JSL Travel Guide: Packing Tips

09/12/2017 By Sarah 1 Comment

The latest new series I’m introducing to the blog is our very own, personal JSL Travel Guide! As Jetset Lust has given my life and brand a new direction, I want to touch on areas that have to do with this new chapter. And traveling will be one of the biggest ones! From where to travel, stay, eat, how to’s, and more, I’m sharing with you my personal revelations that make traveling a peach. Keep your eye on this series for all about how I do what I do during my trips, and where I’m going/have gone!

JSL Travel Guide: Printemps

05/23/2017 By Sarah 4 Comments

It’s about time I share everyone’s favorite outfit from my Paris trip on the blog! I know some of you miss my good ol’ boho days, so styling a dash of Spell Designs for Paris was a must. Especially since their collection Blue Skies, set in Paris, was released at the same time!

To give my boho look a Parisian twist, I styled the Spell luxe lace skirt with a delicate and fashion forward sheer top- a lace bralette underneath. I was really loving the cream x black color scheme, and found the tall black boots to really pop under the light skirt. These lace-ups with the round toe were one of my go-to boots for Paris. They could be style almost any way, and brought a retro MOD or vintage flair to any look. And of course, I had my tiny Bebe purse full of all my necessities, and topped off the look with a black beret. It was such a fun look to run around Paris in, and I think I got my photo taken by tourists more than the sites around me, haha!

If I love one thing about Paris, it’s that people are really impressed with fashion and will take notice when you stand out. Everywhere I went, I got asked to stand in photos with tourists and Parisians alike. Or they sort of just nonchalantly stopped to take photos of me while I was modeling… I learned to not feel awkward about it, even though it sort of threw off my groove, but just take it as a compliment!!

I wanted to get an iconic rooftop view of the city, but not deal with the crowds and long waits at tourist locations like the Eiffel Tower or Arc de Triumphe. So we scoped out one of the best “secret” spots to grab a bite to eat, sip on a cafe or wine, and catch a panoramic view of Paris. If you didn’t know about the Terrace of the Printemps yet, now you do! Not only do you get to ride an escalator up 9 or so floors passed every designer brand and pretty store displays, but you get to arrive at such an amazing low key spot to relax! And of course, take amazing photos!

Afterwards, we descended back down to the busy streets on the hunt for dinner. I always felt like there were too many cute cafes and not enough time, so I was pretty picky about which ones we decided on eating at. We stumbled upon L’Arcade Haussmann, glowing with warm light from the inside and happy chattering people sitting outside. I decided it was a must, because the vibes were so good.

We ordered Tomato Mozarella & Pesto salad, a cheese plate, a big bowl of French Onion Soup for me, and steak and fries for Josh. FYI- steaks in Paris are not really a thing, so they are more often than not, stiff and tough! Be sure you order carefully. Best recommended for an actual tender steak would be the Steak au poivre- which is made with fillet mignon. Otherwise you’ll feel like you’re chowing down on a stiff leather boot…! Honestly, steak in Paris is more so for American tourists, so you might just not even order one at all! The most common thing in the city is to order wine and cheese. That’s pretty much what they live off of, and we were happy to adapt to that diet!

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noir et blanc

04/27/2017 By Sarah 6 Comments

Paris, the city for lovers, offered a romantic backdrop that inspired my work in ways I’d never gotten to experience before. The architecture is what sets this city apart, being so old and full of boundless detail and beauty. I’m not lying when I say there are more streets than even a full time Parisian could explore, and each building has those picturesque elements. Our second story flat in Montmartre became our little hideaway in the middle of the busy city, where vespas buzz up and down the streets day and night. I spent a lot of time people watching from our balcony, soaking in the sound of the birds in the morning or at dusk.

There’s a different way of life in Paris, as compared to LA, that I can’t quite put my finger on. One might think that it’s like a movie, but I learned differently my first visit. Paris is much more tangible than you glimpse from dreamy movie scenes. Some even find it shocking when they arrive- because it’s actually a real life city. Lots of people, traffic, noises, smells, and… well, trash. You’d be surprised at the amount of graffiti that marks the beautiful buildings, and the fact that there is actually a scary ghetto area that, when I stumbled upon, reminded me of Chicago or NY.

