Sandra‘s Closet

It is that time again, when fashionistas from all over the globe mingle to spot the newest trends for the upcoming season. And it starts with New York Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

To start you off, I have a real eye candy for you from yesterday’s presentations. Derek Lam showed his F/W 2011 collection with a modern and dramatic makeup look designed by Estée Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux. Enjoy the first-hand details on the look by following Tom Pecheux and his team backstage.

Derek Lam’s collection focused on new combinations of fabric to make the clothes look fresh, fluid and weightless, the bulk is eliminated and the pieces fit effortlessly together.
Walking in the show were Estée Lauder Global Spokesmodels Liu Wen, Constance Jablonski and Joan Smalls dressed in bold textures and patterns mixed with seamlessly flowing and sharp accents.

Tom Pecheux framed by Constance Jablonski, Liu Wen and Joan Smalls

Working with Derek and Estée Lauder for a third consecutive season, Tom created the sleek leaden eye and muted lip and skin with new products from his upcoming Pure Color collection launching in Fall 2011.

Eyes: Silver (metallic finish) and black (shimmer finish) shades
Two NEW Estée Lauder eye shadows tested backstage – both launching Fall 2011
Highlight Shade: NEW Estée Lauder Illuminating Powder tested backstage – launching Fall 2011
Eyebrows: Automatic Brow Pencil

Tom started with shimmering black eyeshadow and dramatically winged out towards the temples and then used an intensely pigmented metallic grey eyeshadow to produce a silver foil finish in the center of the lid.  Finishing the eye with a swipe of a new highlighting powder on the brow bone created the focus on the bold eye that perfectly complemented the soft richness of the clothing.

Lips: NEW Estée Lauder Nude Matted Lipstick tested backstage – launching Fall 2011

The skin and lips evoked an almost blurred effect, using a new matte nude lipstick and soft contouring under the cheekbone.

Cheeks: Bronze Goddess Soft Duo Bronzer – below cheek

Face: Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10
Lucidity Translucent Loose Powder

Skin: NEW Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator – launching Summer 2011
DayWear Plus Multi Protection Anti-Oxidant Crème SPF 15

Nails: NEW Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Porcelain –launching Fall 2010

Famed manicurist Jin Soon Choi was also on-hand to polish the toes and fingers of the models in the new limited pale shade.

“This look is very versatile, it almost changes with your movement. The silver metal on the eye reminds me of modern architecture, hard and strong and plays delicately against Derek’s minimal but sophisticated collection. These clothes, you want to keep forever.” described Pecheux, “This look is very confident and lovely, it evokes the fantasy of the Derek Lam woman.”

I am always a big fan of smokey eyes and pale lips and love Tom’s look for F/W 2011. We just have to wait a little longer for those amazing metallic and shimmering shades…
But isn’t anticipation the greatest joy?

LoL, Sandra

Kate Moss is the new face of Dior Beauté, specifically Dior Addict Lipstick. The English supermodel is proving that at 37, the girl’s still got it.

Dior Addict Lipstick N°578 Diorkiss

The advertising campaign will include a very cool TV-spot that shows Kate during Paris Spring Fashion Week last October, applying Dior Addict Lipstick in Diorkiss N° 578. She was spotted front row at Dior wearing already the new make-up look.

Therefore the fashion world had begun speculating about Kate’s possible advertising contract with the luxury fashion house months ago. What a clever idea, well done, Dior!

The Dior Addict Lipstick collection will hit the shelves on March 1st in a revised look. I was lucky to try them out. The new texture is amazing. Aside from the iconic lipstick, the high shine will offer more translucent shades. 
Creamy, opaque but still very shiny and light. So modern. I am in love with them. Below you can find my favourite shades for summer.

LoL, Sandra

N°745 New Look

N°881 Fashion Week

N°762 Paris

John Galliano has drawn a portrait of his muse, Kate Moss, on a limited series, collector’s edition T-shirt, designed exclusively for the launch of the Dior Addict lipstick. My gift from Dior, thank you!

Kate Perry is probably the celebrity nail icon thanks to her eye catching nail designs so it only seems natural that a brand like OPI collaborates with her. Launched this January, the collection has totally wowed me.

