Most brands don't start with hair products and then move into skillets and irons but CHI got its start in the salon and moved on from there, bringing unique products into the home lifestyle market. CHI Home has taken the ceramic technology used in hairdryers and styling wands and expanded into other products. It currently has four lines of products within the company- CHI Air (consists of hair tools and grooming tools), CHI Cuisine (consists of ceramic cookware, cutlery and kitchen electric appliances), CHI Home (consists of steam vacuums, rechargeable vacuums, clothing irons and a digital luggage scale), and CHI Life (UV-C light sanitization items). The ceramic cookware distributes the heat evenly for faster cooking and is nonstick. The ceramic knives, peelers and shoppers can slice razor thin without bruising the food. The brand also creates a variety of sanitizing appliances including a UV-C light sanitizing knife block and a sanitizing wand.

To celebrate the launch of these new products CHI Home has given us one CHI Air Flash Tourmaline Ceramic Mini Styler to give away to one reader. The styler uses tourmaline ceramic to provide even heat distribution and produce an exceptionally high amount of negative ions and far infrared which reduce static electricity. The hair is left smooth and silky with high shine. The perfect antidote to the dreaded summer frizz. The multifunctional tool has a flexible swivel cord and can be used to straighten, smooth, curl or wave. It sells for $49.99.


* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before June 30th, 2010 at 11:00PM Pacific Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive one CHI Air Flash Styling wand valued at $49.99
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia, who are 18 and older.

See full giveaway rules here.

On Tuesday we brought you Part I of posh publisher Prosper Assouline's ten essential luxuries. Luxist readers will be familiar with the beautiful and stylish books published by his luxe imprint Assouline; perhaps less so with the man who founded and runs the company. A master of savoir faire, Prosper Assouline is known for merging the modern and the classical in publishing and creative design. Picking up where we left off the other day regarding the evolution of Assouline into luxury brand whose medium is culture, the company established retail positions first in Bergdorf Goodman, and then at ten Saks Fifth Avenue stores, as well as Celux (Tokyo), A Editores (Mexico City), Lane Crawford (Hong Kong), Harvey Nichols (Dubai), Holt Renfrew (Toronto), Librissime (Montreal), Sotheby's (New York), Teatro Verde (Toronto), and Zai (Qatar). The desire to showcase the concept of 'books as gifts' has led to the creation of a full retail program of strategic partnerships to open Assouline branded corners around the world.

As part of Assouline's positioning as a luxury brand, the first standalone Assouline boutique opened in Paris on Place Saint Germain des Prés in 2005. Conceived as a contemporary library, the boutique features the complete collection of books and luxury products. Assouline created the other items around the books, such as Book scented candles, a leather Coach designed library, and a variety of slipcased products and limited edition volumes. Also featured is the Goyard trunk, designed by Prosper Assouline with Goyard as a means to capture the nostalgia of traveling with books. Another one of Prosper's designs is the Assouline Library, a handcrafted bookcase featuring 150 books on style released in 2004 that has was an immediate sensation. Click through to the gallery to see Part II of Prosper's 10 essential luxuries, from hats and yachts to bars and cars, and find out what makes them a must.

EARLIER: Posh Publisher Prosper Assouline's Ten Essential Luxuries, Part I

The Ritz-Carlton knows a burgeoning superpower when it sees one. The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai Pudong, the brand's seventh in the country and second in Shanghai, opened its doors to the public on Monday. The 285-room property occupies the top 18 floors of the luxury Shanghai ifc Tower and opened in conjunction with the 2010 World Expo.

Designed by acclaimed architect Cesar Pelli, the hotel's glittering diamond-like exterior and contemporary decor evokes Shanghai's Art Deco movement of the 1930's. The hotel offers panoramic views of The Bund, the most intact collection of Art Deco architecture anywhere in the world.

"As Shanghai has been experiencing exponential growth and many multi-national companies have opened in Pudong, we find it strategically viable for The Ritz-Carlton to be located on both sides of Huangpu River," says Rainer Burkle, the hotel's general manager. "While The Ritz-Carlton Portman, Shanghai at Puxi has established its name over the past decade as the most preferred luxury hotel in the city, I have no doubt that The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong will prove itself to be another quintessential business and social centre for domestic and international travelers alike."

With interior designs by Richard Farnell, The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong guest rooms and suites range in size from 500 square feet for a standard guestroom to 4,000 for the Ritz-Carlton and Chairman Suites. There are three floors of Club-level accommodations, each with access to the 24-hour and 49th floor Club Lounge.

