The beauty and style blogger behind Lipstick, Heels, and a Baby and mother of three talks about life as an influencer and her home decor style.

Jessica Fay didn’t set out to be an influencer––it sort of just happened. In 2012, Fay started her blog (plus a YouTube channel and a Pinterest account) as an online journal of sorts to stay connected with her husband Ryan, who was deployed to Afghanistan when their firstborn son Braydon was just eight weeks old. On the blog, Lipstick, Heels, and a Baby, Fay documented her adventures with Braydon (such as weekend trips to the mountains with her parents) so that Ryan could check in on them when he could. “I noticed my outfits getting pinned on Pinterest, and it kind of took off naturally from there,” Fay said. On her Instagram account, which has over 300K followers, you’ll find her favorite recipes, hair and skincare products, outfit inspo, and so much more.

We had the chance to chat with Fay about home decor, the influencer life, and must-haves for a day at the beach with the kids.

Beach Happy: What is the best part about being an influencer? And what’s the most challenging part?

Jessica Fay: The best thing about what I do is being able to connect with so many amazing women all over the world. The most challenging part for me is being able to turn it “off.” I can technically work from anywhere––on vacation, from my bed, while watching TV, etc.––so I sometimes have a hard time ending my work day because there is always something else that can be done.

BH: Walk us through a day in your life.

Fay: My alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m. I make a warm lemon water, make my kids breakfast (typically eggs and bacon), and get them up and ready for school at 6:30 a.m. They are out of the door by 7:15 a.m., and I am on my morning run by 7:30 a.m. I typically work out until 8:30 a.m., hop in the shower, make my matcha latte, and get ready for the day. At the latest, I like to start working by 9:30 a.m. I work until 2:15 p.m., at which point I take a break for school pickup. We head back and get homework done while I prep for dinner. I jump back on the computer for about an hour or so to finish up any last-minute emails or contracts, and then we are out of the door again by 5 p.m. for sports!

BH: What’s your philosophy when it comes to designing your home?

Fay: I designed our family’s home with our builder. As much as I would have loved to work with an interior designer at the time, I knew I would have no trouble making decisions and wanted to be able to save that design money and put it towards finishings for our home. I wanted our home to feel cozy but still fit in at the beach. I love farmhouse style so I incorporated woodwork on the front of our home, on our walls, and with lighting to create a light, airy feel.

I love our dining room wall in particular. It’s a small piece of our home and one of my favorite places. We did a triangular shiplap design with brass lighting to give it a fun feel. The artwork on that wall is from an artist based in Nashville, Tennessee, who does popups here on 30A––Kelly Terrell. Kelly lets your kids draw, write love notes, and place their hand and feet prints all over the canvas. She then miraculously turns it into a gorgeous piece of artwork to match your house. At first glance, it looks like a piece of abstract watercolor art, but if you really look at it, you’ll see my kids’ drawings and writing. It is a piece I will treasure forever.

BH: What’s the best part about living at the beach?

Fay: Growing up in Hickory, North Carolina, we would take weeklong beach trips every summer to our family condo six hours away. I used to crave and miss the beach throughout the rest of the year, and I LOVE that my kids can be on the beach every single day if they want now that we live in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida (a.k.a. 30A). The vitamin D just hits so much better at the beach. It is so good for us all mentally and physically. We try to make it a point to get out for sunsets during the week and to have beach days on the weekends. I also run on the beach every morning.

BH: What are your beach must-haves?

Fay: Mineral sunscreen and powder sunscreen (powder sunscreen knocks off the sand and is great for reapplying on kids’ faces and necks), sunglasses, lots of water, a BrüMate to keep your drinks cold, a backpack cooler, a cute umbrella, lightweight beach chairs, towels, and lots of snacks for the kids (sandwiches, watermelon, and popsicles).

To learn more about Jessica, visit her blog lipstickheelsandababy.com or follow her on Instagram.