MyDomaine’s Guide to a Spring Refresh for Your Home

Gabrielle Savoie, an editor at MyDomaine, is an authority on the home space. From under-the-radar trends to decorating hacks, she’s the person to turn to for tips on crafting a beautifully curated home. Hailing from New York City, she understands the importance of decorative accessories that also serve a purpose. Find out how she refreshes her home for spring.

When the clocks spring forward and the weather warms up, my first instinct is to run outside and relish in the joys of summer days to come—but not before giving my home a quick refresh. After all, while I love a day spent poolside with a good book, summer afternoons also mean entertaining friends and family. The good news? A spring refresh isn’t about overhauling your entire decor—it’s about infusing it with a few nods to warmer weather so you can enjoy your home with your nearest and dearest. Because time is of the essence, I’m showing you how to refresh each room with five products or less—so you can get back to enjoying the blissful balmy weather.

Renwil Oryx mirror | Couristan Snowflake area rug | Recover Outlier Bluetooth speaker | DENY Designs Chelsea Victoria Beverly Hills Palm art print | Tom Ford Neroli Portofino candle 

Upgrade your living room by swapping out heavier elements like cashmere throws and wool-blend pillows for lighter linens. Throw in a fresh accent rug in a low pile. Next, update your walls: art that depicts the outdoors is a great way to bring the outside in. You can also hang a mirror on a wall opposite a window to reflect the greenery outside. Finish off your space with a speaker to play upbeat summer tunes, and don’t forget to light a breezy scented candle. Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino, which smells of the Italian Riviera in summer months, is the perfect scent.

 

KASSATEX Sorrento sham | Levtex Taza tassel-trim pillow | slip for beauty sleep Slipsilk sleep mask | diptyque Benjoin scented candle | UGG lofty quilt 

In the bedroom, start with the obvious: your bedding. No one wants to sweat through summer nights in flannel sheets. Opt for crisp white sheets, and fold a quilt at the foot of the bed for cooler nights. An accent pillow brings the whole look together. Finish off with a fresh scent and the ultimate luxury: a silk sleep mask. Trust me on this: once you own one, you’ll never be able to sleep without it.

Uttermost Petra oval mirror | Calvin Klein Home Iconic hand towel | Aesop Reverence Aromatique hand balm | DKNY Clean rug | Orrefors Ice crystal soap dish 

The bathroom is the perfect place to invest in little luxuries that make the morning and evening routines feel a bit more elevated. To refresh your bathroom, start with towels and bathmats. Throw away anything that feels ratty or looks worn, and upgrade to plush Calvin Klein white towels for a ’90s model look. Add fresh accents to your vanity, like a crystal soap dish and an oval mirror, then finish off with the crème de la crème of bath products—I love Aesop’s hand balm.

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Giving Back with STATE Bags at Dunlap Elementary School

By now, we’re all pretty familiar with the one-for-one giveback retail model. Shoppers purchase a certain brand of shoes or glasses for themselves, and then the company donates a like product to a person in need. It’s a great charitable strategy, one that can help guide consumers through overwhelming shopping choices and toward items that can have social impact beyond style.

STATE Bags not only embraces this model with its backpacks, but takes it a step further. Scot Tatelman and his wife, Jacqueline, began the company after witnessing New York City children carrying their school supplies in trash bags. For every STATE backpack purchased, one backpack is donated to an American child in a situation of need. These donations take place in person during school rallies (called bag drops) put on by the company. “We like to think we’re kind of amplifying that one-for-one model in the way we donate the bags,” says Scot Tatelman. “We don’t just show up to schools or homeless shelters or nonprofit organizations and just hand out backpacks, but we put on real high-energy motivational events for the kids that we serve.”

Nordstrom partnered with STATE Bags for an event this April. At Seattle’s Dunlap Elementary School, STATE and Nordstrom crews hand-delivered fully stocked STATE backpacks—packed with socks, snacks, sunscreen, headbands and notebooks—to all 375 students. But that wasn’t all.

STATE always brings an enthusiastic team that includes staff, a DJ and the people Scot calls his PackMen and PackWomen to these bag drops. (Scot refers to himself as the “GiveBackGuy” and his company’s bags as the “Give BackPack.”) They take over the school’s gymnasium for an hour and a half, engaging with the kids through activities and dance.

“It’s kind of like an educational workshop mixed with a rally, blended with a dance party,” Tatelman says. “The whole point of it is to get these kids feeling great, to get them inspired, to get them thinking about beating the odds that are often stacked against them. At the end it culminates in them getting a brand-new backpack that’s stuffed with donated supplies from like-minded generous companies.”

