Bohemian by the Bay

A life + style guide for the modern bohemian woman

Lavender Essential Oil


San Francisco has opened me up to a whole new sense of smell. The native flora here is vast and incredible. We’ve got everything from palm trees to wildflowers. Two of my absolute favorite scents that we have here are eucalyptus and lavender. Every time I head to the Presidio (where a LOT of eucalyptus trees live) or the Marina (where the best lavender is) I stop to take it all in.

The city has brought me to love these scents so much that I have incorporated them into my daily routine. Naturally, lavender is a relaxant, so I use lavender lotion before bed and any time I am stressed. I recently bought this lavender essential oil from Avenir Oils to sprinkle droplets in my underwear drawer. I want to carry the scent with me throughout the day!

The scent from this particular lavender oil from Avenir Oils smells incredible. The actual oil is 100% pure, non-toxic with zero additives, and undiluted with no fillers, which makes it perfect for adding a little fragrance to my clothes since it won’t irritate my sensitive skin.

To add to all the lavender oil greatness mentioned above, there’s actually quite a lot of wonderful health benefits of lavender oil, including:

1. Anti-aging serum
2. Treatment of headaches/migranes
3. Treatment of anxiety
4. High blood pressure reducer

And much more!

Now you know why I’m obsessed with this oil… Cheers to long, restful nights for you all!

Love,
Lauren

*Thank you to Avenir Oils for sponsoring this post.

Striped Shirtdress

While exploring Venice last weekend, I popped into Ruti, a delightfully chic boutique on Abbot Kinney, to do some perusing. I fell in love with a lot of items, to tell you the truth… But I ended up choosing the Lena Dress, a edgy chic variation of the shirtdress with cut-out shoulder detailing. It is perfect for summer- nice and breezy with the playful cuts. After buying this dress, I immediately had to wear it to finish the day of shopping 🙂

I paired the dress with my gladiator sandals that I was wearing to start the day, which gave the dress a more bohemian vibe. You could really wear the dress with anything, though. For example, heels to make it more chic or booties to make it a bit more edgy.

I recommend taking a peek inside Ruti if you are ever in San Francisco or LA! Ruti has some great unique finds that are unlike any I’ve seen. They have stores in Santa Monica, Venice, San Francisco, Palo Alto and Berkeley.

Excited for more of these trips on Abbot Kinney- they never disappoint! (Side note- Jack and I saw Andy Milonakis walking down the street… crazy)

Love,
Lauren

PC: Jack Van Leeuwen

SHOP THE POST

Coffee on Polk Street

One of my favorite activities on a slow and rainy day is to go to a coffee shop to work on my blog (aka snap some pics of my latte, jk… maybe). In all seriousness, I love the atmosphere that coffee shops in San Francisco have. Some are filled with entrepreneurs working on their next projects, some are filled with people in deep conversation. But one thing that they all have in common is great coffee. Let me tell you, living in SF for two years has taught me a few things about good coffee. I will definitely have to take you all on a tour of my favorite coffee shops in the city in one of my blog posts. For this post, I went to Saint Frank Coffee on Polk Street. They are known for their Macadamia Almond Milk Latte. Just read that again. SO good. Their super minimal and trendy interior isn’t too bad on the eyes, either.

I brought only a few things to the coffee shop with me, as I just wanted to have casual conversation with my boyfriend Jack or listen to some soft music and peruse Instagram. One of the items I brought was my Sudio Sweden earphones, classic beauties they are. The rose gold details get me every time and they actually stay in your ear with customized in-ear sleeves! The headphones came in a small leather case, which is great for keeping them clean and untangled in my overflowing purse. Overall, I would say they are a necessity if you are looking to invest in some unique designer earphones.

Other items I packed were my phone, cause duh, my wallet, and RayBan sunnies that I am currently obsessed with. Not much but sometimes thats all you need.

While writing this blog post, I actually thought of one of my next posts- exploring all of my fav coffee shops in SF! What do ya’ll think?

Love,
Lauren

*Use the code Bohemian15 for 15% off all Sudio Sweden orders!

The Chicest Handbag You Will Ever See

This past weekend, I got the opportunity to collaborate with a well known Beverly Hills designer, Farbod Barsum. It was such a different experience than what I am used to when collaborating with brands. To be actually working with a brand on Rodeo Drive?! Neat. One of my favorite parts of the day was learning about his craft, and what makes Farbod different from other designers.

To give you a little summary of what goes on behind the scenes to make these handbags… Farbod hand selects the materials for each product and hand casts and polishes the custom hardware one piece at a time. He pioneered the signature combination of the use of two or more different exotics on one bag. I chose this beauty to style with a chiffon romper that I purchased a bit ago. I could have worn heels to up the chic-ness of the outfit even more, but I wanted to keep the look my style- as laid back bohemian chic as possible.

I really liked the concept behind Farbod’s brand, how the “wearable art concept of Barsum bags transforms exceptionally rare materials and adapts them for use in every day life.” I fully believe that fashion is an art form and a form of expression. The way you portray yourself to others is a reflection of how you feel on the inside and how you wish to express yourself. Farbod does a fabulous job of creating designs for every type of personality, whether that be structured, classic, a little more experimental or a mix of the two (like me). There is some serious eye candy on his website. Be sure to check it out 🙂

Love,
Lauren

Photos: Jack Van Leeuwen

*Disclosure: I love supporting all types of designers, no matter how experienced or well known they are. A huge thanks to Farbod Barsum in collaboration for this post.

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