Sandra‘s Closet

Last week, I attended an interactive digital event to celebrate the awe of nature with the new Aveda x 3.1 Phillip Lim Holiday Collection.

Barbara De Laere, Aveda Global Brand President, and Phillip Lim, Co-Founder and Creative Director of 3.1 Phillip Lim, shared firsthand the inspiration behind the collection, their favorite holiday traditions, and what they see as the future of sustainability for their respective industries. The event was hosted by Aveda’s Global Advocate for Sustainability, Arizona Muse.

«Our shared values to protect and care for the planet will manifest beauty. It is a beautiful cycle, a cycle of gifts.» – Phillip Lim

Aveda’s collaboration with 3.1 Phillip Lim is inspired by a mutual awe of nature, each element a celebration of botanical forms and expressions. The power of nature is in full bloom this holiday season as those two like-minded brands are bringing the botanical world of beauty to life thorough special-edition accessories and gift packaging created with sustainability at heart. The Aveda x 3.1 Phillip Lim collaboration includes four covetable, limited-edition hair accessories – a hair towel wrap & carrying bag, scrunchie trio, detangling comb, and wooden paddle brush –  as well as special-edition gift packaging, all featuring striking prints that combine the joyful colors of the holiday seasons with those found in the natural world.

Made with no compromises, the detangling comb for example is produced with recycled materials as post-consumer recycled polypropylene, and the hair towel wrap is made from 100% organic cotton.

The most amazing part are the gift boxes that can be reused and are made with 100 % recycled paper.  As they are so beautiful, you don’t need extra wrapping paper. Less layers that make the box a gift itself. The artwork that is featured was designed in collaboration with botanical artist, Sophie Parker.

Available globally beginning November 1st at Aveda salons, spas, stores, select retail partners and online, each element of the Aveda x 3.1 Phillip Lim collection pulses with botanical-inspired graphics and vivid colors from nature for a joyous and unexpected expression of the holiday season.

Botanical Repair Light Set – CHF 68.00
Botanical Repair Rich Set – CHF 68.00
Botanical Repair Strengthening Collection – CHF 84.00
Cherry Almond Softening Hair & Body Essentials – CHF 51.00
Hand Relief & Foot Relief Home and Travel Essentials – CHF 77.00
Moisturizing Travel Trio – CHF 36.00 / CHF 28.00
Feed My Lips Lip Gloss Duo – CHF 24.00

As Phillip said, «it is about the 3 Ps. The people, the planet and the products.»

Happy Holidays!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Aveda, © Sandra Bauknecht

Last month, I attended the CLARINS press conference at 1904 Designed by Lagonda, a new restaurant in Zurich that combines design with Haute Cuisine. In the lounge area, that is open already in the morning for business meetings or to just have a coffee, a red wall catches your eye. The perfect backdrop for CLARINS that are famous for the red thread in their logo.

 Among several novelties one seems really outstanding to me. While everyone is thinking about Millenials or Generation Z, CLARINS is working on the Silver Generation, people that are now 60 years or older. The reason is actually pretty obvious. It’s a fast growing population, with 775 M in 2015, 1.2 B in 2030 and a predicted 1.6 B in 2050.

What are women at the age of 60 plus most concerned of? Mature skin is weakend. The skin gets drier due to changes in the lipid structure and there is a lack of radiance and firmness. The glow is missing as micro circulation and vascular reactivity is diminished – around minus 44% at the age of 60. The skin’s fibroblasts are aging and that causes a decrease of micronutrient supply.

CLARINS did clinical tests with several women and divided them in two groups, one half with ladies that looked younger for their actual age and the other half with participants that looked older than they were. The reason for this phenomenon was found in the radiance of the skin. Therefore CLARINS focused on achieving a more luminous skin and developed the luminance index with an inside/outside effect.

The plant discovery for the new formulation was horse chestnut, a symbol for spring and rebirth. In Geneva’s old town, there is a horse chestnut tree whose first bud marks the official arrival of spring on the Promenade de la Treille (Marronnier Officiel). Standing in full new bloom, something we all wish for when we grow older.

