Sandra‘s Closet

When I am travelling, I try to limit the amount of beauty products that I pack to a minimum. Therefore, I am a huge fan of Bobbi Brown’s new Soothing Cleansing Oil as it combines different makeup removing steps in one. It is a quick yet luxurious way to cleanse your skin. Featuring precious jasmine flower extract, it leaves skin feeling soothed, supple and comfortable. It also doubles as a gentle non-waterproof makeup remover for eyes and lips and won’t clog pores.

How you use it:

1. Pump a generous amount of cleansing oil into dry hands and smooth over dry face.
2. Splash warm water onto skin and massage to help dissolve surface impurities and makeup.
3. Rinse skin clean with warm water. If needed, repeat this process to thoroughly remove long-wearing eye and lip formulas.

Available in Switzerland in July 2012 for CHF 61.- (200ml).

LoL, Sandra

Photo: Courtesy of Bobbi Brown

Across the land of Provence, people will tell you that l’Aigo es d’Or (Water is gold). Inspired by the freshness of the fountains of Provence, L’OCCITANE has created its very first collection of Eaux de Cologne.

Three rippling fragrances bring a splash of timeless freshness to those warm, sunny days. First, there’s EAU UNIVERSELLE, a zesty scent that owes its name to its unisex nature. Next, EAU RAVISSANTE, with its flo­ral, feminine, sparkling notes. And finally, EAU CAPTI­VANTE, destined for men, with its aromatic and stimula­ting tones. These three olfactory worlds together form Eaux de Provence, a new tradition from L’OCCITANE.

EAU UNIVERSELLE
If freshness were a match made in heaven, it would be the zest of two juicy citrus fruits.

Type: For men or women
Mood: With its refreshing accord of bergamot and grapefruit, this sunny, invigorating Eau de Cologne is a beautifully timeless scent.

Family: Citrus

Top notes: Bergamot, grapefruit
Heart notes: Petit grain, geranium
Base notes: Woody notes, musk

EAU RAVISSANTE
If freshness were a woman, it would be both mischievous and graceful.

Type: For women
Mood: The sensual softness of flower petals combined with the sparkling freshness of citrus fruits, to give this Eau de Cologne a mischievous, almost beguiling air.

Family: Floral

Top notes: Bergamot, pink pepper
Heart notes: Damascena rose, freesia
Base notes: Musk, amber notes

EAU CAPTIVANTE
If freshness were a colour, it would be the green of the aromatic plants of Provence.

Type: For men
Mood: A cologne with a very Provençal feel, which combines aromatic notes with the invigorating radiance of bergamot and lime zests. A wonderfully fresh bouquet!

Family: Aromatic

Top notes: Bergamot, lime
Heart notes: Mint, basil
Base notes: Lavender, woody notes

Eau Universelle, Eau Ravissante and Eau Captivante, CHF 42.- (50ml) and CHF 75.- (300ml)
In stores now. All three bottles together look so beautiful on display, don’t they?

LoL, Sandra

Photo: © Sandra Bauknecht and Stills: Courtesy of L’Occitane

This week, I drove all the way (approximately 1000km) from Salt Lake City to Yosemite all through the state of Nevada. Before leaving Utah, just before the city of Wendover, I passed the Bonneville Salt Flats, one of the most unique natural features in the world. The area is a densely-packed salt pan, the largest of many salt flats located west of the Great Salt Lake. Some of you might know it because of the land speed records at the “Bonneville Speedway”.

It looks like a frozen lake bed covered with snow. No vegetation grows in that area. The Salt Flats were formed when ancient lake Lake Bonneville dried up. The lake was huge, filling much of the Great Basin. It eventually shrank below its outlet and so its water became salty. As water continued to evaporate, salt deposits were left in many areas. The Great Salt Lake is a remnant of Lake Bonneville. The scenery is truly impressive.

My look: Long royal blue dress by Forever21 ($9.95 on sale), flats by Zara, daisy necklace by Dior Haute Joaillerie and my souvenir cowboy hat from Wyoming.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

“I’m renowned for my love of a high collar and I wanted to create a true collector’s item,” says Karl Lagerfeld of his jewel-encrusted collar.

Fusing “the masculine with the feminine and uniting the world of fine jewelry and high fashion”, the designer’s spectacular collar is an extraordinary collector’s piece. Handcrafted from black suede, sparkling with pavé black diamonds and a single emerald- cut stone, produced exclusively for the Vogue UK jewelry editor Carol Woolton-curated Brilliant exhibition at Masterpiece, London, the capital’s luxury art and design fair, it will be on display from June 28th – July 4th. The piece will be accompanied by a hand-signed sketch from Mr Lagerfeld himself.

