Sandra‘s Closet

Here is my recent interview for GLOBUS Magazine about my beauty favorites, available in German and French. Click here to read it online. My avid readers will know them already… below you find the six products that I cannot live without and why is that…

1 The Treatment Lotion Hydrating Mask x 6 by La Mer
My secret for an immediate glow, especially after a long distance flight.
2 The Moisturizing Soft Cream, 60ml by La Mer
My everyday must for the prefect hydrated skin.
3 Lavender Extrême Eau de Parfum, 50ml by Tom Ford
I have fallen in love with this very special scent as it reminds me of my beautiful trip to the lavender fields in Gordes.
4 So Intense Mascara – 1 Deep Black by Sisley Paris
My favorite mascara of all.
5 Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base – Medium by NARS
The best base to make your eyeshadows last forever.
6 Lip Glow – 006 Berry by Dior
An amazing lip product to look fresh in one second.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Via Globus and © Sandra Bauknecht, © Virgile Guinard for Tom Ford
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

Disco. Decadence. The ultimate indulgence. Sometimes you get an invitation that is so amazing you want to show it to the world… in this case a dear friend of mine is celebrating a Studio 54 party in New York City next weekend. I couldn’t have wished for a better theme. Studio 54, the legendary world-famous night club of the late ’70s, located at 254 West 54th Street, between Eighth Avenue and Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, was the landmark of various parties in the art and fashion world and the hot spot for all celebrities of the era.

At the peak of the disco dancing and music trend, it was founded and created by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager in 1977, and sold in 1980 to Mark Fleischman, who reopened the club after it had been shut down following Rubell and Schrager’s convictions on charges of tax evasion.

Studio 54 has become a dress code in itself: it means sparkling mini dresses, sequins, jumpsuits, platform sandals and Farrah Fawcett hair. Michael Kors admittedly skipped his own prom for a night out at Studio 54, so it’s fitting that the former NYC club serves as inspiration for his F/W 2019 collection.

TO SHOP ALL CLOTHING AND BEAUTY PRODUCTS BELOW, JUST CLICK ON THE HIGHLIGHTED DESCRIPTIONS PLEASE:

One of my favorite pieces of the collection – Look 65 (also featured in the ad campaign)
Feather-trimmed sequined silk-georgette mini dress by Michael Kors Collection.

Look 13
Asymmetric sequined stretch-jersey halterneck dress by Michael Kors Collection

Look 52
Glittered cashmere tank by Michael Kors Collection

Look 56
Knotted stretch-lamé midi dress by Michael Kors Collection

Look 67
Metallic fil coupé leopard-jacquard midi dress by Michael Kors Collection

Another designer who is constantly inspired by his mom’s Studio 54 days is Michael Halpern. Since he graduated Central Saint Martins MA in the class of 2016, the London’s resident New Yorker is going for full glitter-disco looks. Just one word: amazing!

Look 3
Draped sequined tulle halterneck midi dress by Halpern

Look 12
Asymmetric sequined chiffon mini dress by Halpern

Look 22
Sequined tulle flared pants and off-the-shoulder ruffled sequined tulle top, both by Halpern.

Look 25
One-sleeve draped asymmetric stretch-jersey midi dress by Halpern

Look 32
Draped animal-print sequined stretch-tulle jumpsuit by Halpern

And as far as your beauty looks are concerned, look no further than the just-released Studio 54 for NARS collection. Start the party with iconic shades; own the night with exclusive bolds and brights.

Never Enough Mini Lipstick Coffret by NARS

Limited Edition Explicit Content Mascara Set by NARS

Studio 54 Outshine 4-Piece Lip Gloss Set  by NARS

Softcore Blush and Balm Set – Torrid by NARS

Glitter. Glamour. Excess. Expression. Consider this your VIP ticket beyond the velvet rope. Once you’re in, anything goes.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

From bright sparkling eyes to bronzers, here are the key must-haves for summer 2019 to get on your radar. My beauty mantra for the hot season is simple: the less work I have to do, the better. As it turns out, we should all be embracing the fact that wearing a ridiculous amount of makeup in sweltering temperatures is never a good look. I recommend some sparkle for your eyes and the right amount of bronzer for a sun-kissed complexion. Enjoy!