I won’t lie, I was a bit overwhelmed when I first experienced all of this. And the March weather, plus my acute bronchitis I had for 2 weeks, made me more of a homebody than I’d have preferred. But it gave me a cozy appreciation for this adorable flat we were lucky to book so last minute (thanks to Perfectly Paris on AirBnB)- and it became our home away from home for the month.

Here’s a little roundup of our lazy days spent inside, being sleepy lovers.

Flat:
Artist’s Corner – Paris Perfect Rentals

P.S!
If you don’t have an AirBnB account yet, sign up here and get $40 off your next stay!

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Korakia | part 2

09/26/2016 By Sarah 4 Comments

We arrived at Korakia in Palm Springs right after the sun dipped behind the rocky mountain backdrop. The earth still radiated with a heat I’d never experienced before. I’ve been in Death Valley on the salt flats in the direct sun, and I’ve been in Tucson during August. But this was different. It was like standing in a clay oven heated by the sun, and radiating with the solar energy. It was quite the experience, but I sort of got used to it by the end of our stay.

We shot for Spell Designs for 2 days, and before leaving I was determined to take location photos of every pretty thing I saw and fell in love with while there. So we walked around, camera in hand, snapping away. It was nearly impossible to stand in the sun longer than 15 seconds. Even for the above photo I had to keep running to the shade in-between shots to keep from frying. You could have fried your bacon on the sidewalk! And speaking of breakfast, we had the most delicious avocado toast with tomatoes, early in the morning, under a canopy of umbrellas and tree branches strung with moroccan lanterns.

Every little corner of Korakia holds something beautiful and inspiring. Like I’ve said, it’s photogenic from every angle. I could have shot there for days had I had the time and the temps were lower. It was quite the survival process making it through the 2 days we were there!

Palm trees swayed above, casting long shadows on daybeds. The pops of color from the bougainvillea bushes scattered throughout the hotel brought the desert to life. Little nooks created with billowing white curtains provided escapes from the sun, while the 2 different pools became the watering hole for us and the other guests to de-stress and mingle. There wasn’t much to do out there besides let go of any of your cares and just be in the moment.

Moroccan music plaid from hidden speakers around the hotel, so I felt transported to another world. I was sweating profusely just to traverse the winding paths through the pensione in order to capture these photos, utterly grateful for my favorite straw hat to keep me protected from the sun, but I knew it was all worth it to have these amazing photos to share and keep forever!

I hope you enjoy them, and be sure to share to Pinterest! Comment below if you love these types of photos and would want to see more resort and wanderlust photos on the blog here!

And if you missed here, check out Korakia Part 1 for more photos!

XOXO

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Welcome to Korakia | part 1

09/24/2016 By Sarah 1 Comment

Korakia, which I’ve dubbed my desert oasis, has been on my travel hit list since I found a photo of one of the daybeds and went on a mad hunt to find out where it was from. I was mystified by the beauty of this moroccan gem, and ecstatic to find it hidden right under my nose in Palm Springs. I had plans of visiting, and when we were brought on to shoot the film for Spell Design’s “Oracle” collection, I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect place to create the magic for their collection.

I’m so excited I can finally share these photos with you now that the collection has launched, and give you a broader picture of the little moroccan world that was a part of the lookbook. There were so many gorgeous nooks and crannies, I wanted to share it all with you! I took so many photos, and could barely narrow it down to less than 100, and so had to split it into 2 part blog posts! I’m sure you’ll find more than enough inspiration and “Pinterest worthy” pins in both posts, as even I get major wanderlust after looking at the photos again! It took me a while to edit them all, but here they finally are!

Be sure to read Korakia Part 2 for even more gorgeousness you can hardly imagine! I’ll be telling you more about our stay and the details of the beautiful hotel in that post!

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