Venezuela's Gabriela Isler crowned Miss Universe 2013

Venezuela's +Gabriela Isler  crowned +Miss Universe 2013 in Moscow ceremony.

 Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo, from the United States, right, places the crown on Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler during the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. 

A 25-year-old Venezuelan television presenter, +Gabriela Isler, was crowned Miss Universe in Moscow in a glittering ceremony on Saturday.

Judges, including rock star +Steven Tyler from Aerosmith, picked the winner from a total of 86 contestants at the show, watched by millions of viewers around the world.
Last year's winner +Olivia Culpo of the United States placed a diamond crown on the head of Isler, who wore a silver rhine-stone studded evening dress.

Isler's triumph was the seventh Miss Universe win for Venezuela, where beauty pageants are a major source of national pride.
After the show, she beamed and waved to journalists, wearing the Miss Universe sash and standing next to the show's owner, US tycoon Donald Trump.

"I feel a lot of emotions," she said.
"I'm still in shock. I feel so blessed, so happy to be here."
"It's been a lot of fun and a great success," said Trump.

In the decisive interview round that concludes the competition, Tyler asked Isler, who won Miss Venezuela last year, what her greatest fear was.
She did not give any details, but said: "I believe we should overcome all our fears and this in turn will make us stronger," speaking in Spanish through an interpreter.

Isler is now set to pose on Sunday in a specially created jewelled swimsuit that the organisers said was worth $1 million.

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Shanghai hotel creates world’s largest ball pit

The Kerry Hotel in Shanghai broke the record for the world’s largest ball piton Oct. 30 and filled a swimming pool with 1 million pink and green balls.

The world-record stunt was for a good cause: raising awareness for breast cancer prevention. Three hundred of the guests were cancer survivors from the Shanghai Cancer Recovery Club.

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“Ladies and Gentlemen… The Beatles!” at the New York Public Library

The New York Public Library and the Grammy Museum are combining for a +Beatles exhibit on the 50th anniversary of the band’s first US touchdown.

February 6, 2014 is the opening date for “Ladies and Gentlemen… The Beatles!” for a limited run through to May 10 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

The Liverpudlian band landed at John F. Kennedy Airport on February 7, 1964, sent off by a horde of four thousand fans in the UK and met by a crowd numbering 3,000 in the US; that groundswell of support was an indicator of what was to come, ensuring that The Beatles rode a frosty critical reception to become an American success.

Commemorating the occasion, the NYPL will display “original Beatles materials including memorabilia, records, photographs, tour artifacts, videos, and more” with exhibition preview materials to be made available “in the coming months.”

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JFK’s Last Sailboat Sketch Heads to Auction

A sketch of a boat, done by president John F. Kennedy the day before he was assassinated, is among some 200 JFK items on sale yesterday in an online auction.

The pencil drawing, doodled on stationery from Houston’s Rice Hotel, will fetch an estimated US$30,000 to US$40,000 (RM95,000 to RM127,000), said the RR Auction house, based in New Hampshire.

It is accompanied by a typed note on White House letterhead, signed by Evelyn Lincoln, Kennedy’s personal secretary.

Lincoln explained that the president had spent three and a half hours at the Rice Hotel on Nov 21, 1963. He then went to dinner before spending the night at the Texas Hotel in Fort Worth, near Dallas. He was shot and killed in his motorcade the next day in Dallas.

The shape of the boat in the drawing is reminiscent of the president’s sailboat, the Victura, according to RR Auction, which said Kennedy “was known to cover entire sheets of paper with stacked boxes, repeated words, and small drawings – most frequently of sailboats.”

Some 228 items linked to the former president will be sold in the auction, held 50 years after the assassination,

Items include a Bulova watch engraved with “JFK 1941,” estimated at US$15,000 to US$20,000; his earliest known signed photograph, inscribed with the message “Remember Me? Jack K,” estimated at US$8,000 to US$10,000; and the keys of the presidential limo used the day of the attack.

Less expensive items include ties worn by the president, photos, notes, and small pieces of furniture.

Bidding will run through 7pm on Nov 13 on the website www.rrauction.com.

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Chanel ‘Nuit Infinie’ Makeup Collection

Chanel’s “Nuit Infinie” Holiday 2013 makeup collection confirms that the season’s metallic trends are here to stay through the holiday season. Holiday parties are a perfect excuse to add extra sparkle and glimmer to hairstyles, outfits and makeup, and Chanel knows this well. And since metallic shades are already one of this season’s top trends, the Nuit Infinie holiday collection turns up the brilliance factor an extra notch while maintaining the refined style Chanel is known for.