NARS Exposed Cheek Palette (top left)
Cheeks are up front and versatile with a limited edition palette of six universally flattering shades in a breakthrough formula that delivers unparalleled color. LOVE! CHF 66.60

CHANEL Bronzer and Highlighter Duo in 317 Medium (top right)
Part of the Maison’s Cruise 2019 collection, this two face powders palette, consisting of a matte bronzer and a pearlescent highlighter, fits in every bag for immediate touch-ups. CHF 78.00

TOM FORD Soleil Contouring Compact in Bask (center left)
Blush, highlighter and bronzer in one for the perfect complexion. CHF 100.00

NUXE Multi-Usage Compact Bronzing Powder (center right)
Beautifying and long-lasting, this multi-usage powder with its yummy Huile Prodigieuse® fragrance (orange blossom, magnolia and vanilla) provides an immediate «healthy glow». CHF 35.00

ESTÉE LAUDER Desert Heat Eyeshadow Palette (bottom)
Turn up the heat with 9 silky shadows to emphasize, customize and dramatize your eyes. Matte and shimmer finishes, limited edition. CHF 72.00

BOBBI BROWN Molton Drama Eye Shadow Palette
Brighten your eyes with these ten highly pigmented colors in four different finishes, including 5 Chrome Metal Eye Shadows for a hypnotic glow. My favorite this summer! CHF 84.00

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Spring is already in full bloom. Are you ready to be fully repowered? Experience François Nars’ revolution in skin – radiance from every angle. Recharge your complexion with a radiance-boosting lineup designed to reveal your skin at its absolute best with an eye make-up in nude shades that will make others green with envy, especially if they are wearing the wrong foundation :-).

Featuring the new, limited-edition SUPER RADIANCE BOOSTER – available in one universal rose gold shade that flatters all skin tones – that amplifies skin’s illumination with a pearlescent glow and lightweight, layerable texture. You can layer it underneath or mix a drop with foundation to customize an all over, radiant glow. For a subtle highlight, blend onto high points of cheekbones, bridge of nose, cupid’s bow and décolleté.

What I truly like is that you can use it to intensify the radiant effect of NARS’ cult-classic complexion essentials:

– the high coverage, longwearing NATURAL RADIANT LONGWEAR FOUNDATION. NARS’ first 16-hour non-comedogenic liquid foundation that stays turned on by the power of radiance. Now available in 34 shades.

– fan-favourite SHEER GLOW FOUNDATION. The glowing, natural radiant finish foundation provides sheer, buildable coverage and evens skin tone. Now available in 34 shades for more luminosity.

– and the bestselling, multi-purpose RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER. The award-winning multi-action concealer, contours, highlights, corrects, and perfects with medium-to-buildable coverage and a natural radiant finish. Now available in 30 shades.

To finish off your perfect complexion, I recommend the beautiful new, limited edition SKIN DEEP EYE PALETTE – the ultimate palette of nude shadows created for all skin tones. Go from subtle to smoky with rich mattes, lustrous shimmers, and smoldering metallic shadows, infused with NARS’ Pigment Power Suspension for a high-impact, silky effect. Each shadow can be used in a multitude of ways for a variety of François Nars’ signature looks. Wear it. Bare it. Make it yours.

TO SHOP NARS ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE, or above on the respective highlighted text to be transferred directly to the product you like.

Tested and approved by me!

If you are living in the Zurich area, you can benefit from a free professional make-up consultation at Jelmoli. Just call +41 44 220 43 58 and meet Sophie Thibout, NARS make-up artist, who comes to the NARS Counter exclusively for 3 days: Tuesday 5th, Thursday 7th and Saturday 9th of March, 2019.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © NARS and © Sandra Bauknecht

Ladies, it is time to get at least one Orgasm, but personally speaking I recommend getting four… For Summer 2018, NARS launches four new Orgasms for lips and cheeks. Swipe on seduction with Afterglow Lip Balm and intensify the look with Orgasm Full Vinyl Lip Lacquer. Give cheeks sensational dimension with Illuminating Loose Powder, and find pleasure in a limited edition, oversized Orgasm Blush. Universally coveted glow. New stimulating textures. Feels so bad it’s good. It’s time to indulge your senses…

ORGASM AFTERGLOW LIP BALM – CHF 38.00
Delivers a sheer wash of the universally-flattering Orgasm shade with a radiant finish. The formula features Monoï Hydrating Complex, for smooth comfort and a blend of antioxidant ingredients to help keep lips protected.

