Book Review: Cupcakes and Cashmere

During my short beach/camping trip I brought along some reading material. Since beginning college 3 years ago, I haven’t been able to just sit down and read a book without anxiety. This is the first one I’ve read for pleasure in a long time. Cupcakes and Cashmere by the lovely Emily Schuman, is a delightful book full of color and her personality. Essentially, it’s her blog in a book!

Cupcakes and Cashmere: My Thoughts

First of all, this lady is talented! I admire her zeal for life and willingness to be who she is. Her tremendous success is demonstrated through her new clothing line and endless offers from companies to collaborate with her. This leads me to my next thought: Bloggers who have had so much success have lives and budgets that, for the rest of us, are unrealistic. I cannot afford to add all the little accessories and staple pieces for each season to my wardrobe. It’s just too expensive, especially with the brands she chooses and advertises for.

The book is divided into “seasons” (summer, fall etc.) and within each season she includes on-a-budget-beauty-buys. As much as she tries, Essie is not a “budget buy” and neither is Juicy Couture perfume. Maybe for the more established adult it isn’t a big deal, but for Schuman’s younger audience it can be a budget buster.

I really did enjoy her suggestions for creating a beautiful home and entertaining. They were practical and pretty at the same time. She even teaches you how to reupholster a bench! The diversity of topics in the book is nice because there is something for everyone.

However, even though the topics range from food to clothes, her taste in clothes isn’t as broad. To be quite honest, most of the outfits she puts together are not my style or taste. Most of it is “what’s in style at the moment” where as I prefer classic pieces with a new accessory here and there. Again, this is just my preference. She gives some good tips on how to put together an outfit for every season though.

What were your thoughts on the book? What did you like or dislike? Comment below!