Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from The Lust List! Enjoy this season with family and friends. We'll be back in 2008 with more great items!

12 Days of Holidays: Day 12 - Clarisonic Skin Care System

I wasn’t planning on featuring this product until I had tested it out for a little bit longer, but after just two weeks I’m in love. I can see a difference in my skin, and I just couldn’t wait to tell everyone about the Clarisonic Skin Care System. (You may have heard of it since it made Oprah’s 2007 Favorite Things list too!)

Clarisonic is the first sonic oscillation (think Sonicare toothbrush – this is actually from the same inventor) face brush that deep cleans pores while exfoliating dead skin. The brush comes with a charging docking station that provides power for 30 one-minute cleanings. All it takes is one-minute, and the brush has timers to help you focus on your whole face for the proper amount of time – prompting you with beeps to move onto the next area. It’s waterproof so you can just take it in the shower with you, and you can use any facial cleanser with it (a trial size Clarisonic cleanser is provided in the kit). And if you need one more thing to love about it – it makes cleaning your face feel like your getting a facial massage (300 movements per second!). Who knew washing your face could be so exciting :)

My skin is softer and clearer . . . yours can be too. There is a 30-day money back guarantee, so you’ve got nothing to lose in giving it a try. The Clarisonic Skin Care System is available for $195 at Clarisonic.com and other beauty retailers.

12 Days of Holidays: Day 11 - Weather Now II

You wake up in the morning and as you are planning your outfit you think, “What’s the weather like outside?” Hot, cold, warm, in-between . . . long sleeves, tights, light jacket, parka? Looking out the window just won’t prepare you. Your solution: Weather Now II by Oregon Scientific.

It displays a real-time, four-day regional weather forecast using the MSN Direct service to receive regional weather information without the use of any outdoor sensors. It displays current regional weather data, including temperature, humidity, UV index, chance of precipitation and a unique "feels like" temperature reading that combines temperature and humidity into one easy reading. A radio-controlled clock/calendar also displays the day's sunrise and sunset information. It’s basically the Weather Channel on your night stand, plus your alarm clock. Perfection.

Sounds complicated? Nope, there is no set-up required. You just have to pull it out of the box and plug it in (or put in batteries, as it can run completely off those).

I don’t know what I did before. I have to check the temperature every morning and night now. You’ll become addicted too . . . in a very, very good way.

It’s available for $129.99 at Oregon Scientific.

12 Days of Holidays: Day 10 - Smythson

Smythson is a British luxury brand synonymous with style and quality leather goods. Their stationery, books, and leather goods are covetable. Here are three of my favorite gifts based on how much you love the recipient (aka, how much you are willing to spend).


Like – Brunches, Lunches, Suppers, Dinners
I love this tongue-in-cheek titled leather bound party planner notebook. It contains 128 ruled leaves of pale blue featherweight paper. It is available in Nile Blue (complimented with silver blocking and edges) and Emerald (complimented with gold blocking and edges). Inside you will find a table planner with notes for the menu, date and wines.


Adore – Slim Travel Wallet with Slide Closure
Perfect for traveling or even everyday use. There is a detachable passport cover, pockets for tickets, currency and credit cards.


Love – The Nancy Collection
It’s safe to say I would die if I opened one of these on Christmas morning. The elegant and luxurious Nancy collection is available in large, small and a clutch. It’s handmade from soft calf leather with innovative hand pleating, a vintage leather covered clasp and a mauve satin lining. I love it. But, of course, these must-have bags do not come cheap.

There are Smythson stores in New York and Beverly Hills, or you can purchase products at Smythson.com.

12 Days of Holidays: Day 9 - The Marc Jacobs Waterford Collection

As you are preparing for holiday dinners and New Years parties your table will not be complete without this lust worthy item – The Marc Jacobs Waterford Collection.

