Sandra‘s Closet

A city arises from the middle of nowhere in a feverish vision, like a mirage. Under the azure blue of a cloudless sky, Las Vegas keeps the desert dust at bay in the hypnotic ballet of neon lights. Along the Strip, the luxury hotels and casinos set the scene for a modern fairytale in which all dreams are possible. Amongst them stands the Bellagio Hotel. Its sumptuous gallery will welcome an entirely remodeled CHANEL boutique in end of this month.

Peter Philips, Creative Director of CHANEL Makeup, creates a gold-plated collection and strews stardust over polyester dreams.

The iconic gold of CHANEL elegance slips into every texture. A silky powder on the skin, sunny lacquer on the nails or a sheer whisper on the lips, it highlights a radiant face that’s on a lucky streak.

LUCKY STRIPES

The Exclusive Creation of the collection concentrates the entire spirit of Las Vegas in its traditional square case. Lined up in rows, four shades of sand and bronze sweep through every variation of a fabulous desert in which gold embraces the sun and shines. On the surface of the colours, an embossed star design seems to extend a warmwelcome to the city of dreams. For an illuminating makeover, a beveled brush is ideal for choosing and blending shades, sweeping lightly over the cheekbones, face or eyelids.

CHF 85.-

ROUGE COCO SHINE BRILLANT

The extremely melt-away texture and playful spirit of the most mischievous CHANEL lipstick get into the game with a total golden look. BRILLANT: faithful to the style of Coco Chanel, its sheer golden shade gives a fun twist to the traditional codes ofelegance.

CHF 46.-

LE CRAYON LÈVRES VEGAS GOLD

It accentuates the centre of the upper lip with a golden line. A makeup tip that adds a touch of light and emphasizes the fullness of a sparkling smile.

CHF 34.-

LE VERNIS GOLD FINGERS

A semi-sheer golden lacquer glides over nails like a talisman for a Midas touch.

In Switzerland available starting February 20, 2012 in CHANEL stores only.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel

Let me introduce you to LUISAVIAROMA.COM‘s charity project “PUG DOGS FOR HAPPY KIDS” an exclusive one of a kind edition of 20 pug dogs, produced by Steiff, the German leader in the production of handmade plush toys & collectables.
Each piece is customized by a selection of the most prominent international fashion designers.

All proceeds generated from the sales will be donated to UNICEF to support disadvantaged children.

For the 4th Edition of Firenze4Ever Luisa Via Roma has asked each fashion blogger to “Adopt a Pug” for UNICEF. It was pretty tough to decide which one to take as designers such as Balmain, Emilio Pucci, Giambattista Valli, Mary Katrantzou & many more have come up with some pretty amazing pieces.

Curious which one I have chosen? Let me tell you that much: I was fighting with Bryan Boy over the Mary Katrantzou one and he was winning, haha. So I went for another one that I have truly fallen in love with. Stay tuned for the upcoming unique photo shoot with my little puppy.

The toys will be on display in store throughout the following Pitti week and will subsequently be available online.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

“After women, flowers are the most heavenly creation.” — Christian Dior

Here is your perfect make-up look to complement your new floral outfit. The huge S/S 2012 fashion trend has also come across the world of beauty. Dior‘s “Garden Party” collection is amazing and will be available in Switzerland starting on the 18th of January, 2012.

First of all, let me tell you a little story:

“Christian Dior grew up in Granville, on the cliffs of Normandy, in a house buffeted by strong winds, and seemingly unsuited to the creation of a garden. However, the young man’s creative strength and relentless hard work defied nature, and today one can still admire the garden in bloom and in particular, the fantastic rose garden planted with his own hands.

Christian Dior also loved the excitement of parties, and often hosted the aptly named “Grand Balls of the Century” with enchanted beauties from the Normandy coast and Paris alike. The theme of the festive garden is still alive today throughout many Dior creations. The Dior spring colour collection is inspired by Dior’s fantastic garden.”

NAIL POLISHES

Let me get you started with the stars of the collection and my absolute favourites: The two SCENTED nail polishes in 694 Forget-me-not (light mauve) and 504 Waterlily (soft green) which you can see on my nails below.

DIOR VERNIS “Garden Party” (one-shot): CHF 38 each

The nail polishes come with a rose scent that is only discernible when you hold your nails close to your nose (which started to look weird as I couldn’t stop myself from smelling my yummy finger nails). The scent only starts to appear when the polish dries on your nails. It is amazing, love, love, love it!

