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Could you use a Facebook makeover for your business?

American Express OPEN is teaming up with Facebook to help small businesses do more business. Five small business owners will win the ultimate Big Break: A trip to Facebook headquarters for a two-day, one-on-one business makeover and $20,000 to help grow their business with social media. Learn more and see official rules at facebook.com/OPEN.

 

Champagne Party at Ocean Club Marbella

The champagne party, hosted by the Ocean Club in Marbella on the last Sunday of each of the summer months, is nothing but a feast for all your senses with full of activities in an ambiance that illustrates the average lifestyle and image of a city like Marbella.

Ocean Club is certainly one luxurious beach club and the first rated open air club that best suits the trendiest partygoers. If you are in the Costa del Sol region of Spain and you love parting all day long, this is on the coast for an unforgettable party scene.

The Champagne Party in hot sunny atmosphere goes well along with funky music, drinks and delicious food those constitute main ingredients for an excellent party and simply the best way to spend the summer in style!

Music, dance and the spraying of champagne enliven the party scene as guests do their bits with tempered and crazy things while lying on those white beds alongside the pool.

For more information visit the Ocean Club website

 

World’s Most Expensive Beds

Magnetic Floating Bed – $1.6 million

The 2006 Millionaire Fair in Kortrijk, Belgium saw the debut of a magnetic floating bed that pretty much takes the cake for the coolest bed in the world—and the most expensive. Conventional beds and mattresses haven’t changed much over the years, and that’s where Dutch architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars comes in. The goal in his project was to make a usable piece of furniture that wasn’t constrained by the laws of gravity.

Ruijssenaars reportedly worked on the technology for six years in collaboration with Bakker Magnetics. Permanent opposing industrial-strength magnets allow the bed to float around 1.3 feet off the floor while holding almost 2,000 lbs. This aesthetically pleasing technology could also be applied to other areas in home furnishings like coffee tables, sofas, and Japanese dining tables. How cool would it be to eat sushi and drink sake off a floating table?

While the expensive bed will run you €1,200,000 (US $1.6 million), a smaller unit, one fifth of the full size, costs €115,000 (US $153,000). If you are a millionaire and simply must have this eye-catching bed, the people at Universe Architecture would be happy to make it happen for you.

Baldacchino Supreme – $6.3 million


After four years on the top, the magnetic floating bed has been unseated by luxury designer Stuart Hughes. whose collaboration with Italy’s Fratelli Basile has created nothing short of the most expensive bed in the world–the Baldacchino Supreme.

Fratelli Basile’s Hebanon furniture evokes the timeless qualities of 18th century furniture while making use of modern craftsmanship. This bed, with its chestnut structure and ash wood canopy, is no exception. The exterior is lacquered, patinated and decorated with 107 kg of 24k gold. The bed also features the finest Italian silk and cotton.

SOURCE: www.most-expensive.net


P. Diddy Charters the $600,000-a-Week iPad Megayacht in St. Barths

Solemates (above), the $600,000 per week 197-ft. superyacht charter designed by the great Espen Oeino and launched by Lürssen earlier this year, the first of its kind to offer clients control of its various high-tech systems via the iPad. Now none other than Sean “P. Diddy” Combs has turned up on the yacht in St. Barths, where he chartered the ultra-luxe vessel for a family vacation over New Year’s with girlfriend Kim Porter, their daughters D’Lila and Jessie and son Justin before jetting to Las Vegas to party. Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas visited as well. Via the iPad Diddy and co. can control the shipboard entertainment, climate and lighting systems and even summon crewmembers to bring refreshments.

The interior of the yacht, which accommodates 12 guests in six luxurious cabins, was designed by Glade Johnson in a blend of elegant, rich woods and textures and classical details paired with contemporary, sleek lines. The main and upper deck salons are awash with natural light and offer impressive spaces for formal or casual dining and entertaining. The sun deck features an outdoor dining area and a sun lounge wrapped around the Jacuzzi forward, and a discotheque sound and lighting system turns it into an al fresco nightclub. There are several toys and tenders aboard for a variety of recreational activities.

SOURCE: Luxist

10 Carat Diamond Manicure for $51,000


Show us some diamonds and you can count on us to write about it. Just recently, we’ve learned from La Moda Dubai the arrival of the world’s first and most expensive diamond manicure in the Middle East. It’s offered by a company called Cherish…ME (the ellipsis actually is part of the name, no kidding).