ORGASM FULL VINYL LIP LACQUER (LIMITED EDITION) – CHF 35.30
The innovative formula provides high-shine and a reflective finish, while vivid pigments deliver full coverage color that’s buildable. Features a non-sticky texture that glides on for a comfortable feel and line-free look.

ORGASM ILLUMINATING LOOSE POWDER –  CHF 38.00
This silky, soft-lit powder reflects light off the skin for a naturally glowing look. The shimmery powders create a soft radiance and blur the look of imperfections, blending effortlessly onto skin with a glimmering finish.

ORGASM BLUSH (LIMITED EDITION) –  CHF 52.20
The award-winning blush that includes the perfect blend of peachy pink and golden shimmer, comes in a limited edition oversized compact to achieve naturally flushed cheeks.

In Switzerland available from JUNE 2018 at Jelmoli and Sephora.
TO SHOP NARS ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of NARS, Collages © Sandra Bauknecht

For Summer 2018, NARS collaborates once again with long time fashion design partner, Erdem Moralioglu. The designer brings his nostalgic romance and dreamlike narrative to beauty with the limited-edition Erdem for NARS Strange Flowers Collection.

Bold yet timeless, the color collection is a custom designed palette of demure and daring shades for eyes, lips and cheeks, with additional newness in the form of NARS’ first lip powder palette and blotting paper. The highly covetable 13-piece capsule collection is encased in sophisticated soft-touch packaging adorned with one of three original floral prints Erdem created for the collaboration.

“It was really interesting to explore my aesthetic in collaboration with NARS and see how far we could push different elements through color and product,” says Erdem. “It was fascinating to develop new pigments and palettes as well as the cosmetics themselves.”

The Erdem for NARS Strange Flowers Collection includes:

BLUSH
Featuring a silky-soft pearlescent finish that departs sheer, yet buildable color, the velvety formula gleams in two new shades.

LOVES ME (pictured above) and LOVES ME NOT (pictured below) – CHF 41.40 each

LIPSTICK
Six new shades, featuring a creamy, smooth formula, range from bare to bold, sheer to intense.

Lipstick Shades in BLOODFLOWER, WILDFLOWER, VODOO LILY, MOON ORCHID, LARKSPUR (left to right) – CHF 45.00 each

LIP POWDER PALETTE
The new innovative palette includes a creamy primer and precision-tip lip brush to paint lips with four delicate shades of petal pinks, rose reds, and poisonous purples. The matte and metallic powders can be worn alone or layered on lips—with or without balm—for a range of unexpected looks and effects.

POISON ROSE LIP POWDER PALETTE
Shades, left to right: LIP PRIMING BALM, nude ZIRA, shimmering rose gold CALYPSO, matte rose DAMASK, matte fuchsia OTTOMAN, matte scarlet TRAVEL LIP BRUSH – CHF 66.00

EYESHADOW PALETTES
Two six-well palettes of highly pigmented, velvety-matte shades deliver longwearing, crease-resistant color. The formula can be applied sheer or layered for more dramatic effects.

NIGHT GARDEN EYESHADOW PALETTE Shades, top to bottom, left to right: OLEANDER, shimmering pale gold INDIO, satin forest green REBORN, satin marigold FAUNA, matte deep brown SPRUNG, satin midnight blue MATIRA, satin black

FLEUR FATALE EYESHADOW PALETTE Shades, top to bottom, left to right: MYTHIOS, shimmering ivory THISTLE, metallic mink FLOURISH, shimmering steel blue BELLADONNA, matte soft brown DAYDREAM, shimmering copper HOLLY HOCK, satin mulberry
CHF 66.00 each

MULTI-USE HIGHLIGHTING PENCIL
Illuminate intrigue with a multi-use highlighting pencil for eyes and cheeks. The new, ultra-smooth formula provides effortless blending and on-the-go radiance.
WHITE PHOX, opalescent lavender – CHF 41.40

BLOTTING PAPERS
Fresh-plucked blotting papers instantly soften and mattify. Perfect for shine control in the summer months. CHF 32.40

In Switzerland available in May 2018. So beautiful!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of NARS

Remember when I attended the Shiseido press conference last December. Now I am finally allowed to show you the new must-haves. Let me get started with an amazing foundation that has truly surprised me. NARS Cosmetics has introduced its new Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation, its first 16-hour fade-resistant foundation with full-powered radiance. Its unstoppable medium-to-full buildable coverage stays vibrant and fresh, as if just applied. First, I thought it has a little too much coverage but somehow magically it blends in with your skin after a few seconds leaving your complexion absolutely flawless.

