For Lauren Bernstein, a freelance fashion and beauty editor born, raised and living in New York, 4th of July weekend in the Hamptons is a chance to relax on the beach, have dinners with friends and stop by an event or two. 

This summer Lauren has been spending a little extra time in the South Fork as Hamptons Magazine’s Fashion Editor for the season. And after ten years in the fashion and beauty magazine industries as a writer for a variety of publications including GLAMOUR, Harper’s BAZAAR, Lipstick.com, Departures.com, and Bloomberg Businessweek, she’s pretty tapped into all things chic in the area. She tells Travelle about her upcoming holiday plans and her favorite Hamptons haunts:   

Where do you plan to be staying?

I rent a house in East Hampton that’s just a 10-minute drive to the beach and all the shops in town. But when I come out to the area on other occasions, I opt for the Huntting Inn, which is a charming hotel smack in the center of town with extremely comfortable beds and a delicious restaurant, The Palm, right downstairs.  

What is your typical weekend in the Hamptons like?   

Friday nights I like to stop by Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack for Sunset Fridays. They play live music and everyone sits on blankets in the grass including dogs and children—I bring my 7 month old dachshund puppy!—drinking rosé, hanging out with friends, and watching the gorgeous sunset over the hills. 

Saturday mornings I work out and head to the beach with my friends. In the evening I usually do a big group dinner with friends at one of Montauk’s many restaurants. Ruschmeyer’s is a favorite because there is a fun bar scene, a dance room and an outdoor picnic table area, so you can have a delicious dinner and then stick around afterwards for a drink or two.

Sunday is for sleeping and beaching. I like to stretch out the weekend as long as possible and cook or grill dinner at home on Sunday nights before heading back to the city—but most of the time I work from home so I actually don’t have to head back until Monday or Tuesday. The perks of being a freelance writer!

Do you have special activities or events planned for the holiday? 

Thursday night is fashion photographer Benn Watt’s annual semi-secret party called Shark Attack Sounds in Montauk. Friday afternoon some of my close friends will host a “Slosh Ball” game in their backyard (basically baseball with beer)—although admittedly I’m more of a cheerleader than a player. Actually, I’m entirely a cheerleader. Saturday night the famous Grucci fireworks company puts on a show at Montauk’s Umbrella Beach, so I’ll watch the show in the sand with some rosé, then head over to Surf Lodge restaurant for dinner, drinks and dancing. 

What are some of your style essentials for a trip out East?

In the summertime I basically live in an all-white uniform with pops of neon and blue. Specifically, white denim shorts, a white tank top or Madewell chambray shirt with a Roberta Freymann neon tassel necklace or Leonor Designs neon tassel and friendship bracelet sandals. For the beach I wear a mix of Marysia, Basta Surf and La Maree bikinis. I have an absurd collection of beach towels, my favorite of which are by Mara Hoffman and John Robshaw Textiles. I also love all the lacey rompers that everyone is doing! They're great to wear to the beach and then go straight for a BBC (Bailey’s Banana Colada) at Cyril’s in Montauk.

At night I have a cocktail-dress-and-flip-flop philosophy. I operate with a “No Heels in the Hamptons” mentality (which is somewhat easy at 5’10”), so I wear gold flat sandals from Zara with a bright, flirty dress from Rebecca Taylor, Susana Monaco, or Saylor, plus a denim jacket in case it gets cool. I also like wearing a colorful crop top with a white knee-length pleated skirt.

For the Fourth of July, I take a red, white or blue approach. A white dress with blue earrings, or a blue dress with a red clutch. I found this really cute blue and white floral print dress from Toby Heart Ginger that I’ll probably wear with a straw clutch for fireworks and Surf Lodge.

Any beauty products you can't travel without?

If I could buy bulk cartons of Hawaiian Tropic’s Sheer Touch Ultra Radiance Clear Spray Sunscreen, I would. I never go on a trip without 2 bottles (that’s the beauty of road trips—no travel size restrictions!)

My summer go-to nail polish shades are Nails Inc Gel Effect in Regent’s Place and Pop Beauty in Flamingo Hollar (but Pinky is pretty close!) I always travel with Butter London’s nail polish remover pads—one pad removes the polish on both hands!  

My favorite lipstick for day and night is Fresh’s Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment—it has SPF 15 to protect your lips while at the beach, and has just a hint of color which is perfect for a steamy summer night.

What are your favorite spots for a healthy meal?

Round Swamp Farm in East Hampton is heaven. It’s a gourmet farm stand with premade salads, pies and endless delicacies. My favorite is the kale salad and the curry chicken salad, or if I’m feeling indulgent, the chicken dumplings (the dipping sauce is divine). 

How do you maintain your exercise routine in the Hamptons?

I’m a SoulCycle addict, and now that the cult cycling studio has opened up their fourth Hamptons location this summer (Montauk was added to East Hampton, Bridgehampton and Watermill) there are even more classes! I’m also on week 10 of Australian fitness sensation Kayla Itsines’s Bikini Body Guide, which is an e-book of resistance training circuits that I do on the back porch or in the yard. I even keep a set of 6 lb weights, a yoga mat and a foam roller at my house.

Anything you wish you knew before your first trip out there?

Always bring a lightweight sweater and a pair of white jeans in case it’s cool. And never wear nice shoes out at night—between spilled drinks and general bar dirt, they’ll just get ruined! I even recommend buying a cheap pair of flat sandals you can throw out after the summer.