Light-matter interaction at the nanometer scale has turned into a very fast growing field of research known as nano-optics and nano-photonics. The main motivation comes from the potential of nano-optics to extend concepts and functionalities of conventional optics down to the nanometer scale, towards ultra-compact photonic and imaging devices that may overcome the diffraction limit. Nano-plasmonics is expected to have a strong impact in the areas of chip-scale optical interconnects and bio-medical applications. Artificially engineered materials with optical effective magnetism and negative refractive index employ the effect of circular currents in double layered plasmonic nanostructures separated by a dielectric spacer. Multilayer metal-dielectric films enable hyperbolic dispersion for the propagating waves with a high density of states and acceptance of high wavevector light waves. Two examples of our accomplishments in this field will be discussed. One of them is related to the hyperbolic metamaterials. Second concerns a new type of localized plasmons, namely magnetic plasmons, which are spin-dependent and can be excited in Co nanoparticles. It includes our experiments on hyperbolic metamaterials for life-time engineering and subwavelength nano-photolithography. Development and study of high-quality plasmon UV resonance in spin-polarized single-domain magnetic nanoparticles like cobalt. Such plasmons make possible molecular sensing based on resonant UV surface enhanced Raman scattering.