Inspired by Katy’s cutting edge style and latest album, Teenage Dream, there are four different shades, including a duo-chrome (Not Like The Movies), sparkly red (The One That Got Away) and two glitters (Last Friday Night is blue and Teenage Dream is pink).

Complementing Katy’s nail trend for OPI, a revolutionary Black Shatter formula accompanies the look to create a cracked pattern when applied over each dried bright lacquer. This special top coat is just amazing, check out how my manicure looks like with it below.

I am wearing two layers of Teenage Dream and one layer of Black Shatter.

By the way interesting to know. OPI is a 3-Free (no formaldehyde, toluene or DBP) brand since 2008. You can identify an OPI with the 3-Free formula by the green lettering on the label. Bottles with black text have the old formula. The Kate Perry by OPI collection is completely 3-Free.

LoL, Sandra

Ladies, haven’t you started wondering how your nails shall look like this summer? Chanel will launch another new It-colour, so-called Mimosa, a lemon yellow tone.

The S/S 2011 make-up look “Les Fleurs d’Eté de Chanel” offers also a bright range of summery shades and bronzers.

Here is the list of my Chanel favourites for summer:

EYES
Les 4 Ombres (Quadra Eye Shadow)
Lilium (deep green, light green, grey, beige)

LIPS
Glossimer (Les Lèvres Scintillantes)
Aurore (orange with pink shimmer)
Pink Peony (pink)
Pensée (pink coral with gold shimmer)
Limited editions

FACE
Moisturizing Bronzing Powder (Soleil Tan de Chanel)
Bronze Corail (deep beige with coral highlights)
Bronze Rose (natural beige with rose highlights)
Limited editions

NAILS
Nail Colour (Le Vernis)
Mimosa (lemon yellow)
Beige Pétale (beige rose)
Morning Rose (rose), on the campaign model
Limited editions

And don’t forget to get on the Mimosa waitlists now…

LoL, Sandra

Calyx Perfume was launched already in 1986 by the house of Prescriptives. It is a very special fragrance that combines floral sweetness with fruity freshness in a very sophisticated way.

Sophia Chodosz Grojsman, the mastermind behind Calyx, worked some alchemical magic by reproducing the overripe sweetness of tropical fruits and combining it with the citrusy bitterness of a grapefruit accord. It smells so authentically that you can almost taste the rind. She added green and woody notes plus fresh florals for an interesting and luxurious experience.
Different from the fruity scents that often stink up the perfume aisles today, it is very elegant and feminine. If you are looking for a summery scent that is romantic and fresh in one, than you might have found it.

Top notes: Guava, passionfruit, mango and grapefruit
Heart notes: Rose, freesia, jasmine, marigold and lily of the valley
Base notes: Green leafs, sandalwood, vetiver and oakwood

For my Swiss based readers, Calyx will be available starting March 2011 at Globus and Jelmoli among others.

LoL, Sandra

Calyx Exhilarating Fragrance Spray 15 ml CHF 46.-
Calyx Exhilarating Fragrance Spray 50 ml CHF 86.-
Calyx Exhilarating Fragrance Spray 100 ml CHF 120.- (NEW)
Calyx Exhilarating Fragrance Shower Gel 200ml CHF 43.- (NEW)
Calyx Exhilarating Fragrance Body Lotion 200ml CHF 52.- (NEW)

Grey is the colour of the time – Tyen

Dior’s Spring 2011 make-up collection created by Tyen that will officially launch on January 14, 2011 has some fun new products and inventions.
In a very Parisian spirit, the new spring look is called Gris Montaigne and it features the iconic greys of the House of Dior paired with fresh, feminine shades of pink.

One of the top products is the nail polish 707 Gris Montaigne (CHF 37) that was part of the Gris City collection last November. For further information, read my previous post by clicking here.
The grey shade incorporates all the tones of Avenue Montaigne N°30 and is an indispensable addition to the newest model of the Lady Dior handbag line: The Lady Dior Grey. Matching your nails identically to your handbag sounds pretty elegant, don’t you think?

The star product of Dior Spring 2011 make-up line is the limited eye-shadow set Dior Cannage that opens up to reveal four flattering shades perfect for the season. Paying tribute to the iconic Dior bag, the palette features such couture-like details as the quilted leather exterior and Dior letter charms. Available in 001 Gris Petit Jour & 002 Gris Soupir, each CHF 95.

