SMOOTH GROOVES WILL GET YOUR VALENTINE IN THE MOOD

Remember the good old days, when you'd show a girl you loved her by recording a tape off your boom box with all your favorite songs? Those romantic ways still hold value. Sure, now all you have to do is log on to iTunes or e-mail a Zshare file, but hey — it's the thought that counts, right? In that spirit, DJ Compose (aka Jay Ablan) from the Nocturnal Sound Krew has the mix for you to get your groove on with tonight. Go to www.nocturnalsoundhawaii.blogspot.com to download "A Valentine's Arrangement," featuring love songs from different eras of R&B and soul.

— Lacy Matsumoto

BEACH DEBRIS GETS NEW LIFE AS COLORFUL BAGS

Jeannie Wokasch, 47, of Lanikai runs on the beaches of O'ahu nearly every day, from Kailua to Waikīkī. Day after day she sees dozens of bright plastic floaties strewn along the shores of our beautiful beaches, deserted by people who didn't care enough to recycle them. She thought and thought about what she might do to give them a second life. Not sure of their ultimate use, she began collecting them, paying $1 to anyone, from beachboys to homeless people, who would recycle one for her. She finally came up with the idea to make beach bags out of them, also attaching a smaller bag for a cell phone or iPod. They're a DIY project, stitched on her home sewing machine.
Now Wokasch sells her colorful beach bags for $10 at Aloha Swim, a discount beachwear shop, at 300 Ku'ulei Road in Kailua. Information: 852-8401 or 261-1964.
— Paula Rath

WHISK YOUR DATE AWAY TO MAJESTIC SHANGRI LA

Guys, here's a plan to make you look like Mr. Right: a romantic tour of Shangri La, an elegant, open-air estate once owned by American heiress Doris Duke and filled with treasures from the Islamic world. Tales and rumors of her love affairs and privileged lifestyle add intrigue. Your date will be impressed by the exotic atmosphere, and you'll come off as a cultured guy. Shangri La, reserved tours only, Wednesdays-Saturdays, $20 for kama'āina; 734-1941, www.shangrilahawaii.org.

— L.M.

CHOCOLATE INDULGENCE

Sure you could give chocolates, but then you'd have to deal with the guilt of breaking her New Year's resolution or messing with that diet she's been dedicated to. Play it safe, and give her the satisfying hint of chocolate by picking up a bar of Hawaii Mint Chocolate Soap, made by the North Shore Soap Factory (www.hawaiianbathbody.com). The locally made soap is a concoction of Waialua chocolate and organic ingredients. Get it for $1.49 an ounce at Whole Foods Market; given the calorie count, you can afford to splurge a little. Whole Foods, Kahala Mall, 738-0820.
— L.M.

SALES & BARGAINS

• We're seriously gaga over the new M.A.C. Viva Glam line, where edgy meets funky as Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper team up and lend their names to new lipsticks that benefit the M.A.C. AIDS Fund. I couldn't resist trying out both shades: Viva Glam Gaga (light blue pink lustre) and Viva Glam Cyndi (light coral red lustre). You can rock both, day or night. At $14 each, they are a bargain because 100 percent of the selling price goes to benefit the M.A.C. AIDS foundation. In 1995, M.A.C. Cosmetics came to Hawai'i and has been supporting the Life Foundation ever since; more than $200,000 has been donated to Life Foundation's HIV prevention and care programs in Hawai'i via the fund. www.mac cosmetics.com.

• Don't resist therapy. If fashion is your weakness, visit Therapy Boutique for some guilt-free spending at the store's Presidents Day sale, through Friday, and take 20 percent off all denim. Brands include Blank, Anlo and Rock Revival. Pair the jeans with a vintage-style tee by Blue Platypus ($29 to $32) and a Hippy Chic Designs reversible belt by local designer Dale Coarsey ($50). And get an exclusive dose of Zand Amsterdam's mini wrap-skirts ($48); you can be one of the first in the islands to sport this collage of cotton textiles and bright embroideries, edgy worn over jeans or leggings and daring on bare legs. Therapy Boutique, Kahala Mall; 732-7222.

• Happy Valentine's Day! Cinnamon Girl is offering our Honolulu Advertiser readers a Red Hot special: Mention this column and receive 10 percent off anything red until Feb. 21. Another tip: Alexa's Angels prayer box bracelets are in high demand after our Sales & Bargains item alerted readers, and a shipment has been rushed to Honolulu. These heartfelt, unique bracelets are $13.50. Cinnamon Girl: Ala Moana Center; 947-4332; Ward Warehouse, 591-6532; Kahala Mall, 737-9425; Pearlridge Center, 484-1613; Whaler's Village, Maui, 808-661-0441; King's Shops, Big Island, 808-886-0241; www.cinnamongirl.com.

• Check out the artsy, open vibe in Fishcake, a design boutique featuring the work of local artisans, and marvel at the ingenuity of Sandaloha Surf Slippers, $15, by Cameron Olson and Jennifer Kuhn. They're dual-purpose, serving as comfy memory foam slippers and a walking wallet, where you can conceal your keys, a few bills and your ID in a secret compartment. A must-see. Fishcake, 307C Kamani St.; 593-1231, www.fishcake.us.

— Amanda Stevens. Read Sales & Bargains first at the Hawai'i's Fashion Forum blog, http://hawaiisfashionforum.honadvblogs.com.

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