The PackMen and Women are the real catalysts who ignite these events. “They not only deliver backpacks but they deliver a real message,” Tatelman says. “All of our PackMen and Women have grown up in similar situations to these kids. They tell their stories of how they’ve successfully risen from challenging situations. When they talk you can hear a pin drop. They’re so good at what they do, because they’re child development specialists and people who work with kids day in and day out. It just so happens that they’re hilarious, they’re great dancers and great performers.”

Coach Roger (STATE PackMan Roger Redhead)

Coach Roger, Mr. Joseph (a Dunlap teacher) and Coach Chelsea (STATE PackWoman Chelsea Greggs)

Coach Chelsea

In addition to the PackMan and PackWoman on hand at Dunlap, one of the school’s teachers, Mr. Joseph, spoke to the crowd of kids gathered about what he carries in his own backpack and how it helped him get where he is today.

STATE Cofounder Scot Tatelman

Dunlap Elementary was carefully selected by Scot Tatelman through his usual vetting process of research and talking to school superintendents, principals and parent coordinators. “Dunlap was a school that I just landed on and thought was perfect,” says Tatelman. “They had the most kids in their school that are living in transitional housing—that gets me every time. That’s just so unfair that kids from very young ages are bounced around from place to place, the instability there is disheartening. Dunlap is also in the most diverse ZIP code, it has 87 percent on reduced lunch, it has the largest homeless population in the Seattle school district.”

To date, STATE Bags has visited approximately 50 cities, serving tens of thousands of kids. This year they plan to give away 40,000 bags to children across the United States. “We’re approaching six figures in our donation efforts,” says Tatelman, “which we’re really proud about.”

Those bag drops have all been facilitated by STATE, but they’ve also involved some fairly powerful partnerships. “When we were a pretty young brand we partnered with Beyoncé’s #BeyGOOD charitable organization. We worked with her in donating bags all down the East Coast in really tough neighborhoods during back-to-school season,” Tatelman says. “Last year we worked with the White House and Roc Nation talent in donating bags across the U.S. in partnership with President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative. We connected with kids in 30 different cities that were linked with that really cool program that President Obama started. We’ve been really fortunate to work with some high-level people and brands, and now we can’t wait to say that we’ve worked with the Nordstrom team.”

And what is Scot’s favorite part about these bag drops, in which he personally participates? “I love seeing our team in action. We go so far beyond in how we execute. You can see every eye of these super impressionable kids staring at these role models, just hanging on every word. To me that’s the best,” Tatelman enthuses. “Our PackMen and Women end up signing autographs on the bags after these events.”

DJ Fame

“We’ve never left an event where someone hasn’t said to us, ‘That was the best assembly or event we’ve ever done for our kids.’ That’s because our approach is really different: we come with a DJ, we come with a team, we come to make the experience mind-blowing for the kids, and it always is,” says Tatelman.

But how is Tatelman sure that his message resonates with the kids long after the giveaways and high-octane talk? “Our message at the conclusion of every drop is that they’re not just wearing a backpack, but a ‘Give BackPack,’” Tatelman says. “So when they wear it they’re wearing the responsibility to better themselves and the community they live in. Our whole program is based on being the best you can be and trying to find that light wherever you can.”

SHOP: STATE Bags

—Britt Burritt

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Get the Look: Festival Style at Coachella 2017

Photos by Kristin Yamada

Rock stars like Gaga and Kendrick may have dominated the stage, but the style stars were everywhere during Coachella. Our global trend reporter, Kristin Yamada, captured the best warm-weather looks on the chic festival-goers, then we put together similar outfits you can shop now to prep your closet for summer.

A cool kimono coat is one of the most useful apparel items for a long summer weekend outside. Wrap up in it when the chill hits, lay on it when the sun’s above and wear it in the morning when you’re trying to determine what to put on—then wear it out!

Shop similar styles:
kimono coats | denim shorts | red booties

Shop our picks to re-create this look:

Willow & Clay velvet burnout robe | One Teaspoon Outlaws denim shorts | SARTO By Franco Sarto Erynn bootie

Florals and stripes are commonplace at Coachella, but a traditional polka dot offers a cutesy reprieve from the sea of popular prints. These palazzo pants are breezy and fun, but also workplace appropriate for when the festival weekend ends.

Shop similar styles:
crop tops | palazzo pants | round sunglasses

Shop our picks to re-create this look:

Cinq à Sept Esme tie neck crop top | Topshop polka dot palazzo trousers | Oliver Peoples Nickol 53mm round sunglasses

Combining two of the season’s trendiest textiles, this jumper combo is an outfit worth adopting. The sweet denim sundress becomes rock ’n’ roll ready with the mesh top and black topper.

Shop similar styles:
mesh shirts | denim dresses | black hats

Shop our picks to re-create this look:

Treasure & Bond raglan mesh tee | La Vie Rebecca Taylor denim dress | Maison Michel Tal Evening knit hat

Like a flower child all grown up, this sultry maxi is perfect for scorching days. The plunging neckline bares a bit of décolletage with the season’s hottest cut, while the length of the dress lends some balancing coverage below.