Restaurants include Aura Lounge and Jazz Bar, Jin Xuan, the fine dining Chinese Restaurant designed by Steve Leung; Scena Italian Restaurant and Flair Rooftop Restaurant and Bar. Flair boasts the distinction of being is Shanghai's highest al fresco dining and bar venue, although, as we all know, it might not hold that honor for long.

Looking for relaxation? Find the 15,000 square foot ESPA-branded spa on the 55th floor, featuring 10 treatment rooms, including a couple's treatment "Harmony Suite." Treatments will combine modern modern Chinese, Indian, European and Balinese spa cultures and ESPA branded products for a natural luxury experience.

Shanghai ifc mall also boasts opulent interiors framing the most stylish shopping environment and housing hundreds of world-renowned international branded retail names, including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermes and more.

Now open. Rooms from RMB 2,888. http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/ShanghaiPudong/.

Waterford Crystal welcomed in a new era with the official opening of the House of Waterford Crystal on the Mall in the heart of Waterford City in Ireland this week. The new compound includes a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, visitor center and a retail store. It has been 18 months since the former company plant at Kilbarry closed its doors after the brand went into receivership. The new center offers over 100 jobs for employees. The Irish Independent reports that it is hoped that at least 200,000 visitors will come to the new Waterford center rising eventually to equal the numbers for the old plant at Kilbarry. Much of Waterford's crystal is now created in central and eastern Europe but the new plant will produce around 40,000 pieces and will serve as a central hub for the brand's designers.

This new center is the result of an agreement between WWRD Holdings Limited , the luxury goods group which now owns and operates the Waterford Crystal, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton brands, and Waterford City Council (as shown above, the Irish, American and British flags fly outside the center). The new facility represents more than just a new place to showcase Waterford, it shows that the brand hasn't given up, that the tradition lives on. The House of Waterford is located two miles from the city center on the N25 Cork Road in Waterford, Ireland. Factory tours are open to the public all year round, Monday to Sunday and guided tours are also available seven days a week. For more details on scheduling a visit, www.waterfordvisitorcentre.com

Even the richest people face cash problems. The NY Times reveals that charismatic businessman Elon Musk, co-founder of PayPal and CEO of Tesla Motors is a bit short on cash. Musk, who is in the midst of a divorce has acknowledged that he ran out of cash around four months ago. In his Dealbook column, New York Times's Andrew Ross Sorkin writes that while Musk had $200 million in cash not long ago now he is relying on the kindness of loans from his wealthy friends. He has invested all of his money in his businesses. But according to court filings he isn't exactly taking the bus and eating ramen for dinner, he still spends around $200,000 a month and flies on his private jet.

Musk's ex-wife, novelist Justine Musk has asked for the house, alimony, child support , $6 million cash and a share of Tesla Motors and a cut of Musk's stock in his rocket company, SpaceX. She's currently in New Orleans with her new boyfriend, has proclaimed that she gets along well with her ex's new actress girlfriend, and has blogged frankly about the divorce. The pair are debating about the validity of a postnuptial agreement. On her blog in her divorce tips she advises her readers not to sign a postnup.

Musk's cash flow issues are temporary. In two weeks, Tesla is scheduled to hold an initial public offering of stock that could value the company at about $1.4 billion. Telsa has said that the divorce should have no impact on the company. After the public offering, if it goes as hoped, he'd have around $21 million in cash and still own a controlling interest in Tesla.

The battle for who will be the next governor is heating up. Jerry Brown has a history of service on his side while Meg Whitman has years of business experience. Brown offers a knowledge of government, Whitman, financial acumen. Brown paints a picture of frugality, while Whitman enjoys a $3 million house in pricey Atherton, California. But while Brown opted to live in a Sacramento rental instead of the governor's mansion during his first turn at the helm, he's got nicer digs now. The AP points out that Brown and his wife, former Gap executive Anne Gust enjoy a lovely five-level contemporary home in Oakland Hills. The Zen-inspired home is valued at $1.8 million and has bamboo floors, a sauna, a spiral staircase and views that stretch to the bay. A dumbwaiter services all the floors. Brown and Gust bought the home in 2007 when it was listed for $2.68 million.

This isn't the first cool home he has owned either. He also at one point owned a Pacific Heights converted firehouse that was listed for sale last year for $4.4 million. Brown does still live a frugal lifestyle, taking advantage of his senior discount in many instances. On the night he won the Democratic Party primary he touted his thrifty habits saying that he doesn't like to spend money whether it's his or the taxpayers'.