Internationally acclaimed designer Marc Jacobs shares his signature style and vision with the premier luxury lifestyle brand, Waterford, to create exquisitely crafted crystal stemware, giftware and fine china. The designs are TO DIE FOR. They are exemplary, elegant and fashionable.


To imprint his style, Marc Jacobs named the patterns after his closest friends. My favorite collection is Jean. It has a dotted pattern that has classic elegance yet would work in a more modern, casual setting. All of the collections have subtle, gorgeous details that draw you in, and the crystal is cut perfectly so your table will sparkle and capture the light.

You’ll instantly fall in love with the Marc Jacobs Waterford Collection like I did! And it doesn’t matter if you are a bride or plan on hosting a fabulous dinner party. I love Waterford’s slogan of “Add Some Sparkle to Every Day!”

Visit Waterford.com for styles and to purchase.


We have one last giveaway for our 12 Days of Holidays, compliments of Waterford. Add an air of refinement to your vanity with the Waterford Colleen Perfume Bottle (retails for $100). It would make an absolutely stunning gift. To enter email thelustlist@gmail.com, with “Waterford” in the subject line, by December 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST. One lucky winner will be randomly selected.

12 Days of Holidays: Day 8 - Alena Hennessy

Illustrator Alena Hennessy has brought her designs to clothing and created affordable wearable art. I love her artistic flair and simplistic color schemes. I am completely smitten with her whole line of totes, tees, pillows and extra-long wrap scarves.

Wrap yourself in this super soft, versatile and extra long scarf - Blue Flora on Charcoal Scarf. It's 93" long by 16" wide and made of cotton jersey for $28. Check out her other designs, purchase online and find store locations at Alenahennessy.com.

12 Days of Holidays: Day 7 - Yarborough Sweater Bangles

These handknit cashmere bangles are adorable. Handcrafted by Elizabeth Yarborough in her East Village studio, they are oh so soft and stunning on. They are sticked in rib, seed stitch and cable knit styles. Wear one or stack them - regardless, it will be a stunning accessory to your outfit.

Available in ivory, gray or red in small ($138), medium ($161) or large ($196). You can buy them at LaGarconne.com.

12 Days of Holidays: Day 6 - Haute Hostess Aprons

Chic cocktail dress accessory or kitchen apron? The kitchen just became a little sexier and sassier with Haute Hostess Aprons. This is not an apron for grease and spills, these are high-end accessories for the dinner party extraordinaire. You'll look great, regardless of what you are wearing underneath!

Available in three different styles: the ruffled Glam It Up, the chic Chanel-inspired Glam It Up Lux and the girlie Give Me Sugar, starting at $100. Visit Hautehostessaprons.com for styles, colors and retail locations.

12 Days of Holidays: Day 5 - A Common Thread

Ease, comfort and relaxed elegance, yet bold and playful. You will find it all in the collections from A Common Thread. I am in love with this silk chiffon dress in brown with a cotton slip, a lace v-neck and helm, embroidery detail on the front and ties under the bust. It’s beautiful for any party, event or evening. Available in XS – XL for $458.

A Common Thread is a new brand that should definitely be on your radar by. All of their pieces are beautifully made, full of color and intricate. Sold nationwide at Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York, Nordstrom and Fred Segal.

12 Days of Holidays: Day 4 - DVDs

The perfect last minute gift for anyone – that everyone will enjoy – a DVD. Go one step further and make it a DVD Box Set. It’s simple, yet perfect. Don't think of it as a cop-out gift; everyone enjoys watching their favorite movie or old TV shows again (especially during these upcoming cold, winter months!).

