lattes with lauren // q&a series

Happy Friday y’all! Friday means another lattes with lauren q&a series! Seriously love reading y’alls questions every week and really look forward to writing these posts! Hope y’all are enjoying it as much as I am!

I know that you and Michael recently moved from Dallas to Boulder – my boyfriend and I just did a move earlier this month. How did you go about making friends and connections in a new city?

Michael and I were both born and raised in Dallas and legit left ALL of our family and friends when we moved to Boulder. I knew making new friends would be a challenge, but I don’t think I knew how much of a challenge it would be TBH. A few practical ways you can meet people (or how we’ve met people): church, neighbors, school (Michael is getting his MBA at CU), work, etc. We visited a few churches in and around Boulder and found one we really love and have met some amazing people there!

Now, here are some tips for making friends and connections in a new city (and, BTW, I’m telling these tips to myself as much as I’m telling you!). It is so important when you move to a new city to say YES to as many social opportunities as possible. This is, obviously, a challenge for introverts and homebodies (HOLLA), but so important.

In Dallas, my tendency was to stay home most of the time and then a few nights a week go out with friends..when I felt like it haha, or have people over to the house. I said no to ALOT of social events. So when we moved, I had the same tendencies, and quickly realized how lonely that would leave me here.

So, I’m now seeing the importance of initiating social things with the people you do meet, and saying yes to as many invites as you can! It might feel uncomfortable at first because new friendships are hard, but it will be worth it. Be as proactive as you can with the people who are “in your circle”, whether that’s at work, at church, or your neighbors.

2. I love the rug in all of your instagram photos! What is your favorite store to buy home items, and what are some of your best home design tips?

Thank you! I love my rugs too. Some of my favorite stores for home items…pottery barn, crate & barrel, lulu & georgia (their rugs are AMAZING), home goods (where my floor mirror is from in our bedroom that y’all ask about alot!), and target! I am by no means an interior decorating expert, and it’s an area I really want to grow in. But, between buying our first house…and then moving to a bigger house in CO, I’ve learned a few strategies!

Do not buy something unless you LOVE it. Like head over heels love it. Because if you do, you will get tired of it within a year or two and want something else. Or, even worse, you’ll buy that thing, and then decorate your whole room around it, and the whole room won’t feel like ‘you’. Our front living room is my favorite room in our house and it came together piece by piece. First, I found our rug which I am obsessed with, and kind of got an idea or a ‘feel’ for what I wanted the theme of the room to be. After that, each piece we bought needed to fall in line with that theme.

Everyone decorates differently, but this mentality has worked for me. Have / find one piece in the room (whether it’s a rug or painting or even a pillow!) that inspires you and gives you an idea for your ‘theme’, and then build off of that.

Also remember that decorating is a process. You don’t need to go buy a new couch and pillows and drapes and a rug all in the same day. Be patient with the process – one step at a time.

3. How do you identify between “splurges” vs. “saves” in the fashion/cosmetic/home goods world? What categories do you splurge on and what categories do you try to save? How do you choose?

This is such a good question and something I’ve learned alot about recently! I think all women might have different opinions on this. But, in my mind…a good pair of jeans are worth splurging on. I bought my first pair of AG jeans about two years ago, and still wear them at least once a week, every week. Prior to buying really nice jeans…I was a sucker for those FINAL SALE $12.88 jeans at LOFT. I probably owned 10 pair of them, wore them for a season…and then they stretched out or got worn down. So, having a pair of jeans with amazing quality and an awesome fit is 100% worth it in my book.

I can see how people think splurging on handbags is worth it…because if you have one really amazing handbag you will carry it forever. I’m just not in that phase of life right now where I can justify spending $800-$3,000 on a bag. However, I did get this Tory Burch bag from the Nordstrom sale this year (which is a splurge in my book), and I think it’s 100% worth splurging on because of how classic it is. I like this now when I’m 27, and I know i’ll still like this when I’m in my 30’s and beyond! And because of the quality of the bag, I know it will last that long too.

So basically…I think it’s worth splurging on an item if the quality is amazing, and you know you will wear/use the item over and over and over again. In the fashion world – my splurges are on quality jeans, sometimes a good handbag, or an amazing pair of booties that I know will last forever.

With skincare, I know people can spend hundreds and hundreds on high end skincare. This is an area though where I think you can save. There are some INCREDIBLE skincare brands out there (like Tula) that are reasonably priced, yet incredibly effective. (BTW, you can get 20% off Tula products with code LAURENSPRING20). And honestly my opinion is pretty much the same on make-up! When I worked at Neiman’s I’d get this Giorgio Armani foundation with my discount. It was really nice but honestly not much different than this Stila foundation I like which is almost half the price.

I think with skincare and cosmetics…yes, the expensive stuff is nice..but if you do your research and look around, you’ll be able to find equally a good products for much less. Just my opinion though! (Yikes that was a long answer!)

4. How do you deal with all the flack you get from people taking your snaps and stories WAY out of context? Are there specific things you do to stay positive in those situations?

So TBH, these comments from people really bothered me when I first started blogging. I specifically remember one comment on a pic that said something like ‘this girl needs to eat a burger’ and I was so hurt by it. Or someone being really mean about me selling my clothes that I no longer wear on snapchat. People have made comments about my ‘big nose’ (which I never thought was big until blogging lol!). I can honestly say after blogging for 3 years now…these comments really don’t get to me anymore!

One piece of advice I give alot of girls who are wanting to start blogs is, you have to develop thick skin. People can be brutal when they think they can hide behind a phone or computer screen. And you have to remind yourself…these people don’t know me at all. They do not know my character, who I am on a day to day basis, my genetic make-up…nothing. Something that helps me stay positive in negative situations is asking myself this question: “Lauren, where does your true identity lie? Who does Christ say that you are?”, and the answer to that question is Christ says I am enough, and I am loved no matter what. That is where my security lies, so I can easily brush off silly remarks to my snaps or insta stories!

5. I was just wondering how you transfer from workout hair to normal everyday hair? Do you wash your hair everyday or do you use dry shampoo? Your hair looks great even after your workouts! I tend to sweat a lot during workouts so oily hair afterwards leaves me feeling gross and not want to leave it down/style it!

So I actually just answered this question on insta stories yesterday, but still get this question ALL the time. So, figured I’d answer it here as well!

I definitely do not wash my hair everyday – first of all bc yikes that would take forever, and second of all because that’s actually not good for your hair. Your scalp produces natural oils that are good and healthy for your hair, and if you wash it everyday, you’re stripping it of those oils.

I wash my hair probably twice a week. The trick to saving it after a sweaty workout is…take it out of the pony tail the second you’re done with your workout, and run your fingers through it / shake it out. I’ll usually come home from the gym, eat breakfast, answer some e-mails, get stuff done before I need to get ready so any sweat has dried.

Then, yes, dry shampoo is a life-saver! I love this one and this one. I definitely don’t use dry shampoo everyday bc YUCK that would be alot of build up in your hair! I’ll usually use dry shampoo once or twice in between my hair washes.

In other news, this entire look is from the Nordstrom Sale and the last day to shop it is Sunday!! So if you’ve had your eye on any of these items, make sure to grab ’em now before prices go back up.

If you have ANY questions (they can literally be about anything), that you’d like for me to answer for next week’s lattes with lauren, please leave a comment below! I love hearing from you guys and love answering your questions.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo Lauren