Two ingredients of this tree are combined, fruit and organic flower extract, to help the skin to reactivate its micronutrient network and revive its full luminosity. After one month of using the Crème Nutri-Lumière Jour, the skin’s luminance index of 30 women tested increased 12 %. All 4 new textures are based on plant-powered formulas (17 plants of which 10 are organic) for a complete anti-aging action.

CLARINS Nutri-Lumière Jour – Nourishing, Revitalizing Day Cream – CHF 162.00
oil-infused – fresh texture
CLARINS Nutri-Lumière Jour  – Nourishing, Revitalizing Day Emulsion – CHF 162.00
lighter version of the day cream – comforable texture
CLARINS Nutri-Lumière Nuit – Nourishing, Rejuvenating Night Cream – CHF 172.00
night cream oil-infused balm – not greasy at all
CLARINS Nutri-Lumière – Renewing Treatment Essence – CHF 73.00
smooth and gentle lotion – toning texture

All four new products are available now online or at the Clarins Boutique & Spa at Gerbergasse 6 in Zurich. The official launch date will be January 27, 2020.

The face of the campaign, Brazilian born Claudia Maria Ferreira da Costa, was with us in Zurich. I spotted her immediately when I came in. A beautiful, confident woman of almost 60 that truly looks much younger than her birth age.

Claudia Maria, can you tell us a little about your career path?

I started modeling around 36 years ago, a long time ago. I worked with Saint Laurent, Dior to name a few and travelled to place such as Paris, and Japan for business. I did that for around 12-14 years. Then I got married and had my two kids. Years later, I discovered this one model, this gorgeous girl where I lived, Arizona Muse. I got her career started and while I did this, the agency got also interested in me as all of a sudden an interest for mature faces came up. That was an amazing opportunity for me at the age of 50. Not many people get to do that. I just went for it and my confidence built up. Now, I take full ownership of that and I find it my mission to represent women of my age group. Also we should take in consideration that at 60, many women start to reinvent themselves.

How did you get into fencing?

I started fencing at the age of 43. My father was a fencer and I always had the curiosity about this sport but as he died a pretty long time ago, I never got to see him practice. Funnily enough, my ex-husband told me once about this fencing club and suggested to give it a try. My kids were little and I lived in this small town of Santa Fe in the US and I just went for it. Just after a few months, I had my first competition and I got hooked. It totally sparked something that I didn’t know I had in me. It showed me first of all how competitive I was and that anything is possible.

«Still learning. Still resilient. Still radiant.» – Claudia Maria Ferreira da Costa

Are you afraid of aging?

I am not afraid of the number 60. I tell people my age. The alternative of not getting older is not being alive, let’s face it. I don’t want to go back to a younger me. For me the sense of vitality is in your mind, your impulse lets you enjoy life. When you turn 60, you know more about yourself, you can embark in newer things and challenges. I feel a certain ownership of my life, much more than I used to feel when I was younger.

What are your tricks to look so amazing?

The basics to feel and look great are the following:
– use sun screen and protect your skin from the sun as much as you can
– drink a lot of water and less wine
– don’t smoke
– and don’t forget that the expression of your inner self, of who you are, transmits on the outside

An advice you would like to share?

Take two words out of your vocabulary and you will be shocked. First, «hope», it doesn’t convey power, it is just a thought of waiting for something. I am not waiting, I am making it happen. Second, «worry». If you have power, than you don’t need to worry. You just make things happen for yourself.

Say yes – that is your operative word. When I stand up, I say to myself, I do whatever it takes. 

Thank you, Claudia Maria, for sparking up our day!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the city of Geneva, © Clarins and © Sandra Bauknecht

Graphic silhouettes stand out against an immaculate background like an arty collage. For the S/S 2017 ad campaign, Karl Lagerfeld plays with contrasts as he captures the metamorphosis of a contemporary creature, one minute a pop Lolita, the next a cyber punk. Bold colours or black and white, close-ups or bodies in motion, the campaign highlights the explosive combinations from a collection that is feminine and yet ultra-modern.

Both gentle and daring, a dress in navy blue silk crêpe and lace is coupled with the comfort of an embroidered tweed jacket whose motif echoes an electronic circuit board.

Beneath a knitted cardigan the lace of a playsuit in satin crêpe is revealed, while a coat in off-white silk and lace covers a black babydoll worn with suede booties adorned with touch fasteners. Opposites attract as the feminine spirit of lingerie fuses with the singularity of new materials and playful references to the online world.

