Sandra‘s Closet

One week ago, I was invited by CLINIQUE to explore the launch of their new Fresh Pressed™ products at JOE & THE JUICE in Zurich’s Sihlcity. A match made in heaven as both brands prioritize the importance of freshness in their products.

For the next three months, their will be a specially created “Fresh Pressed Daily Booster” juice with a high amount of Vitamin C, that is orange like the packaging, available at the Danish juice and coffee bar.

Recipe for 1 Portion of Clinique Fresh Pressed Juice with Vitamin C
4 medium-sized organic carrots
2 medium-sized organic apples
30g ginger
juice of half of an organic lemon
Mix all ingredients in a juicer and enjoy immediately!

What is CLINIQUE Fresh Pressed™ exactly?
There are two skin care products suitable for all skin types- a daily booster and a cleanser that deliver the full power of pure, fresh Vitamin C at the highest concentration to brighten, even and retexturize skin.

CLINIQUE Fresh Pressed™ Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10%
CHF 99.00 for 34ml (four portions)
Just like your morning fresh-pressed juice or vitamin helps you stay healthy on the inside, this super-potent booster was designed as a daily supplement to visibly rejuvenate skin from the outside – and a simple, seamless way to reinvigorate your de-aging routine without changing a thing. Simply mix 2 drops with your moisturizer AM & PM.

CLINIQUE Fresh Pressed™ Renewing Powder Cleanser with Pure Vitamin
CHF 37.00 for 28 portions (14g)

This water-activated powder cleanser with fresh Vitamin C delivers visible benefits. Instantly the skin is awakened, purified, with a refined texture and brighter look. This non-drying, non-stripping formula is gentle enough for use each morning, and preps skin for treatment with Clinique Fresh Pressed™ Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10%.

Is the vitamin C in CLINIQUE’s Fresh Pressed™ actually “fresh”?
Fresh means powerful. Pure Vitamin C naturally degrades when exposed to oxygen, so it’s most powerful when fresh. Therefore CLINIQUE has chosen the stay-fresh packaging that isolates the pure Vitamin C until activation, maintaining its freshness and full power for maximum results.

A private introduction to the new line by Karin Marschall, CLINIQUE Education Manager.

Who is CLINIQUE Fresh Pressed™ recommended for?
Absolutely anyone! Although it’s a de-aging product, it also makes your skin look brighter after the first use – and honestly who wouldn’t like this?

If I drink juices that are high in vitamin-C, isn’t that enough for my skin?
Just drinking juices with Vitamin C really isn’t enough because neither your body nor your skin can produce Vitamin C so you should use skin care products that have Vitamin C in it too.

From when and where can I buy CLINIQUE Fresh Pressed™ products?
The products are available now. Either online at clinique.com or in-store at a Clinique counter.

With Shari Jafari, the new CLINIQUE Brand Manager Switzerland, at the event last week.

At CLINIQUE, a new wind is blowing. The beauty brand is very innovative, extremely focused on social media and full of energy, with or without a Vitamin C boost. BRAVO!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Andrea Monica Hug for Clinique

If you have ever enjoyed the exquisite gastronomy by Andreas Caminada, you will understand how much passion goes into it. Therefore it seems so obvious that he is the new chef in the Hublot brigade. Both share spirit and determination for what they do. It is this quest for perfection that brings together the Swiss watch manufacturer and its friends!

In the kitchen with Andreas Caminada to the left and Ricardo Guadalupe to the right.

Last week, I was invited by Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot, to an exclusive lunch at Schloss Schauenstein, home of Andreas Caminada, to celebrate this new collaboration in Fürstenau, the smallest village in Europe.

Some impressions of the beautiful lunch I enjoyed last Thursday.

Andreas Caminada looks more like a rock star but in his heart he is a countryman who works with local products, grows some of it, and whose cuisine has absolute watchmaking precision. He likes simple and natural things. An international reference, at nearly 40 he is the youngest chef in Europe to have won a third Michelin star, which he did 7 years ago, and his 19 Gault & Millau points and stars have launched him to the firmament of gastronomy. He skilfully combines audacity, innovation and tradition. Eating at his table is like sitting down at the family table, so convivial is the atmosphere he cultivates. I can absolutely recommend a visit to his restaurant which has been voted as one of the best restaurants in the world for eight years. The beautiful castle Schloss Schauenstein has also rooms where you can stay overnight.

