“Laura grew up in Westchester and got her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 2012. She has been working at Artsy as a software engineer for the past two years.”

♫ listen to laura's playlist

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar, Kiehl's Gently Exfoliating Body Scrub, Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Deeply Repairative Fruit Pak, Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo, Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Conditioner

ON HER MORNING ROUTINE

My mornings are usually rushed! Sometimes I manage to get up early to work out or make breakfast at home, but most days I just grab a coffee in my neighborhood and eat breakfast at work—they have a well-stocked kitchen.

on shopping and style

I’m hesitant to buy clothes and objects that “make a statement” because I’m more likely to grow tired of them when my taste changes or when the trend that they belong to runs out. I like things that approach some sort of platonic ideal of whatever the thing is. This translates into owning mostly pretty plain clothing. I’m more into the subtle elements that can make an item interesting, like the texture created by the way it’s knit, the cut, the pattern—but never all of those things at once—than in being bold.

her haircare and skincare tips

Apple cider vinegar, like Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar, is good for your hair and your skin. Sometimes I add some to the water if I take a bath, or mix it with my shampoo. I also recommend Kiehl's Gently Exfoliating Body Scrub, Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Deeply Repairative Fruit Pak, Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo, and Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Conditioner.

Draw It With Your Eyes Closed: The Art of the Assignment

“My friend’s sister wrote a piece for High Times or something, and somehow I ended up with a High Times DVD. My roommate already had this Guy Fieri DVD on display next to the sink, so I thought High Times should join it. Turns out the Guy Fieri DVD is actually just the framed cover from one of his DVDs, which is even funnier. Apparently when my roommate used to live with our other friend, she bought a box set of his show and they framed all the covers and hung them up.”

— On her DVDs

ON her turtles

I volunteered to look after the turtles while my friend was away for a couple weeks, back when they were cute babies. I was secretly hoping that they would just become mine, and they did. Little did I know they’d grow to be this big.

on spotting good finds

I spent a long time searching for the perfect chelsea boot. I happened to find a pair of Ferragamo chelsea boots on eBay for $200, but there were no photos other than stock photos. The seller accepted returns, so I took a chance on them thinking I’d get a refund if they were beat up. They turned out to be brand new at less than half their retail value. I still gloat about it.

*Top, COS ; Jeans, Made & Crafted by Levi's*

ON Her favorite books

Draw It With Your Eyes Closed is a compilation of art school assignments sourced from artists who teach at or attended art school. Some of the contributions are very straight-forward and instructional, some are more anecdotal. Some, including my favorite piece, are cautionary tales about assignments that went horribly wrong.

The Opposite of Loneliness is a collection of essays written by Yale graduate Marina Keegan. The book’s title essay, written for the Yale Daily News for her class’s commencement, gained a lot of currency. Days after commencement, she was killed in a car accident. The essays are mostly pieces she wrote in school, both fiction and non-fiction, although some of the fiction could easily be someone’s reality. I didn’t expect to be so strongly affected by her writing, but some of it really hit home for me.