Meg Whitman also owns quite a bit of land in Colorado. The former CEO of eBay already owned Skyline Ranch near Telluride, Colorado (bought for around $20 million back in 2005) when, in February 2010 she picked up land near Alta Lakes, an approximately 800-acre swath of undeveloped high country land earmarked for development. She has no plans to develop the property. She bought it from Silver Mountain Industries which had planned to put a neighborhood of large and expensive houses on the land. It's not known exactly how many acres were sold or how much Whitman and her husband, neurosurgeon Griffith Harsh IV paid for the land.

Now there is no governor's mansion but the issue of personal frugality seems more important than ever to a state facing a $19 billion deficit. Whitman has said she's willing to pay $150 million of her own money to win the race but that she is a businesswoman who knows how balance a budget. Each candidate says that they are the one who will be more careful with the state's theadbare purse.

The owner of the Wall Street sign just auctioned at Christie's New York is one happy man. Preferring to remain anonymous, he says he is pleased with the sale as the sign is a piece of Wall Street history. "I am hopeful that the sign will ultimately end up back at the Museum of American Finance," he says. The auction house's estimate for the iconic sign marking the intersection of Wall and Broad Streets was $60,000-$80,000. The final bid, received by telephone from an Asian collector, was $116,500. Luxist helped boost the auction price according to the owner with our early posting on May 18, long before most of the media. The sign, probably dating from somewhere between 1890 and 1920, used to stand in front of the original J.P.Morgan and Co. building in the Financial District.

The Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles has announced a new collaboration with Ron Robinson, bringing the brand's cult favorite home, beauty and design products to hotel guests and visitors through December. The shop is the latest in a series of Mondrian pop-ups which have included swimwear brand Shay Todd and Kiki de Montparnasse. Ron Robinson at Mondrian will bring together a curated collection of candles and aromatics as well as other luxury items including a custom-designed Pamela Love t-shirt created exclusively for Mondrian and a selection of bracelets, cuffs, necklaces, rings, and more from Stephen Webster fine jewelry for men and women. Other highlights include a set of Parrot-Zikmu speakers designed by Philippe Starck, APOTHIA candles, aromatic diffusers and bath and body collection, Kiehl's beauty products, Missoni towels and beach accessories, watches by NIXON, COOLA sun products, Lulu Frost jewelry, and more.

If you build it, it will come? The Museum of Flight in Seattle will break ground on its new Space Gallery next week meant to house a Space Shuttle even though NASA hasn't determined which museums across the U.S. will receive one of the three shuttles - the Enterprise, Endeavor or Atlantis. The Discovery is going to the Smithsonian which will in turn release the Enterprise, the shuttle prototype, to another museum. The shuttle-ready space has to be completed by 2011 in order to be considered.

The $12 million Space Gallery designed by SRG Partnership has a glass facade and will be lit at night to showcase the shuttle. If the museum doesn't win one of the shuttles the gallery space could be used for other artifacts. The groundbreaking takes place Tuesday, June 29 at 10 a.m. next to the Museum of Flight Library and Archives Building, 9303 East Marginal Way South in Seattle, across the street from the Personal Courage Wing. Dignitaries attending include retired astronaut Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, the Museum's CEO and Mike Hallman, the Museum's Interim President. The museum is raising funds for the 15,500-square-foot climate-controlled Shuttle Gallery which will also include exhibits that emphasize stories from the visionaries, designers, pilots, and crews of the Space Shuttle.

The Cuban cigar industry is struggling under the dual pressures of smoking bans and economic malaise. Consumers around the world aren't buying as many sticks, and Cuba is cutting production. In Pinar del Rio, only 22.4 million leaves were harvested this year, off 14 percent from 26 million last year. Local media reports: "There was a reduction in planting due to limitations in resources caused by the economic crisis," according to the Financial Times.

With 70 percent of the market – not including the United States – the Cuban cigar business is a global force. So, its financial performance has broad implications, and the data doesn't look good:

According to the most recent report released by the government's statistics office, the industry has fallen on hard times in recent years, with production of cigars for export down from 217m in 2006, to 123m in 2007 and 73m last year as the business drew on its inventory.

Export cigar sales plunged to $218 million last year from $243 million in 2008 ... but keep in mind that the effects of the late 2008 financial crisis didn't really come to bear until 2009.

Of course, consumption in the United States is unchanged, because you can't go below zero. Nobody smokes Cuban cigars in the United States because they're illegal ... right?