There are destinies that life brings together. 2004, the year that changed everything for Hublot and for Andreas Caminada, the year that marked the start of their dizzying rise. For Hublot, it was the arrival of Jean-Claude Biver as CEO and the birth of the Big Bang, unveiled a few months later in 2005. For Andreas Caminada, it was his first Michelin star.

Hublot & Andreas Caminada – the taste for excellence fused.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Hublot and © Sandra Bauknecht

Nespresso‘s limited edition festive collection for 2016 is absolutely divine, sending me as a caffeine addict into a coffee shopping frenzy. It is a sweet treat with no calories!

Each flavoured espresso results from the sweet marriage of Livanto’s balance and roundness with different ingredients that are all inspired the rich coffee house traditions and elegance of Vienna, each with a comforting and indulgent aroma that is set to delight the coffee lover in your life.

Variations Sachertorte – Austrian Sachertorte, a glazed chocolate cake containing a thin layer of sweet apricot jam.

Variations Apfelstrudel – Variations Apfelstrudel is inspired by the classic layered puff pastry dessert which contains a sweet apple filling delicately spiced with cinnamon.

Variations Linzer Torte – Nespresso pays homage to the popular Austrian Linzer Torte: a tasty redcurrant tart topped with a recognizable lattice design.

All three Variations coffees have an intensity level of six (on a scale up to 12) and will be available for a limited period during the festive season in a box of 10 capsules for CHF 5.70.

If you are still looking for the perfect coffee cup to enjoy this sophisticated treat of caffeine, I recommend this beautiful Lustre set.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Nespresso

One question I have been asked many times in my life is how I can stay slim while enjoying food so much. I think the key to success is to listen to your body and mine tells me constantly to feed it with Japanese food when possible. It is the best, it is healthy and you always feel light after, but full of energy.

Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa brings his delicacies to Munich.

When I was in Munich for Oktoberfest, I couldn’t wait to visit the Mandarin Oriental that has undergone an extensive refurbishment of the public areas in 2015 and has opened its doors to a new and innovative gastronomy concept, by introducing the award-winning cuisine of internationally celebrated chef Nobuyuki (Nobu) Matsuhisa to the Bavarian capital, and to Germany.

The restaurant follows the successful format of the chef’s original Matsuhisa Beverly Hills and his five other exclusive outposts around the world.

 Having arrived on the first floor, atop the new curved staircase, on my way to Matsuhisa Munich.

Offering Nobu Matsuhisa’s renowned New Style Japanese-Peruvian cuisine as well as individual creations by Chef Loris di Santo the menu has an emphasis on seafood, featuring signature dishes such as the legendary Black Cod and Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi with jalapeños, alongside grilled lamb cooked over tealeaves with Peruvian Anticucho sauce, as well as traditionally prepared sushi.

One of my favorite starters: Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi with jalapeños.

So yummy! The iconic Blad Cod.

The sushi bar.

My all time favourite food – I could eat it every day.

The semi-private dining section.

The restaurant accommodates 95 guests including eight seats at the exclusive live cooking counter. Moreover it offers a semi-private dining section with space for up to 10 people. In this intimate setting, guests can experience Omakase, a bespoke culinary experience exploring the chef’s choice of tailor-made menus. Matsuhisa, Munich will also feature an exclusive eight-seat live cooking counter where skilled chefs will prepare a variety of Nobu’s famous Japanese-Peruvian dishes.

Designed by Amsterdam-based FG Stijl, Matsuhisa, Munich reflects Nobu’s Japanese origins. The luxurious and timeless decor provides provide a warm and inviting atmosphere in brown and gold, using natural materials including stone, leather and wood.

 Matsuhisa, Munich opens daily from 7 – 11:30pm (Mon-Sun). For reservations, call
+49 89 290 98 1875 (available from 10am to 6pm).

Great news for my Swiss readers, you don’t need to travel far to enjoy this very special cuisine. The hotel Baur au Lac celebrates 10 years Nobu Matsuhisa at Rive Gauche! The world-renowned kitchen of Nobuyuki „Nobu“ Matsuhisa will join the iconic restaurant until November 13, 2016.

Two seatings per evening – 6pm and 9pm. Reservations: +41 44 220 50 60.

