To many, owning Chanel No. 5 has the same heft as owning a Ming vase. It’s precious, it’s pure and timeless. Of course the Ming vase can be auctioned off at Sothebys, but we’ll venture to guess that no one in their right mind would auction of their Chanel EDT.

Remember when Chanel rocked the perfume industry in 2007 with the release of its limited-edition “Les Exclusifs” collection? It was available only in Chanel boutiques and Bergdorf Goodman. The 10-sku range is housed in unusually large, 200ml spray bottles, with a high price point of $200 to match.At the time, industry insiders called it a “surprising” move. It’s common knowledge that women won’t invest in a 200ml bottle of perfume because they’re fickle, and love to flit from fragrance to fragrance.

This November, the element of surprise will definitely turn into shock and awe when Chanel introduces a 900ml bottle of Chanel No. 5, retailing for $3,200 at Saks Fifth Avenue. (We’ve done the math: that’s practically a quart.) For No. 5 devotees, it’s a unique opportunity to secure a lifetime supply of this object of acute desire. Note that you’re getting parfum, not EDT, which makes it a steal at $3,200, considering you’d have to buy 30.4 standard-size flacons at a much higher price to equal this gargantuan offer. (more…)

Ah, the nail lacquer trends have me in a Houdini knot this fall. On the one hand, you have deep, rich and vampy shades like Christian Dior’s Liquorice which is tinged with purple and metallic hues. On the other hand, you have Chanel’s obsession with gold.

But gold is not only a Fall shade. Look at Laura Mercier’s “Gold Digger” limited edition collection (from the summer) which houses a beautiful metallic polish, the 24 Karat. Being part reporter and part sleuth, I was interested in comparing the Mercier and Chanel and see how they measured up.

The swatches tell the story. The Mercier swatch is much sweeter with flecks of pink and the Chanel palette parlays a deep, lustrous chrome-like gold.

Personally, I’d pick the Mercier, even for fall. It’s only $15 compared to Chanel’s $30 and personally I feel that the latter’s gold needs to be a tad bit more interesting to justify the togs. What do you think?

PS: Check out Polish Addict’s great review and other options here for a Chanel alternative.

Jana of the Jungle would be proud of my adventure at my local Nordstrom. I tested Lancome’s new Black Carat virtuôse Mascara and guzzled up the dregs of the tester because they were sold out of the lanky tube.

Black Carat is an intense black color and shinier than the traditional Black virtuôse color. As you can see from the picture below, my lashes became as black as soot and more thickly coated than my intensely lacquered nails.

I used a tester brush so I’m sure the lash separation factor was not as good as the regular brush…that’s my only pet peeve about this mascara. Otherwise I think its glossy coat and intensely black color is a good addition to the Lancome virtuôse collection.

Because of my innate skeptical nature, I had to test out the MAC Lustre Twins to see if the color really did last the entire day as the salesperson assured me they would (she betted her firstborn on it…what a daredevil!). Luckily, she gets to keep her kid. (more…)

Several magazines have poured lavish praise on Dubai’s billowy Burj-al-Arab, often touted as the “best hotel in the world.” Iconic and designed to resemble a billowy sail, it’s the world’s tallest hotel.

Now, I don’t know about you, but the idea of staying 321 meters above ground and paying $2,160 per night (or 2.33 ounces of gold) on a nosebleed-inducing room makes me think I’d rather climb on top of the Empire State Building. Better value for money, plus you get to see New York City in all its glory and much popcorn on the rooftop.

We’re not sure if popcorn is even allowed into the hallowed halls of the Burj. Apparently you get a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce to take you around. That’s nice (we wonder how much of our nightly $2160 rate goes to him), and there’s a private reception desk on each floor.

I really don’t mind strolling to the reception desk in the lobby if they’d take off 20% from my nightly bill. Think of how much electricity and man power a reception desk on each floor must cost.

But I can see why wealthy businessmen embrace this hotel like their first trophy wife. I really do. There’s something really pampering about being marooned on an artificial island in a country that has no natural water reserves. To secure a foundation for this island, builders had to drive long concrete piles into the sand (you try doing that on a muggy, hot day and see what happens).

It’s the world’s only seven star property too, but many travel professionals have pooh-poohed the idea of bestowing seven stars when the standard norm is five stars. What’s to prevent the U.S. from coming up with world’s only nine star property where you’ll have an oil bed instead of a water bed?

