Sandra‘s Closet

Have you ever asked yourself why beach hair is always the best? Beach hair is essentially the opposite of dull, lifeless hair. The salty water makes it look fuller and feel thicker. It’s got volume, texture, and definition while being artfully suspended in perfect form without any effort whatsoever.

Do you dream of getting to enjoy the best hair day you’ve had in months also at home. So pay attention island-hoppers and champagne-poppers: get beach-to-bombshell hair – tousled, touchable waves with sun-kissed shine – without the salty stiffness. I have two products you will love from ORIBE. To shop click on the highlighted product description.

APRÈS BEACH WAVE AND SHINE SPRAY  

The moisturizing glamour spray uses rich extracts and exotic oils for lush repair and sultry texture. It creates shine, separation, and beachy waves.

DRY TEXTURIZING SPRAY

Bigger, better, full-on glamorous hair. This invisible dry hair spray builds in incredible volume and sultry texture. Zeolite crystallines absorb oil at the roots, leaving you with just-styled hair for days (and nights).

Both come in travel sizes. In Zurich available at Charles Aellen Company.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht – Taken at the Ritz-Carlton Fair Islands resort.
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

A quick stop in Zurich before heading off to Boston to go to my hair dresser CHARLES AELLEN COMPANY who had just moved location. The new interior is even more breathtaking than its previous one. From a Parisian apartment style interior, it has now more an urban cool New York vibe with always the best floral decoration. I love the atmosphere, the location in the city center and the great music.

Charles Aellen Company
Sihlstrasse 37
CH – 8001 Zurich

+41 44 201 78 10

I only go to the hair dresser twice a year to get my ends cut and to do a deep nourishing SHU UEMURA or ORIBE treatment. Luckily, I don’t have grey hair yet and leave my hair color all natural.

My dream team: Charles to the left, Nathanael to the right.

However, I can recommend Charles and his team for every treatment or cut you can imagine. They are very advanced, always looking for the newest releases or hair trends. They have been working with celebrities worldwide and been constantly booked for photo shoots or during fashion weeks.

Now available at CHARLES AELLEN is the the famous K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask. K18Peptide™ is the patented molecular breakthrough clinically proven to reverse hair damage from: bleach + color, chemical services, and heat in just 4 minutes.

This mask doesn’t just make hair feel healthier, it actually reverses the damage with some pretty powerful bond-repairing science. How does it work? The K18 bioactive peptide is recognized as a natural building block by hair – the perfect, very welcome puzzle piece to reconnect broken keratin chains in the inner-most layers of hair, post heat and chemical services. When you use it, skip the conditioner, put this in towel-dried hair for four minutes, and watch miracles happen.

With my new hair cut I am off to Boston, hopefully leaving all this crazy snow behind…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

Ladies, please let me introduce you to the amazing ORIBE Renewal Remedies Transformative Professional Treatments that are only available in salons. In Zurich, you can book them at CHARLES AELLEN COMPANY. After having tried the procedure, I can absolutely recommend the treatment. My hair felt immediately much softer, more shiny and really really nice. I haven’t been to the hair dresser in 10 months and my strands truly needed some love. As I love my length, I was afraid that we have to cut a lot but thanks to the revolutionary salon treatment experience, Charles only needed to take off a little bit.

The Renewal Remedies Transformative Professional Treatments are custom blended by your hair stylist. These antidotes are designed to help restore the holistic health of hair, perfecting and protecting from root to tip. Your hair is transformed to lustrous, polished perfection, complete with movement and reflective shine for truly transcendent results.

First you start with the Foundations that are the base of Renewal Remedies treatments. Formulated with Bio-Synergy, a restorative sugar-protein complex, Renewal Remedies fortifies the inner structure of hair while restoring the damaged outer layer by creating a shield that locks in essential moisture and smoothes the cuticle. Designed to address the full spectrum of hair concerns, each treatment improves texture and provides intense hydration while increasing vibrancy, smoothness, and strength.

4x Smoother.* – 4x Softer.* – 74% more manageable.*

After that you choose the Amplifiers.

For damaged or weak hair: Strengthening Amplifier

Strengthen the inner structure of hair.
Prevent breakage.
Improve elasticity.
Fortify strands.
The Strengthening Amplifier, formulated with a protective blend of 12 amino acids and a patented fortifying complex, penetrates the cortex to help strengthen the inner structure of hair while preventing breakage. The Strengthening Amplifier and Foundation work together to significantly improve elasticity and the tensile strength of hair with each application.

For frizzy or curly hair: Smoothing Amplifier

Improve smoothness, softness and manageability.
Seal in moisture.
Reduce frizz.
Protect against humidity.
The Smoothing Amplifier, formulated with a specialized cross-linked polymer and a hydrating marine complex, forms a protective barrier on the hair fiber to seal in moisture and reparative nutrients while locking out humidity. The Smoothing Amplifier and Foundation work together to deliver superior smoothness, softness and control while significantly reducing frizz, even in high humidity.

For color-treated hair: Color Retention Amplifier

Extend the life of color through multiple washes.
Shield from oxidative stress.
Restore the protective outer layer of strands.
Increase vibrancy of color.
The Color Retention Amplifier, formulated with color-lock technology and a natural luminosity-enhancing antioxidant, helps extend the life of color while shielding from oxidative stress. The Color Retention Amplifier and Foundation work together to restore the protective outer layer of strands, while creating a noticeable difference in prismatic vibrancy and shine of color through multiple washes.

Good to know is that the bottles are made from 100% Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) plastic and are recyclable, with the PCR being domestically sourced and produced in the United States. The applicator bottles and applicator tips were developed to be reused multiple times. They can easily be rinsed, dried and used at least ten times.

I went for the Foundation for Fine to Medium Hair in combination with the Strengthening Amplifier. After the shampoo, the mixed product is applied and is left for around 10-15 minutes. Afterwards it is washed out and you can feel and see the result immediately.
I am truly happy. Thank you, Charles!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Oribe and © Sandra Bauknecht
*based on a clinical test conducted on human hair against a control group.

Last week, I spotted an amazing fragrance on display at my hair dresser Charles Aellen Company in Zurich. It is exactly as I am loving it, powdery, yet sugary, reminiscent of how babies would smell in my imagination.

The Different Company Pure eVe, Just Pure (the name was changed from Pure Virgin. Honestly I think that this was a smart move, who would like to say they are wearing something similar to olive oil …) is a kind of «innocent and soft» fragrance. Its beautiful dry-down of a powdery white musk with a lot of vanilla, powdered sugar and delicate candied almonds feels like a second skin, like wearing a fluffy piece of cashmere. Pure eVe was launched in 2011 as a unisex fragrance. However I personally find it very feminine. The nose behind it is Céline Ellena, the daughter of famous perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, who launched The Different Company in 2000.

Céline Ellena with her father Jean-Claude Ellena

« Je compose mes fragrances avec l’objectif de créer la meilleure senteur possible, sans aucune contrainte de coûts ou de marketing. » Céline Ellena, 2004.

Eau de Parfum Gourmand – FLORAL WOOODY MUSK
Top Note:  Aldehydes
Middle Notes: Mimosa, Flax and White Rose
Base Notes: Candied Almond, Musk, Sweet Notes, Dried Fruits and Cedar

Give Pure eVe a try if you like powdery scents or white musk fragrances like me. I got it delivered in one day to my hotel in Gstaad by Spitzenhaus.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, The Different Company
DISCLOSURE: This post is not sponsored. I am just loving it!

An invitation that couldn’t have been more perfect for me on a very hot summer day. My favorite Parisian coiffeur visited my beloved Zurich hair dresser for a morning full of laughter, beauty and the launch of a great new hair care line.

Nathanael, Charles, my humble self and Christophe in Zurich

As you already know I like the products by Christophe Robin a lot (for more info have a look at this previous post). Now they are not only available at Net-à-Porter, but also exclusively in Zurich at Charles Aellen Company. Charles took his whole team to Paris to train with the Robin staff known for being absolute experts in hair coloring.

Charles Aellen and his team with Christophe Robin

Beautiful salon I go to in Zurich: Charles Aellen Company

Aellen’s beautiful salon was the perfect backdrop to indulge into the world of Christophe Robin’s new hair line dedicated to make the dream of volume come true. I was skeptical towards those new products as in general everything that gives me volume makes my hair look dull and it tangles much easier. After having used it, I am completely sold. For the first time, I had nice volume that lasted for many days without looking frizzy.

What is the secret behind it? Robin told me that the biggest problem is that the hair cannot breathe when washed with volume shampoo. That is the reason why it collapses the next day. Therefore he was looking for an alternative providing volume that would first of all not damage the hair and that would stay for longer.

During a trip to Morocco, where hair care is considered an art de vivre, a lifestyle, he came up with the idea to use rassoul clay, also known as the most noble of clays, and rose extracts for his new cleansing volumizing paste. This unique formula creates real volume, noticeable from the first use and effects that build up day after day.

Its exclusive composition is 85% natural origin. Protected and fortified, the hair instantly shows more volume at the roots and density down its length. The best? When mixed with water, its surprising paste-like texture transforms into a light foam, creating a moment of pure well-being.

The hair care routine for long-lasting volume includes the following products from left to right:

Volumizing Mist 150ml
Volumizing Conditioner 250ml
Delicate Volumizing Shampoo 250ml
Cleansing Volumizing Paste 250ml

I hope that you will like it as much as I do! Also try some of Robin’s other products, they are all amazing… While Christophe presented his line, he gave a tip for hair coloring. If you have the feeling it got too dark, just put some olive oil on at night on the freshly colored hair and sleep with it. You will be amazed in the morning by the result as it will wash the color out. Coconut oil by the way does not!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Christope Robin, Charles Aellen, Marietta Budiner and © Sandra Bauknecht

Sunday, I flew to Paris for Fashion Week and went straight to the Akris S/S 2014 show. A huge highlight of the evening was the cocktail reception at the Swiss brand’s beautiful showrooms in the presence of H.S.H. Princess Charlène of Monaco, who was extremely lovely and charming to talk to. A truly amazing woman!

My look: White sculptural fitted crepe blouse, black waistcoat and buttoned skirt, all by Balenciaga (I am in love with Alexander Wang‘s designs and think that he is a great choice for the French brand), lace sleeves by Chanel, pointed leather Mary-Jane pumps by Saint Laurent, Pashli mini satchel by 3.1 Phillip Lim and rose ring by Piaget.

Below are some impressions of the night! Enjoy and stay tuned for many updates from PFW!

LoL, Sandra

Me with my beloved hair stylist Charles Aellen who creates Charlène’s look.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht (Thank you, Mischa, for taking them!)

Let me introduce you to Shu Uemura’s recently launched new range of ESSENTIAL DROPS, that help you to balance your scalp. I am a huge fan of the brand and the products.

A complete aromatherapeutic solution that contains a powerful blend of essential and vegetable oils. Each ingredient plays a role in creating an optimum scalp environment – balanced, revitalized, nourished. And please bear in mind, a perfectly maintained scalp results in healthy, beautiful hair. Formula is silicone, paraben and sulfate free.

Use Essential Drops 2-3 times per week either prior to shampoo or combined with shampoo, massage in for about 2 minutes.

Relaxing Blend – for normal to dry scalp

It is enriched with cedarwood oil which has relaxing and moisturising properties. Its woody frangrance has a light warming effect.

Purifying Blend – for normal to oily scalps

It is enriched with peppermint oil which has purifying and toning properties. With an aquatic, peppermint fragrance, it has a refreshing effect.

CHF 52.- (30ml) each.
In Zurich available at Charles Aellen Company among others.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Shu Uemura

From mid-December 2011 to mid-January 2012, Switzerland’s famous hair stylist (of course mine as well) Charles Aellen Company had opened a pop-up hair salon in St. Moritz. He transformed the so-called Château Papillon des Arts, an old joinery behind the Kulm hotel, into a stylish and ueber-cool hair temple.

Even that it is closed now, I would like to share the stunning photos with you. Please keep in mind, this was only there for 4 weeks! For all interior aficionados, a feast for the eyes and Charles did it all by himself! For those of you who missed it, it will be open during the next Christmas season again.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Charles Aellen Company