For a radiant yet natural complexion, Chanel’s Poudre Universelle Libre mattifies the skin and masks imperfections. A touch of Joues Contraste blush adds a healthy glow.

When it comes to eye shadows, the new Chanel collection offers two options: the Ombres Matelassées palette, with five shades ranging from beige to dark purple, or the individual Illusion d’Ombre luminous eyeshadows in shimmery bronze and purple shades.

Finally, for an extra touch of shimmer around the eyes, Chanel has introduced reflective bronze shades of both the Ligne Graphique liquid eyeliner and the Mascara Gel Irisé top coat for lashes.

The “Nuit Infinie” collection is available on the Chanel website and at makeup counters worldwide from this month. Prices range from $36 (Illusion d’Ombre individual eyeshadow) to $80 (Ombres Matelassées eyeshadow palette).

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John Varvatos Artisan Acqua Fragrance

John Varvatos has unveiled a new men’s fragrance, set to launch early next year. Artisan Acqua is Varvatos’s fifth fragrance since he first dipped his toe into perfume with his March 2004 debut, and the latest scent follows on from March 2009′s Artisan and Artisan Black which launched a year later.

Varvatos worked with Givaudin nose Rodrigo Flores-Roux, who has co-created all the designer’s fragrances as well as signature blends for Tom Ford (2011’s Neroli Portofino) and Calvin Klein (2009’s CK Free) among others.

“From the start, we’ve always tried to go back to making fragrances the way they used to be made – all by hand, with the best ingredients in the world, artisanal fragrances with smaller batches,” Varvatos told WWD

The newest scent is a lighter, Mediterranean) inspired juice with citrus top notes, a hearty herbal heart, and a mossy, patchouli and balsam drydown.

The twine-covered glass bottle will come in two sizes: 2.5 oz. (US$64) and 4.2 oz. (US$84), and will appear in stores in the United States from January 2014, before rolling out in Europe and Asia later in the year. ―

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2014 Saks Fifth Avenue Special Edition Cadillac ELR

The limited edition 2014 Cadillac ELR Saks Fifth Avenue is available to order. Now, we have pricing for this rarer-than-rare ELR: $89,500. Press release below:

Cadillac is collaborating with Saks Fifth Avenue this Christmas to create a unique window display featuring the 2015 Escalade luxury SUV, and to offer an exclusive special-edition 2014 Saks Fifth Avenue ELR electrified luxury coupe through the 2013 Saks Holiday Catalog. Cadillac was also the official vehicle of Saks’ fall First LOOK Campaign.

Cadillac and Saks Fifth Avenue are rolling out their holiday festivities, hosting events at Saks retail stores in key markets with more events to follow throughout the fall and early winter.

On November 25, Cadillac and Saks Fifth Avenue will reveal a specially designed “Frozen Escalade” window display at the Saks flagship store near Rockefeller Center on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The display will feature a White Diamond 2015 Escalade with functioning light-emitting diode, or LED, running lamps, which appear embedded and breaking through a wall of ice.

This year’s Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday Catalog features the 2014 Saks Fifth Avenue Special Edition Cadillac ELR. This package, limited to 100 units, will include a 2014 Cadillac ELR with a White Diamond exterior paint color only available through this package. Buyers will be able to choose between a Jet Black or Light Cashmere interior. Also included is an upgraded 240-volt charging station with professional installation and applicable permits, valued at up to $3,000. To order, customers can call 1-855-SAKS-CAD (1-855-725-7223).

Owners of this 2014 Saks Fifth Avenue Special Edition ELR will also have their own ELR Concierge Representatives. Trained in white-glove customer care, the Concierge Representative is an additional point of contact beyond the customer’s Cadillac dealer for information on battery care, home charging, service scheduling, and news and updates by calling 1-855-INFO-ELR (1-855-463-6357).

The 2014 Saks Fifth Avenue Special Edition ELR package is priced at $89,500, which includes a $995 destination charge. Customers can order their vehicles now with delivery expected in March 2014.

“Our partnership with Saks Fifth Avenue embraces the brand’s sharp eyes for aesthetics, and puts the all-new 2014 ELR and the Cadillac brand front and center with buyers this holiday season,” said Melody Lee, director of Global Cadillac brand and reputation strategy. “We are excited to be part of the Saks Holiday Catalogue and offer the limited-edition ELR exclusively to Saks customers.”

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