Sandra‘s Closet

“Lively. Radiant. Lush… A colour of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, drum roll please, it is official, EMERALD GREEN is the colour of the year according to Pantone, the authority and market leader in colour. One of the season’s hottest fashion trends, the timeless shade was seen on many S/S 2013 runways such as Gucci (my favorite), Kenzo and Burberry Prorsum (combined with another trend: metallics).

ICE Watch has launched a new unisex watch model in collaboration with Pantone dedicated to the trendy emerald tone, in two variants: emerald and white/white and emerald. 
Other trend colours will follow in the future.
ICE Watch Emerald White – CHF 109.00

From fashion to beauty, there are many ways to wear this vibrant colour from day to night and it’s a definite go-to for your next shopping trip!

Belted silk-twill blouse and matching silk-twill flared pants, both by Gucci, suede platform pumps by Giuseppe Zanotti and Lulu leather shoulder bag by Saint Laurent.

Don’t forget to look for some gorgeous makeup products that will complement your new season look, now may be the best time.

A great way to get started with the new style are nail polish shades in sea hues. Draw attention to your manicure and you will be really hitting the trend.

The best ones available are: CHANEL Le Vernis in 657 Azuré and 667 Bel Argus (CHF 35.00 each), DIOR Vernis Bird of Paradise Duo 001 Samba (One Shot, CHF 47.00) and YVES SAINT LAURENT La Laque Couture 36 Vert D’Orient (CHF 38.00).

The nail polish shades are part of my two favourite summer beauty looks by DIOR and CHANEL. Have a look yourself how beautiful those collections inspired by enchanting animals are:

DIOR – Bird of Paradise

Inspired by Christian Dior‘s passion for color, the new collection tells the tale of an exotic faraway. Drawing from nature’s tropical paradises, the Bird of Paradise collection embraces the vibrancy of nature and translates to versatile, wearable shades for summer.
In stores now.

My personal must-haves:

DIOR 5 Coleurs Eye Shadow 374 Blue Lagoon (One Shot, CHF 92.00)
The legendary 5 Couleurs case is coated with shimmering pigments, inspired by the golden reflections of a peacock’s feathers. Stunning!

DIOR Diorshow Liner Waterproof Aqua Green (One Shot, CHF 34.00)
Add a fun pop of color to your eye makeup with this limited edition liner.

L’Eté de Papillon de CHANEL

Another amazing collection comes from the house of Chanel. Creative Director of Makeup Peter Philips was inspired by the dazzling colours of butterfly wings and created electric shades for the eyes. A stunning effect is achieved is through the application of colorful mascaras.
Available in Switzerland starting end of May 2013.

My personal must-haves:

CHANEL Stylo Eyeshadow 47 Blue Bay (CHF 47.00)
This exclusive creation is easily applied to highlight eyes with gleaming colour. The smooth-gliding pen has a cooling, water-infused formula for a shimmering veil on lids or precise definition.

CHANEL Mascara Inimitable Waterproof 37 Lime Light (CHF 47.00)
The iconic mascara in a long-wearing, waterproof formula that won’t flake or smudge comes this season vibrant limited edition shades of blue, green and yellow.

To complement such a vibrant beautiful eye makeup, choose lips in orange, apricot hues, following in the footsteps of Tangerine Tango, which was the shade of 2012…
Stay tuned for an upcoming post in which I am wearing this beauty look.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel, Dior, Ice Watch, Style.com and © Sandra Bauknecht

Here are the details of my look that I wore to the photo shoot with Steve McCurry and the following Tribute to Photography Night in St. Moritz.

Fishtank silk-blend jacquard mini dress by Mary Katrantzou, Tribute chain-detailed suede sandals by Yves Saint Laurent, green calf skin cuff and medium Box bag in fluo pink matte python leather by Céline.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Next month, Jo Malone is launching a new limited edition fragrance that is just perfect for summer: OSMANTHUS BLOSSOM Cologne.

