Over the Knee Boots

Hi guys! Hope your week is off to a great start. I am really digging the Fall weather in LA - it literally is sweater weather these days. What better way to welcome the sweater weather than with an over-the knee boots?! I love over the knee boots in leather, suede, heeled, flat, riding boots - you name it! They are SO versatile and you can dress up/down your look any way you please with these boots. And might I add, they keeps you relatively warm since they do cover your knees and come up pretty high vs. your standard boots. 

Here are a few of my tips on how you can pull off this look this Fall/Winter :) Enjoy! xo

cheers, julie
(aka cotton and sparkles, @cottonnsparkles, follow me on instagram)

1. Pair it with a Simple Dress

This look is effortless with solid colored and/or simple patterned dress. Pair is with suede or basic leather boots -- which works just as well during daytime as it will at night time. This can work very well for an office look, dinner date with your significant other, and/or just catching up with your girlfriends over coffee/tea!

2.Keep it Comfy in Leggings

 

Keep is casual, cozy yet put together by pairing your boots with leggings and a warm vest! You can actually do a chunky sweater in lieu of the vest if you'd like -- this will go for a similar cozy, comfy feel. This look for sure calls for a Fall/Winter getaway... why not look chic on your vacay?! :)

3. Casual Chic in Tee & Shorts

 You can definitely rock this boyfriend tee + denim shorts look during the Fall (or even Spring), while it's still "warm" enough. Love the look of camel/tan boots, with matching handbag. Even without the matching bag, the look of camel/tan boots gives it a more earthy, natural, comfy vibe. Perfect juxtaposition of casual/chic.

4. Blazer it with Skinny Jeans

This last look is the easiest and very flattering on almost all body types - pair your boots with your favorite pair of skinny jeans (any color - dark, light, black, colored) along with simple shirt (you can keep it solid or go with pattern, as Kate Moss does it here), and structured blazer = voila! This is by far my favorite look, as it can go day & night, and you look SO put together but do it easily so :)

photo credit: fabsugar,pumpsandiron,denimology

Weekly Obsessions

Hi guys - TGIF, keeping this short today, as I have been super under the weather :( Have an awesome weekend -- check my instagram for updates during the weekend, xo.

cheers, julie
(aka cotton and sparkles, @cottonnsparkles, follow me on instagram)

a) There's something about the 90s that I'm so nostalgic for - the music, style, fashion, colors, and even TV shows.
b) Fall travel destination for me? Big Sur next week! Love this guide as a prep for my vacay comin' up.
c) It's incredible how Korea has become one of the global fashion-forward spots, evident by Seoul Fashion Week - featuring popular Korean designer collections such as J Apostrophe, Steve J & Yoni P, and more.
d) And so it begins... all you instagram lovers, get ready for your first taste of sponsored ads.
e) Think you have the best Halloween costume in mind? Think not - this kid's LED costume beats all of yours!

Jewelry District Fun

Hi guys! I love good pops of color, and my mind was blown when I visited Jewelry District in LA with my best friend who's a fabulous jewelry designer :)  She had to pick up some supplies, so I was just there as a side kick - but my goodness, the amount of beads, crystals, jewels in an eclectic color selection, in all sizes you can possibly imagine. It truly was an incredible experience, checking out these stores and being wowed at every corner!! 

I am going to make it a point to follow her along next time and pick up some DIY supplies of my own. Love being surrounded by creative people -- it drives my creativity, inspires me to try things I haven't before (even if I may not be the best at it!)

A wall full of beautiful turquoise beads in so many different shapes and sizes!

Of course, gotta end the day with some strawberry shaved ice @ Caffe Bene! <3

cheers, julie

(aka cotton and sparkles, @cottonnsparkles, follow me on instagram)

Outfit

Shirt: Madewell (here and here)

Shorts: Abercrombie (similar here)

Bag: American Apparel L'epicier Tote

Sandals: Havaianas

Necklaces: Custom rose gold + Tiffany & Co

Floral Chiffon and Stripes

I love the blend of two complete opposites in an outfit. Structured, ridge-striped mini's with flowy, pastel floral chiffon shirt. This top from American Apparel has got to be one of my favorites -- I love it so much that I own this pastel floral pattern in a few of their other shirts (i.e. cropped shirts). It actually comes in only one size, yet that's the beauty of this shirt - you can shape it & wear it sort of the way you want to feel in it. You can tie it in the front as a cropped top, or you can let it flow & tuck it in a bit messy, like I wore it here.

This week is pretty jam packed with meetings & such -- hope your weeks are off to an amazing start!

cheers, julie

(aka cotton and sparkles, @cottonnsparkles, follow me on instagram)

Outfit

Shirt: American Apparel (similar here)

Skirt: Madewell

Bag: American Apparel L'epicier Tote

Shoes: Zara (similar here)

Watch: Michael Kors

Weekly Obsessions

Hi guys, happy friday! Love the feeling of friday mornings, knowing there is a weekend just ahead of us. So many things to be thankful for this week (as with always) -- follow me on instagram for updates throughout the weekend. Thank so much for visiting C&S!

cheers, julie
(aka cotton and sparkles, @cottonnsparkles, follow me on instagram)

a. Dry Fall season calls for a good lip balm to keep my lips nice & moisturized. La Mer works wonders!
b. I'm not the first to dress up for Halloween - but these 10 celebrity couple costumes are rather intriguing. Who knew Sarah Jessica Parker & Robert Downey Jr dated in the 80s?!
c. I love sunrises and sunsets, it's so calming, beautiful & romantic - wouldn't mind checking out all of the best places to watch sunset...
d. Fashion week continued with Bridal Market shows in NYC the past week, featuring designers from Monique Lhuillier to Vera Wang and Reem Acra -- love the classic & feminine looks of these dress trends.
e. I'm so blessed to have all the loved ones in my life - positive reminder of the little things we should all appreciate in life, even something as simple as your morning cup of coffee :)

photo credit: refinery29, usatoday, vogue, huffingtonpost

Weekend Adventure in Plaid

Weekends are meant for relaxed, casual destroyed jeans, plaid and gladiator sandals!

