Sandra‘s Closet

The nail polish is back and fashionistas all over the world crave for the newest It-colours. Celebrities even go a little further and wear sparkling glitter stones to leopard prints and striped designs. Arabian princesses might like master manicurist Leigthon Denny, who has an original nail boutique at the Urban Retreat Day Spa & Salon at Harrods in London and offers his Diamond, Sapphire and Ruby Encapsulization manicure for only $32.000.- . For this amount, you will get nine carats of precious gem inlays. O.k., this is totally insane!
But let’s come back to the actual question: Is nail art tacky or chic?

Let’s investigate this. Having the logos of Oreo cookies and Goldfish decorating your fingers is definitely ultra-tacky. Fruits, Hello Kitty and more have also no style factor. Ultra-long and sharp filed nails look more like a witch going to the carnival and who would like to be touched by those?! Ouch!

Short nails up to 2-3mm over the fingertip are very elegant and stylish. With this length all colours look beautiful. The key is to pay attention when applying the nail polish. Better make sure you do it more than perfect. It might seem tacky to match your nails to your dress like the Miu Miu version above but I am in love with this.

Half-moon manicures like Dita van Teese parades them are absolutely the style of the moment due to all the 50s and 60s inspired trends.

I also love my camouflage design. I took the three limited Les Khakis de Chanel for that. Khaki Brun is the base colour, Khaki Rose and Khaki Vert the spots.

For special events, Sephora by OPI offers self-sticking foils in all sort of designs for your nails. I think that they are kind of hard to apply but they can be fun.

So Ladies, experiment a little but keep in mind only well-groomed nails look really good. See your manicure as the crowning touch to a perfect outfit!

LoL, Sandra

While beeing in Los Angeles, I met with the Queen of the Eyebrows, Anastasia Soare, herself.  Being widely referred to as the Beauty Innovator and The Definitive Brow and Eye Expert, the charming lady of Romanian origin developed over the years her own Golden Ratio technique to shape eyebrows and to enhance the overall eye area. Today, she is the CEO of a beauty empire, including two full service beauty salons and exclusive brow, skincare and colour products that are sold at select Nordstrom, Sephora and International locations.

Her success has no end. While I was with Anastasia, Kim Kardashian texted her and David Beckham was scheduled later. Celebrities like Oprah, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Sharon Stone, line up to get their eyebrows done by her.
So you can imagine how happy I was when she did mine. She told me that I was tweezing too much and that my shape is the so-called high-arch. After explaining her technique to me and giving me the gorgeous brow kit, I can perfectly do it by myself now. I have been receiving so many compliments since then. The right shape of the eyebrow makes such a big difference to the whole face. It can even make you look so much younger.
Above you will find the most important steps.

I truly recommend her products to you. The brow kit makes the shaping so much easier.

The stencils are included in the kit to find the best eyebrow shape for you.

In case that you are in the L.A. area, here are some insider tips. Try to book a long time in advance. Her technicians are also doing a great job. You will lay flat during the treatment, it is very relaxing, not painful at all.

If you are dreaming of seeing Anastasia herself, she takes walk-ins from 9-10am. On Tuesday, she is in her Brentwood store (11933 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025) and from Wednesday to Saturdays, she works in her famous Beverly Hills location on 438 North Bedford Drive. But please call the store first, as she is travelling a lot.
The beauty salons offer full service from eyebrows to hair styling to make-up and waxing. See the price list for the complete services.

The walls of her store are plastered with thank you notes of celebrities.

Anastasia with me.

Thank you, Anastasia, for giving my brows the perfect arch! I am loving them!

LoL, Sandra

Being too coordinated with your outfit and make-up has not been on the so-hot-list for a long time. But with all those beautiful berry shades everywhere, it seems all natural to match your lips to your dress. Stick with timeless reds or rich, deep tones for your new style statement.
This winter, the lipstick makes its return and takes over the glossy look.

If you are a lipgloss person, I will recommend Yves Saint Laurent’s fall collection of 6 new Rouge Volupté Perle Lipsticks. This super-creamy texture with a little shimmer will be the perfect transition for you.

In case you are looking for the perfect lipstick, the best is to come this upcoming Friday, September 3rd: Christian Dior’s new collection Rouge Dior Haute Couleur created by Dior’s Creative Director for Make-up Tyen will hit the counters in Switzerland (in some countries already avalaible since last week).

There are 32 amazing shades that each has been inspired  and named after vintage Dior Haute Couture dresses and grouped conveniently into 3 colour families from Red to Coral, Pink to Lilac and finally Beige to Brown.

I was lucky to try them out before the official launch and the new formula is just divine. Two different sizes of Hyaluronic spheres plump and smooth the lips while leaving them perfectly hydrated.

Please enjoy those beautiful photos of the Christian Dior Haute Couture gowns and their matching lipsticks that left me absolutely speechless. To die for!

LoL, Sandra

786 Mauve Mystère / Mysterious Mauve

999 Rouge Ara / Ara Red

644 Rouge Blossom / Rouge Blossom

874 Prune Fantastique / Fantastic Plum

565 Rose Trafalgar / Trafalgar Pink

On September 3rd, a new olfactory chapter in Dior’s Poison saga will be opened: Hypnotic Poison Eau Sensuelle, a floral variation on 1998’s Hypnotic Poison fronted by actress Monica Bellucci.
François Demachy, the nose behind this creation, gave one of my favourite aromatic components vanilla (belonging to the orchid family) the leading part. Those velvety soft petals surrounded by ingredients like jasmine, heliotrope, bitter almond, and caraway offer this new composition a lively frame and a more luminous heart without betraying the original scent. It is still warm, exotic and seductive.

