Luxist

This custom clock would certainly make a good gift. Why? Well for one anything that is "custom" implies that you inserted that appreciated degree of personal touch. Which instantly makes a gift emotional and unique. At the same time it is functional. I mean who doesn't have space for just one more wall clock. Then, you can make the clock sentimental to the recipient, by choosing a city streets map that means something to them. Whether it is of a city live in, a city they miss, or where they were from. All good choices.

Fluid Forms is a site where you can get all sorts of custom made things, and this clock is one of them. I am not totally sure how it works, but you choose not only the city, but the proper segment of the map that you want to have as the backdrop to the clock. You then choose the material (wood or acrylic), one of many colors available. About $181 later (plus shipping) you can get the clock. It is made in Austria, and the quartz movement is apparently German. Designer John Briscella will go over the final design in detail with you before it gets made.

Learn more or get one at Fluid Forms here.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Looking to impress your guests with a dessert to die for? Or maybe you'd like to bring something amazing and memorable to a holiday party? Whatever the occasion whenever desserts are present they invariably draw the eye and wet the appetite, and they have the uncanny ability to impress despite (sometimes) being deceptively simple.

Some desserts, however, have a reputation and an edge when it comes to their ability to impress guests. All truly impressive desserts have at least two things in common: they have a beautiful presentation and of course taste wonderful as well. If you're looking to make a statement and don't know where to start consider serving one of these:

Mousse Originating in France, mousse is a rich and creamy dessert that presents well in individual portions and can be made ahead of time.

Trifles Available in every version from chocolate to fruit to red-white-and-blue, the trifle gets its glamour from the gorgeous and colorful layers that go from pleasing the eyes to pleasing the palette.

Cheesecake First created in ancient Greece and always a fan favorite, a great cheesecake is not something many are able to make for themselves at home so it becomes all the more fantastic to have it served up at a party. It's also extremely versatile and can be left plain and classy, or dressed up with fresh fruit, chocolate shavings, or anything else your heart desires.

Crème Brûlée Literally translating in French as "burnt cream," creme brulee is another delectable dessert that is not easily recreated in the average kitchen. Simple, rich, and elegant, it's sure to impress.

Chocolate Cake A standard, classic dessert that is loved wherever it goes. The trick to a truly impressive chocolate cake is in the recipe: find one you love and stick with it.

Today's estate is as much fun to look at for the art itself as for the home. This home on San Marino island in Miami Beach was built in 1930 but has been glammed up and reinvented. I don't see the word eclectic used in a listing too often but it suits this six-bedroom home. The home is on 13,000 square feet with 80 feet of water frontage and has views of the Miami skyline over its infinity pool, jacuzzi and dock. In addition to having a taste for contemporary art the current owner must have a taste for Bali. The master suite is entirely outfitted in teak from there, giving the room a very exotic feel. This home is listed at $5.495 million.

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I need to have a social life like a Russian oligarch soon. I feel as though there is so much more about this watch (and ones like it) that I should be excited about, but just don't have enough "new money" socialite parties to attend and show the watch off at. Walking down the street I'm afraid the "lay people" just aren't going to get it. Of course I am being somewhat facetious, but not really. It is true that it takes a special sort of luxury loving audience to get giddy about stuff like this. Maybe that is part of the point. With a name like "King Power Chrono Flying Tourbillon," Hublot is obviously aiming at some manner of... royalty.

The watch is all black in tone and a biggie at 48mm wide. Most notable on the dial is the large flying tourbillon (has no top bridge) with its rubies and spinning glory. The watch is a mixture of mostly ceramic and black PVD coated titanium with some composite resin materials thrown in the mix. Movement is the manually wound HUB1400CT with 120 hours of power reserve. Not that the movement isn't cool, but it does not excite me as it might have once done - you just see this type of thing too much from Hublot these days. Still, the watch excites some people, as it just won the 5th Premier Middle East Watches, Jewelry, and Pens Award. Not sure why it was competing against jewelry and pens. Plus, the locale of the awards is probably a hint as to where most of the 28 pieces in this limited edition set are finding homes. Price is probably just a few tankers worth of unrefined oil.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Adding a hat can make or break an ensemble, not to mention either flatter your face and highlight its best features or leave you looking decidedly unattractive. Finding the perfect hat for that perfect look your going for is much easier when you understand how to shop for your body and face shape.

Petite Frame Hats with a small brim, or no brim at all, usually compliment a petite frame by giving the illusion of height. Hats that are very large or have a wide brim can overpower a small person's appearance.

Tall Frame The taller the person the wider or larger the hat they can successfully wear. A hat with a brim that's too small can make a tall person look large and bulky.

The trick to finding a hat that compliments your face and head shape is balance. If your face is angular, go with a softer, rounder hat. If your face is full and round go with something more angular.

Square Face Hats with a full shape and a rounded crown will best flatter a square face.

Round Face Lengthen and balance a round face by wearing a hat with a structured, angled crown. Try one with an asymmetrical brim or wear a regular brim at a slight angle.

Oval Face People with an oval face can wear almost any hat style, just be sure it's proportionate to your frame and that the color suits your skin tone.

Heart Face Draw the eye upward by wearing a hat that's on the smaller side and sits up high on the head.

Other factors to consider...

Skin Tone Hats are worn close to your face so choose a color that flatters your skin tone.

Cheek bones A rule of thumb is that the crown of a hat should never be narrower than a person's cheek bones.

Comfort Perhaps the most important tip of all is to choose a hat that you feel comfortable and confident wearing, and that's appropriate for the occasion.

