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Nail art lovers, look out; your $30 weekly mani/pedi may cost you a lot more than what you bargained for. A new report issued by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control shows so-called nontoxic nail polishes commonly used in California salons actually contain a “toxic trio” of harmful chemicals comprising toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and formaldehyde which have been linked to birth defects and other illnesses.

Among the products tested that the state says were mislabeled were: Sation 99 basecoat, Sation 53 red-pink nail color, Dare to Wear nail lacquer, Chelsea 650 Baby’s Breath Nail Lacquer, New York Summer Nail Color, Paris Spicy 298 nail lacquer, Sunshine nail lacquer, Cacie Light Free Gel Basecoat, Cacie Sun Protection Topcoat, Golden Girl Topcoat, Nail Art Top-N-Seal and High Gloss Topcoat. The polishes are not available in stores and can be purchased only at a nail salon.

“The mislabeled nail products have the potential to harm thousands of workers in more than 48,000 nail salons in California, and their customers,” the agency explains, but they still don’t have enough data to estimate exactly how many people were being exposed. Yikes! Just as everyone suddenly starts caring about nail art.

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London-based Dan Hillier‘s gorgeously dark illustrations are reminiscent of some of the ingenious work of MC Escher – but with some kind of a decadent, witchy twist; think feathers, botanica or tentacles… “Most of my work is made by collaging elements of found Victoriana and drawing with ink using a dip-nib pen,” the artist explains on his website. Have a look at some of our favorites pieces:

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Nothing beats the soft touch of satin on my skin in the morning. I slip out of bed and into my translucent boudoir attire, just awake enough to catch the blissful look on my man’s face as he whispers “coffee!” and watches me walk out of the room. We’re both obsessed with these classy, erotic looks from Lola Haze‘s SS12 lookbook. Spring is here, and it’s going to be hot…

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Emma Mulholland’s AW12 sophomore collection ‘Tropical Rebel’ is a seriously jawsome neon on black, tie-dye / silk screened tribute to the king of the ocean, the blood thirsty Great White Shark…

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Today I had the pleasure of meeting Aussie designer Brenda Harvey, founder of high end accessories label benah, in a charming cottage at the Château Marmont. She had flown in to Los Angeles a few days earlier to introduce her latest creation for AW2012; SUNSHADOWS, a perfectly formed collection made of leather and canvas bags, silk scarves and jewelry.

Lisa Lock Bag in Burgundy

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Dain Fagerholm, an artist and illustrator based in Seattle, uses ink pen and color dye marker on paper to create the cutest monster animated gifs! Peek at a few of our favorites:

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All of UK-based lingerie brand Damaris‘ collections are hand-made by the company’s atelier of seamstresses based in London, and I can just imagine them having a moment while creating these playful, 1990s-inspired pieces for SS12. The line is well-known for its outrageous knickers and for introducing “bottom cleavage.” Most recently, they started featuring a deep-v front plunge on the bras, one of our favorite things from this collection. Get your neon on and shop the pieces online at Faire Frou Frou!

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When in doubt, look twice! The series of images below are not photographs, they’re actual paintings – oil and mixed media on canvas! I gotta say Dan Witz, a street artist and realist painter who’s been on the New York scene since the 1970′s, fooled me at first with this series titled “Mosh Pits, Human and Otherwise,” first shown at Jonathan LeVine back in June 2011. How cool!

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There are over a thousand wash & fold laundromats in New York City, but it’s a real hassle to find one you can really trust. Don’t let the “We Love Our Customers” sticker on the bag fool you, they mostly don’t give a shit. I’ve had one too many garments ruined and lost before I discovered Slate NYC, an eco-friendly laundry and dry-cleaning service that actually makes your clothes a priority.

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The Jerome C. Rousseau label is in its fourth year now, and although we’ve been lusting for these precious statement shoes for a while, the young French Canadian designer has truly outdone himself this year with a bold, artsy and undeniably sexy Spring / Summer 2012 collection. In this lookbook, shot in Joshua Tree by photographer Mary Rozzi, the designer’s muse Roxane Mesquida bares all to show off the fabulous heels, because really – what else does a girl need?

TESLA in white leather with black trim

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California-based eyewear label Lookmatic just released a collection of to-die-for glasses and shades as well as a playful lookbook set in the extravagantly colorful Saguaro Hotel in Palm Springs and shot by photographer Patrick Fraser. I love this cinematic approach to color-blocking!

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I know it’s April already, but it’s not too late to order a 2012 end of the world-themed, Gil Elvgren-inspired calendar by Russian artist Andrew Tarusov. If you’re going to be braving the apocalypse, might as well be with perfectly combed hair, short skirts and high heels – right!? Which month’s pinup is your favorite?

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Adam Oehlers has a wild, wild imagination. The UK-based illustrator and sculptor describes his work as “all part of a world that is not so different from ours, a grim, cobbled place that is trapped in its own time, with some little elements of odd magic which creep in at the edges.” His scenes seem straight out of a fairytale gone wrong, with mad scientists, scary robots, filthy bookcases and sad little girls which are equally creepy and charming. Have a look:

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Euro Tour day 1. We woke up at noon with a puffy face in a groggy state of mind. Jet lag hit us like a ton of bricks and it felt almost impossible for either Victoria or I to get out of the sofa bed. Our lovely London hosts, who lived right at the edge of what people call “The City,” suggested we took a stroll from the house to the Big Ben along London’s South Bank to lift our spirit a bit; they had put together a fine itinerary of some interesting sight-seeing and (touristic) attractions, some of which surprisingly easy to miss if you aren’t informed.

Just looking at these photos gives me the chills – the cold in London gets right into your bones, sure, but mostly, it was one of the best walks of our whole entire trip. I really enjoyed putting together this pretty mood board!

St Bartholomew The Great - an impressive Medieval Church - make sure to pop in if it's open. Some scenes of 4 Weddings and a Funeral were filed there.

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When I first heard about Jonathan LeVine releasing a book titled Delusional, I got puzzled and extremely curious. How could an alternative arts powerhouse like this, whose gallery – the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York – is not only a curated art space, but also a real institution for illustration, comic book, graffiti, street art and pop culture lovers worldwide, define its professional path with such a strong word?

Turns out his fascinating life story, with all of its twists and turns, is a must-read for every single person trying to make it in a creative field. We had a chance to sit down with LeVine for an interview, and here’s what he had to say:

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The way I met Alexis Gross is just brilliant. I was hanging out with friends at the Los Angeles Premiere of Shake Junt‘s Chicken Bone Nowison video and noticed a really beautiful blue-haired girl with her hands full of beer cups, barely making it through the crowd. I immediately made my way up to her and, without even introducing myself, asked her if I could help her get where she was going (the DJ booth).

Completely puzzled by my attitude – girls in L.A. normally don’t help each other out, especially in a room full of skaters – she said that was the nicest thing anyone had done for her in a while. We became friends.

Alexis on top of the Standard Hotel photographing the West Side of Manhattan, shot by Michael Cohen

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