Dubbed the Iced Manicure, this over-the-top luxurious treatment for your toughened keratins features an arrangement of 10 carats worth of diamonds and costs $51,000. This is a very exclusive treatment and can only be obtained following a consultation with the owner of the nail art bar herself and with her team of diamond manicure experts.

Will it work in Dubai? Maybe for some people. We’re quite aware of the existence of some ladies who literally do not have to lift a finger to do anything. That’s pretty much a prerequisite with this type of crazy expensive nail art anyway because, honestly, can you imagine breaking a nail with this manicure?

Remember those $20,000 diamond-encrusted rubber flip-flops? This cosmetic treatment goes in same heap as those slippers in the extravagant department; only this diamond manicure is almost thrice as expensive.

Interested? Get in touch with Cherish…ME (again with the ellipsis!) via email at info@cherish-me.com and get your digits’ bling on.

SOURCE: La Moda Dubai

Mobiado and Aston Martin show how phone and car can get along beautifully

Mobiado Aston Martin CPT002With all the trinkets and gizmos we pack onto ourselves before we leave the house, do we really need a physical car key? Aston Martin clearly doesn’t think so. The British purveyor of luxury GTs was among the first to replace the key ignition with a push-button. Then the company teamed up with its watchmaking partner Jaeger-LeCoultre to incorporate a transponder into branded timepieces designed to lock and unlock its cars. Now Aston is taking things one step further, and soliciting the services of the mobile phone to get there.

Created in collaboration with Canadian luxury cellphone company Mobiado, this concept phone was just unveiled at the BaselWorld watch and jewelry expo in Switzerland. It’s called the CPT002, and it’s one of the slickest gadgets out there. It can lock and unlock your car like a proximity fob, but that’s just the start. The phone will also interface wirelessly with such social media websites as Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare to help you locate the friends you’re meeting or automatically update them on the progress of your road trip or track day. It’s also designed to allow the car to access the phone’s accelerometer to help prepare for an impending crash.

All that is packed into a slick design that suspends a transparent sapphire crystal capacitive touch screen between two platinum bars that house the processor, battery, SIM card and all the rest. Unfortunately it’s just a show piece for the time being, but if this is what the future of mobility looks like, count us in for the ride.

The Classicist: James Bond Style – Project X’s New British Military “Stealth” Rolex

Project X Designs, the London-based Rolex customizer whose fans include ”James Bond” star Daniel Craig, has come out with three new military-inspired “stealth” designs based on the classic Rolex Submariner and Rolex Explorer. The cool new models pay homage to Agent 007, the legendary British Special Boat Service (SBS) and military issue Submariners of 1950s – 1970s, original models of which fetch a small fortune at auction.

Founded in 1940, the SBS were actually the precursor to the UK’s better-known SAS (Special Air Service), another elite commando unit created for covert operations. Limited to just 28 numbered examples per design, each case back of the Stealth series features a variation on the SBS’ legendary Frog, Paddle and Parachute insignia and its motto “By Strength & Guile.”

The two Rolex Submariner models in the series are the Mk III and Mk IV, one designed for daylight operations and the other more suited to night maneuvers. The Mk III pays homage to the Submariner worn by Sean Connery as 007 in the 1950s Bond movies; the Bond character was originally a former SBS commando. It features an anti-reflective satin case finish, blacked-out bezel and Stealth inscribed dial. Presented on an olive green G10 NATO strap, it’s available exclusively via the Project X website for about $14,000. The Stealth Mk IV (pictured above) has a darker, tougher look with a matte black carbon-coated case and blacked-out ceramic bezel. It too comes on a Nato strap and is priced at about $16,000.

The third model in the series is the Rolex Explorer-based Stealth Mk V. Created as a subtle and sophisticated contrast to the Submariner models, the case is satin finished before being treated with a hard-wearing black DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating. Issued on a back G10 NATO strap with black hardware, it also comes with a blacked-out steel bracelet and is priced at about $13,000. The Limited Edition customizations of original Rolex watches created by Project X Designs afford watch collectors “a certain individuality combined with a knowing appreciation of the original manufacturer’s heritage.”

SOURCE: Luxist

Swarovski Crystal C2 Hair Iron

Linea Pro Appliances knows how much girls love sparkly things and that bling isn’t reserved for going out. Even the most time-consuming Monday morning grooming routine will get an instant glamor boost from a Linea Pro Swarovski Crystal C2 iron (how could you not feel fabulous as you use it?).