001 Gris Petit Jour

002 Gris Soupir

My personal favourite is the new Mascara Diorshow 360° in 090 Noir (CHF 59) that mimics a professional make-up artist’s hand. Inside there is a revolving brush that offers a dual rotation, meaning faster and slower motion depending if you want to use it on your lower or upper lashes.
You have to assemble it but that works very easy, see my demonstration below.
Thumbs up for super volume and length without being caky!

LoL, Sandra

CAPTURE TOTALE – a complete skincare ritual to lastingly triumph over time

Let me get you started on the Dior Capture Totale line with some astonishing facts:
1986 Launch of the first Capture serum
2011 25th anniversary 1 nobel price for the discovered technology
13 international patents for Capture Totale & One Essential
260 scientists have worked on the products

I have tried all of the revised and new products for almost a month now to give you an honest and detailed report of the results.
Moreover I will explain a little how the ingredients work. Once you understand the strategy, it all makes perfect sense. The official launch date will be January 14, 2011.

25 years of breakthroughs by Dior Science now make it possible for CAPTURE TOTALE to target the very „heart“ of the skin: the stem cells, the source of youth. At the origin of all other cells of the epidermis, they have the power to regenerate the skin’s beauty, day after day.
However, over time, the structures that protect this source of life break down. Cells with high regenerating power are „deactivated“. By targeting the stem cells directly, it allows the skin to recover perfectly.

Question is now: Is your anti-aging 100% effective?

Dior discovered that skin toxins significantly impair cell regeneration and the effectiveness of your skin treatment. Building up by billions every day in the skin, toxins exhaust and suffocate cells. The consequences are that aging celerates, firmess disappears and that anti-aging ingredients cannot deliver their full power to the heart of the cells.

ONE ESSENTIAL – the first universal anti-aging booster by CAPTURE TOTALE

More than a simple serum, ONE ESSENTIAL goes beyond skin repair. By eliminating skin toxins, it achieves to trigger exceptional cellular regeneration to heighten the youthfulness of the skin. All visible signs of aging (wrinkled, loss of firmness, uneven skin tone) are intensely corrected.

Applied before all other skincare products, it boosts its performance by amplifying the targeted effectiveness of major anti-aging active ingredients for exceptional youthful appearance.

At the heart of ONE ESSENTIAL is Dior’s most powerful anti-aging blend composed of Longoza-Cellular Complex and Dextoxinyle. Longoza is a plant from Madagascar of which blossoms, stems and seeds are used.

I have to say from the first application, my skin was instantly brightened. And even if you prefer other anti-aging products to follow, I recommend using ONE ESSENTIAL as a base because no serum or cream can be 100% effective without skin detoxification. Even that I am not a scientist, this makes perfect sense to me. It is really an amazing product.

Price: 30ml, CHF 128 / 50ml, CHF 179

MULTI-PERFECTION CONCENTRATED SERUM – ultra-concentrated with anti-aging active ingredients, it restores the fine qualtiy and velevty feel of youthful skin and deeply repairs even the most deep-set visible signs of aging.

Price: 30ml, CHF 216 / 50ml, CHF 280

MULTI-PERFECTION CREME (normal to combination skin)
NURTURING RICH CREME (normal to dry skin)

Two textures specially adapted for each skin type in order to fulfill all needs and lastingly correct all visible signs of aging with each application. Intensly nourished, moisturized and strengthened, the skin reveals new youthfulness.

Price: 50ml, CHF 216

CAPTURE TOTALE RADIANCE RESTORING SERUM FOUNDATION

The radiance of the complexion comes not only from the skin surface, but also from the very „heart“ of the skin.

Young skin has a structure and surface which give it optical properties of translucency. Light infuses all layers to inundate the complexion with vivid radiance that seems to come from within. However, as time passes, skin becomes less smooth, firm and even. Dior’s Light-Booster Pigments help to get that youthful appearance back. After just 5 minutes, the complexion gains more radiance. No kidding, it is true!

Price: 30ml, CHF 119.50

My opinion is that all products together really work well and give you an energy boost that you might need while it is cold outside and after all the partying during the last weeks.
Even if you are attached to the products you are using, it is truly worth changing sometimes your cosmetic line as it challenges your skin again in a good way.