The silhouettes combine striking pieces and an accumulation of pieces of fine jewellery. A silk jacket with a hypnotic print is embellished with sautoirs and necklaces in white or yellow gold, diamonds and multi-colour cultured pearls, and with rings and earrings in white gold and diamonds, from the Plume de CHANEL, Sous le signe du Lion, Camélia and Ruban collections. The high-tech aesthetic of two J12 watches in white ceramic completes the look.

A series of resin and silvery metal cuffs accessorise a patent leather jacket worn with the BOY CHANEL handbag, the iconic House handbag revisited here in a perforated white leather version.

A fanny pack nonchalantly clashes with a multi-colour cotton tweed jacket and skirt ensemble worn with a yellow crêpe de chine blouse.

Finally booties or ballet flats, low-heeled shoes that play with detail, liberate the movements of this digital Amazon.

Inventive and mischievous, the S/S 2017 campaign recreates the energy of the Data Center Chanel runway show. And the free spirit of the House of CHANEL gazes ever forward to the future.

#DataCenterChanel
#SpringSummer2017

Personally, I am so in love with this open back little black jacket to the right. And Arizona Muse was the perfect model for the campaign. Bravo, Karl Lagerfeld! Well done!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Chanel 2017 / © Olivier Saillant / © Karl Lagerfeld

As the women’s Royal Oak celebrates its 40th anniversary, I was invited last week by Audemars Piguet to join them for the unveiling of the new Royal Oak Frosted Gold in Florence at Palazzo Vecchio, which is the town hall of the Italian city.

The dinner was held inside the breathtaking Salone dei Cinquecento that has a length of 52 m (170 ft), is 23 m (75 ft) broad and dates back to 1494. On the walls are large and expansive frescoes that depict battles and military victories by Florence over Pisa and Siena by Giorgio Vasari. You immediately understand why it plays such a key role in Dan Brown’s «Inferno».

Interesting to know is that before the entrustment of Vasari, the two greatest Florentine artists of the time, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti, were commissioned for the construction of two large murals to decorate the walls of the room. Leonardo started working on the «Battle of Anghiari», while Michelangelo focused on another portion of the wall for the «Battle of Cascina», but none of their work was ever completed. Attempts made to find Da Vinci’s original work behind the Vasari fresco have so far been inconclusive.

Two creative minds united: Jacqueline Dimier and Carolina Bucci

Personally speaking: The new Royal Oak Frosted Gold was love at first sight for me.

Coming back to the shining reinvention of an iconic design, that fast first created in 1976 for women by Jacqueline Dimier, the new Royal Oak Frosted Gold has been reinvented in collaboration with Florentine jewellery designer, Carolina Bucci. Both attended the gala dinner along with Jasmine Audemars, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Audemars Piguet, François-Henry Bennahmias, Chief Executive Officer, model Arizona Muse, as well as actress and brand ambassador Freida Pinto.

With Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henry Bennahmias

With Freida Pinto

Power Ladies: Sabina Hanselmann-Diethelm, Editor in Chief Style Magazine/Bolero, Jasmine Audemars, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Audemars Piguet and Dominique Lohm, PR Audemars Piguet/The Pool with my humble self

Beautiful table setting

Having a great time with Sabina Hanselmann-Diethelm, Editor-in-Chief Style Magazine/Bolero and David Pantillon, Country General Manager Switzerland

Chef Annie Féolde and her team framed by Freida Pinto and François-Henry Bennahmias

After a sensational dinner imagined by local 3* Chef Annie Féolde, the evening ended with a showcase concert by Brocken Back, sending us off in the crisp Florentine night with lots of amazing memories.

Live performance by Broken Back

The next day my adventure continued. I flew with a private jet back to Switzerland to visit Audemars Piguet’s manufacture in Le Brassus.

Stay tuned for more for more details on the visit and the new Royal Oak Frosted Gold that has captured my heart in a second as well as an amazing interview with Carolina Bucci and Freida Pinto.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Audemars Piguet and © Sandra Bauknecht

Tuesday evening, I attended the Estée Lauder press conference in Zurich at the Metropol restaurant. The famous house celebrates this years its 50th anniversary in Switzerland and has been since decades the number one beauty brand in the country. Therefore we were spoilt with this yummy cake and amazing products.