Delicately exotic. This white flower captures the duality of apricot counterpoised with supple leather. Luminous petitgrain and luscious peach and orange flower ripple over voluptuous cashmere wood. Packed in a beautiful decorated bottle.

FLORAL FRUITY

Top note: Petitgrain
Middle note: Osmanthus blossom
Base note: Cashmere wood

Available in May 2013 as Cologne for CHF 68.00 (30ml) and CHF 130.00 (100ml). 
In Switzerland exclusively at Jelmoli Zurich and Globus Geneva.

Combine it with Jo Malone‘s Blackberry & Bay to add a tart verdant depth, or with Nectarine Blossom & Honey to amplify with a sophisticated sweetness.

For romantic summer feelings with a touch of exotics. I love!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Jo Malone

In a bold new collection for NARS, designer Pierre Hardy brings his fresh color palette to the iconic beauty brand. Inspired by his S/S 2013 shoe collection, Hardy’s offering includes six color-forward nail polish pairings and two richly-hued blushes.

Nail polish duos come housed in a small shoebox with dust bag (a nod to Hardy’s own footwear packaging), while the high voltage blush palettes go graphic with shimmering gold overspray of the designer’s signature cubic print.

NAIL POLISHES

ETHNO RUN orange, navy
SHARPLINES peach, burgundy
VERTEBRA coral, dusty rose
EASY WALKING rose gold, camel
SHARKS yellow, lavender
VENOMOUS  gunmetal, black (exclusive to NARS boutiques and narscosmetics.com)

Nail Polish Pairs CHF 49.00 each

BLUSHES

ROTONDE tiger lily
BOYS DON’T CRY pink grapefruit

Blush Palettes CHF 68.00 each

The NARS Pierre Hardy collection will be available on May 1, 2013.

There is no denying that this NARS designer collaboration is amazing. Graphic prints and sculptural designs are Pierre Hardy’s forté.

Wouldn’t his iconic rose gold-plated 3D cuff complement your new manicure perfectly?

TO SHOP PIERRE HARDY SHOES, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Nars and Pierre Hardy

I love Charlotte Olympia‘s humorous take on fashion. Her newest accessories like this Box Office Pandora Perspex clutch (left) and Movie Night embroidered leather shoulder bag (right) are inspired by Hollywood glitz and glamour and my latest favorites. The perfect pieces to carry your essentials for the next movies night out or for your future red carpet appearance.

I assume those will be a fashion blockbusters!

LoL, Sandra

Last fall, I attended SAM’s Tribute to Photography Night that took place in St. Moritz at the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains. The event started with a cocktail reception, followed by a gala dinner. It was such an amazing evening for me as I was able to meet some of the most renowned photographers of our times such as Lucien Clergue, Jock Sturges (see photo on top to the left with me), Matteo Basilé, Amedeo M. Turello, Steve McCurry and Albert Watson among others.

Let me share my favourite moments with you:

MEET ALBERT WATSON

Personally speaking, I have been adoring Albert Watson‘s work since many many years. Born in 1942, the Scottish photographer is an icon in the world of fashion, celebrity and art photography. He has shot over 250 covers for Vogue magazine around the globe since the mid-’70s and his works have been featured in countless other publications.

His first celebrity photo took place in the year 1973, a portrait of Alfred Hitchcock holding a dead goose with a ribbon around its neck, which he shot for that year’s Harper’s Bazaar’s Christmas issue, became one of the most famous photos around the globe. As well as the iconic shot of Steve Jobs that went around the world after he died. Albert was the official Royal Photographer for Prince Andrew’s wedding to Sarah Ferguson and he photographed dozens of posters for major Hollywood movies, such as “Kill Bill,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” and “The Da Vinci Code.”

He is such a gentleman, in a very charming way, he took me on a tour around his fabulous artwork.

Albert explained me that this shot of a tattooed guy was taken in a penitentiary while the prisoner was working on a damaged car.

Us in front of his famous shot of Steve Jobs.