A percentage of profits from the sale will be donated to children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent.

This collar will be available for shipping from 7th July.
TO SHOP, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

LoL, Sandra

The iconic glamour of Valentino and the rock-chic attitude of creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli are a match made in fashion heaven, and these leather and suede ankle boots are my latest obsession from the storied fashion house.

A beautiful silhouette toughened with pyramid studs, these shoes are an elegant way to add city edge to polished looks. Valentino’s rockstuds have been a must for fashionistas since quite a while, have a look at a previous post by clicking here.
Now you just have to choose if you prefer them in black or powder.

Studded suede and leather ankle boots in black by Valentino

Studded suede and leather ankle boots in powder by Valentino

LoL, Sandra

« The strength of the sea and the brightness of the sky are the elements that I am drawn towards the most when in Pantelleria and that inspired me Acqua di Gio. For Acqua di Giò Essenza, I wanted to create a concentrate of power and sensuality. »

Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani has always loved the Mediterranean, and drew his inspiration from the rock-strewn landscape of Pantelleria to create Acqua di Giò in 1996. A fresh, sensual blend that has become a classic men’s fragrance. An irresistible combination of sea’ salty accents, sparkling citrusy notes, musk and woody cedar, this exceptional scent embodies masculinity in harmony with nature, a fragrance of escape and sensuality.

Today Acqua di Giò Essenza opens a new chapter with an Eau de Parfum, a new interpretation of Acqua di Giò, more intense, composed by Alberto Morillas.

Top notes: Cascalone, Sicilian bergamot essence and grapefruit zest.
Heart notes: Paradisone, jasmine absolute from Grasse, basil and sage.
Base notes: Patchouli,  Atlas cedar, vetiver from Haiti, ambrox, animalic ambergris and clary sage.

The result is an incomparable sensuality, the tantalizing lure of the skin.

The bottle shares the same architectural lines as the Acqua di Giò bottle, with the addition of light and technology. An engraved silver-plated plaque embraces the base of the glass like a mirror, to give the fragrance an even greater dazzle. In a click, the new magnetic cap bearing the Armani logo, opens and closes the bottle with a simple, sensual gesture.

The campaign was shot by Bruce Weber starring Simon Nessman.

LoL, Sandra

Next stop: Salt Lake City, Utah.
The state’s capital is first and foremost known as home of the Mormon’s headquarter. The influence of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) can be felt everywhere. The city was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and his Mormon followers, who extensively irrigated and cultivated the arid valley. It is such a clean and neat place that has a lot of beautiful old buildings. I was there Sunday and it was all closed due to the religious tradition.

Mormons self-identify as Christian, though some of their beliefs differ from mainstream Christianity. Between 1852 and 1890 many Mormons openly practiced plural marriage, a form of religious polygamy, which is not allowed anymore. Today, it is practiced only by fundamentalist groups that have broken with the LDS Church.

My look to explore the city: Lace top and denim skirt by Stella McCartney, small Marcie hobo bag in Skylight blue by Chloé, Audrey wayfarer sunglasses by Céline and embellished thong sandals by Prada.
On my nails: Fly (turquoise) with one layer of Save me (hologram silver glitter), both from the Nicki Menaj by OPI collection.

Let me take you on a tour through the city and enjoy some photos of my outfit.

LoL, Sandra

View from the top: The skyline of Salt Lake City in front of the mountains.

Salt Lake City is very close to the Great Salt Lake which you can see in the back.

Utah State Capitol

In the back: Temple Square in Downtown Salt Lake City.

The Salt Lake Temple is one of the most iconic images of the LDS Church.

Assembly Hall

Mormon Tabernacle, home of the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, that is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir.

Shopping Mall: City Creek Center

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Each year, the CHANEL Métiers d’Art fashion show celebrates the exceptional talent of these Houses, pairing their know-how with a legendary destination.

PARIS – BOMBAY showcases a specific vision of India. Immense chandeliers and can­delabras bathe an opulent banquet table in light. The scent of jasmine floats through the air. Surreal princesses from an idealised empire or authentic Parisian women combine the lavishness of the Maharajas and the timeless codes of the House of CHANEL. Refined jewelry pieces clip back sumptuous hairstyles and black-shadowed eyes take on a catlike appearance.