Neon pink hair band I made over the weekend (will post DYI - super easy and cheap!)

This picture does not do it justice - Ricky's fish tacos are hands down THE BEST fish tacos! *drool*

Thai Iced Tea is one of my favorite drinks -- but I'd never tried Thai Tea Latte HOT! It was beyond delicious!

Natural make-up with "modified" cat eyes (not as dramatic for the weekend)!

Hi guys, happy thursday! This is in Instagram term "latergram" from this past weekend. For casual Sunday look, what better way than to pair your favorite light weight plaid/tartan shirt with destroyed jeans and top it off with comfy gladiator sandals. The past weekend weather totally called for this comfortable look that is one of my "go-to's" for lazy Sundays. I had been obsessing over fish tacos lately and found this amazing gem in Chinatown (Ricky's Fish Tacos), where they fry the fish fresh in an outdoors setting with deep fryer! So delicious - both the fish & shrimp tacos! And right next door was Chimney Coffee House and they had a hot/latte version of my favorite Thai iced tea! Honestly these pictures don't do justice of the great food + drinks from this past weekend. Definitely worth the try if you're nearby. Enjoy!

cheers, julie

(aka cotton and sparkles, @cottonnsparkles, follow me on instagram)

Outfit

Shirt: Jcrew tartan/plaid shirt (similar here)

Pants: Abercrombie destroyed jeans (similar here; on sale $39!)

Bag: Longchamp Le Pliage Large tote 

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell Gladiator Sandals (similar here)

Fall Candle Scents

Hi guys, quick post today on candles & scents. I love burning candles throughout the year, but especially during the season transition into Fall/Winter. Something so cozy and comfortable about having a subtle yet aromatic scent burning in the background. I love relaxing in my room with my favorite candle lit, while catching up on some reading, magazines, or just getting inspired in general about things around me that I want to write & share with you guys about! Or my other favorite thing to do is lighting up a candles while taking a long, much needed bath (with some bubbles for fun!). What's your favorite candle brand and/or scent and when do you usually light up your candles? Please tell me in comments below!

cheers, julie

(aka cotton and sparkles, @cottonnsparkles, follow me on instagram)

I fell in love with Capri Blue candles some time ago - you guys probably may have smelled the scent when walking into your nearby Anthopologie stores. They usually have it burning throughout their stores and I almost every time do a "wait, that smells so good" -- and walk back to where it initially caught my attention.

They have a pretty wide selection of scents - ranging from Jasmine & Rain to Mandarin & Peony.

My favorite scents by far are Volcano & Aloha Orchid. Volcano is a bit exotic with tropical fruit & citrus lemon/lime, where as Aloha Orchid is more floral with orchids, jasmine and white blossoms.

It’s fascinating how certain candles can be more luxurious & elegant. That’s how I feel about Voluspa candles, just by looking at their packaging (sometimes, I am more attracted by the packaging than anything else!) I feel like each candle light adds a bit of elegance. 

Voluspa uses creamy coconut wax blend that enhances the fragrance & burns clean (rather than leaving you with any burnt smell). 

One of my favorite scents (really one of many) is the Citron Vert & Vanille, characterized with tart green citron, caramel sugar, whipped creme fraîche and vanilla. It really smells as yummy as it reads.

Speaking of packaging, Jo Malone's signature cream packaging with black edging is so iconic. I love her success story – she started by making her own perfumes with flowers from her garden & grated soap, and at the age of only 19, she took her personal passion to an actual business, featuring handmade scents & products. So inspiring.

I love how Jo Malone candles pair unusual ingredients you may not expect and create very versatile fragrances.

My personal favorite: Orange Blossom & Nectarine Blossom & Honey, featuring subtle blend of floral + fruit without smelling too sweet.

Fallin' in Floral

Hi guys, hope you had a great weekend! I had a fun day on Saturday, with a quick outing to Knott’s Berry Farm, not even for the amusement park part, but to get yummy southern fried chicken @ the Knott’s chicken dinner restaurant :) It’s one of those spots I crave on a hot summer weekend (even though it’s technically Fall) and just want to be lazy! To match my “lazy weekend,” I wanted to wear something super comfortable & flowy (and honestly, something that was going to give me easy breathing room lol). So for this look, I paired a vibrant floral dress with brown suede ankle boots. Because there were a lot of colors already to this outfit, I kept the accessories light with watch with white leather band + pastel based jeweled bracelets. This outfit was light enough for the hot weather, but still carried a warm Fall tone. I love all things floral + earthy tones, which tend to give casual yet put-together look as long as you mix/match right – also these tones are pretty fool-proof, and not very hard to coordinate. Enjoy!

cheers, julie

(aka cotton and sparkles, @cottonnsparkles, follow me on instagram)

Outfit

Dress: Anthropologie Botanica Swing Dress

Clutch: American Apparel Carry All Pouch

Shoes:  Minnetonka Ankle Hi Boot

Watch: Michele Urban Mini 

Bracelet: Jcrew (similar here)