Sandrine van Slee is a make-up artist and has been living in New York for more than twenty years. She works with the people that make it happen, like Inez van Lamsweerde and Richard Avedon. She was also the make-up artist for the singer Dido and has had all the biggest supermodels sitting on her chair. Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen, Naomi Campbell, May-Britt Mobach (joke). I was intensely happy with her work; when you say the name Sandrine you are talking about thirty years of experience, style, class and the very best in both Europe and New York.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AMSTERDAM AND NEW YORK WOMEN?
“Women from New York are extremely busy with their looks. Teeth bleaching, hair blowdrying, mani-pedi, waxing, everything gets worked on. A New York woman is very aware of how she appears to a man. She wants to be sexy. That’s why breasts are so important and they all wear the finest push-up bras. They have everything ‘done’ in New York, there is a salon for everything. It’s a load of work to look like a New Yorker. I find that New York women have a more feminine outer appearance than Dutch women, but Dutch women are actually softer, more genuine and more feminine. A Dutch woman dresses for herself, a New Yorker keeps the man at the back of her mind. I think that is the biggest difference.”
“It’s a load of work to look like a New Yorker.”
FROM EXPERIENCE, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY A REAL NEW YORKER LOOKS LIKE? WHAT would I have to DO to achieve a NEW YORK demeanour?
“If you want to look like a New Yorker, you need to have long, gorgeous hair, lightly tanned legs, wear lipgloss, have manicured hands and make sure your breasts are presented in the best possible way. It’s all about great boobs. Women really pay attention to how men look at them. Your dress must be worn as short as possible, your feet squeezed into impossible shoes and your entire salary spent on your appearance. A New York woman is never understated.”
BACK TO THE MAKE-UP CHAIR. WHAT IS THE CAN’T LIVE, BREATHE OR WORK WITHOUT PRODUCT THAT YOU ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU?
“The most important thing is my sunny disposition, ha ha. I’m laughing but it is what makes the difference. And rosewater from the natural store, I use it to prep the skin and relax people, Burt’s Bees lip salve and Oribe texturizing spray for hair.”
YOU OBVIOUSLY TAILOR YOUR WORK TO SUIT THE REQUIREMENTS OF YOUR CLIENT, BUT IS THERE ALSO A TYPICAL SANDRINE-LOOK…
“I always try to bring the beauty out in someone, first looking carefully at the face and deciding what to do with the ‘material’ I have to work with. If someone has pretty eyes, I accentuate them. If I see full lips, I work with those. I love it when my make-up supports what they have naturally, it needs to blend with the person. Let’s not overdo it when you are already beautiful.”
WHAT ARE YOUR BEST BUYS FROM THE LAST MONTH?
“Oribe texturizing spray, you can buy it on amazon.com. Burt’s Bees lip balm with a natural colouring that gives your lips a subtle tint. Anessa from Shiseido is the very best suncream. It’s totally matte. I need to find a Japanese assistant who can buy it for me because I really cannot find it here. It is available in two colours and I am totally addicted to it. Also Canaille blush from CHANEL, a kind of bronzer blush. Yes, when it comes to hair and make-up products, I buy a lot. I call it keeping up.”
“We sat in a tiny space with all the top models of the moment. Karen Mulder, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Tyra Banks”
IF YOU DIVE INTO YOUR CASE, YOU WILL PROBABLY SEE A LABEL THAT IS OVER-REPRESENTED. WHICH BRAND? CHANEL? DIOR? BOBBI BROWN? WHY IS IT YOUR FAVOURITE? “
CHANEL. They have developed enormously in colour, quite unbelievable. The Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow, the Perfection Lumière Velvet foundation, their powders, all of outstanding quality. The Le Volume mascara is the most intense black mascara there is. They have an amazing PR team and send everything you ask for.”
WHAT SHOULD ALL DUTCH WOMEN KNOW?
“Dutch women could do with spending more time on their hair and nails. Forget that bag of fries, have a green juice instead and go to the gym. New York women do a lot more sport than Dutch women. It is much better for your body and skin. Although there are models like Kate Moss who smoke, drink and do every god forbidden thing and still have good skin.”
CAN YOU GIVE US A FEW NEW YORK PRODUCT TIPS?
“Tarte-cosmetics is a line made by a woman whose husband died on 9-11. She created a conscious, vegan, eco-chic line that is not tested on animals, nor does it contain any parabens. They have beautiful lip pencils that double as lipstick (lip surgence) in matte and sheer, they contain no toxic minerals and a lovely minty taste to top it all off. Tarte also has a lovely mineral powder: the amazonian clay full coverage airbrush foundation. If you don’t want to wear foundation, you can use this mineral powder over your day cream. It has a matifying effect, but not too much. The body lotion from Bliss, a body butter with lemon and sage, it has a deliciously refreshing lemon smell and is very moisturizing. Another must have if you ask me.”
HOW DO YOU MAGICALLY TRANSFORM EVERYONE INTO GLOWING, HAPPY AND HEALTHY AFTER A BAD NIGHT?
“A face massage, CHANEL concealer, a spray of rosewater, Visine eyedrops, a good strong latte and a whole lot of bronzing powder.”
“Working with Linda Evangelista was another wild moment”
IF YOU REFLECT ON YOUR LONG CAREER, WHAT ARE THE MOMENTS THAT MAKE YOU THINK – ME? HERE? WOW.
“When I first arrived in New York, I worked with Bruce Weber, that was a high point. I once did a show in Paris for Hervé Leger. We sat in a tiny space with all the top models of the moment. Karen Mulder, Cindy Crawford (who was then still with Richard Gere), Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Tyra Banks. We were squashed on top of each other doing make-up. It was a genuine supermodel moment. Since that day, Naomi Campbell does not want me doing her hair and make-up, all because I did the make-up of Tyra Banks. She was so angry about it because Tyra was a threat to her.
Another highlight was when I worked with Richard Avedon on a Pirelli-calendar. We were photographing the girls naked and I was trying to cover little wounds on a girl's leg. Avedon called over to me: “Don’t worry honey, I’ll fix it in a retouch.” That was kind.
Working with Linda Evangelista was another wild moment. She had flown in on a private jet and was at the very top of her career. She was in a relationship with Kyle MacLachlan, the actor that played Trey MacDougal in Sex and the City. She asked if she was on time. Really. She was so sweet and nice. Unbelievable for someone of her stature. She and Shalom Harlow were the absolute best to transform for the desired moment. Shalom was the best movement-wise but Linda had the best face, so beautiful. One of the finest models to work with. Naomi Campbell is at the bottom of my list. Sorry Naomi.”
IMAGINE THAT YOU HAVE A RED CARPET APPEARANCE AND YOU ONLY GET TO USE ONE MAKE-UP PRODUCT. WHAT WOULD IT BE?
“There is a huge chance that you are filmed and photographed on the red carpet. The most important thing is that you are not all shiny, so I would choose a mineral powder. Take care though that it is the correct type of powder and not a high definition powder, to avoid another Angelina Jolie-failure who appeared in Cannes with white powder marks on her face.”
