bLavish

Aurelie Bidermann Sterling Dreamcatcher Necklace

December 21, 2010 | Posted by bLavish as Bling Bling at 8:00 pm | Comments off

Shopping for fashionistas is tricky business. You can’t just walk in to any fancy boutique and walk out with the right handbag. If she’s a girl with her own sense of style, she’s going to be offended if you just go out and grab the most popular “it” item of the year, even if it is decadent and luxurious. You better know whether her style is boho or posh, uptown or downtown.

If she’s a downtown boho type, this Aurelie Bidermann dreamcatcher necklace is a great choice. It’s embellished with semi-precious brown chalcedony, and the sterling has been woven into an intricate traditional Native American design. It’s also a gift that’s meant to bring good luck, as the web is meant to catch your dreams. What a great way to show your hippie chick that you dig her unique brand of chic.

Phuket Villa Rentals In Thailand

December 21, 2010 | Posted by bLavish as Luxury Travel at 5:33 pm | Comments off

One of my best friends just got back from Thailand, and she can’t stop talking about it. Transformative, life-changing, these are the kinds of words she uses. If travel to Thailand brings up images of dirty backpackers and crowded cities, rest assured that there’s another way of doing things. The Phuket Villa Getaways are luxury rentals for the discerning traveler.

The Villas are located on Phuket, which is the largest island in Thailand, and is called the “Pearl of the South. The Villas offer everything from eco-adventures to golfing packages, all located within easy access to Patong Beach, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand.

There’s certainly no limit of activities nearby, from waterskiing and scuba diving to elephant riding. Or you could just laze on the bring drinking cocktails and getting massages. Either way, Thailand’s beautiful combination of mountains and beaches offers a vacation like no other.

$11 Million Christmas Tree In Abu Dhabi

December 20, 2010 | Posted by bLavish as Bling Bling at 6:00 pm | Comments off

The Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi is the residence of one of the most expensive Christmas trees in the world. The tree, which stands in the lobby of the luxurious hotel, is overloaded with gold, diamonds and rubies. It stands 43 feet tall, and sits atop a mound of silver and gold wrapped gift boxes.

But the Emirates Palace feels a little conflicted about the opulence of the decorations. In fact, after the tree was unveiled, the hotel issued an apologetic press release rebuking their own “attempts to overload the tradition followed by most hotels in the country with meanings and connotations that do not fall in line with the (hotel’s) professional standards.”

Basically, the Emirates Palace blamed the gaudiness of the tree on the jeweler that decorated it. The hotel, they claim, “is just a venue for exhibiting the tree.” That may be the case, but don’t think for a second that the hotel has any qualms about soaking up all the publicity surrounding the tree, no matter how theoretically opposed to it they may be.

Bel Air Modern Estate

December 20, 2010 | Posted by bLavish as Estate of the Day at 4:21 pm | Comments off

Rose + Chang is becoming one of the most prestigious realty companies in Los Angeles. They specialize in estates with architectural distinction. Currently, this modern Bel Air estate is in their listings, and boy, is it a wonder.

Designed by the Billy Rose Design & Assemblage firm, this 12,000 square foot home is considered the best modern estate to hit the market in the last decade. It is located in a swank, and very private, eleven home gated community. The master bedroom boasts a sitting room, 2 bathrooms, and 2 closets, and there are 5 other bedrooms on top of that. There is, of course, a gym, home theater, and a giant eat-in kitchen. There is also a guest apartment with its own entry.

The 1/2 acre lot includes a motor courtyard, a 3 car garage, and an infinity pool. This is the kind of minimalist paradise that feels warm despite its massive size and airy design. The brick clad interiors and exteriors balance out the ample light and fabulous views of city lights. The estate is being listed at $17.5 million.

Oscars A Win-Win

December 17, 2010 | Posted by bLavish as Just For Frivolous Fun at 8:00 pm | Comments off

Is everyone else already thinking about the Oscars? I know I am. You don’t need to be a professional prognositcator to predict that Natalie Portman is getting a nomination. And that whole Tangled thing seems like a big deal, too. Unfortunately, we don’t know who’s going to take the nominations this year for sure, but I can tell you that even if they don’t win, they still win.

Last year’s losers won gift baskets valued at over $85,000, dubbed the “Everyone Wins At The Oscars” gift basket. Seriously! Frankly, I’d take one of those babies over a gold statue anyday, but I guess that just goes to show how little artistic integrity I really have. Once you find out what was in them, you might want to become a sellout like me.  Here are some of the amazing inclusions:

