We’re in the midst of packing for our upcoming trip to iD Dunedin Fashion Week (where the fabulous Zandra Rhodes will be in attendance). While searching for fabulous things to wear to Dunedin, we came across Lyloh, the perfect sarong which can be transformed into over eight different looks.

It all started when Amy Camilleri had suffered the very fate all women dread – attending an event and someone else is wearing exactly the same dress. Without any sewing skills, Camilleri played around with what she had and created her own interesting looks from a sarong. When friends and strangers constantly asked her how to create the looks, Lyloh Outfit in a Box was born from her home in the popular beach town of Bryon Bay in Australia.

You don’t need sewing skills to turn a sarong into a jump suit, a halterneck dress or pants, Lyloh proves that all you need is their Outfit in a Box. We’ve been day dreaming of another holiday to Hawaii, so we’ve imagined a whole holiday filled with Lyloh sarong looks because it would make it so easy to pack light on the way over and pile your suitcase up with holiday buys. We’re just suggesting… Prices range from AUD$44.00 to $64.00 and inside your Lyloh Outfit in a Box you get a kit that includes a beautiful sarong, a snazzy buckle, elastic beads, pins & the Lyloh How to Create an Outfit Guide.

Check out their great ‘How to’ video below – it’s so easy even we were able to pull of all the looks in the video.

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While I don’t claim to be a beauty expert by any means, I do love testing products that land in my mailbox (what girl doesn’t?). My latest love-of-the-moment is Unico’s Leave In Spray. Created by Melbourne hairdresser Sofia Basile, the brand is eco-friendly which keeps you and the environment happy and healthy. While we make sure we moisturize and slap on the sunscreen, sometimes we forget about the hair – which is why this bottle of eco goodness comes in handy, it’s rich in UV filters which protects the hair from colour fade and excessive damage from the sun’s UV rays. And living in a sun soaked country it definitely comes in handy!

Currently I am loving this little bottle of brilliance sent to me from Avon. I always knew manicurist had QuickDry oil but for one reason or another I never thought to buy it. You see, I have a tendency to paint my nails about 10 minutes before I’m suppose to walk out the front door which means I almost always leave the house with one fudged up nail because I had to grab the keys out of my bag. But Avon’s Nail Expert Quick Dry Oil solves that problem. Just brush over polished nails and in 30 seconds you can touch it and in 4 minute it’s rock hard. Perfect – gives me another 6 minutes to paint my toes ;)

In the lead up to Christmas SASSYBELLA.com have some top gift picks to share…

My new obsession is playing Texas Hold em poker on my mobile phone, but playing it with a group of friends with your own Juicy Couture Poker set would be so much better. Everything has been Juicy-fied, complete with the playing cards, chips and the pink case. Add it to your wish list or give it to your poker fiend friend this holiday season.

In the lead up to Christmas SASSYBELLA.com have some top gift picks to share…

Gifts for the guys can always be tough, but I’ve found they’re not against beauty products when they are gifted them – saves them from standing at cosmetic counters and discussing the pros and cons of certain products. For something truly luxurious for the special men in your life, we think Molton Brown’s Madagascan touring gift coffret is perfect. It’s part of a bestselling range that is seeped in the aromas of Madagascan black peppercorn oil and contains a re-charge body wash, body lotion and eau de toilette.

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In the lead up to Christmas SASSYBELLA.com have some top gift picks to share…

What do you a get a girl who loves jewelry but you can’t bear to buy her a necklace or bracelet in case she secretly hates it and never wears it? A fabulous jewelry stand. We love this one from Urban Outfitters thanks to it tree-like shape. It will look pretty on its own or covered in pretty dangly things.

At $28 it’s a nice buy and you could also include a necklace from a vintage market if you want to spend a few dollars more.

I have people left right and centre talking to me about digital cameras, digital SLR cameras, camera’s on their iPhone’s and Blackberry’s… and it’s starting to make me wish for the old days of the 35mm film cameras when people had to wait for the film to be developed before vetoing photos. My camera choices for this holiday season is the Leica M7 Edition Hermès camera (above left) or the Diana Mini Lomography Camera from Liberty (above right).

We love the Leica M7 Edition Hermes because it’s Hermes (duh) and in the name of luxury you can get yours covered in orange or green Veau Swift leather. We don’t know the specs, but we do know that it will set you back a tidy $14,000 which equals about 10 DSLR’s, about 46 Canon IXUS’s and quite a number of iPhone’s and Blackberry’s.