LoL, Sandra

Lifting to go without scalpel sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it?! And it is now possible with Lift and Roll, a newly developed hyaluron intense lifting serum – made in Switzerland. The only and pure active ingredient is highly concentrated bio-hyaluronic acid. The product contains no animal components and is 6-times more concentrated than most anti-ageing products (currently the strongest dose available on the market in a non-medical product).

The serum is suitable for all skin types. It can be used for treatment of wrinkles and for moisturising the entire facial area, even over make-up – on the forehead, eyes and cheeks, around the nose and mouth as well as on the neck, décolleté and lips.

Unfortunately, my skin is very sensitive. But as no synthetic additives are used in its manufacture, the product is guaranteed to be hypoallergenic. The serum contains no perfume or preservatives.
Therefore I couldn’t wait for the press kit to arrive. I was so eager to try it out. Honestly, I didn’t expect to look 10 years younger but the product has surprised me. The user-friendly roll-on design makes it ideal for travelling, especially when flying, it fits in any handbag or jacket, can be applied at any time. It moisturizes the skin and the effects last for several hours. The treated area looks much more smooth and I did not get any allergic reaction.

Lift and Roll can’t magic away wrinkles, but it can visibly reduce them… a hassle- free application for women and men!
Available for approximately €60 online or in selected beauty shops.

LoL, Sandra

Pearls and Chanel go hand in hand. Coco Chanel’ s belief that „the light-reflecting property of pearls enhanced a woman’s natural beauty by bringing a delicate luminosity to her skin“ inspired Peter Philips, the Global Creative Director of Chanel make-up, to design the S/S 2011 Les Perles de Chanel make-up collection. He used the iridescent reflections of pearls to flatter face and fingertips.

Some products were seen already on the runway, please click here for my previous post.

There is no doubt that the three limited nail polishes will be absolute bestsellers.

511 Pearl Drop – white pearl

513 Black Pearl – pearly grey shimmer with deep blue and green reflections (so hot!)

515 Pêche Nacrée – soft tender peach

The limited edition Ombres Perlées de Chanel eyeshadow palette is also among my must-haves.

It includes beautiful shades that you can play with, perfect for summery smokey eyes: Blanc Perle, Rose Porcelaine, Violine Clair, Gris Vert and Gris Noir Scintillant.

Another gorgeous product is the limited edition Poudre Universelle Shimmering Powder in Rose Merveille – a pale pink with subtle sparkles that will make your skin look fresh and radiant.

The Glossimers are available in two new shades: Nakkar (raspberry) and Aragonite (iridescent white).

The S/S 2011 Les Perles de Chanel make-up collection is available now in the US, other launch dates (depending on where you live) are January 8th and January 28th, 2011.
Please contact your nearest Chanel beauty counter for further information.

LoL, Sandra

Just when you finished off your wardrobe for this winter and have started thinking about next summer, I am challenging you once more with something very beautiful for next year’s fall.
Who said following fashion was an easy task?!

This Tuesday was a very snowy day in Paris but the guests who enjoyed the atmosphere in the Chanel Haute Couture salons were transported to another era, time and place. Karl Lagerfeld was inspired for his pre-fall 2011 collection by Byzantium, one of Coco Chanel’s major inspirations when she was the first to launch a line of costume jewelry in the 1920s.

The Paris–Byzance Métiers d’art show broadcasted Chanel’s specialist craftsmen that the French house has gathered under its umbrella: Desrues the costume jeweler, Lemarié the feather specialist, Lesage the embroiderer, Massaro the shoe-maker, Michel the milliner, Goossens the goldsmith and Guillet the floral accessory specialist.

In a decor reminding of an Ottomanesque chill-out room with 400 metres of squined fabric covering the walls, Lagerfeld revisited the bold colors and antique golds. Byzance and its splendor embellished every look from belts adorned with square glass beads to gold running through burn-out tweed and embroidered silks.

The make-up was kept in the same color family with one star product: The cream palette is combining five different golds and is said to be limited to only 1500 pieces.

This collection is for the modern Theodora empresses who might be Chanel’s clientele of today. Celebrating Chanel’s strong heritage is surely a smart move and one key to remaining a powerhouse in the decades to come, especially with the opening of a second Chanel boutique in Istanbul.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel