Sandra‘s Closet

Ladies, time to go shopping! Tyen, Dior’s creative director for make-up, joins in the nail polish hype. Launching today is Dior’s new Haute Couleur varnish palette. There are 21 shades of gorgeousness with an amazing long-lasting and very shiny texture (CHF 37.-).

The new concept will always include a one shot coulour inspired by the runway collection.

For F/W 2010, Dior showed a blend of browns and black, leather, tweed and knitwear along with chiffons. So this time it will be Bronze Libertine, a deep brownish bronze with golden hints, which is complementing the look. Hurry, this is one of fall’s hottest nail shades!

I was very lucky to try the palette out before the official launch. The brush is much wider so it took me some time getting used to it. Once I had developped my new applying technique, it worked very well. The polish dries super-fast and the shine stays on forever. Use it with Dior’s top coat which is by the way the best one on the market!
Enjoy my favourite shades and the upcoming special edition for Christmas below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To keep you ahead of the game, here is a sneak preview of what is coming up for Christmas. Two fantastic special edition shades will hit the beauty counters on October 29th:
Or Tsarine is a mysterious black with gold hints and Timeless Gold is a shiny platinum shade. Below you can see me wearing Timeless Gold.

LoL, Sandra

 

 

 

Meet fantastic L’Wren Scott, the brainchild behind the eponymous label. Born 1967 as Luann Bambrough in Utah, the former model is noted for her height of 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters) and a frequent companion of Mick Jagger.

As a tall teenager, she took her first steps in making clothes. Later, she worked as a stylist and a costume designer before starting her own line that has become quickly a favourite among red carpet celebrities.

Her F/W 2010 collection, Tuxedo Terrace, presents a modern take on tuxedo dressing with great pieces for cocktail and black tie attire. Available at NET-À-PORTER.

Another gorgeous collaboration will hit the counters in November. The leggy designer teamed up with Lancôme to create an exclusive make-up look for the upcoming holiday season.

The slate gray nail polish had already been on the models’s nails during L’Wren Scott’s F/W 2010 runway show. Must-haves will also be Hypnôse Drama Mascara in a limited-edition shimmery silver and the sultry red shade for lips.

A classic look that will work perfectly this upcoming season.

LoL, Sandra

It would not be Chanel if there was not a nail polish hype for Pre-Fall 2010. So here are the stunning Paris – Shanghai beauty products. The very limited-edition collection Noir et Or is exclusive to Chanel boutiques.
Very beautiful for the eyes is the duo Ligne et Ombre Jet Gold, a sparkling gold eyeshadow combined with a matte black eyeliner.

There are 3 different nail colours that can be layered or worn alone. I tried myself the new style French/Chinese manicure with Gold Lamé 440 (a satiny gold) andBlack Velvet 430 (a matte black). ). I applied a shiny topcoat therefore you do not see the matte effect. You could also layer Illusion d`Or 450 (a transparent sparkling gold) to achieve a more glittery shine. I got a lot of compliments on my art-déco inspired nails. Try it for yourself.

If you are not able to grab the Chanel bottles, a good match would also be OPI`s Dynasty Bling (gold) and Lady in Black (black).

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel and © Sandra Bauknecht

If you adore nail polish like I do, you will probably love the new textures: Matte and Suede.
OPI introduced the new look for some of his best-selling shades like “You don`t know Jacques” or “Lincoln Park after Dark“. The rich suede nail polish reminds me of accessories in the same leather. As suede is a trend material this summer, your nails are elevated to a new dimension of fashion. The matte versions I associated immediately with deep wall paints like the Flamant ones for example.

Me wearing You don`t know Jacques in Matte

It is a different new look that you could wear easily for one evening. You can apply the colour five minutes before leaving the house as the formula dries very fast and the use of any base or top coat is not recommended. That is the good part about it. The negative side is that it won`t last very long. The problem is that the matte surface doesn`t like any hand cream or daily work. Nevertheless, you can apply the nail polish using a top coat and you will have the same shiny look that you are used to.

To sum up, I can say that it is definitely worth a try as you can use it in so many various ways.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of OPI

After the mint green “Jade” phenomenon, Chanel is setting another trend for your finger tips and this time be early enough to get your hands on one of those bottles coming out in the beginning of the new year. The grayed taupe colour with a brown undertone named “Particulière 505” was featured at their S/S 2010 fashion show.

To be honest, Chanel is only confirming an already established trend by OPI. Their colours “You don`t know Jacques” (a dark grey), “Over the Taupe” (a beige brown) and “Parlez-vous OPI” (a greyish purple) are in the same colour family and existing bestsellers. If you want to cut down your waiting time for Chanel`s shade, opt for those substitutes.

I love all these colours anyway as they are soft, subtle and suit most of the skin colours and outfits well.

See you at the Chanel counter or OPI shop!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

The moment Chanel models paraded down the Fall 2009 runway with mint green nails, I went finally crazy. It looked so cotton candy, reminding me of a mouth-watering sorbet melting softly. When MAC had launched their “Sugarsweet” collection last spring, their shade of green “Peppermint Patti” had been sold out immediately.
The same happend when Chanel`s Jade Nail Collection went on sale on Friday, Sept 11th at the N.Y.C. Fashion`s Night Out. Fashionistas grabbed every bottle they could get, probably as an investment. At ebay the little treasures went for up to $200.- (the retail price was $25.-).

In Europe, Chanel 407 Jade was only available at a few spots like Harvey Nichols in London. Germany or Switzerland did not receive it at all (but the cover model wore this perfect hint of shimmer for the november issue of German Vogue). How crazy is that?
Hollywood`s Eyebrow King Damone Roberts created with OPI his signature shade “Damone Roberts 1968” based on the wall colour in his salons (in Beverly Hills and N.Y.C.) and not surpisingly it was sold out fast.

For those of you that have missed the hype, I have some amazing – for your wallets utterly unique- suggestions to get a trendy green on your nails. Essie created for this winter a beautiful shade called „Mint Candy Apple“ and OPI have „Hey! Get in Lime“ in their brights collection. For the Zurich based readers, Beautyssima at the Rennweg has a wide range of OPI products.

If you think that you would never wear mint green nails, have a look at my way of working it. This outfit would look double-cool with it. But please do not start sucking your thumbs even if they will look so yummy!

LoL, Sandra