Indian beauties know how to enhance their noble almond-shaped eyes, which they accen­tuate with kohl and dark eyeshadows. Peter Philips, Creative Director of CHANEL Makeup, intensifies the proportions of this iconic makeup to give it a universal character.Eyes succumb to the boldness and mystery of a black eyeshadow in all its nuances with ILLUSION D’OMBRE Mirifique. Graphic makeup with saturated colour blocks stretches out from the corner of the eye to express strength and femininity. The rest of the face fo­cuses on gold and light.

The exclusive creation of the collection is a precious, evanescent golden powder to dab onto cheekbones and eyelids in scintillating touches. In its classic black-lacquered case, ROUTE DES INDES DE CHANEL recreates an embossed motif of a rare fabric, a piece of bronze brocade from an Indian-influenced collection created by Ga­brielle Chanel in the 1960s. A stroke of blush structures the face and warms the translucent complexion with the hint of an elegant and sunny earth tone. Lips remain natural, enhanced by the luster of luminous beige shimmering with gold.

On nails, an original nail polish mixing pale gold and silver recalls the traditional festival of lights, for which it was named: Diwali.

All products will be available in July.

ROUTE DES INDES DE CHANEL An ultra-luminous and scintillating golden powder, CHF 85.-
(Limited Edition)

LE VERNIS Diwali A vintage gold with silvery metallic reflections, CHF 38.-
(Limited Edition)

ROUGE COCO SHINE 437 Empreinte A natural beige with iridescent golden shimmers, CHF 46.-

JOUES CONTRASTE 03 Brume d’or A bronze brown with subtle gold sparkles, CHF 60.-

ILLUSION D’OMBRE 85 Mirifique Every nuance of black, CHF 47.-

LE CRAYON KHÔL 61 Noir, CHF 32.-

INIMITABLE INTENSE 10 Noir, CHF 47.-

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel

Advertising 1: Transsibérien Bags

“For our Fall/Winter 2012-2013 campaign, we wanted to continue the journey we started with the fashion show,” says Louis Vuitton Artistic Director Marc Jacobs. “Our aim was to recreate, in a cinematic manner, the glamour of travel and the romance of going somewhere, of meeting someone, of looking out a window…”

To this end, the interior of the Louis Vuitton Express, which brought Paris Fashion Week to such a memorable conclusion, was reconstructed, in all its exquisite and extravagant detail, in a New York studio – the locomotive itself having already set off on a new adventure. Winding its way East across two continents, the Louis Vuitton Express is scheduled to pull in on Shanghai’s famous Bund on July 19th.

Advertising 2: Leopard Bags

Shot by Steven Meisel, this is the first Louis Vuitton campaign ever to evoke so exactly the ambiance of the fashion show. Unprecedented levels of know-how and attention to detail were deployed to create a compelling restatement of the romance of travel, true to the heritage of Louis Vuitton. In the role of the travelers, ten young models – accompanied by four porters – showcase the collection’s gracefully elongated A-line silhouette, embellished with jewel buttons and opulent brocades.

In keeping with the theme of travel, Louis Vuitton’s iconic Monogram canvas luggage, stored in an overhead rack or carried by a porter, shares the spotlight with the season’s standout bags, including the Monogram-sequined Sunshine Express, the black and white Leopard, and the spectacular Transsibérien, with its jewel buckle and dip-dyed goat hair.

Advertising 3: Sunshine Express Bags

“All of these glamorous travelers have an imaginary voyage in their head, which is wonderfully captured by Steven Meisel,” continues Marc Jacobs. “I cannot think of anyone who could pack a train with so many beautiful young women and their porters, and still make the ambiance feel light and romantic. As opulently dressed as the girls are, there is a lightness and a magic to everything this season – and that is reflected perfectly in these images.”

The Louis Vuitton F/W 2012 advertising campaign, comprising a total of 10 single and double-page visuals, will break in the August 2012 issues of magazines worldwide.

I am so in love with this collection… so amazing! Below you can also enjoy some behind the scenes shots.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

As promised earlier, here is a detailed post about my look that I wore at Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Cut out panel dress (on sale) and openwork parka, both from Givenchy’s Resort 2012 collection, lime green leather pumps by Prada, brown Pandora bag by Givenchy, brass eagle and cross earrings (on sale) by Emilio Pucci, wide cuff by Stella McCartney and cat eye glitter acetate and metal sunglasses by Miu Miu.
The cowboy hat is a souvenir from Wyoming.

Hope that you like it! Off to new adventures…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht