustic.

7. What would an ideal weekend look like?

My boyfriend and I are major foodies so it would probably involve a whole lot of eating. I’d say a dinner at our favorite restaurant, Matyson, would be a pretty solid start. Follow that up with a Saturday spent outdoors at a beer garden with all our friends and I’d be pretty happy! Really any weekend when my boyfriend isn’t in the office is ideal to me!

8. What would be on the menu if you were hosting a dinner party?

Something really delicious and slow cooked. I always think meals that require slow and steady cooking to be most impressive. I love to cook so whenever I have guests coming over I like to plan special menus depending on their tastes. We actually have a dinner party we’re hosting in a few weeks for all my best friends & their significant others so this question is pretty well timed. I think I’ll be doing my short rib ragu with gnocchi’s and homemade ricotta. It’ll obviously be served with a lot of red wine & champagne.

9. What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?

I love when a small business I’ve featured reaches out after an influx of traffic due to my post. Half of the reason I started my blog was to expose people to new companies so it’s really incredible to know that I am!

10. What advice do you have for aspiring bloggers?

Don’t get down on yourself by looking at what other people are doing and playing the comparison game. All my life I’ve said that you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors and that really applies to all things in life. I’d also suggest faking it till you make it because perception is half the battle in this business.