• Fancy Feast’s “Celebrate the Moment” gift package including a FlipCam Mino, Tiffany crystal-studded cat collar and an assortment of Fancy Feast Appetizers for Cats
• HGTV Green Home Mattress Collection by Serta
• $4,000 limited edition (only 125 made) luxury Leather Travel Bag from Victorinox, makers of the Original Swiss Army Knife
• Private island vacation at the Turks & Caicos Sporting Club at Ambergris Clay
• $45,000 private & exclusive use of an African Safari Lodge from Premier Tours (includes four nights at the luxurious Lion Sands Private Game Reserve in South Africa for up to 8 adults and 8 kids, all meals prepared daily by a private chef, daily private game drives in open safari vehicles and guided nature walks)
• $14,500 four-night resort stay in a seaside suite with breakfast in bed at the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel in the Principality of Monaco
• A $7,000 three-night all-inclusive rustic getaway to Winvian Luxury Hotel in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut (2009 “losing” nominees Ron Howard and Frank Langella redeemed last year)
• Professional dog studio photography package from Otis & Lucy (Paris Hilton is a fan)
• BlueFox Extreme Bluetooth headset
• A year’s supply of Altoids Smalls
• The Pig Board from Snout a Pig
• iFLY indoor skydiving experience
• Eco-friendly certified carbon free SoHo Ultra-Quiet personal shredder from GoECOlife
• La Peau Couture Organic Wrinkle Diminishing Serum (priced at $499 per jar)
• Slimware portion-control plates (used by body-conscious Hollywood stars such as Rene Russo, Kristin Chenoweth, Emily Procter and Ashlee Simpson)
• 10 personal training sessions from Huntley Drive Fitness (where previous nominees Melissa Leo and Jason Reitman train)
• One week all-inclusive fitness bootcamp from Live In Fitness Enterprise (former Oscar nominee Angela Bassett just finished the Red Carpet Bootcamp Program)

Marc By Marc Jacobs Stainless Steel Symbol Watch

December 17, 2010 | Posted by bLavish as For Her, Holiday Gift Ideas, Timepieces at 4:30 pm | Comments off

If you’re looking for a fabulous stocking stuffer for a hip woman with quirky taste, you’re in luck. This stainless steel Symbols watch is one part low key practicality and one part totally cute.

The Marc by Marc Jacobs line has won the hearts of  fashionistas the world over. The edgy, and sometimes irreverent designs appeal to a young, cool demographic that few mainstream fashion lines are able to reach. Not only that, but the line’s designs usually have enough classic touches to appeal to other women as well.

This chunky stainless steel watch has a mannish shape that is offset by a face with a cartoonish cast of characters, including some Marc Jacobs standbys, and some new paper cutout lovelies . The watch comes in a graphically decorated presentation box with a pack of designer logo playing cards.

Giant Tiffany & Co Christmas Tree In Milan

December 15, 2010 | Posted by bLavish as Just For Frivolous Fun at 7:00 pm | Comments off

Tiffany & Co is known for their sophisticated, timeless designs. I never really thought their line included Christmas trees, but I guess I was wrong. Tiffany recently gifted the city of Milan with this posh holiday addition. The $450,000 tree is on display in the Piazzo Duomo, and is decorated with over 1000,000 electric candles and ornaments designed especially by Tiffany & Co for the tree.

This gift doesn’t come string-free for the city of Milan, of course. The tree is a beautiful attraction for city-dwellers and visitors, and you can rest assured that Tiffany is going to take advantage of that fact. The company plans to open a special holiday pop-up store underneath the tree selling holiday gifts. Brilliant marketing, but it did suffer a few setbacks. The archpriest of Milan’s cathedral, for example, protesting against the installation of the tree on the grounds that it wasn’t in line with the religious tenor of the holidays.

Fabulously Filled Bobbi Brown Beauty Trunk

December 15, 2010 | Posted by bLavish as For Her, Holiday Gift Ideas, Personal Care at 3:55 pm | Comments off

As a rule, women usually prefer to buy their own cosmetics. Unless you opt for something really universal, it’s really hard to tell what she’s going to want, need, and use. Black eyeliner is a staple, but it doesn’t make a very thoughtful gift. This Bobbi Brown Deluxe Beauty Trunk bypasses all these issues by including ALL the staple items that any woman could possibly want, and then some, all in Bobbi Brown’s fabulously perfect formulas.

Seriously, this gorgeous little trunk has everything, including a perfect for the holidays red lipstick, and two pots of Bobbi Brown’s famous gel liner. Not to mention a great array of brushes, moisturizers, and shadows, all full-sized, all bestsellers. The sleek black box is a gift itself, with a beautiful red interior and a giant application mirror. This gift set is only available for the 2010 holiday season, so snatch one up quick and check someone special off your Christmas list.

Rhode Island Luxury Estate

December 15, 2010 | Posted by bLavish as Estate of the Day at 3:36 pm | Comments off

Located on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island this Georgian Colonial was originally built in 1928 but of course has received many facelifts over the long years since.

Featuring an almost too spacious formal dining room, today’s estate is perfect for entertaining all the guests in your busy life.  With a custom wet bar, wood burning fireplaces, kitchen with granite counters along with a large breakfast room, you can host all of your family and then some in this luxury estate.

Asking price is a mere $2.995 million.

Russian Billionaire Launches Luxury Hybrid Cars

December 14, 2010 | Posted by bLavish as Fast & Furious Cars at 9:41 am | Comments off

The same Russian billionaire, Mikhail Prokhorov, who purchased the New Jersey Nets NBA franchise is starting a new luxury venture, hybrid vehicles.

Prokhorov said Monday the cars, powered both by gasoline and electricity, are “socially important products” that he hopes will “overcome existing stereotypes … that Russia cannot make normal cars.”

The vehicles are to be sold in three models – sedan, sporty and a small truck – with an expected price of around $10,000 (€7,550).

The name is written in Russian by the letter E with two dots over it.

While there are no current plans to introduce the cars to the US, we’re betting that Prokhorov will eventually take his plans to the States, or at least we’re hoping on it!

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