Amayzine

Sandrine is our woman in New York. True that she has Dutch roots but she has been living in the nicest city in the world for over twenty years. What does she do there?
One of the better make-up artists. Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, name them and her brush has touched them. When I read that she had “done” Leo di Caprio, I wanted to know everything, EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING. You get it, I get it.

FIRST OF ALL SANDRINE, HOW IS IT IN NEW YORK? WE'RE HEARING ALL KINDS OF SCARY MESSAGES ABOUT SNOWSTORMS?

About 1.80 meters of snow had fallen in the northern part of New York state, near Buffalo. There have been about 10 deaths, unbelievable for this time of year. There was no snow in the city, but it was very cold for a few days!

 AND NOW ON TO LEO THE GREAT. HOW DID IT ALL HAPPEN, HOW WAS IT, HOW WAS HE, HOW WERE YOU?

When I moved to New York in the ‘90s, I worked with photographer Bruce Weber, that's how I got in touch with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Lasse Halstrom directed the film “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”, in which Leonardo plays a charismatic character of a mentally disabled child. He received an Oscar nomination for this. Bruce wanted to photograph him immediately because he knew that Leonardo, then 20 years old, was at the beginning of a great career as an actor. Bruce Weber wanted to be the first to photograph him and together with the editor-in-chief of Interview Magazine, Ingrid Sischy, he created his first story, the cover, and an interview for the magazine to declare his stardom. Leonardo was young, very funny, nice, and very comfortable to be photographed. Once we were on location in Coney Island, he was charming, really a sweetheart and also very nice to me.

Leonardo was young, very funny, nice, and very comfortable to be photographed.

 I THINK YOU'VE DONE SOME SPECIAL PRODUCTIONS AFTER THAT, TELL...

I worked for GAP for a few years in the advertising and commercials department. It was the first time GAP used the same team for two years, with cool and interesting actors, musicians, artists, and singers. I traveled to LA almost every month, where I stayed at the Chateau Marmont hotel on Sunset Boulevard. In the mornings, we would see Keanu Reeves leaving on his vintage motorcycle to go to work, and Mickey Rourke hanging out at the bar downstairs in the evenings, it was really amazing! A few names I worked with are Scarlett Johansson, Kiefer Sutherland, Seal, Juliette Lewis, Daft Punk, Duran Duran, Tricky, Angelica Huston, and Jeff Koons. Two weeks ago, I worked with Annie Leibowitz for Vanity Fair magazine, with actors Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews, both from The Sound of Music. It was a great experience and an honor to work with such talented people.

 AFTER ALL THAT HARD WORK, ARE YOU NOW ALSO INCREDIBLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE WEEKEND?

Yes very much, although my work sometimes continues into the weekend.

 WHAT TIME, WHERE, AND WITH WHOM DOES THAT TGIF FEELING START FOR YOU?

Usually around 6 o'clock when I'm in a photo studio in New York. When I'm cleaning up my make-up bag and washing my brushes, I think: thank god I won't see this bag for a few days. I usually try to go to my dance class at 5Rhythms on Friday evenings. It's in a dance studio around the corner from my house, where I dance everything out for two hours. Afterwards, I go out to dinner with my friends at a local Malaysian restaurant with a glass of wine and a spicy mie goreng with prawns and bok choy, yum!

 IS THERE ALSO AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE IN YOUR GLASS OR DO NEW YORK GIRLS ALSO DRINK SUPER HEALTHY THINGS ON FRIDAY NIGHT?

Absolutely! When I'm eating, I prefer to drink a nice glass of pinot noir with it. I never get a hangover from this wine. There are also so many nice bars in my neighborhood, a Scottish whiskey bar, a romantic Italian wine bar, a newly opened 1950s Hawaiian-style cocktail bar, and a small jazz bar that has been around since the ’60s. Many of these bars have a happy hour from five to seven o'clock. New York girls definitely drink alcohol and recently I've become a fan of trying new cocktails. If I'm not dancing, I might have a cocktail. I'm a big fan of the Aperol Spritz.

When I'm eating, I prefer to drink a nice glass of pinot noir with it. I never get a hangover from this wine.