Albert Watson and Amedeo M. Turello

MEET YOSSI LOLOI

Either you love or hate Italian photographer Yossi Loloi‘s Full Beauty project, for which he has only photographed extremely overweight women. He plays with the idea of beauty and form, fashion and attraction, like and dislike. I couldn’t help but being fascinated by his work from the first second. He told me that he always had a special relationship with larger women, and that he likes how those women bloom in front of his camera, how they enjoy their Rubenesque body.

So it was a true honor for me to give the laudatory speech for the talented photographer.

I was sitting at Monty Shadow‘s table, who founded of the St. Moritz Art Masters. It was the best table, you can imagine, framed by…

…the late Claude Nobs…

…and Jeffrey Deitch, Director Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

What an amazing event! Stay tuned for the photos that Steve McCurry and Amedeo M.Turello took of me during those days and of course the detailed post regarding my outfit.

And save the date! This year, SAM will bring China, its art and culture to the Engadin from August 23 – September 1, 2013.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Last Wednesday, I was invited by Louis Vuitton in Zurich for a style night in collaboration with annabelle magazine to celebrate an iconic bag: the NOÉ.

The Zurich store last Wednesday

Everybody knows the Noé. In strictly chronological terms, it is the second oldest Louis Vuitton iconic daily bag, its birth date of 1932 placing it at the start of an exceptional decade that saw the creation of the Speedy, the Alma and the Keepall.

In spirit, however, Noé is as young as any bag around, still tinged with the carefree air of those newly liberated women who wore short skirts, shorter hair and carried it – just so – swinging from their shoulder.

At the event: Daniella Gurtner (Fashion Director annabelle) framed by Anna-Christina Raab to the right and me to the left wearing the new Noé BB in citron

The story of its creation? Well, that’s the stuff of legend. Looking for a stylish way to transport his valuable vintages, a champagne producer placed a special order with Gaston-Louis Vuitton. He designed a timelessly simple bucket shape, which could hold four bottles upright and a fifth upside down, secured with a supple leather drawstring. He called the bag Noé – in reference, it is said, to the biblical hero who, when he left the Ark after the Flood, planted vines on the mountains of Ararat.

The original Noé was crafted from natural leather, pale gold like the champagne it was destined to carry, and light as its exuberant ribbons of bubbles. Since then, Noé has appeared in many guises – most famously, of course, Louis Vuitton’s emblematic Monogram canvas, which by the 1960s could at last be made supple enough to do justice to the bag’s generous forms.

Petit Noé in indigo, fuchsia and piment

Today, Noé and its cousin Petit Noé can be found in a myriad incarnations, from Damier Azur to colourful Epi leather – each time different, yet still, somehow, the same.

Florence Amiguet (Store Manager Louis Vuitton Zurich) with a selection of the new Noé BB

So, everybody knows Noé. But now there is a new Noé: Noé BB. Irresistibly cute, unmistakeably contemporary, a diminutive replica of the original which comes with its own innovation: an extra-long shoulder strap that enables it to be slung casually across the body.

Noé BB in Monogram and Damier Azur

In Monogram or Damier Azur canvas and candy-bright Epi, Noé BB is just waiting to be discovered by a new generation. Will it, one day, like its larger namesake, be handed down from mother to daughter, its distinctive drawstring symbolic of an enduring bond of elegance?
Noé, Petit Noé, Noé BB. The legend lives on.

Noé BB in figue and citron

And while you are reading this, I am already off for a new adventure with Louis Vuitton in Munich…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton and © Sandra Bauknecht

Today is Earth Day 2013, that aims to inspire awareness of and appreciation for earth’s environment. To honour that special day, Kiehl’s turns the spotlight on two amazing initiatives: their popular “recycle and be rewarded” loyalty eco-program (If you return three empty Kiehl’s packages, you will get a Kiehl’s lipbalm for free. In case that you bring back 10 finished products, you will get a full size 250ml shower gel.) and the limited edition Eco Bag Blanda Eggenschwiler. Kiehl’s donates the total proceeds (CHF 9.000.-) of the sale of this organic cotton bag (limited to 500 pieces) to the bioRe® Foundation.