Hypnotic Poison Eau Sensuelle EdT Vapo 50ml CHF 95.-

Hypnotic Poison Eau Sensuelle EdT Vapo 100ml CHF 132.-

Also new: Hypnotic Poison Déodorant parfumé CHF 56.-

The new Eau Sensuelle will work perfectly during the warmer season, Elixir for winter and the classic one in between.

As I am a perfume-junky, I am so happy about my new addition to my favourite poison collection.

The bottle has been revisited in a more translucent way but still deep red. I have found the making of them so beautiful that I want to share the photos with you.

LoL, Sandra

Sounds unreal, but it is true. On September 10th (also known as Fashion’s Night Out ), Chanel will be launching another limited-edition make-up collection in honour of their Soho shop reopening. Chanel`s highly-anticipated Peter Marino-redesigned shop on 139 Spring Street in New York ( +1 212 334 0055) will be the only place to get the so-called “Soho Story Collection” that includes the following gorgeous products:

Soho de Chanel Palette (with the four letters of Soho engraved in the powder)

Quadra Eyeshadow Palette Stupendous (beige, brown, prune and steel)

Rouge Coco Lip Colour Stunning (beige pink)

Glossimer Star (light shimmery pink)

Rouge Allure Stunt (soft mauve)

Nail Colours Strong (blackberry glitter) and Steel (grayish blue glitter)

The new shop has even got its own campaign featuring plus size model Crystal Renn and Lagerfeld’s muse Baptiste Giabiconi.

So, New Yorkeresses, get your hands on those pieces and ship them to your fellow fashionistas around the globe. Thanks!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel

If you are a cat and lipstick lover, you will purr over Paul and Joe’s limited-edition F/W 2010 collection that features 3 new lipsticks in the shape of cat faces, available through Shopstyle. Those products are so hilarious that I had to share the news with you. Applying them might be quite challenging but after the cat-eyes hype, why shouldn`t there be a cat-lips trend?!

Meow to all pussycats!

LoL, Sandra

Meet fantastic L’Wren Scott, the brainchild behind the eponymous label. Born 1967 as Luann Bambrough in Utah, the former model is noted for her height of 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters) and a frequent companion of Mick Jagger.

L'Wren Scott and Mick Jagger, Photo: Kevin Mazur

As a tall teenager, she took her first steps in making clothes. Later, she worked as a stylist and a costume designer before starting her own line that has become quickly a favourite among red carpet celebrities.

Her F/W 2010 collection, Tuxedo Terrace, presents a modern take on tuxedo dressing with great pieces for cocktail and black tie attire. Available at NET-À-PORTER.

Another gorgeous collaboration will hit the counters in November. The leggy designer teamed up with Lancôme to create an exclusive make-up look for the upcoming holiday season.

The slate gray nail polish had already been on the models’s nails during L’Wren Scott’s F/W 2010 runway show. Must-haves will also be Hypnôse Drama Mascara in a limited-edition shimmery silver and the sultry red shade for lips.

A classic look that will work perfectly this upcoming season.

LoL, Sandra

Last year at the first Fashion’s Night Out, the launch of Chanel’s mint green nail polish “Jade” went done in nail polish history. Peter Philips, global creative director of Chanel make-up, started a hype that has not come to an end yet. Fashionistas all over the world have craved for the limited vernis colours since then.

This fall at the second Fashion’s Night Out hosted by Vogue , that will take place in 16 cities around the globe (like New York, Paris, London, Berlin and Tokyo) it won`t be any different.  
The world’s biggest shopping event stands for a fab night with late store opening hours, fashion shows, pop-ups and exclusive offers.

Chanel will launch the very limited Les Khakis de Chanel, a collection of 3 Le Vernis Nail Colours that can be worn alone or combined for a camouflage effect. With the ongoing military trend, the shades in so-called Khaki Rose, Khaki Brun and Khaki Vert are a must!

Get ready for Sept 9th (like Berlin) or Sept 10th (like New York )! Book your flights, call your girlfriends in one of those 16 metropoles and  pray for the grace of the Beauty Gods!
Nothing else will help…

I will be on the field in London that night!

LoL, Sandra

Since almost 2 years now, I have been in two minds about how colouring my hair. I used to be a blonde before letting it grow out. But I realised my undecisiveness bestowed a gift upon me. My hair is having the new must-have It-colour: Bronde!

Photo: Marie-Luise Kammerer

I know it is another new term but I am loving it. It is a little brunette and a little blond– a combination that almost suits everyone instantly bringing out a warm glow in the face. Forerunners of those honey, caramel, buttersotch  and cognac-coloured highlights or let`s better say lowlights are Gisèle Bündchen and Jennifer Lopez among many others.

Sarah Jessica Parker paraded the very natural, sun-kissed look wonderfully in Sex and the City 2 with just a little lighter colour framing her face.

The much-coveted hue has two other advantages: it is budget- and texture-friendly. I still love silky, shiny and healthy-looking blonde hair but the time of too-much broken platinum “blonderexia” is definitely over.

I am enjoying my low maintenance version of blonde and my upgrade for brunette.

LoL, Sandra