By Our Bedsides, Vol. 5 – Lee Clark

By Our Bedsides is a new evening series in which we share the books, beauty products, and whatever else it may be that we’re winding down with at the moment. In this edition, Lee talks us through the items on her nightstand, from old favorites to tokens of new memories.

My bedside is made up of pretty little things and often tidy. I'm a tidy person by nature, and was even more so before I had my son. I like keeping all sorts of bits and bobs by my bedside, but often arranged or stashed away in a pretty container. My blue and white Ralph Lauren lamp is fitted with a soft pink light bulb which makes the room so much more inviting than an overhead light or a bright lamp. I read that Dita Von Teese only uses pink bulbs and if it's good enough for her then it's certainly good enough for me. Only pink lightbulbs in bedrooms, okay?

I take off most, if not all, of my jewelry in bed, while lotioning my hands for ages, so I stash my earrings, bracelets, and other baubles on my Molly Hatch Golden Gate Bridge holder that I bought at Anthropologie in SoHo, New York (where I worked at the time) when I first found out we were moving to San Francisco. It serves as a nice reminder of both San Francisco and New York City.

My Cuyana leather travel case set (the smaller bag pictured) holds all sorts of necessary bedside items that I don't want out. Within it I have little vials of perfumes (Dolce and Gabbana The One is a favorite), hair ties, a small bottle of hand lotion, Tylenol, approximately forty-four different types of chapstick (don't make me list them all but Kiehl's Lip Balm No. 1, Glossier's Rose Balm Dotcom, and Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment are favorites), pens (stolen from favorite restaurants), notepads (personalized), backup glasses (old Warbys), and papers (like that Martha Stewart magazine renewal I keep forgetting to do) I usually stash away to be forgotten.

I've covered my feelings on Voluspa's Mokara candle previously but here I am again to tell you it's the best. It's floral, but not too heavy. I like my bedroom to have a certain mood and smell and this candle really helps that spa-like feel I crave. Sometimes it can be hard to find so I always get mine at Anthropologie.

I read that when you wake up the first thing you see should make you happy. Now I don't often wake up to look at my bedside table, but I do have a little set of photos of my son framed. I like the idea of it anyway. It's a sweet little set up and somehow makes my bedside more cheerful and personal. I keep all of my personal family photos, especially my vintage family photos in the bedroom.

And, naturally, a tissue box, with a cover because I hate looking at boxes with the various dumb designs, since my nose always runs.

I don't keep much in the way of skincare by my bedside. Sometimes in winter I'll keep a little bit of Mario Badescu's rosewater spray or an ultra-hydrating cream I like to either spray or slather on in the night if I'm feeling particularly dry.

I used to be a cover-to-cover reader but those days are now gone so anything with short little chapters or sections, like poetry, prose, interviews, non-fiction have been godsends. I'm very into The Paris Review's Women at Work. Incredibly inspiring, if you're into female authors (dear God, please be into female authors). There are little bits from some of my favorite authors like Dorothy Parker(!) and Joan Didion(!) (Side bar: Did anyone else catch that Joan Didion documentary on Netflix? So, so good.) I'm anxious to find other little works to keep on my bedside for this very reason so please send me some recommendations!