EYESHADOW PALETTES

The 5-Couleurs “Garden Edition” Couture Eyeshadows Palette (one-shot): CHF 92 each

841 Garden Roses Soft pinks, Parma violet, silver and purple (see photo above left)
441 Garden Pastels Pale pink, buttercup yellow and luminous greens (see photo below left)

The 3-Couleurs Smoky Palette: CHF 68 each

461 Smoky Garden (one-shot) (see photo below right)
961 Smoky Violet (see photo top right)

STAR PRODUCT

The “Garden Party” star product is a piece of art, a clutch that was designed with the floral spirit in mind. Featuring a glossy leather-like shell, adorned with a woven pattern and sealed by a beautiful rose clasp, this limited-edition makeup must-have for eyes and lips should be on your shopping list! Inside is a trio of delicate rose-embossed eye shadows, one shade of Dior Ultra-Gloss and one Lip Maximizer. Available in two colour harmonies:

Star Product (one-shot) “Garden Clutch Make-up Palette”, CHF 115 each

001 Milly Garden (see my photos below)
002 Granville Garden (see photo above)

BLUSH

This is an amazing product! This blush enhances your unique cheek colour for an ultra-natural and customized healthy glow effect. Your face looks after the application as if revitalized with a breath of fresh air.

DIORSKIN Rosy Glow Blush 001 Pétale: CHF 69

LIP COLOURS

Rouge Dior, CHF 48 each

363 Rose Corolle/ Corolle Pink
448 Rose Tulipe/ Tulip Pink

Rouge Sérum, CHF 52 each

255 Rosée Sérum
355 Pétale Sérum

DIOR Addict Ultra Gloss, CHF 44 each

152 Rose Mondain/ Socialite Pink
396 Party Lilac
452 Rose Pretty/ Pretty Rose

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Dior and © Sandra Bauknecht

Gentlemen, stores are still open today. This is your last chance to get a wonderful surprise for your beloved one. You cannot go wrong with a wonderful piece of jewelry.

For the generous budget, Bucherer has created the Haute Joaillerie collection which consists of four amazing one-of-a-kind necklaces. At least, it is a feast for the eyes! One can always dream…

Pendant with necklace in 18k white gold with 6 fantasy-cut tanzanites (total 129.91 ct) and 179 brilliants (total 4.52 ct),
CHF 148.000.- / € 135.000.-

Pendant with necklace in 18k white gold with 8 fantasy-cut Paraiba- tourmalines (total 127.11 ct), 234 brilliants (total 2.15 ct) and 35 rose-cut diamonds (total 4.17 ct)
CHF 218.000.- / € 195.000.-

Pendant with necklace in 18k white gold with 6 fantasy-cut tsavoliths (total 1o9.76 ct) and 174 brilliants (total 4.39 ct),
CHF 144.000.- / € 110.000.-

Pendant with necklace in 18k rose gold with 10 fantasy-cut rubellites (total 135.34 ct) and 241 brilliants (total 7.11 ct),
CHF 68.000.- / € 62.000.-

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Bucherer

This year, Pomellato‘s Nudo Ring celebrates its 10th anniversary. For the ad campaign, the Italian jeweler is again teaming with Tilda Swinton.

I have been loving the sleek jewels from the beginning. You can wear only one or stack them up to two or three, playing with the colours.
For its anniversary, Pomellato presents a bigger, stronger version of its iconic piece, featuring gems in bold tones, including London blue topaz, Madera quartz, amethyst, lemon quartz, along with a limited edition in olivine and mandarin garnet.

Rings in rose gold and white gold with blue London topaz, Madeira quartz, amethyst, prasiolite and lemon quartz, £ 2.020

Nudo in amethyst.

Nudo in blue topaz. New Nudo in madeira quartz.

Nudo in madeira quartz, blue London topaz. New Nudo in amethyst.

New Nudo in lemon quartz, peridot. Nudo in lemon quartz.

Nudo in madeira quartz. New Nudo in tangerine garnet, madeira quartz.

Rings in rose gold and white gold with peridot and tangerine garnet, price on request

Good news for my Zurich based readers, we have our own Pomellato store since last week at Weinplatz 10.

Dear Santa, please bring me one or two or three… such a wonderful gift!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Pomellato

Are you looking for the perfect little gift for your mum, your grandma or even your mother-in-law? Have a look at Estée Lauder‘s limited edition solid perfume and powder compacts that come each year in different designs.

Here in Switzerland the complete new collection will be available.

1 Powder Compact LOVE, CHF 95
2 Powder Compact JEWELED PINK RIBBON, CHF 95
3 Powder Compact PROSPERITY, CHF 95
4 Solid Perfume Compact YOUTH-DEW PROSPERITY, CHF 160
5 Powder Compact PEACE, CHF 180
6 Solid Perfume Compact PLEASURES HAPPINESS BY JAY STRONGWATER, CHF 480
7 Compact Powder YEAR OF THE DRAGON, CHF 105
8 Compact Powder LUCK, CHF 150
9 Solid Perfume Compact BEAUTIFUL LOVE, CHF 160
10 Solid Perfume Compact BEAUTIFUL LUCK BY JAY STRONGWATER, CHF 515

Around the world, collectors crave for the new miniature must-haves. 1981’s “Cinnebar Imperial Princess” has today a collector’s value of $8000!

“Cinnebar Imperial Princess”, 1981, Photo:©Swisslady

If you are interested, please have a look at solidperfume.com, a collector’s website completely dedicated to Estée Lauder’s solid perfume compacts.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Estée Lauder

Here is your sneak preview of the Versace for H&M resort line that will only be available online starting January 19th already. The fanfare that surrounded the launch of the first Versace for H&M line will surely continue.

