The High Cost of Being Lauren Conrad

Season 4 of The Hills (VIA) kicks off on Monday, and audiences are clamoring for the next installment of this pseudo-reality hit.

While it might look easy to be the Lauren Conrad, the sun-kissed star of The Hills, the laidback life of this California girl actually costs a fortune to maintain.

TRANSPORTATION
LC tooled around Laguna Beach in a Toyota (TM) Forerunner in high school, and upgraded to her mom’s hand me down BMW 3-series upon making the move up to Hollywood. But now Lauren’s got a pair of new wheels of her own: A black Mercedes (DAI) CLK 350 Convertible, MSRP $54,500. And considering LC’s Forerunner was also handed down to her sister Breanna, we’re guessing the Conrads like to buy, not lease, their cars.

SHELTER
LC made the jump from renter to homeowner at the end of season three when she purchased a 3,009 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home with guest house (got to put Audrina somewhere!) in Hollywood for a cool $2.36 million. And the depressed market made it worth her while, the house was originally listed for $2.495 million. Assuming Lauren put 30% down on a 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.34%, she’s shelling out an estimated monthly payment of $10,365.83. Hope Audrina and Lo are kicking in some rent!

BEAUTY
LC was recently spotted devoting two hours at the Warren Tricomi salon in Los Angeles, getting her locks specially sun streaked. Highlights at the exclusive salon start at $221, and cuts start at $136! (And a golden girl can’t let those dark roots show, so LC touches up her locks at least every six weeks to maintain the perfectly natural look.)

WARDROBE
LC favors skinny denim and blousy tops by day and trendy dresses and heels for nights on the town. Here’s a sampling of duds straight from Lauren’s closet.

Day wear
Blouse by Tibi: $310 (marked down to $155) at Revolveclothing.com.
J Brand 12” Jeans - $165 at Los Angeles boutique Ron Herman.
Marc Jacobs Collection Quilted Margot Bag - $1,275 at eLuxury.com.
Every Hollywood girl needs at least a couple pairs of shades. LC has been spotted wearing these:
Marc Jacobs MJ Gold Aviators - $305 at Bloomingdale's. (M)
Chloe Filao Sunglasses - $330 at Net-a-porter.com.
Rayban Wayfarers - $139.95 at the Sunglass Hut.
Dita Supa Dupa Sunglasses - $225 at Dita.

Evening Wear
D&G Dolce & Gabbana Mesh Overlay Dress (LC wore this to the New York Dark Knight premiere) - $645 at eLuxury.
Catherine Malandrino Watercolor Mini Dress – $347 (on sale from $495) at Neiman Marcus.
Christian Louboutin Very Noeud Slingbacks – $795 at Net-a-porter.com.

It Bag
Whether at Whole Foods (WFMI) or a fashion shoot, LC is rarely seen with out her jumbo Chanel 2.55 black quilted purse. For sale at Chanel boutiques - $3,000.

SAFETY NET
So next time LC and the girls hit the Crown Bar for vodka sodas or The Stork club to gossip over oysters and yellowtail crudo, remember it takes a pretty penny to keep up with Conrad’s crew. Luckily, she’s reportedly paid about $1.5 million dollars to play herself on television each season, has endorsements with Mark cosmetics and T-mobile, and designs her eponymous fashion line on the side.

But even if all those pursuits fail, she still probably won’t have too much trouble footing her bills. Her parents Jim and Kathy’s 8,000 square foot Laguna Beach home that was featured on Laguna Beach just went market for $17.9 million.

Sic Transit Gloria LC!