I will be going and am looking forward to enjoying a fabulous dinner there…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Munich and © Sandra Bauknecht

Last week during the Zurich Film Festival, I was guest of NESPRESSO to see the Swiss premiere of «Bridget Jones Baby», the continuing adventures of British publishing executive Bridget Jones as she enters her 40s, starring Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey. «What if» is a major question in this movie that is so much fun. I was laughing through the entire film. The good vibes of the evening continued after the screening with the delicious plates prepared with passion and originality by the young and talented chef Ralph Schelling.

My look: Lace-paneled stretch-silk cady gown by Alessandra Rich, palladium-tone, crystal and Plexiglas® necklace and earrings, both by Miu Miu, padlock mini studded leather shoulder bag by Alexander McQueen and cutout leather platform pumps by Saint Laurent, diamond ring by Vainard Fine Jewellery and Tonda 1950 Set Clarity watch by Parmigiani Fleurier.

Greetings from NYC where I am at the moment for a new amazing project coming up soon…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Nespresso, © Andrea Monica Hug (event and me at the event) © David Biedert Photography (photos of me outside in color)  and © Sandra Bauknecht

A year after the opening of Pasticceria Marchesi 1824 on Via Montenapoleone, the historical pastry shop controlled by the Prada Group opened the doors to its new stylish location in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II on Monday.

Housed in the same building as the Prada menswear store, the inauguration of another iconic Marchesi pastry shop is the second phase of a major project in which the prestigious Galleria location of the Prada Group will become a genuine hub of its many facets, where fashion, food, art and a wide range of cultural activities will harmoniously coexist.

Stefano Cantino

Towards WWD, Stefano Cantino, Group Strategic Marketing Director, said that Prada, which became a majority shareholder with an 80 percent stake in March 2014, will expand Pasticceria Marchesi outside of Italy. “We’ve had requests from international malls, but we are defining the timing. In the medium-term, we will open in Shanghai and Dubai. We are not doing franchised banners and we want to guarantee high standards,” explained Cantino, adding that “maybe” some Prada stores could also house the pastry shop. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

I love the green interior design that is elegant and so reminiscent of the Prada stores around the world.  Part of the space in the new store is used as an elegant tea room which serves a variety of dishes throughout the day: breakfast, lunch, tea, and an evening aperitif.

Open one in Zurich, please!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Prada

evian® x Christian Lacroix Limited Edition bottles in 2016

10 years ago, some people might have asked what were they drinking? In 2007, the disruptive vision shared by the two brands brought together the purity of water with the creativity of fashion paving the way to a saga of collaborations with the greatest designers and launching the fashionista drink of choice.

evian® x Christian Lacroix Limited Edition bottles in 2007

To celebrate this success story and to mark the 10th anniversary of the project, the House of Christian Lacroix pays tribute to evian®’s live young spirit, by reinventing the Paseo pattern. Born to Haute Couture, the delicate embroidery design was used for the first time outside the Christian Lacroix fashion collections on the initial evian® Limited Edition bottle in 2007. It has since become an iconic design of the House. This new colorful Paseo Limited Edition version is the pure expression of today’s Christian Lacroix creative universe: flamboyant, Parisian, and with an ever young spirit. It comes in a set of two bottles: a pink and a blue one.

“The evian® x Lacroix collaboration is just like a wonderful dream come true and we had the chance to collaborate twice… which makes me a very lucky designer!” Sacha Walckhoff.

The famous red bride at Christian Lacroix’s F/W 2002 Couture show.

Sacha Walckhoff, Creative Director for the House of Christian Lacroix, who succeeded the founder following the shuttering of the couture house and its transformation into a licensed business, revisited the iconic Paseo pattern that Lacroix used for the red wedding dress that capped his F/W 2002 couture show, and famously worn by Madonna in a Steven Klein shoot for W Magazine in 2003. Its skirt was based on a bullfighting cape with a pattern mixing swirling garlands, flowers and curlicues.

2003 – Madonna photographed in Christian Lacroix by Steven Klein.

The evian® x Christian Lacroix bottles will be available in 75cl glass bottles and rolled-out in Prestige PET, and for the first time in facial spray. Available worldwide in selected hotels, cafes, restaurants and retailers from September 2016.

Drinking water has never been so stylish…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of evian®, © Christian Lacroix, © Antoine Tempe and © Steven Klein

Hurray it is Friday! Did you know? A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance. Probably because of the shocking jolt of brilliant color?