Many new launches will take place during the next months but two have absolutely caught my eyes and I couldn’t wait any longer to share them with you.

The new ENLIGHTEN range is designed to work as a trio to provide prevention and treatment for pigmentation, day and night. It includes a moisturizer, a serum and a completely new product, the EE (Even Effect) cream. Yes, after BB and CC creams, there is now an EE cream, not a double D! It gives you an even skin tone while defending environmental stressors, protecting against UV rays with a SPF 30 and building a barrier against pollution and free radicals. I have been sold immediately!

Enlighten Serum CHF 95.00 (30ml) and CHF 142.00 (50ml)
Enlighten Moisturizer CHF 95.00 (50ml)
Enlighten EE Cream in Light, Medium and Deep CHF 52.00 (30ml)
In stores from October 22, 2014.

The house’s new flanker fragrance MODERN MUSE CHIC is a warm and sensual scent that I personally like much more than the original Modern Muse that had been launched last year.
Please click HERE for the interview with the face of the campaign Arizona Muse.

FLORAL WOODY MUSK

Top notes: Plum and artemisia
Middle notes: Jasmine sambac, tuberose and lily
Base notes: Cashmere wood, agarwood, labdanum, patchouli, ebony tree, musk, madagascar vanilla and suede

Modern Muse Chic Eau de Parfum Spray is available from September 2014 for CHF 68.00 (30ml), CHF 98.00 (50ml) and CHF 138.00 (100ml).

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Estée Lauder and © Sandra Bauknecht

ARIZONA MUSE is not only a famous model, the face of Estée Lauder‘s new scent Modern Muse, but also a mother and extremely sweet and charming young woman. During New York Fashion Week she shared her travel tips for Great Britain’s capital with me.

Your favourite city?
LONDON – I love this city, I live there, I am half English and very patriotic.

Your favourite hotel?
FIRMDALE HOTELS – The interior is so cute, every room is different and the food is amazing.
For example the HAYMARKET HOTEL, 1 Suffolk Place, London SW1Y 4HX, +44 20 7470 4000

Your favourite restaurant?
GRANGER & CO – They have very healthy and delicious food. They are on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill, an exciting pretty street, very close to where I leave.
175 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2SB, +44 20 7229 8944

Your favourite dish there?
My favourite dish is their MISO PORRIDGE for breakfast.

Your favourite bar or nightclub?
THE BOX – The best place for a crazy night out.
11-12 Walker’s Ct, London W1F 0SD, +44 20 7434 4374

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
The TATE MODERN – A really interesting building and there are a lot of great things to do near there, too.
Bankside, London SE1 9TG, +44 20 7887 8888

Your favourite park?
RICHMOND PARK – It is so wild, so large, you can just roam around there the whole day, spotting deers. It is absolutely beautiful.
Richmond, Greater London TW10 5HS, +44 20 8948 3209

Your favourite shop?
JOSEPH – They have the most amazing choice and the shops are so lovely to walk into.
299 Fulham Road, London SW10 9QH UK,  +44 20 7352 6776

Your must-have accessory?
An UMBRELLA – A must for London.

Your favorite playlist for vacation?
THE XX – I absolutely love their music. It is an English indie pop band, formed in Wandsworth, London in 2005.

Your favorite scent to wear in London?
Obviously it is MODERN MUSE around the world.

Thank you, Arizona, for sharing your insider scoop on London with us!

LoL, Sandra

Estée Lauder unveiled Modern Muse, the new fragrance inspired by the intriguing duality of today’s woman, with a spectacular muse-themed party held at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum during New York Fashion Week.

The glamorous event was attended by fashion, art, design, media, and film industry luminaries and their muses and I felt very honored to have been invited.

The highlight of the evening was a performance by The Dolls: Mia Moretti and Margot, who curated an unforgettable musical experience, in celebration of all modern muses, with live vocals by Margot and the debut of their new single “Southern Swing (Ft. The Original Pinettes).”

Enjoy my photos from this amazing night and see all the celebs which were there!

The face of the campaign:

Gorgeous Arizona Muse (Click here to read the interview I did with her).