There is something for everyone on your list – maybe even too much variety. There were more than 10,000 titles released this year alone: 532 were theatrical films, 1,076 were older "catalog" movies, 528 were TV box sets, 1,099 were music DVDS. Here are a few good ones that were just released:

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Disney, $29.99)
The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal, $29.98)
High School Musical 2 (Disney, $29.99)
Seinfeld (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, $283.95) 180 episodes on 33 discs
Everyone Loves Raymond (HBO Video, $279.98) 210 episodes on 44 discs
Full House (Warner Brothers, $159.72) 192 episodes on 32 discs
Gilmore Girls: The Complete Series (Warner Brothers, $258.82) 153 episodes on 42 discs

12 Days of Holidays: Day 3 - Hau Hauz Finland

I have a weakness for bags. I love them, and they are fabulous gifts because everyone needs them and you can never have enough! I recently discovered Hau Hauz by Finnish designer Satu Makoonnen. Each piece is made of beautiful, rich linen that has been hand block printed with patterns inspired by Scandinavian contemporary design. The bags have an organic feel that is just lovely.

My favorite is the Rumbba Bag. It’s slightly oversized so you can fit everything in it, but it still has a small handle and feel to it. Available in Kalevala Yellow, Kalevala White and Kalevala Natural (pictured) for $108.


The other bag I could carry around everyday is the Tango Purse – Kantele. It’s vintage and romantic with a simple silver metal clasp. Available in Kantele White, Kantele Natural (pictured) with or without a handle for $72.


Check out the bags, as well as the other products including pillows, clothes and more, at House + Wear.

Now just for our 12 Days of Holidays, we have not one, but FOUR Hau Hauz bags to giveaway!
Four lucky Lust List readers will win a Cha Cha, Tango, Jive Clutch, and Rumba. To enter email thelustlist@gmail.com, with “Hau Hauz” in the subject line, by December 19 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Four lucky winners will be randomly selected.

12 Days of Holidays: Day 2 - Opera Gloves

Adorable - Check
Warm - Check
Luxurious - Check
So fabulous you may not give them away and just keep them yourself - Check

These White + Warren Opera Gloves are the perfect holiday gift for any woman in your life. They are 100% cashmere and feel as great as that sounds. I love the extra-long length - worn long or scrunched, they look great under any sleeve.

Available in Tobacco, Tigerlily and Bittersweet for $75. Purchase them at WhiteandWarren.com .

12 Days of Holidays: Day 1 - The Flip

Dancing around the house singing. Little Emma’s first Christmas. Your niece’s ballet performance. Grandma ice skating. Capturing special moments just got easier - introducing The Flip Video Ultra Series. The Flip Video is easy to use (no more worrying about cords or if the battery is charged), AND it will fit in your pocket (making sure you can capture every moment). Making The Flip one of my favorite gifts for anyone this holiday.

The Flip comes in two models:
60 minutes ($179.99) available in white, black, orange and pink
30 minutes ($149.99) available in black and white

It has a 1.5 inch no-glare display screen for clear viewing; next-generation video processing; one-touch recording with 2x zoom; instant on-camera playback and delete; high-speed video sharing; one-click emailing; custom editing of movies; capture of still photos from video; built-in tripod mount. In one word – AMAZING.

There is basically no set-up involved. I pulled it out of the box and started filming. After played with The Flip for about five minutes I was hooked. I carried it with me everywhere and captured everything. Just “flip” out the USB arm, plug it into your computer and upload. It was easy to make movies, email, and publish videos.

I highly recommend this for anyone on your gift list! You can buy The Flip at many retailers including Target, Best Buy and TheFlip.com.

One lucky Lust List reader will win!
To kick off our 12 Days of Holidays, we are giving away a white 30 minute model! To enter email thelustlist@gmail.com, with “The Flip Video Ultra” in the subject line, by December 16 at 11:59 p.m. EST. One lucky winner will be randomly selected.

Food For Thought

Do you always have food on the brain? The holidays and all of those cold winter nights are perfect for game nights! There is a new and unique game with a twist on our obsession with food – Food For Thought trivia challenge. The game asks questions on a broad range of subjects to which each answer if FOOD. The questions range from easy to impossible. Here are a few examples (the answers are in red, so highlight under the question to see if you're right):

Q: To urge and encourage someone is to what?
A: Egg him on

Q: Higher levels of society are known as the?
A: Upper crust

Q: The expression meaning that one cannot control everything that happens is?
A: That’s the way the cookie crumbles

Q: NYC is affectionately referred to as?
A: The big apple

Q: A dinner honoring someone by making jokes about him or her is called a?
A: roast

Purchase yours for $24.95, plus $4 shipping and handling, at https://shop.foodforthoughttriviachallenge.com/splashPage.hg.

Art & Cook Kitchen Utensils

Style and technology take the humble spatula and whisk out of the dark ages into state of the art breathtaking form. Ar+Cook created the first line of kitchen tools constructed with air technology making ergonomic handles where are extremely comfortable. The core of the majority of the tools is zinc making them strong and providing more weight to the tools, allowing them to work more efficiently and reducing the need to exert excessive force when completing the cooking task at hand.

My first reaction when I picked up the utensils was that they were a little heavy, but as soon as I started using them I couldn't believe how well they works. I tested out the dessert scoop ($12), a spatula ($12) and citrus reamer($20).


The Dessert Scoop was my favorite - maybe because of what I was using it for :) Scooping Ice Cream! The scoop is really sleek and beautiful. It went right through the ice cream with no problems. The air in the handle made all the difference in the world because I didn't feel like I was pushing hard. Fabulous!


The silicone spatula is flexible and strong. It frosted a cake beautifully.

The citrus reamer is fun. I love my key lime pie recipe, but stripping the limes is the worst part. This reamer worked perfectly! It has such a fun and unique shape.

Check out ArtandCook.com for all of their products. All tools are dishwasher safe and come in fun colors like purple, lime green, orange and hot pink, in addition to black and white. Brighten up your kitchen, have fun cooking and make it easier with Art and Cook!

Breville Cordless Hand Blender

The holiday are all about food. Holiday parties, holiday gifts . . . it's everywhere. I just love when the smells from your kitchen fill the whole house. This week I'm devoting The Lust List to some great kitchen gadgets. (Next week I'll start my 12 Day of Holiday Gifts for all of you last minute shoppers - like me!)


Last week I made a pumpkin soup and The Breville 9.6V Cordless Hand Blender could not have been more help. It was perfect. I only needed one bowl – no messy blender to have to clean up – and it didn’t whip and excess air into the soup. Delicious.

The Breville Cordless Stick Blender provides as much power as a traditional blender without having to be connected to an outlet. The stainless steel blender attachment has two large blades that blend everything from smoothies, milkshakes, whipped cream, cocktails and more.

It's available here at Breville.com for $99.99.

And to help kick of your holidays, enjoy this perfect holiday drink from Breville - Eggnog Dominican Style.

1 cup coconut milk
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup evaporated milk
½ - ¾ cup white rum, or to taste
1 cup water
2 whole cloves
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 cinnamon sticks
4 egg yolks, well beaten
Ground cinnamon for garnish

In a 2 quart stainless steel heavy gauge pot, combine the egg yolks and all the liquids except the rum. Insert the Breville Cordless Stick Blender and process for 30 seconds until well blended. (The mixture will be very foamy and frothy, once heated and stirred this well lessen). Once the liquids are well combined, place the pot on a medium low heat for 8 -10 minutes, using a rubber spatula continue to stir and scrap the bottom of the pot. Using a quick read thermometer checking as the milk heats check with the thermometer until it reaches 140 degrees. Continue stirring continuously, you will notice that it will get slightly thicken and coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from the heat and transfer the liquid into an ice bath. Continue stirring with a rubber spatula and once the eggnog reaches room temperature and has cooled down; add the rum and vanilla extract.
Strain into an airtight container and refrigerate, preferably overnight, before serving.
When ready to serve pour into punch glasses and sprinkle with cinnamon for garnish. Dominican Eggnog may be served on the rocks if desired.