Linea is the only company in the world allowed to use Swarovski on a flat iron and the 2500+ crystals are all hand applied with a special heat-proof glue. The flat iron itself features extra long titanium plates, a PTFC heater (originally created by NASA), tourmaline-infused ceramic, the world’s first digital cord temp control with auto shut-off, and Exclusive Nano-Silver that kills 99.9% of bacteria.

Each iron is individually numbered and made to order $850.

SOURCE: Luxist

Red Tibetan Mastiff: World’s Most Expensive Dog Sells for $1.5 Million

A coal baron living in northern China just spent $1.5 million to buy what is considered the world’s most expensive dog, a red Tibetan Mastiff. It’s hard to know precisely where in that sentence you spurt out your mouthful of coffee: that a dog is worth that much or that there is a millionaire willing to buy one in China.

In any case, the 180-pound 11-month-old red Tibetan Mastiff known as Big Splash, or “Hong Dong” in Mandarin, just earned the title of the world’s priciest pooch. The breed can grow to be 285 pounds, and according to the breeder, Big Splash is such a perfect specimen that the eyeball-popping price is justified. It is believed the breed descended from wolves 58,000 years ago.

Big Splash is a kind of cute fellow — big and bulky, although in most photos he looks like he’s having a bad hair day. The breed has become a status symbol in China, replacing cars and expensive bling as a way for the uber-rich to show off their new-found wealth. Red is considered a lucky color in Chinese culture and Tibetan Mastiffs are thought to be holy animals, bringing riches and good health to their owners, which helps explain the country’s interest in the dog and the run-up in price. But given the size of most Chinese apartments and the size of these dogs, don’t expect to see them bought by the masses; Tibetan Mastiffs are truly only for China’s rich.

In time, Big Splash might fetch $15,000 a pop to breed with a female. Nothing like earning his keep.

SOURCE: Luxist

Perfect Road Trip Car

Becker Escalates the Escalade with Jetvan-esque SUV Conversion

MARCH 09, 2011

The Cadillac Escalade is the standard-bearer for a uniquely American brand of opulence: It’s substantial, swift, and silent, with bold good looks and acres of chrome. Becker Automotive is an American company whose over-the-top Mercedes-Benz Sprinter conversion, the JetVan, is one part limousine, one part motor yacht, and one part Air Force One. It seems only natural that the two should complement each other, and in the Becker Escalade ESV Limo, they do.

Becker’s Escalade conversion (designed for the long-wheelbase Escalade ESV but also available for the more conservative GMC Yukon Denali XL and, for clients who require off-road ability, the burly Chevrolet Suburban 3/4-ton 4×4) embodies all the virtues—including aircraft-quality LED ambient lighting, innovative seating solutions and hideaway work surfaces, and the choicest interior materials that have made the JetVan a perennial Robb Report Best of the Best pick.

At Becker’s 33,000-square-foot facility in Oxnard, California, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles, the company’s SUV conversions are gutted and fitted with exquisite leathers and furniture-quality cabinetry. A pair of power reclining bucket seats are standard, as are revised cooling and electrical systems and an intercom system. From there, the sky’s the limit: Add massaging seats with leg extensions, folding burl wood tables, exterior cameras, a big high-definition display with digital satellite television, even armoring. Becker’s artisans are bent on satisfying customers’ most extraordinary requests.

Of course, beneath all this opulence are the tried-and-true virtues that have put GM’s big SUVs on a good many shopping lists. In the case of the Escalade ESV, that includes a 6.2-liter V-8 engine producing a stout 403 horsepower. It’s matched to a smooth, six-speed automatic transmission and rear- or all-wheel-drive.

The transformation from off-the-rack Cadillac Escalade ESV to one-of-a-kind Becker Escalade ESV Limo is not inexpensive. With every aspect of the vehicle finely tailored to suit the unique needs of the buyer, the bill can quickly crest the $250,000 mark—a figure that doesn’t include the donor Escalade, which starts between $66,000 and $68,000. The conversion process can take between two and five months, and upon completion, Becker will arrange delivery anywhere in the world. Building the globe’s most extraordinary Escalade is no small feat, but when a traditional limo seems too cramped and an executive jet is too tough to park, one of Becker’s sumptuous creations is worth every penny. (805.487.5227, www.beckerautodesign.com)

SOURCE: Robb Report