December 2008

After spending hours in the returns line at Best Buy last year, your boyfriend is dropping oh-so-subtle hints about this year’s Christmas gifts. Like: What were you smoking when you decided against the Wii?

Maybe there is something that will light his fire a little more this year. Like a box of Kaua‘i Cigar Company stogies, made with tobacco grown on the Garden Isle. Kaua‘i Cigars have a strong, refined taste from slow-drying the tobacco in climate-controlled barns on a plantation near Kapa‘a, where the climate is similar to Cuba’s. As the only cigar producer in... Read more »

Maybe you’re not lacing up your kicks for Sunday’s Honolulu Marathon, but you’ve got more than 26.2 anti-Christmas-cookie miles to run in the weeks ahead. And your iPod's old loop of tracks is as boring as, well,  jogging loops at the track.

So sync up with some songs from a pro - local DJ Steve Kanemoto (aka DJ Eskae) mixed this made-for-running playlist just for Lei Chic.

Stream and download the entire playlist here.

1.... Read more »

Lei Chic’s guide to the weekend’s best events.

Breathe Easy
What: Beat work stress with tips from the yogis at Lululemon. Free mini-workshops on no-one-will-notice desk yoga stretches, and healthy eating in the face of vending machines and office treats.
Read more »

A personal shopper would be great at this time of year – someone who knows all the best stores and what they carry, who stocks the hard-to-find labels, and where you can pick up really one-of-a-kind items.

Not in the budget? Then get the next best thing – a hot-off-the-press copy of “The Ultimate Guide to Shopping on O‘ahu” by Honolulu Magazine executive editor and shopping-ista Kathryn Drury Wagner.

his 185-page shopping companion – compact enough to fit in your Louis Vuitton Eva clutch – features more than 200 of... Read more »

Your perfect cousin Marcia’s perfect holiday card arrives in your mailbox just perfectly on December 1. Her perfect family is in perfect outfits, posed perfectly for the photo.

But Marcia’s not completely perfect – you've already received a duplicate of her generic chain store cards.

This year, forget your tired news/brag letter, and say adios to a Shutterfly photo collage with these stationary ideas that’ll leave other greetings looking card bored.

Green Card
You’ll be so eco-chic for rocking out cards... Read more »

It was an instant love affair between you and that online kids’ clothing store. The price was right, the clothes were cute and the shop made you feel secure (it even said so on the “checkout” button).

Then you clicked to pay. And the dream of a $10 tiny top turned to a $387.92 shipping nightmare.

This year, try one of these on-island alternatives.

Deck Out the Halls
Want your kiddo pint-sized and cracking wise? Then try a droll drool bib from Koko Bean... Read more »

You’re lining up all your nights out before Christmas, and everyone’s stirring – and shaking, and sipping.

Especially at Chinatown’s Brasserie Du Vin, where a new menu of holiday cocktails was introduced this week, just in time for First Friday tonight.

Sip on the Poinsettia, a cranberry-spiked flute of champagne with a twist of lime, or the Chocolate Candy Cane martini, a... Read more »

Ready or not, Christmas is less than 30 days away and by now, you’ve come to know a few things – like exactly what you want to give and (ahem) receive. And Santa’s no mind reader.

Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, you can guarantee you’ll get what you want this holiday with a little help from Fighting Eel. Just stop by their Chinatown headquarters, hand-pick the threads that’ll get your heart thumping, then add them all to a personalized wish list.

The FE showroom has the widest... Read more »

Lei Chic’s guide to the weekend’s best events.

Jingle Dogs
What: Try a gourmet Reindeer hot dog made with extra-lean caribou meat mixed with beef, seared and served with whatever toppings you choose. The authentic Alaskan sausage is flown in fresh from Anchorage and has a zesty spice to it.
Read more »

Lei Chic’s guide to the weekend’s best events.

Jingle Dogs
What: Try a gourmet Reindeer hot dog made with extra-lean caribou meat mixed with beef, seared and served with whatever toppings you choose. The authentic Alaskan sausage is flown in fresh from Anchorage and has a zesty spice to it.
Read more »