FOR the last two decades, Lower East Side night life has largely revolved around dive bars with live music, worn-out pool tables and cheap drinks. Those seeking more exclusivity burrowed deeper, until they got to the rehabbed basement speakeasies of Meyer Lansky and Murder Inc., reached only with a password and some luck. Beauty & Essex nods to this past while shaping the future. Opened in December by the team behind Stanton Street Social, it offers bouncers, glamour and a hint of subterfuge. The 10,000-square-foot club has a proper lounge and an expansive second floor with dramatic lighting. Lower East Side night life, it seems, is moving up. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]