That said, the Diana Mini Lomography Camera is a little more affordable at £44 – and it really is mini in size too. Like the old school camera’s still uses 35mm film and would be a fun way to recapture those times when you had to wait until you got the film developed to see how beautiful/horrible you look.

They were originally a Louis Vuitton store VIP gift but like some designer gifts, a set of Louis Vuitton Monogram VIP Chopsticks have made their way on to Goantiques.com. Each chopstick has been finely carved from rosewood with LV Monograms engraved at the top. The chopsticks come with their own rest and a Monogram Plexi-glass presentation box. Love it? Get two pairs for $450. [Luxuo]

Because we don’t have enough digital gadgets within our grasp already, ck Calvin Klien are releasing a pair of sunglasses which features a USB flash drive in the arm.

With a 4 gigabyte storage capaity, it could come in handy if you think you may find yourself suddenly needing a usb flash pen for storing music, photos or secret files. How James Bond. The ck Calvin Klein 4Gb USB sunglasses, $199, will be available from calvinklein.com in October. [Men.Style.com]

Sassy Item of the Day: O&M Seven Day Miracle Hair Masque

Love it because: When one is stuck in the depths of winter while people around you are having fun in the tropics (or at least experience weather like it is the tropics) you can’t help but yearn for something luxurious to take you away. And that is exactly what O&M’s Seven Day Miracle Hair Masque did for me.

At first sniff, the coconut scent had me wishing for Mai Tai’s in Hawaii, at the first application the mango scent had me right there in Thailand with my fresh fruit platter by the beach… and at first blow dry? Well we’re not there yet, but I’m sure I’ll end up settling in my luxurious bed somewhere in Maldives.

Ah a tropical holiday all in one bottle – and it’s good for your hair too.

Super moisturizing the O&M Seven Day Miracle Hair Masque adds extra gloss to your locks and mends your damaged locks. The bonus part? O&M products are not tested on animals and are free from sulfates, parabens, ammonia, propylene glycol, mit, phthalates and triclosan.

Price: AUD$29.95 – check OriginalMineral.com for stockists

Though it was originally predicted to only achieve cult status in the Fall 2008 hierarchy of beauty products, YSL’s Gloss Pur Black Lip Gloss has exceeded all commercial expectations to become a bonafide smash.

Given its popularity, limited edition appeal, attractive portability, and surprising versatility, we also think that the haute black lip lacquer may be the perfect stocking stuffer for edgy style mavens this holiday season.

Even those less inclined to channel Elvira, Siouxsie, or the slick vampiric fem-bots Elbar Albez sent down the runways last February can enjoy the empowering drama Pur Black instantly grants your lips.

The secret to inky nuance? It’s all in the technique.

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Anyone seeking a pristine countenance, a fit figure, and a well-balanced diet knows all too well how important water intake is to the body’s internal and external wellbeing. Now, designer Jean Paul Gaultier reaffirms the advantages of H20 consumption and, remarkably, makes them even more attractive.

Water titans Evian, who commission a creative type to helm an artisan collection every Christmas season, recently signed Gaultier to design two limited edition capsule collections. For veracity’s sake — which we love! — there is both a “Prêt-à-Porter” collection as well as super-limited Haute Couture creations.

Available for pre-order now at ShopEvian.com, a lone “off-the-rack” Evian bottle can be yours for a mere $14; a case of dozen is a steeper $118. At first, the bottle design appears to be dotted by ordinary snowflakes — but in fact, this crystalline motif is an optical illusion: look again, and it transforms into a gown! Clever. The overall effect is streamlined, elegant, and, op-art trickery aside, not at all zany — odd, consider Gaultier’s propensity for the bizarre.

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Personally, I think Blair Waldorf (played by Leighton Meister) has adorable taste, so when she was riding about the Hamptons in the first few episodes of Gossip Girl this season, I wanted a retro style bike too. Even though I had not ridden a bike in at least 10 years.

The first thought was to forget about the Chanel bike, even with its quilted detail and fabulous double-C logos it does set you back over $10,000 – who could you beg, borrow or plead with to buy it for you as a Christmas present? Not many people. Anyway it’s not even the bike that Blair rode in Gossip Girl – she rode around in a Cynthia Rowley Beach Cruiser bicycle with a little straw basket attached to the front.

A limited edition bike, the Beach Cruiser is customized with a CR-designed floral print in light blue and yellow on the frame and was also seen on the runway in an array of pastel colours. To purchase, you’ll have to pop on to the Cynthia Rowley website and pre-order now ahead of its January 2009 release.

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