Sometimes, it really is possible to judge a book by its cover. From the moment you walk into a cigar shop, you take a quick look at its inventory and get a sense for the entire establishment. If the shelves are packed with low-end sticks, the discerning smoker will figure out pretty quickly that another tobacconist may be a better fit. And, there are the lounges you enter with everything from established favorites to rare and exciting cigars. Most of the time, you'll be able to get exactly what you want. In both cases, however, there is always the risk that you'll talk to someone who doesn't know what he's doing. Not every staff member is a great hire, and just because some great inventory is in the humidor, it doesn't mean the proprietor knows what he has.

Tobacconist University, founded by Jorge Armenteros, is trying to solve this problem. The organization, sponsored by Padron (a hell of an endorsement, frankly), provides a baseline education and testing structure to demonstrate to consumers that a retailer is knowledgeable. Simply, if you have a question about a cigar, the goal of the Tobacconist University certification program is to make you comfortable asking and confident in the answer.

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It is always interesting to take a look at what some of the foreign manufacturers are producing for their luxury electronic lines. It seems that the series of new phones being offered by NTTDocomo Japan are heading in many different directions.

Some of the items that caught my eye, in particular because I thought they were beautiful and slightly unusual, are the prototypes for the Touch Wood phones. Not yet in mass production these phones are only able to be seen at trade shows in Switzerland and Japan.

The phones are being created as a joint venture with the "more trees" reforestation project founded by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and others. They are made with specially treated wood from the thinned forests in Japan managed by the "more trees" project. Each handset is unique featuring the particular grains, patterns and natural coloring of the tree from which it was made. No artificial paints or colors are used in the unique compression process developed by the Olympus Corporation. The cypress phones are much more durable than other phones with wood bodies, are resistant to water and will keep their natural shine. I just thought they were beautiful.

For the those who are less ecologically oriented, the company is also releasing the Docomo "style series." This includes the F-02B which is a jewelry quality waterproof phone with a snap on perfume holder, the L-02B which comes with a special content for beauty tips and the N-01B with deigns and colors inspired by French manicure designs.

Let's just say that the company is busy covering all angles of the phone market!

The Water/Bodies exhibit kicks off on December 21, 2009 at the Eden Rock Gallery. Located at the Eden Rock Hotel on St Barths, the gallery has hosted shows from the top artists in the world and those who will be in the next few years. The new show, curated by David Kratz, President of the New York Academy of Art, will no doubt be consistent with the gallery's fantastic reputation. This year, Eric Fischl and Jenny Saville, both Senior Critics at the Academy, will be among the Academy-affiliated artists showcasing their work at Eden Rock.

Each of the pieces at Eden Rock this winter will be related to the theme of nature, water and the body. Only small works will be displayed at this event, though a variety of media will be present, including oil, watercolor, drawing and sculpture.

Water/Bodies is the latest in an ongoing relationship between the Eden Rock Gallery and New York Academy of Art. The program includes an artist-in-residence program, in which up to 10 students or graduates of the Academy can visit St Barths and participate. Some of the proceeds from the sales at Water/Bodies will be used to support this program and others at the Academy. Past participants include Richard Prince, whose early 2008 show sold out before the opening.

While we're unlikely to see a replay of Prince's sales at Eden Rock this year, the art market is certainly better than what we saw late last year. Maybe collectors will go back to voting with their wallets.

Last November, Greenpeace activists dumped tuna heads in front of French Agriculture ministry calling for a ban of tuna fishing and the protection of the species. This November has seen top French chefs make the pledge to keep bluefin tuna and other threatened fish species off the menu. One of the country's greatest chefs, Olivier Roellinger took bluefin tuna off his menus five years ago. He is the deputy president of the flobal luxury hotel network Relais and Chateaux and 60 percent of its members have agreed to stop serving bluefin tuna. Many French restaurants have agreed to stop serving bluefin tuna.

Bluefin tuna faces the threat of extinction because of zealous overfishing. Over the past few years there has been more and more attention paid to the subject. An international commission met early this month in Brazil and agreed to cut the allowable bluefin tuna catch in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean by 40 percent next year, a move that some said was not enough. Japan remains the biggest consumer of the tuna which is used in sushi and is considered a delicacy.

Greenpeace publishes a "red list" which lists fish that have a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries or unsustainable aquaculture operations. To look at what fish you should eat check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's regularly updated Super Green list.

Back in May, we speculated that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's wandering eye might cost him millions but the news of just how much money his estranged wife, Veronica Lario, wants is still shocking. The former actress is seeking 43 million euros (around $65 million) each year in alimony.

Lario, who is 20 years his junior, put up with Berlusconi's indiscretion for many years but earlier this year Berlusconi's attendance at an 18-year-old girl's birthday party seems to have been the final straw. The pair have lived separate lives for many years. In fact to find a picture of them in public archives you have to go back several years. In 2007, she was so angry about Berlusconi's overtures to MP Mara Carfagna that she wrote a letter to the newspaper La Repubblica. The couple met in 1980 and married in 1990 and have three children.

Berlusconi has a $6.5 billion fortune and owns Italy's three biggest private TV networks and a host of other businesses. He has five children total and his son and daughter from his first marriage are involved in two of his businesses and his children with Lario, who are all in their early 20s, own stakes in his holding company Fininvest.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, has said that Berlusconi, Italy's second-richest man, made a counteroffer of 200,000 euros a month but might go up to 300,000 euros. That's a far cry from the nearly 3.5 million euros a month Lario is seeking.