In addition to being astonishingly shiny, the brand new Cosmopolitan resort/hotel/multimillion-dollar den of iniquity offers an actually rare shopping experience for seasoned Las Vegans. Rather than building yet another shrine to designer egos, The Cosmopolitan has taken a unique approach to shopping in the form of a series of multi-brand boutiques.

Do You Believe in Love First Sight? It's not our question - that's the actual name of this gift set. Buxom has in the past reeled us in with their mini plumping lip gloss sets, all full of sparkle and tingles, and now they've once again tempted our predilection for miniature versions of things we like with this affordable six-pack of tote-able eyeliners.

My poor brother. He had barely stepped off the plane from Chicago, still shaking off jet lag, before the whirlwind began.

1. My homunculus2.

Skip the too-obvious Cosmopolitan (the drink, not the new resort) and keep warm at the same time with February-friendly hot, sweet cocktails. Brew up a cup of Republic of Tea's seasonal Strawberry Chocolate Red Tea, a caffeine-free sweet treat that benefits equally from a dash (or more) of Kahlua or strawberry vodka (or both).

WHO ARE WE to decide what's the best in food, arts, entertainment and more in Las Vegas? Glad you asked. We're native Las Vegans burning to tell the world about the hometown favorites we grew up with.

Cartoon turtle Mojave Max and his kangaroo rat sidekick have a hook-up in Washington: the Endangered Species Coalition. The league of conservation organizations says that Nevada's Mojave and Great Basin deserts - home to desert tortoises, rodents and many other animals - are among the top 10 ecosystems in the United States whose endangered species needs saving.

SHOPS + SERVICES Veggie delivery Make a contribution to the Bountiful Baskets Co-op at the beginning of the week, and by week's end, a basket full of produce arrives at your designated pick-up location. Although not as local, organic and sustainable as other community-supported-agriculture options (e.

Once upon a time, before bar-hopping, before imbibing and ingesting various other substances to the point of hospitalization became au courant, culture was integral to romance, not just part of it. If culture is your own ecstasy, Vegas does not disappoint.

How does musician King Ibu create his rich, soulful, authentic Senegalese songs? In a curiously modern manner: Via e-mailWhen King Ibu needs to add a sabar drum to a song on his latest album, he logs onto a Mac in his Las Vegas home and sends a digital file of his vocals and electric guitar halfway across the world to Aziz Faye in Dakar, Senegal. The song is as likely to be in English as in French, or even Pulaar, an ancient African language.