It does have the tallest atrium lobby in the world and gold pillars. The most expensive room here is dirt cheap, around $28,000 per night. Who needs a mortgage when you can take a private loan and head for Chapter 11 in style? Life’s too short. Go set sail at the Burj and report back.

It is hot, folks! We may as well be in a swamp zone in Florida, and our makeup is migrating down to our knees. Watching our makeup, blush and eyeshadow vanish into an oil slick by noon isn’t our idea of fun in the sun. So hats off to MAC Prep and Prime Protect SPF 50 for giving us serious SPF along with a shine-proof complexion.

We love the convenience of a primer and sunscreen all in one (we’re singing hallelujah as we write this), and we’re in love with the Prep and Prime’s featherweight, fast-absorbing formulation that zaps oil breakthrough like Merlin.

This triple-acting potion also minimizes pores and shields our skin from discoloration, premature aging, dryness and other nasty effects of the sun. This is one multitasking bottle, folks. Too bad it doesn’t do household chores, but we have the Roomba for that!

Suitable for all skin types, a dab or two of Prep and Prime is all it takes for great coverage that mattifies and holds foundation in place all day. So regardless of the humidity, we can put our best face forward, go to the beach, party like Holly Golightly or run the Half Marathon looking like a goddess.

Retailing at $28.00/1 fl. oz., MAC Prep and Prime Protect SPF 50 is available online and at MAC counters everywhere.

Some soaps get you downright squeaky clean, as though you were dirty as a pig in mud before. When you lather up they make you want to scrub away for hours and forget about wasting water or the neighborhood drought.

But few soaps can double as a breakfast bar. Lush’s new Porridge Soap may be one of them. Made with oats and OJ, this bar puts any Cheerios box to shame. It exfoliates and lathers up into brown mushiness and slobbers your skin with moisturizers like sweet orange oil. It’s recommended for people with eczema too and banishes toxins in a way that no Congress pollution bill can.

Does it smell of oats? No! The scent is molasses, and not too strong. I’m lovin’ this lush life.

$5.95 for half a pound at www.lushusa.com

If you crave CSI Miami like you crave Dunkin’ Donuts…if you don’t think about anything other than Monk or Burn Notice on your days off; or have Tivo’d The Sopranos to death, then read on.

There are some really spooky ways to get to know thy neighborhood. Ever wanted to go on a scavenger hunt in a Museum? Now, you can. Watson Adventures will be holding some cool public hunts over the next couple of weeks in various cities:

PUBLIC SCAVENGER HUNTS: New York Friday, July 25: The Wax Attacks Hunt at Madame Tussauds; Saturday, July 26: The Fright at the Museum Family Hunt, The Munch Around the Village Hunt, The Murder at the Met Hunt, The Gangsters New York Twilight Hunt • Boston, July 26: Munch Around Cambridge Hunt • Philadelphia, July 26: Munch Around the Market Hunt; Sunday, July 27: The Hidden Philadelphia Family Hunt; Washington, D.C., July 26: The Haunted Washington Hunt; Los Angeles, Aug. 9: The Naked at the Getty Hunt • Chicago, Aug. 16: Naked at the Museum Hunt •

I’m especially interested in the “Murder at the Met.” For some buffs, Hallowe’en can’t come soon enough, I guess.

If you thought Porsche only made kick-ass, curvy, unaffordable, you-need-to-hit-the-state-lotto-to-get-one-of-these cars, check out the new P’8432 designer shades. That’s right. Words weren’t cool enough. They needed numbers to describe these bad boys. Blue-green tinted lenses so you feel like you’re floating under the sea-watch out for the giant squid!-which is probably the feeling you get
driving one of their cars.

But unlike one of their cars, these glasses, or at least the lenses, are unbreakable, cannot be broken (within reasonable earthly limits). So ram your face into a tree. Head-butt your best friend. The P’8432′s can take it.

Many brave unpaid Porsche interns took dozens of baseball bats to the face in order to prove the durability of these lenses, so the least you can do is hop on line and unload your next pay check for a pair of cool shades that tell the world: “I may not be able to afford a real Porsche, but I also can’t afford their glasses, so thank God for installment plans.”

Porsche P’8432 designer shades. Price – $295 at www.porsche-design.com