Life is pretty non-stop for Lauren Chan. The size-inclusive fashion advocate and model has walked in fashion shows for designers like Christian Siriano and Outlier, and has starred in campaigns for household names like J.Crew, Victoria’s Secret, and Joe Fresh. And that’s just her modeling career; in a past life, she was a fashion editor at Glamour, and she parlayed her knowledge of the industry into a luxury plus-size clothing line called Henning, featuring staples like leather jackets, tailored suits, and loungewear for sizes 12-26. With so much on her plate, Chan’s weekends are sacred — filled with time with her dog Pepper, friends, and self-care.
In our new series, “A Perfect Sunday,” we spotlight our favorite tastemakers and their ideal Sunday vibe, life advice, and beauty and style must-haves. Here, Lauren Chan shares her weekend routine.
Morning Routine:
“I’m woken up by my dog, Pepper, who, I swear, knows when it’s the weekend and we have more time to hang out. So I take her to the park, we do a few laps. On the way out, we stop and get coffee at Little Roy. I usually get an iced almond latte with an extra shot of espresso.
If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll have lox and cream cheese in the house and make something with that. If not, it’s two eggs over toast with some jam and cheese or avocado. It’s something I don’t do on a weekday because I don’t feel like I have the time to actually enjoy it when there’s an inbox growing by the minute.”
Mid-Morning Routine:
“I like to clean the house on Sunday mornings. I feel like it is so good to end the week by cleansing my space of whatever debris and chaos I have caused, whether it’s opening PR packages or styling a shoot, or if I had traveled that week and hadn’t unpacked my suitcase. It’s also nice to start the new week with a clean space.
Then I shower and I’ll break out the full beauty routine. I like the Ouai Scalp Scrub, so I’ll do an extra treatment like that. I use my Saltair body wash, which is Iskra [Lawrence]’s line, in the sandalwood scent I find to be delicious, and then I also use an AHA body wash by ZitSticka. Then for my face, I use two gentle cleansers. It’s a double cleansing kind of day.
When I hop out of the shower, I’ve been using the Tata Harper body serum. And on my face, I use my Foreo Bear Microcurrent Tool. Then, I’ll do a little bit of extra-deep gua sha with the Chillhouse gua sha. I’ll use that or my Rose Inc ice globes — you put them in the freezer, and it’s a delicious feeling. The Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum is a good slippery base for those kinds of things so that you’re not tugging on your skin and causing any damage or discomfort. After that step, I put on the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic. Then I’ve been loving the Sunday Riley U.F.O. Clarifying Face Oil. I’m obsessed with it because my skin is combination, and in spots it’s very dehydrated. But oils, which tend to help me with that, tend to clog my pores. This Sunday Riley oil has salicylic acid in it, so it doesn’t do that. And then I use a DMH Face Light Mask, depending on whether I feel like rejuvenating with red light for aging, or if I feel like blue light for antibacterial.”
Afternoon:
“If I have content to shoot for a brand for work, I tend to do it on the weekends because my schedule during the week is unpredictable. So if I have, for example, a post due for J.Crew, I’ll carve out time on a Sunday afternoon to do it when I know that someone can help me shoot it.
For lunch, sometimes I’ll grab my best friend who lives on my block and we will pop down to Warude. They do breakfast tacos that are out of this world. Then there’s a boutique wine shop right there called Bed-Vyne, and they have a selection of independent wine and natural options, and top shelf liquor. So I’ll grab something from there for dinner later on.”
Evening:
“Pretty much every Sunday, I go have dinner at my best friend’s house who lives down the block. Her husband loves to cook and they have a 4½-year-old daughter whom I consider my niece. So we do what we call family dinner on Sundays, and I bring that bottle of whatever I picked up at Bed-Vyne earlier. And he will have made a more glorious dinner than I will ever make for myself. I’ll head over a little early, around 4 p.m., so I can play with my niece or watch a show with her. And then we’ll have dinner, and around 7 p.m. when they put her down to bed, then I’ll head home so I can start winding down as well.”
Bedtime Ritual:
“I do my skincare routine early so that when I go to watch a movie or lie down, I’m not dragging my feet to do it when I’m ready to fall asleep. I’m a little more simple at night: I wash my face first with the Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser. And then I double-cleanse with the Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser. It helps exfoliate, which I need. Then I use the Furtuna Skin Rinascita Replenishing Balm. It’s blue and olive-oil-based, and smells floral and bright and just feels really sumptuous. Then, for eye cream, I’ve been using the Sunday Riley Auto Correct Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream.
I typically go to bed early on Sundays. I’ll crawl in bed at 9:30 p.m. and go on TikTok till 10:30 p.m. and fall asleep.”
Lauren’s Loves
What are you reading right now?
“I’m listening to Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza on audiobook, which I really like. And Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. And I just finished listening to Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen. It was really fun to listen to. Next up, I’m excited to listen to Like Me by Hayley Phelan.”
What is your style mantra?
“I like to remind myself to get dressed to be seen the way that, in my heart, I see myself. Sometimes it feels frivolous to get dressed or [put in] extra effort that I don’t have that day. And I can motivate myself to put a little bit more energy into my style by reminding myself that first impressions are important. So if that is able to be accomplished by me breaking out a Henning wool coat instead of throwing on a ratty old jean jacket that day, I get to feel a little more elevated, a little more powerful, a little more confident, and it’s worth that extra effort. I want to be proud of the way I look as a size 14, half-Asian, half-Middle Eastern person, and I think that clothes can help convey that pride.”
What is your makeup philosophy?
“When I’m not modeling or shooting content, I try not to wear a lot of makeup. I say that because I’m just lazy when it comes to makeup. But there are products that I wear on a daily basis. I like the Chanel Boy Brow pencil and I like the Kosas lip balm in the shade Pulse, which is close to my lip color. And sometimes mascara. And I feel like those makeup items enhance what makes me, me — my Armenian eyebrows, my Chinese eyes.”
What is your best career advice?
“What makes you different is your superpower. And you can apply that to anything, whether you’re talking about work and what your specialty is or beauty and what you choose to enhance and show off about yourself. I think that advice runs the gamut.”
Where do you find inspiration?
“I’m so lucky to live in New York and work in a creative industry because it’s kind of all around. I think inspiration can come in so many ways, whether it’s something that someone says to you and you’ve got this idea for an article or a series for a content platform. Or you see someone walking down the street or on TikTok wearing things a certain way and all of a sudden, you’re designing a new collection. Or you go on a weekend trip upstate and you’re looking for more time and ways to get nature into your life.”
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