Shop similar styles:
maxi dresses | fringed handbags | cat-eye sunglasses

Shop our picks to re-create this look:

Majorelle sweet pea maxi dress | Rebecca Minkoff Isobel saddle bag | Tom Ford Anoushka cat eye sunglasses

See something you like? Open the Nordstrom app and snap a pic to find similar looks.

—Britt Burritt

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What Is Microneedling, the Revolutionary Tool for Erasing Wrinkles, Scars and Acne

Jamie O’Banion swears she has sensitive skin. The CEO of GloPRO®’s parent company Beauty Bioscience is indeed blond and fair, but she is also passionately advocating sticking hundreds of needles into one’s face. We feel our skepticism is justified.

Within minutes of talking to the daughter of Dr. Terry James, founder of Beauty Bioscience and a pioneer in the fields of nano-lipids, microdermabrasion and microneedling (also called dermarolling), we’re rethinking skin care as well as our abiding fear of needles.

CEO of Beauty Bioscience Jamie O’Banion

“The entire concept of microneedling was introduced by my father, who is a physician, about 12 years ago,” O’Banion begins. “In the industry, we’ve known that you have to wound the skin to regenerate the skin. In the late 1970s we started with chemical peels. From chemical peels we moved to microdermabrasion–in fact my father was involved in bringing some of that technology over from Europe–that was in the ’90s. After microdermabrasion, lasers were introduced. These are all great technologies, but there are some definite downsides to them.” Those being the common peeling, flaking, redness and even permanent damage these older techniques can cause. “In each of these you can remove the entire epidermis–the upper layer of the skin–and about half of the dermis. Anything beyond half of the dermis you get scarring, and just not a good experience,” O’Banion explains.

The science behind all of these techniques: by gently damaging the skin, you trigger its natural healing and rejuvenating properties, which causes the creation of collagen. This can lead to firmer, smoother, plumper new skin cells to replace your old, haggard ones. But with mirconeedling, you’re creating only the tiniest injury to the skin with very small pinpricks–the GloPRO® needles themselves are .3 mm in length.

“You’re injuring the skin to rejuvenate the skin but it’s a micro injury,” says O’Banion. “A micro injury is imperceptible but it causes the same response. So you’re keeping everything intact, but you’re creating micro channels in the skin. And the skin doesn’t like anything open, any gaps in the skin, so your skin triggers a healing response to build healthy skin.”

 

Clinical trials and endless personal accounts indicate that at-home needling can be effective in treating acne, wrinkles, scars and stretch marks. As O’Banion points out, since it doesn’t depend on ingredients, the technology is agnostic to skin age, type, conditions and color.

One can microneedle alone and see results from increased collagen production from the skin’s own regeneration, but one of its (pleasing) secondary effects is that using GloPRO® allows ingredients to better penetrate the skin. “In a clinical trial we did we found that ingredients were absorbed 200 times more effectively with GloPRO® than without,” says O’Banion. “It’s insurance that active ingredients will get into the skin. All these beautiful ingredients we buy in expensive skin products are really designed to work in the dermis, but if they can’t get in the dermis they can’t work.”

Some are suspect that a procedure that originated in the dermatologist’s office can be done as effectively at home–but think of the at-home chemical peels and facials that are so common now. “You’re getting the same tool,” O’Banion promises. “There are, of course, deeper microneedling procedures in-office–that’s not our at-home version. But we did a study that’s showed that it’s more effective to do microneedling to the dermal junction more frequently (say three times a week) than deeper microneedling less frequently. It’s like exercise–is it better to do it every day for 30 minutes or run two marathons a year?”

Pretty convincing.

What to expect when you microneedle at home:

1. Be sure to have a clean face and a clean roller. Check that your skin has no infections or acne outbreaks–these can spread. Sterilize your GloPRO® with the provided wash or isopropyl alcohol.
2. Section your face into parts: the forehead, sides and chin. Avoid the eyes and nose. So you know, in our experience the forehead is the most sensitive to the microneedling sensation.
3. About that: microneedling feels like a bristly tingle; it doesn’t hurt but it’s also not pleasant.
4. Use the lightest pressure and go horizontally across the areas of your face two or three times, letting the machine do most of the work.
5. After you’ve covered your sections with a horizontal roll, return to them and roll vertically, again no more than three times.
6. Apply your serum to the face. (You might also apply serum prior to rolling.)
7. Sterilize your GloPRO® head before returning it to its box.
8. O’Banion recommends replacing the head every three months.

   SHOP: Beauty Bioscience GloPRO®

   —Britt Burritt

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