Saturday usually starts early, I have my routine. I jump in a taxi with my sweet Jack Russell terrier Devi to Central Park for a lovely morning walk, because she can run around with other dogs there. Afterwards, we walk to the café “Le Pain Quotidien” in the park by Sheeps Meadow, where I drink a latte with my dog friends and then we walk back downtown. I always stop by the supermarket for my fresh veggies, farm eggs, and fresh caught tuna from Montauk, while Devi begs for cheese pieces at the cheese section. Then we go straight to Morandi, because I really love their brunch. Great terrace, very ‘rustica italian’ and when you guys are here, I'll definitely send you there.

 AND THEN, SATURDAY IN NEW YORK. TAKE US WITH YOU....

Always different, last Saturday for example, I was at a drawing class all morning, where I had to paint a chakra number 5 mandala (yes, I'm also an artist) in a quiet version of Williamsburg called Greenpoint (about how Williamsburg was in the ’90s). Afterwards, I had a lovely lunch at a fantastic café around the corner called “Troost” where they serve lattes in glasses. I could swear I was in a brown café in Amsterdam!

Always different, last Saturday for example, I was at a drawing class all morning, where I had to paint a chakra number 5 mandala (yes, I'm also an artist)

The Saturday before that, I went on a four-hour hike of fifteen kilometers in a fantastic State Park called Harrison State Park, about a 45-minute drive north over the George Washington bridge along the Hudson River. Beautiful hikes through low and high mountains surrounded by amazing autumn colors with huge boulders from the ice age. On the way home, I stopped at a fantastic traditional Korean sauna to soothe my feet, scrub my skin baby-soft with sea salt, and then eat a hot Korean soup. This Saturday, I'm going to do my morning routine and brunch and in the evening, I have a private tour from a friend at the Philip Johnson Glass house in New Canaan, CT and then we're going to eat Mexican food with a big margarita as a drink.

 WHAT DO YOU READ AND LISTEN TO ON THE WEEKEND?

I read Vanity Fair, New York Times, New Yorker and I listen to Spotify playlists of Miles Davis jazz or Beck or meditation music when I'm painting at home. At the moment, I'm reading Amor Towles’s Rules of Civilization, a great story set during The Depression in New York City.

 DOES SUNDAY LOOK VERY DIFFERENT THAN SATURDAY? TELL, WHAT DOES YOUR SUNDAY LOOK LIKE?

On Sunday, I always try to take it a bit easy. Sleeping in, taking a quiet walk through my neighborhood, checking out the little shops, going for a bike ride, going to the movies, meeting up with girlfriends. I don't like to pack my weekend full, but to keep it a bit open. I also really enjoy cooking at home and sometimes watching some trash on TV like the reality show Housewives. It's amazing how much botox and fillers those women have and somehow I'm fascinated by how they can be so bitchy to each other and have such crazy lifestyles, very entertaining.

 SUPPOSE I WANT TO BE INCREDIBLY NEW YORKISH THIS WEEKEND, WHAT SHOULD I WEAR AND WHERE SHOULD I GO?

This weekend is Thanksgiving weekend so it's actually a bit low key for everyone, no big parties and people are getting ready for a family gathering. Most people travel to their families, as it's the biggest tradition in the States. And it's the time when everyone eats pig with their family, turkey, mashed potatoes, and so on. And a lot of pumpkinpie. So I can imagine New Yorkers going to the gym, definitely detoxing for a day, getting juices at Juice Press, going to MoMa to see the fantastic cut-out exhibition of Matisse and also definitely organizing their agendas.

 This weekend is Thanksgiving weekend so it's actually a bit low key for everyone, no big parties and people are getting ready for a family gathering.

December is already completely filled with Christmas parties. The windows of Saks, Bergdorfs, and Henri Bendel are already in Christmas style, great to see before all the tourists take over. Get a manicure and pedicure for all the madness of traveling for Thanksgiving, go see the sequel to the Hunger Games, Mocking Jay part 1. It has been in theaters since Thursday (November 19) so that's definitely a good idea. Afterwards, if you love food, there's this weekend Smorgasburg.com: a great food festival on Saturday in Williamsburg and Sunday under the Brooklyn Bridge.For the party animals:  Make sure to wear a black motorcycle jacket, stiletto heels, and black leather pants and you're ready for the night.

 WHAT TIME DOES THE ALARM GO OFF ON MONDAY AGAIN?

I have to be at work by 8:30 AM and I love to take my time, so my alarm goes off at 6:30 AM.