This weeks edition of TBP Insiders sees us chatting to the beautiful Irene Lara. We first met Irene at one of our TBP brunches hosted at Sketch London where she told us all about her full time schedule as a mum and blogger! With some incredible collaborations on her hotlist from Paco Rabanne to Marc Jacobs, TBP delved deeper into the life of Lara to chat about all things fashion, toddlers and beauty!
Hey Irene! We've had the pleasure of meeting you and working with you on some TBP campaigns, but for those who might not know you, please can you introduce yourself and let us know a little bit about your blog?
Hola everyone! My name is Irene Lara and I am a full time blogger as well as a single mum to a 6 year old amazing boy. I was born in Spain but moved to London 11 years ago to study my university degrees in Fashion Journalism and Marketing & PR. During this time I have also been living in different cities like LA and New York as I frequently travel for work. My blog started as the result of my forever passion for fashion but mainly interior design (something many people don’t know!) I started blogging right when my son was born. I love writing and I found inspiration in my everyday life. This was my way to evade myself and have that “me time” that sometimes we all need. Things weren’t easy either with my whole personal situation.
What's your favourite part about being a full time blogger and mummy?
Good question! My actual favourite part is the travel opportunities! Nothing makes me happier than travelling and it is on my trips where I create the majority of my content. And of course, it doesn’t get better when I get to take Brooks, my son, with me. Many of the pics you see on my feed are actually taken by him! He’s just an incredible photographer and is really good at spotting good picture “situations”. He regularly travels with me to LA and Paris when he’s off school and we will be travelling to Turkey this month together. Really excited!
What are the biggest challenges you face working as a full time blogger and looking after your son?
Actually, while travelling is what I love the most about my job, it is also what I find the hardest to emotionally deal with when I have to be away from Brooks for a long time. Of course we FaceTime at all times and send audios and pictures 24/7, but we still miss “the real thing”. I have always been a single mum and we are used to being together every second, so when all this started for us it was a little hard. Now we have an incredible baby sitter and also my parents who help a lot when they come over to London (all my family live in Spain). He understands I have to go to work and when I am back I normally take a full day off that we spend doing whatever he wants.
How do you juggle your time between spending time with your son and finding time to plan blog/social content?
I still don’t know! But I actually manage quite well! One thing I never do on a regular basis (of course there are exceptions some days) is work during the hours we have together like when I pick him up from school and until he goes to bed. We play for a little while, talk about what we did in the day, do his homework and have a bath and cook together (we also love a silly kitchen dance!!)
Where do you look to for your content inspiration?
Mainly on my trips as I am more “awake” looking for the perfect shot. But I find it really everyday. London and LA are my favourite cities to shoot in for the street style photography!
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
It would be really hard to pick one. Each of them are really special in their own way or mean something to me depending on when they happened. Last year I worked on some amazing campaigns with Lexus and Mark Ronson, L’Oréal, Garnier, Paco Rabanne and Marc Jacobs. This year couldn’t have started better! The Dior beauty family welcomed me into their world and I was also lucky enough to start working with Revolve just before Coachella (which was insane!). I have worked on so many incredible campaigns and travelled literally for 3 months non stop. I feel extremely lucky!
What's the one item you cannot leave the house without?
A lip balm!! Then hand cream and last my phone (of course!)
What's your favourite place you have travelled to so far and why?
Bali without a doubt! It completely made me see the world in a totally different way. It’s one of those “life slaps” that make you see what really matters. We literally worry all the time for things that are not relevant at all and forget to enjoy the beauty and the specialness that is there everyday. I will be back this year and would love to take Brooks with me!
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