Applying the new Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation at the press conference.

The staying power is enhanced by a patent pending technology that delivers a uniquely weightless texture with superior bendability for an imperceptible effect that looks like skin.
Formulated to improve skin hour by hour with skin optimizing complex—a blend of raspberry, apple, and watermelon extracts that helps support skin elastic fibers to smooth and improve skin texture – while specialized pigments recognize and fuse with your skin for your closest match yet.

Available in 33 skin-matching shades (how amazing is this range?!), from deep espresso to the fairest tones. Available for CHF 67.- each now.

To shop the new NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation online, click here please.

If you are at the counter or shopping online, don’t miss the new Spring 2018 look and the limited edition NARSissist Wanted Eyeshadow Palette that has 12 shimmering, matte and satin shades, ranging from pale-pink and nude to rose gold, so you can easily customize your look to suit every occasion. The colors are truly divine and its powder formula lasts all day long!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of NARS and © Sandra Bauknecht

I love going to press previews for beauty products as it is always fun to explore the newest innovations before their official launch date. Here you see me in December at the Shiseido press day hosted at Zurich’s Sihlcity in a loft dominated by urban concrete walls, which was allowing the colorful product packaging to take center stage. If you are wondering, Nars, Azzedine Alaïa, Issey Miyake, Narciso Rodriguez, all belong to the Shiseido Group and I am looking forward to sharing those new must-haves with you during the coming weeks.

Just as much as I enjoy discovering new beauty products, I adore spotting new fashion designers. One that I truly enjoy wearing is London-based designer Mira Mikati who began her fashion career as co-founder of concept store Plum. Her eponymous collection was born of a collaboration with Parisian brand Façonnable and a desire to create «something fun that was also beautifully tailored». Her jackets, pants and sweatshirts are emblazoned with emojis, cartoons and playful graphics. I absolutely love her frenzied innocence that shows in a melange of smile-inducing detailing. You have no idea how many compliments I got that day for my outfit!

My look: Rainbow Wave striped faux fur coat, lace-up grosgrain-trimmed merino wool sweater and sequined silk pants, all by Mira Mikati, Kan I Mini studded leather chain shoulder bag, striped silk-twill and leather bag strap, rainbow colored bag bug pompom and bag bug «Karlito», all by Fendi, embroidered «Fusion» sneakers by Dior.

Saving the best for last: what a surprise for me to be reunited with my beloved Montasar Dumas who works for Shiseido in Paris (my avid readers might recognize him from his days at Dior when we always had a lot of fun together).

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

One thing I believe in is that the right lipstick gives you more power. Pumpkin-inspired hues are the color palette for Halloween and are perfect for transitioning into fall as they help tired faces to look more vibrant. Incorporating a fresh contrast to every fall look, try to make your pout take center stage.

Here are my favorite lip products for orange lips:

Phyto-Lèvres Perfect Lipliner – 8 Coral by Sisley

Phyto-Lip Twist Tinted Balm – 3 Peach by Sisley

Baume De Rose Nutri-Couleur – Mandarina Pulp by By Terry

Lips & Boys – Connor 97 by Tom Ford

Lip2cheek – Curious Orange by RMS Beauty

Audacious Lipstick – Geraldine by NARS

Lip & Cheek Bloom – Orange Blossom No.07 by Burberry Beauty

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

Beauty-lovers around the globe will adore the new NARS 2017 Holiday collection. The brand has previously partnered with various artists for its winter lineups. This season, the creations are inspired by iconic photographer MAN RAY and its electrifying art. Featuring vibrant new shades of lip gloss, eye shadow, lipstick, and blush, there is also a must-have golden highlighter that works for a wide range of complexions. But the excitement doesn’t stop there if you see the packaging.

My personal favorites: Duo Eyeshadow in «Montparnasse» (shimmering gold / iridescent orchid), Love Triangle mini gift set featuring the famous «Orgasm» shade in a Mini Blush and Lipstick and Overexposed Glow Highlighter in «Double Take».

Moreover, NARS is also releasing amazing gift sets which include mini iterations of its classic blush and lipsticks, along with new eye and face palettes.

In store now. It’s safe to say that we would love to add all of it to our wish lists.
TO SHOP NARS ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of NARS and © Sandra Bauknecht