Designer Olivier Theyskens and his muse Anouck Lepère.

Estée Lauder’s spokeswomen: Hilary Rhoda and Joan Smalls.

Carolyn Murphy

Tom Pecheux, Creative Makeup Director for Estée Lauder, with Carine Roitfeld and the Olsen Twins.

Actress Drew Barrymore

Linda Evangelista

Joan Smalls with me

Talking to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen whom I just saw again in London for an event with net-à-porter. The post will be coming up shortly. So please stay tuned!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Estée Lauder has launched a new fragrance, so-called MODERN MUSE. It is the first major perfume launch in a while and the brand’s attempt to get back to the top of the perfume houses.

MODERN MUSE stands for the contemporary woman, who is independent, self-confident and sure of her style. Model Arizona Muse is the face of the new fragrance and her name fits obviously perfectly. During New York Fashion Week, the launch of this new fragrance was celebrated with an amazing party at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in NYC (post coming up shortly), where both, the print and TV campaign for Estée Lauder’s new fragrance, were shot.

Before the event took place, I had the honour to meet and interview Arizona herself. There is something undeniably charming about her… enjoy her answers!

Your name is already telling it. You are a muse to many women around the globe, a modern women – a single mother and a famous model. How do you manage both parts of your life successfully?
I would like to ask this question to all the other mums. I am lucky to have the most amazing help, great nannies and my mum, even that she is not living like me in London, she is extremely close to me. I used to take my son on my business trips when he was smaller. He is now 4 years old, in school, so he stays in London.

Your secret to success?
(Laughs). I don’t see myself that successful. Everyone is so much more successful than me. I look up and admire so many people. There is a lot more to climb. I still feel so young, I am 24 now, but feel younger now than I did when I was 16.

Have you ever felt pressure to inspire people? To be a role model?
I start beginning to feel that. I look to everyone else around me. So it is interesting to feel that other people look at me. I hope that I am setting a good example.

Do you think that your beauty helps you in daily life?
I am a model. So yes, it kind of helps. But I don’t notice things like that. Maybe I should use it more often. (She smiles and asks me the same question. How can I not love her?!)

How did you get your amazing body back after your pregnancy?
I would tell other mothers not to rush it, take one year, be relaxed about it. Breastfeeding helps to burn a lot of calories.

What exercise do you do to stay in shape?
I love yoga. It is more than just physical fitness. It is about balance in your emotional life as well.

Which ones are your favourite fashion designers?
Right now, Louis Vuitton! And also Tregar Delaney. They are an English duo who are friends of mine and they design beautiful clothes with high quality fabrics. They have such great integrity.

Arizona Muse in three words.
Curious – shy – warm-hearted.

Are you nervous before the big event tonight?
Yes, I am nervous. I am even nervous now…

One last question. What do you think of MODERN MUSE?
I love the fragrance because it has a duality to it. It is feminine yet strong. The woods give it a richness, but it also has a lightness with the florals. It is now my signature scent – of course!

Thank you, Arizona!

MODERN MUSE
FLORAL WOODY MUSK

Top notes: Mandarin orange
Middle notes: Tuberose, fresh lily, honeysuckle, dewy petals, Sambac jasmine and Chinese Sambac jasmine absolute
Base notes: Patchouli, Madagascar vanilla, amber wood and soft musk

Available as 30, 50 and 100ml Eau de Parfum.

The fragrance has an innovative ‘dual-impression’ structure of a jasmine and a wood accord. The flowers are most noticeable but not as prominent as you might imagine. The scent is very soft and develops in a very nice and musky way. Personally speaking, MODERN MUSE is an easy-to-wear scent, extremely pleasant and sophisticated. In stores now.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Estée Lauder and © Sandra Bauknecht

A silhouette glides under the archways of the Louvre and slips into the room where the masters of the Italian Renaissance are sleeping.
A young woman appears and immediately vanishes again into the darkness of the deserted corridors. What is she looking for in this temple of culture infused with the shadows of the past?

Enjoy watching this very short exclusive mini teaser that reveals a little bit of Louis Vuitton‘s new ad campaign featuring Arizona Muse shot by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. I am very curious what we will discover on November 12th, 2012 when it will be fully launched here.

Stay tuned for more…
LoL, Sandra