Expect lots of phone calls from friends that are living for example in Switzerland or the United States where H&M’s online shopping has not been launched yet!

More exciting news at the end of this post…

And of course, some must-haves for the men won’t be missing either:

News are out this morning that Sofia Coppola, Academy Award and Golden Globe winner, will direct the campaign film to support the launch of Marni at H&M on March 8, 2012!
Love her!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of H&M

Thierry Mugler continues to overstep the boundaries of traditional perfume-making with his exceptional and legendary perfumes to launch more of his extraordinary creations. By venturing into unexplored territory, he appears where he is least expected.

The idea: experimenting beyond the innovative production processes
to create breathtaking perfumes.

The challenge: alter the structure without distorting the nature
of the four iconic fragrances by Thierry Mugler.

With the 2009 introduction of ‘Liqueurs de Parfum’, he drew on the ancestral know-how of winemakers to age his fragrances in wooden casks.

This year, Thierry Mugler Parfums continues to experiment, focusing its research on one of the senses showcased with its very first creation: taste.

With the 1992 release of Angel, Thierry Mugler invented a new olfactory family of “Oriental – Gourmand” fragrances, based on a “delicious” facet featuring red berries and praline notes.

In 2010, he repeated the experience with Womanity, creating the very first “Sweet – Savory” fragrance, which utilizes an exclusive molecular extraction process to achieve the fig and caviar accords.

An unforgettable experience… Today, Thierry Mugler invites perfume lovers on a journey of fragrances and flavors with his new collection: the Taste of Fragrance.

With the ‘Taste of Fragrance’, the precursor of Haute Gourmand Perfumery is guilty of twisting fragrances, offering the rediscovery of Angel, Alien, Womanity and A*Men through their fantasized flavors.

Thierry Mugler allowed the perfumers full freedom, challenging them to broaden their palettes of ingredients and introducing into each composition a “taste enhancer”.

An explosive collection of four gourmand fragrances,
with superbly concocted notes that will nearly make your mouth water…

Angel More Gourmand Than Gourmand (CHF 99)
– spiked with cocoa powder for a sweet and angelic scent.

Alien Carnal Sensuality (CHF 85)
– floral notes added with wood, amber and salted butter caramel for a sensual-sophisticated scent.

Womanity Sweet Femininity With A Savory Kick (CHF 109)
– sweet notes added with fig chutney which creates a feminine scent.

A*Men Spicy Instinct (CHF 105)
– enhanced with red pepper to bring out contrasting scents making a powerful fragrance.

All four limited editions are available now.

Taking this exercise in style a step further and establishing a genuine parallel between Haute Cuisine and Haute Perfumery, Thierry Mugler Parfums called on Hélène Darroze, one of the leading Michelin-starred French Chefs, to invent four recipes inspired by the new interpretations of these four fragrances.

Four sensory dishes for a ‘Taste of Fragrance’  MUGLERIAN dinner to be published on Sandra’s Closet during the next days. Probably an inspiration for your holiday feast…

LoL, Sandra

“I loved working on the Lady Dior handbag. Most of my work builds on objects that already exist, which I then transform. I applied the same philosophy.”

– Anselm Reyes

When Fashion meets Art… Dior is collaborating with Berlin artist Anselm Reyle for S/S 2012. The original and vibrant collection of leathergoods, accessories and makeup, currently presented exclusively in a Miami pop-up Dior store during the Art Basel show is a dream and will be available worldwide in January 2012.

Dior has given to the artist total freedom on the creation of this collection and the outcome is vibrant and colourful. I definitely would like to own one of those bags!

ANSELM REYLE’S MAKEUP COLLECTION FOR DIOR

A „Camouflage“ Eyeshadow Palette
Adorned with the „Camouflage“ motif created for Dior, an eyeshadow palette offers a mixed harmony of violet, grey and black. Shiny and matt effects recall the artist’s leitmotifs and compose sophisticated eyes.

High-Impact Nail Lacquers
The nail lacquers are playful complements that set the tone in explosive colours. Bold violet of ultra-violet, deep black of untitled black, vivid pink of pink graffiti, vibrant blue of electric blue and a subtle silver of metallic silver compose an electrifying quintet that brings to mind Anselm Reyle’s passion for neon shades.

Here are some photos of the Dior pop-up store,
Miami Design District, 191 NE 40th Street, Miami, FL

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Dior

Starting from today, I would like to make the run up to Christmas even more exciting with my fashion advent calendar. Each day, I will show you something special that might be a great gift for you or your beloved ones. For all fashionistas that found opening their chocolate-filled advent calendar this morning a little disappointing. Let’s make the festive season even more sparkling…Yes, December 1st has arrived!

Have a look at this cute Miniature Barbie Shoes Set by Christian Louboutin. In 2009/2010, the three limited edition dolls were introduced (just click on the photos below for the previous posts), this December you can add some accessories! Available among other stores at Selfridges (please click on the tiny pic above to be transfered directly).

LoL, Sandra