With a flamboyant box from Moët & Chandon arriving at my doorstep, I seem well prepared for my weekend ahead. Moët Rosé Impérial has launched a new limited edition look for this summer season: a bold splash of bright pink flamingos.

These flamingos are perfect way to add glamour to a #moetmoment shared among friends. In French, “osé” means daring. And the Moët Rosé Limited Edition with flamingos puts the “osé” in rosé with the whimsical dares found behind the label of each bottle.

Open the label, find your dare, make it happen:
Do you dare to kiss the person to your left?
Do you dare to hug a stranger?
Do you dare to say “je t’aime” out loud?

Moët Rosé Limited Edition with flamingos is available exclusively in trendsetting boutiques in the regular bottle (750 ml) and stylish Mini Moët sizes (20 cl).

Dare to live more and love more with pink flamingos that can be found even on the most flamboyant fashion accessories!

Leather-trimmed appliquéd floral-jacquard shoulder bag with flamingos by Miu Miu

Claudie embellished metallic textured-leather shoulder bag by Sophia Webster

Flamingo Frill leather sandals by Sophia Webster (50% off)

Happy weekend in pink flamingo style!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands and © Sandra Bauknecht

Two weeks ago, I accepted a lovely invitation by Silvio Denz, CEO and President of LALIQUE, to join him for an amazing dinner experience at Park Weggis, the partner hotel of Villa René Lalique, that was constructed in 1920 and brought back to life by my host in September 2015. Today, it boasts six exclusive suites and an up-scale gourmet restaurant. Manning the kitchen is none other than two-star chef and autodidact Jean-Georges Klein who had come to Weggis for this evening to spoil us with his dishes that are colourful and rich in contrast, for the eyes, the palate and the bite.

Silvio Denz to my left and Jean-George Klein to my right.

In terms of fashion, I went for an outfit that sported cascading layers of soft silk chiffon with a ‘trompe l’oeil‘ illusion of voluminous, layered ruffles. The feminine colours ensured a party-ready appearance.

My look: Feather cape by Balmain, sequined-bow tiered silk-chiffon gown, fringed cracked-leather pumps, feline earrings with crystals, fringed cracked-leather pumps, gold-tone crystal bracelet and crystal embellished ring, all by Gucci, envelope bag by Céline and diamond ring by Vainard Fine Jewellery.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Penhaligon’s has unveiled their very first gourmand fragrance, EQUINOX BLOOM, inspired by the quintessentially English tradition of afternoon tea, and the transitional moment when day turns to evening and when cold winter yields to spring.

Created by Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp, Equinox Bloom plays with an olfactory palette inspired by the delights of high tea, accompanied by the heady bouquet of the first sweet spring flowers.

Perfumer Olivier Cresp

“During one of my recent visits to London, I enjoyed an incredible brunch in a smart, refined place, where the magnificent atmosphere of the rooms, furnished with opulent floral compositions, ensnared my senses almost at once. While admiring the floral scenery, my brunch included delightful toasts topped with honey and marmalade and these gourmand facets inspired me to bring to Equinox Bloom a trendy, modern inflexion to the generous floral bouquet. To me, this luxurious and abundant refinement reflects Penhaligon´s generosity in fragrances in a perfect way.” – Olivier Cresp, Perfumer.

A subtle, sweet treat from Penhaligon’s, Equinox Bloom plays on the country’s favourite traditions and pleasing transitions – day to night, winter to spring – offering up a delicious and distinctive blend of gourmand and floral infusions to truly delight the senses.

GOURMAND FLORAL

Top Notes: Neroli Bigarade Essence, Violet Leaves Absolute, Chantilly Accord
Middle Notes: Frangipani, Orange Blossom Absolute, Jasmine Sambac Absolute
Base Notes: Ambrox, Benzoin Siam Absolute, Brown Sugar Accord

Equinox Bloom is available now as Eau de Parfum 50ml (€ 139.00) and 100ml (€ 189.00).

And if you are happen to be in Hong Kong, please enjoy Penhaligon’s special afternoon tea at The Four Seasons Hotel.

The hotel’s pastry chef Ringo Chan designed a new selection of treats inspired by the new scent Equinox Bloom, among them jasmine lemon cake pops, rose and pink praline éclair, and aqua sphere and white peach verrine, as well as a selection of afternoon tea buffet items.

The Lounge, G/F, Four Seasons Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central; +852 3196-8820

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Four Seasons, © Penhaligon’s and © Conor Beary 2016