Blanda is not only the girlfriend of Joe Jonas (Jones Brothers) but also a very talented graphic designer from Zurich who is living in NYC. Representing the perfect mixture of Swiss art and New York lifestyle, the stunning beauty has created the very cute fabric tote that will be available in all Kiehl’s stores in Switzerland Mid May for CHF 18.00.

Great news for my Swiss based readers: Here is your chance to win one of five limited edition Eco Bags that were signed by Blanda Eggenschwiler.

To win, please send me an e-mail with your postal address and the header “Kiehl’s” to .

All entries must be received until May 1, 2013. No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win this contest. By entering this contest, entrants accept and agree to be bound by these official rules. The winner has to have a Swiss address.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Via Teen.com and © Sandra Bauknecht

To start your day as energizing as possible, choose beauty products with uplifting scents and powerful ingredients. Oranges are definitely part of a healthy eating plan, with their high amount of vitamin C. The significant antioxidant properties of this fruit are amazing and also used in the beauty industry.

Not so healthy, but extremely yummy is blood orange jelly (see photo above to the left: Blutorangen-Marmelade available in Switzerland at Globus for CHF 5.90). At the moment, my favourite breakfast treat at the weekend…

EAU DES BIENFAITS Fragrant Body Mist by Roger & Gallet

Nourish and scent your body with this stimulating treatment fragrance of essential oils and natural active ingredients that hydrate and soften the skin. Inspired by the journey to the heart of an Italian garden, the Eau des Bienfaits fragrance includes a reviving dose of blood orange essential oil which is combined in harmony with mandarin, bergamot and lemon.
Perfect for hot summer days!

Available from June 2013 for CHF 48.00 (100ml).

Aqua Allegoria NEROLIA BIANCA by Guerlain

The latest addition to Guerlain’s famous Aqua Allegoria range is according to in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser, a fragrance that evokes a nap in the shade of an orange tree.

CITRUS – FLORAL
Top notes: Petitgrain, bitter orange and peppermint
Middle notes: Neroli, orange blossom and ylang-ylang
Base notes: Musk, white amber and cedar

Available as Eau de Toilette for CHF 109.00 (125ml).

GOMMAGE VISAGE Radiance-Boosting Face Scrub by Bourjois
Bamboo beads & orange pulp

Bamboo beats are often used in Asia as they help exfoliating your skin in a delicate way. Thanks to the orange pulp, the product comes with a beautiful scent which makes it fun to use. Suitable for all skin types. A great face scrub for less money.

Available for CHF 8.90 (75ml).

ORANGE BLOSSOM ENERGIZER by Annemarie Börlind

This 2-phase skin care composition with valuable first-pressing botanical oils and blossom extracts helps skin to regain firmness and vitality. It stimulates the formation of collagen while providing intensive moisture for long-lasting results. The special mix of vitamins protects from free radicals and slows down skin aging caused by environmental factors.

Available for CHF 26.50 (50ml).

LoL, Sandra

Photo: © Sandra Bauknecht, Stills: Courtesy of the Brands

Greetings from Sigtuna where I am at the moment. It is the oldest city in Sweden, having been founded in 980. The tiny town has such a picturesque beautiful medieval centre with restaurants, cafes and small shops that I felt like being at a movie set. The old church ruins, runic stones and “Stora Gatan” (Main Street) are must-sees, along with the city hall, Sigtuna Rådhus, and of course the shore of Lake Mälarena.

My look: Royal blue velvet coat and stretch-leather skinny pants both by Gucci, cashmere and silk-blend sweater by Miu Miu, leopard-print scarf by Louis Vuitton, ankle boots by Prada and Mini Boston bag by Céline.

For dinner, I went to the lovely 1909 Sigtuna Stadshotell which I can only recommend.

Today, I am off to Stockholm… totally excited! Stay tuned for more…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht