diff --git a/apps/nextjs-example/app/Card.tsx b/apps/nextjs-example/app/Card.tsx
index 57aa3ce2..642528a1 100644
--- a/apps/nextjs-example/app/Card.tsx
+++ b/apps/nextjs-example/app/Card.tsx
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@
 
 import stylex from '@stylexjs/stylex';
 import { globalTokens as $, spacing, text } from './globalTokens.stylex';
-import '@stylexjs/open-props/lib/colors.stylex';
 import { colors } from '@stylexjs/open-props/lib/colors.stylex';
+import { tokens } from './CardTokens.stylex';
 
 type Props = Readonly<{
   title: string;
@@ -20,15 +20,15 @@ type Props = Readonly<{
 export default function Card({ title, body, href }: Props) {
   return (
     <a
-      className={stylex(styles.link)}
+      {...stylex.props(styles.link)}
       href={href}
       rel="noopener noreferrer"
       target="_blank"
     >
-      <h2 className={stylex(styles.h2)}>
-        {title} <span className={stylex(styles.span)}>→</span>
+      <h2 {...stylex.props(styles.h2)}>
+        {title} <span {...stylex.props(styles.span)}>→</span>
       </h2>
-      <p className={stylex(styles.p)}>{body}</p>
+      <p {...stylex.props(styles.p)}>{body}</p>
     </a>
   );
 }
@@ -65,12 +65,12 @@ const styles = stylex.create({
     padding: spacing.sm,
     transitionProperty: 'background-color, border-color',
     transitionDuration: '400ms',
-    transform: {
-      default: 'translateX(0)',
-      ':hover span': 'translateX(4px)',
-    },
     textAlign: 'center',
     textDecoration: 'none',
+    [tokens.arrowTransform]: {
+      default: 'translateX(0)',
+      ':hover': 'translateX(4px)',
+    },
   },
   h2: {
     color: colors.blue3,
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ const styles = stylex.create({
   span: {
     display: 'inline-block',
     transitionProperty: 'transform',
+    transform: tokens.arrowTransform,
     transitionDuration: {
       default: '200ms',
       [REDUCE_MOTION]: '0s',
diff --git a/apps/nextjs-example/app/CardTokens.stylex.ts b/apps/nextjs-example/app/CardTokens.stylex.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d07e3294
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/nextjs-example/app/CardTokens.stylex.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+import * as stylex from '@stylexjs/stylex';
+
+export const tokens = stylex.defineVars({
+  arrowTransform: 'translateX(0)',
+});
diff --git a/apps/nextjs-example/typetests/theming1.tsx b/apps/nextjs-example/typetests/theming1.tsx
index bda31c1d..dcd51134 100644
--- a/apps/nextjs-example/typetests/theming1.tsx
+++ b/apps/nextjs-example/typetests/theming1.tsx
@@ -21,10 +21,7 @@ import type {
 const DARK = '@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark)';
 
 const buttonTokens = stylex.defineVars({
-  bgColor: {
-    default: 'cyan',
-    [DARK]: 'navy',
-  },
+  bgColor: 'cyan',
   textColor: {
     default: 'black',
     [DARK]: 'white',
@@ -74,7 +71,11 @@ type TokensType = TokensFromVarGroup<typeof buttonTokens>;
 }) satisfies TokensType;
 
 const correctTheme = stylex.createTheme(buttonTokens, {
-  bgColor: 'red',
+  bgColor: {
+    default: 'pink',
+    [DARK]: 'navy',
+    '@media (max-width: 700px)': 'red',
+  },
   textColor: 'white',
   cornerRadius: '4px',
   paddingBlock: '4px',
diff --git a/packages/eslint-plugin/src/stylex-valid-styles.js b/packages/eslint-plugin/src/stylex-valid-styles.js
index 5a2d6c71..9e310391 100644
--- a/packages/eslint-plugin/src/stylex-valid-styles.js
+++ b/packages/eslint-plugin/src/stylex-valid-styles.js
@@ -2360,12 +2360,24 @@ const stylexValidStyles = {
             );
           }
           const key = style.key;
+          if (key.type === 'PrivateIdentifier') {
+            return context.report(
+              ({
+                node: key,
+                loc: key.loc,
+                message: 'Private properties are not allowed in stylex',
+              }: Rule.ReportDescriptor),
+            );
+          }
           const keyName =
             key.type === 'Literal'
               ? key.value
               : key.type === 'Identifier' && !style.computed
               ? key.name
               : null;
+          if (isStylexDefineVarsToken(key, stylexDefineVarsTokenImports)) {
+            return undefined;
+          }
           if (
             typeof keyName !== 'string' ||
             (key.type !== 'Literal' && key.type !== 'Identifier')
diff --git a/packages/shared/src/preprocess-rules/flatten-raw-style-obj.js b/packages/shared/src/preprocess-rules/flatten-raw-style-obj.js
index e7f74f38..643b8273 100644
--- a/packages/shared/src/preprocess-rules/flatten-raw-style-obj.js
+++ b/packages/shared/src/preprocess-rules/flatten-raw-style-obj.js
@@ -36,8 +36,11 @@ export function _flattenRawStyleObject(
   const flattened: Array<
     $ReadOnly<[string, AnyPreRule | PreIncludedStylesRule]>,
   > = [];
-  for (const key in style) {
-    const value = style[key];
+  for (const _key in style) {
+    const value = style[_key];
+    const key: string = _key.match(/var\(--[a-z0-9]+\)/)
+      ? _key.slice(4, -1)
+      : _key;
 
     // Included Styles
     if (typeof value === 'object' && value instanceof IncludedStyles) {
diff --git a/packages/stylex/src/StyleXTypes.d.ts b/packages/stylex/src/StyleXTypes.d.ts
index 62589397..84288370 100644
--- a/packages/stylex/src/StyleXTypes.d.ts
+++ b/packages/stylex/src/StyleXTypes.d.ts
@@ -22,14 +22,12 @@ export type StyleXClassName = StyleXClassNameFor<any, any>;
 export type StyleXArray<T> = T | ReadonlyArray<StyleXArray<T>>;
 
 declare const StyleXVarTag: unique symbol;
-declare class StyleXVar<out Val> extends String {
+declare class _StyleXVar<out Val> {
   private _opaque: typeof StyleXVarTag;
   private _value: Val;
 }
+export type StyleXVar<Val> = _StyleXVar<Val> & string;
 
-// Strings that don't start with a dollar sign.
-// So that we can `&` with {$$css: true} without type errors.
-type string = `${NonDollarChars}${string}`;
 type PseudoClassStr = `:${string}`;
 type AtRuleStr = `@${string}`;
 
@@ -82,10 +80,10 @@ export type StyleXSingleStyle = false | (null | undefined | NestedCSSPropTypes);
 export type Keyframes = Readonly<{ [name: string]: CSSProperties }>;
 export type LegacyThemeStyles = Readonly<{ [constantName: string]: string }>;
 
-type ComplexStyleValueType<T> = T extends string | number | null
-  ? T
-  : T extends StyleXVar<infer U>
+type ComplexStyleValueType<T> = T extends StyleXVar<infer U>
   ? U
+  : T extends string | number | null
+  ? T
   : T extends ReadonlyArray<infer U>
   ? U
   : T extends Readonly<{ default: infer A; [cond: CondStr]: infer B }>
@@ -165,16 +163,16 @@ export type VarGroup<
   [Key in keyof Tokens]: StyleXVar<Tokens[Key]>;
 }> &
   Readonly<{
-    $opaqueId: ID;
-    $tokens: Tokens;
+    __opaqueId: ID;
+    __tokens: Tokens;
   }> &
   typeof StyleXVarGroupTag;
 
 export type TokensFromVarGroup<T extends VarGroup<unknown, unknown>> =
-  T['$tokens'];
+  T['__tokens'];
 
 export type IDFromVarGroup<T extends VarGroup<unknown, unknown>> =
-  T['$opaqueId'];
+  T['__opaqueId'];
 
 type TTokens = Readonly<{
   [key: string]: string | { [key: string]: string };