31 Mar 2016

Bedding Basics: How To Build A Better Bed
1

13-Black-Friday-Sales-You-Can-Shop-Now

Lauren-2edited (2 of 24)

One-Room-Challenge-Lauren-Nelson-16

One-Room-Challenge-Lauren-Nelson-17

Let’s chat bedding basics today, shall we?

After I published my One Room Challenge last November, a lot of my girlfriends were asking me about my linens, shams, and more importantly, how to simply build a better bed. Putting together a stylish but also equally comfortable bed is so important in my opinion. If you think about how many hours we sleep in a year – that’s a lot of time spent in our actual beds!

So today I thought it’d be fun to put together my 4 tips on how to build a better bed.

One. Find A Mattress You Love

I know, I know, mattresses are expensive. However, if you invest in a mattress you absolutely love – you will never look back. I personally love the pillowtop mattresses. If you live in New York City, I can’t stress the importance of measuring your bedroom to ensure the correct size mattress can fit (i.e. a Queen vs. a Full).  The best mattress I’ve ever purchased (and is still at my parents house) is one from Sears. I also am a huge fan of buying pillow toppers for your bed. Try Target or Macys for the most comfortable mattress toppers.

Two. Let Your Headboard / Bed Make A Statement

If I have one pet peeve, it’s bedrooms / beds that don’t have a headboard or bed frame. It’s such an essential piece of your bedroom and one of the easiest ways to make a statement!

Two. Layer On The Linens

Choosing the right linens very much effects the comfort of your bed and the overall “layered look.” The softest sheets I’ve ever owned are from Boll and Branch. I’m also a big fan of the Brooklyn and Bond line at Target. I currently have these blue and white striped sheets in rotation as pictured above. And last but not least, Serena and Lily sheets are another must. So many fun prints and patterns to choose from. My favorites include: the Sand Dollar Sheet Set, the Amelie Sheet Set, and the crab sheet set. How cute?

Three. Master The Art of Pillow Mixing

My rule of the thumb when it comes to pillows: more is more. I like to use at least six pillows when making my bed. When it comes to mastering the art of pillow mixing I like to incorporate two euro shams, two standard pillow sizes, two throw pillows (pattern can very) and one smaller square pillow to top it off. Don’t be afraid to mix colors, prints and patterns when developing your pillow scheme. My monogram pillows are from my friend Sue from the Zhush. You can pick them up here! Sue also has several other monogram styles you can peruse right here. The navy and white striped pillows are courtesy of Roxy at Society Social. Talk about creating the perfect mix of throw pillows – Roxy has so many fab options to choose from. A few other of my favorite places to shop for throw pillows: Caitlin Wilson Textiles, Studio McGee, Gansett Lane Home and Etsy.

 

Four. Don’t Skimp On The Bedskirt

Another pet peeve of mine (I know, I have a lot) are beds without bed skirts. They are simply the finishing touch to the perfectly layered bed. The best part about bed skirts is that they can be very affordable. Try Target or Serena and Lily for classic designs. I love a good ruffle or a greek key pattern to up the anti.

 

What are some of your bedding essentials that you can’t live without? Have a great Thursday, everyone! Xo. Lauren

 

28 Mar 2016

West Palm Beach Ready
2

Helloooo! And happy Monday, friends. Sorry for the radio silence around here these past few days. Work has been busy + I traveled to Cleveland last Friday for Easter. So here we are, it’s Monday night and I’m just getting a post up. Today’s a pretty one, though I promise. I’m headed to West Palm Beach on Friday with Jess and Kenz and I seriously cannot wait! We have such a fun agenda planned but more importantly, I just can’t wait to catch up with both of them!! Mackenzie is getting married and Jess has been traveling like crazy so I’m sure there will be so many fun stories to share. Anywho, today I’ve rounded up some great new beach-y finds. Insert this pineapple clutch or this pineapple cross-body bag – I’ll take either. You know I love off the shoulder tops – so yes, to this. And alas, I’ve found my next beach bag. Need. it. now.

SHOP THE POST

Shop More Spring Posts

Must-Have J.Crew Spring Arrivals

Step Into Spring

Pretty Little Things

23 Mar 2016

Everyday Beauty Basics
0

IMG_4984

If you have been following a long for a while, you know I love my beauty buys. My favorite beauty buys make up my every day basics – these are products that I simply cannot live without!! Insert dry shampoo, a daily cleanser, eye cream, night cream, a serum, face wipes, perfume, eye liner, bronzer and so forth. You catch my drift, right? But I’m not kidding.. when I run out of these products, I slightly freak out. I either get on Amazon or go to the nearest CVS to stock up. Because I use these products every single day, I try to stock up on many as possible so when I do run out – I have back up. My Mom can certainly attest to this, right Mom!?!? All hell breaks loose when we run out of face wipes whenever I’m back home in Cleveland (because my Mom and I both use them so much). So when I recently was introduced to JĀSÖN’s Gentle Basics Facial Cleansing Towelettes, I was so excited. A new face wipe that is gentle on my skin but is easily able to remove make up.

FullSizeRender-12

One thing I have mentioned time and time again on the blog is that I am not a fan of washing my face. Of course I know how important it is for my skin and I force myself to do it every single night but you know there are some nights when I can’t bring myself to do it. These are when face wipes are CRUCIAL. I don’t feel as bad when I wake up in the morning and at least know I used a cleansing towel to remove my make up the night before. After getting hooked on JĀSÖN’s Gentle Basics Facial Cleansing Towelettes, I was inclined to try their entire line. I absolutely loved their facial cleanser and night cream. Two every day basics that I have easily rotated into my daily beauty routine. I think why I have become such a huge fan of this line is because it’s not harsh on my skin, it’s free from all of those nasty chemicals and ingredients, it’s hypoallergenic (perfect for those with sensitive skin), plus you can’t beat how affordable the entire line is. Done and done.

What are some of your everyday beauty basics?

FullSizeRender-14

 

Thank you to JĀSÖN Gentle Basics for sponsoring this post

 

21 Mar 2016

Step Into Spring
1

J.Crew+Spring+Heels+R1

Nothing says spring like a new pair of colorful spring heels. Last week I shared my must-have items out of J.Crew’s new spring arrivals. Of course many of their new shoe arrivals made the cut. Although I am a huge proponent of shopping online these days, I did stop by the J.Crew on 5th Ave over the weekend after Pure Barre and saw their entire shoe collection in person. I have to say it’s SO good, I’m dedicating a another blog post to it. While perusing around the store, I saw one of the girls who works at J.Crew rocking the first pair – a color block heel with a little pop of fringe on top. If I were to buy one pair out of the three I would chose the top. However, the second and third are very close runner ups. I love the navy and white striped heels to go along with the 100 striped tops and sweaters I have in my closet. I’d imagine they’d look great with white ripped denim or a flirty skirt. The pink and glittered mosaic heels are also so fun and pretty in person. These days a chunky heel is the only thing I can / want to wear so these spring heels fit the bill.

Shop More J.Crew