Amra Beginanovich and Elma Beginanovich are two sisters and digital influencers, with around 1.5 million followers on social media. They are the founders of amraandelma.com, their personal lifestyle blog, and clubfashionista.com, an invite-only blogging platform dedicated to high-quality content. Both are based in Manhattan, so we caught up to find out their beauty and style secrets together with tips on blogging. Here’s what they said:
ELMA:
https://www.instagram.com/p/8PPU_BOt5e/?taken-by=elmabeganovich
1. What items in your makeup bag are you unable to live without?
here are some of the items I love, like my brow pencil, my skin-lightening cream and my matte red lipstick. Out of all of them, if I had to choose, I would say it would be my matte red lipstick.
2. What big fall trends are you going to try this season?
I’m not really into trends, as Karl Lagerfeld famously quoted “trendy is the final stage before tacky.” ☺ Having said that, Saint Laurent women’s shoes have been my favourite for quite some time, and now they’re a “must have” shoe, so I will continue to wear mine.
3. Who or what influenced your personal style?
Hmm, my sister describes me as “modern Audrey Hepburn”. ☺ If I had to describe my own style, I’d certainly say that I lean towards the classic Old Hollywood look with a modern twist—yes, I’d wear ripped denim and a few cool tennis shoes.
5. Where is your favourite place to shop?
It possibly has to be Stella McCartney (in retail or in her stores) for not only her slick designs but her eco-friendly and cruelty-free approach to fashion. (I’m a big fan of animals.)
6. You have lived in numerous places. Where is your favourite place to live?
Every place has its charm and dark word; with that said, I believe I can safely say Paris and New York.
7. What made you and Amra quit your jobs and begin Club Fashionista?
I believe it is the passion to have a creative outlet and the realization that our hobby can be turned into a business.
8. How has working with Amra affected your job?
Amra has a really different craft and sees what I do not see in numerous case scenarios, from social life to business life; hence, he has taught me to look at life situations in a different way and from a different angle.
AMRA:
https://www.instagram.com/p/_AI7Sdq6CV/?taken-by=clubfashionista
11. What is your beauty secret?
My best beauty secret is sleep; the second must be a diet. I believe that beauty starts from within: psychological and psychological factors directly affect how we look and how we feel. No amount of beauty cream or makeup can match care that starts from within: I try to sleep at least 8-9 hours every day, and that I strictly eat unprocessed, organic, and raw foods. Even when cooking, I all the time ensure at least 50% of the food on my plate is raw and organic.
12. What fall trends should we look for?
Over-the-knee boots are huge this fall; It is very practical as it can be worn with jeans, dresses and skirts. I also love fake fur because it immediately makes any outfit more glamorous. I live in New York, and believe black is our happy color; however, I would all the time suggest never shying away from colourful jackets and accessories.
13. What influences your style?
I’m influenced by what I see on Instagram; it’s my number one source for all things fashion, art/design, and travel. I essentially follow accounts from all over the world and let everyday people encourage my style choices. While stylists can be great, it is the everyday men and women who fascinate me the most. I find that they often have the best way to combine pieces to create a style that’s timeless, chic, and wearable.
14. Who is your biggest style inspiration? Why?
I haven’t got one style inspiration; I collect my inspiration from many places. However, if I had to pick the fashion icons that I believe have influenced my style the most, I’d say they’re Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin, and Sharon Tate. Today’s favourite style inspirations are Sienna Miller and Kate Moss; I’m essentially all about the easy, boho, rock-n-roll girl who is confident, smart, never tries too hard, and all the time holds her own.
15. What got you so interested in fashion?
Fashion helps differentiate us from each other; at the same time it also has the power to connect us to others. To me, it is simply wearable art: a way in which we can show the world how our perspective differs from others without all the time “bringing our canvas with us.”
16. Where is your favourite place to travel? Why?
Italy and France – there’s something so magical about the lifestyle of the people in these two countries. Both of them have a really relaxed approach to life which is also charming/wise at the same time. I also enjoy Latin America, Spain and Scandinavian countries.
17. How has your blog allowed you to achieve success?
It allows me to share my perspective and encourage others; My greatest accomplishment is making other people happy by sharing diet, travel and other lifestyle advice. If I have improved someone’s life by giving them something they find useful, I have fulfilled my goal for the day.
Why do you and your sister, Elma, blog?
It was an absolute accident: one day I was talking to a friend of mine about some beauty tips I have for jet-lag. He gave me a prescription for a mask with crushed aspirin, and I believed it would be useful if other people knew about it too. I essentially just started writing about the things I love, and within 3 months, we had another 150,000 monthly unique visitors who love to read what we share.
18. How has working with Elma shaped your work?
I’ve learned that I need to embrace people’s differences and use them as a tool to help strengthen our business. We all have different talents and this is what allows us to excel as a society. Business is the same; only by working with other people who have fully different skills from yours can you get ahead in life (and work).
19. What advice would you give your youth?
Wow, there’s so much I want to share with my teenage self; the most vital lessons are:
A) Never pay attention to what other people are doing or saying.
B) Always trust your instinct and let it be your main guide.
C) Alcohol, drugs, and the sun will seriously damage your appearance.
D) Relationships are great, but the most vital thing is the relationship you have with yourself.
