GBK 2018 PRE-EMMY AWARDS LUXURY GIFTING LOUNGE

GBK’s pre-Emmys event returned to the rooftop of the beautiful L’Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills. I always feel so “in with the in crowd” just entering the premises! (Denise, my contributing writer on this one, and I met a cute, hip English guy on the way up in the elevator, and although he was staying at this swanky hotel, he said he was jealous of us for getting to go GBK’s gifting lounge!)

Denise, who had never been to a GBK event before, told me, “I was blown-away by the array of items that satisfied my curiosity.” She continued, “It was a unique blend of products, with food and wine, and even a chair massage! No matter what you’re into, there was something you would like. It was a wonderful experience, from seeing cool cats such as Anthony Anderson and David Alan Grier to actual cool cats from the Stray Cat Alliance!”

It was pretty toasty in Los Angeles on both days of this two-day event, so it was lovely of the organizers to have someone come around with trays of ice water all day. That simple gesture was much appreciated.

The assemblage was also happy that there were snacks, such as a cheese platter and cookies, always available, even though for once in my life, I was too hot to eat! Maybe that means that I should go to a fat farm in the desert for awhile. (Hey, GBK—maybe next time, gift the chubby among us, like me, a stay at one of those!)

But, let’s face it, the gifts are always the main attraction here, and this was the perfect blend of some of my perennial favorites and items I’ve never seen before. Here are the highlights:

Pilot Pen—I think that everyone knows what a fan of this company’s colored pens I am. So, since Denise just discovered them that day, I’ll give you her impressions of them. She says, “Did you ever think a pen could change your life? The G2 pens have transformed my cat-scratch writing into the beautiful penmanship my mother had. The G2 Fashion Collection is also pretty on the outside, and I like the compliments I receive when I pull out a nice pen. It’s a simple thing that you don’t often think about. This set of multiple colors encourage you to be creative. I wrote-out a birthday card with four in my hand.  Perhaps more importantly, the Enso Lettering Pens are screaming at me ‘get married so you can calligraphy your invitations!’ ” www.powertothepen.com

Age Interventionist RX—This fabulous facialist was on-site gifting a certificate for not only her new CBD serum and tincture, but also an entire anti-aging CBD facial! How’s that for an excellent gift?! I’ve long known about Renee, (and even had a cool mini-facial from her once before,) so I was happy to introduce Denise to her at the lounge. Denise tells us, “Renee’s knowledge and passion was evident as she spoke about the amazing properties of CBD for maximum collagen regeneration in the fight against aging and wrinkles.  I’m glad to see the hemp plant able to come out of the closet so we all can reap the rewards from it’s unlimited possibilities!”   www.c-youth.com 

Blended Designs 1954 Backpacks—I could not run over to this table filled with colorful backpacks fast enough! Even better than the portraits of beautiful real-life children that are the faces on these bags, is that they were designed by the adorable Carter Kelley, a young man himself!!! How wonderfully creative and enterprising of him! As I admired the designs and colors on them, Denise marveled, “They appear to be so well-made! And I appreciate the many pockets as well as the water bottle holders on both sides.” She added, “The backpacks are a friendly reminder that you “Can Do Anything,” which is the motto on the packs. www.blendeddesigns.com

Ike’s Place Sandwiches—Denise has always heard about Ike’s sandwiches from me, so when she finally tried one recently, she declared it “delicious!” And when she met the real Ike at this lounge, she liked him right away, asking, “Is the secret to his sandwiches’ great taste the Dirty Sauce or Ike’s personality?” In addition to Ike’s Place featuring a “delectable selection of edibles,” he was offering nice “wearables” at the lounge, as well, in the form of his usual colorful tees. But this time, he also showed-off cute-yet-sexy red panties with “Ike’s Love & Sandwiches” logo-ed on them. As Denise put it, “Who could pass those up?” www.loveandsandwiches.com

Zenni Optical—Both of us glasses girls were drooling over these optical options! This eyewear company was gifting certificates for a pair of their beautiful and hip glasses. And to remind you to use it, they gave each guest a glasses case and cleaning cloth, right then and there. Denise gasped, “I’m not sure which is more alluring–the frames they offer or the beautiful teal case!” She further explained, “Their website lets you upload a picture of your face so you can try glasses on virtually. That way, you can choose the frame that not only fits well, but also expresses your personality.” What better gift could there possibly be for sight-challenged fashionistas??? www.zenni.com

Wen Hair Care—This famous West Hollywood hair company made a makeshift salon right on-site, to beautify all the guests’ tresses.  I hated missing-out on having someone else work on my waist-length locks, but I had arrived camera-ready, so I had to forego that bit of pampering.  But in addition to the hair-curling and flat-ironing, they offered guests an array of their haircare products, which I’m sure everyone there appreciated.  www.chazdean.com

Athenaromas—This is a new-ish company with a wonderful idea for busy pet owners. They offer candles (whose fragrance is a blend of chamomile, sweet orange, and lavender,) that you burn while you’re home so that your pet associates that smell with you. Then, when you go out, you leave a diffuser which has the same scent. That way, your fur friends will never be lonely! (And you can stop feeling guilty to have left them alone, as Mr. X always did with Clarence and Bud.) www.athenaromas.com

Fork & Fire Catering—I had met this Central Coast catering company’s restaurant, Ribline, at a previous GBK event, and loved their food so much that I keep trying to find some time to go up there! But at this one, they were treating us to several items from their, as Denise put it, “delightful” catering menu. We both loved everything they were offering that day, especially the “creamy and flavorful” mac ‘n cheese. Of course, dessert-obsessed moi was very happy that they also brought along a couple of their sweet treats. I loved the chocolate-raspberry tart, while Denise gobbled up a few pink mini-macaroons. She said those cuties were the “perfect bit of sweet deliciousness to top off the meal!” www.forkandfirecatering.com

Roar Organic Infusions—Denise says these flavored coconut waters are “refreshing and satisfying whether you’re cutting calories or going full-force.” They’re infused with electrolytes and sweetened with Stevia, which she was surprised to find “didn’t leave a funky aftertaste in my mouth like artificial sweeteners do.” Even I, a coconut water-eschewer, loved them! www.drinkroar.com

Burke Williams—This time, this day spa was gifting what Denise deems to be “a beautiful lip gloss in a happy shade of pink.” And since she’s the happiest person I know, I totally trust her on this description! (By the way—They were giving chair massages at the lounge, in addition to the lip gloss, but we were way too hot to be touched that day, even for a massage.) www.burkewilliamsppa.com

As always, GBK was featuring a couple of charities they wanted us to know about. They were:

Stray Cat Alliance—There were actual live felines on-site, and since I’m deathly allergic, (a semi-funny story about that in a second,) and Denise loves cats, she handled this one on her own. She says, “This good cause has a decade of victories for the cats in the key areas of rescue, adoptions, and trap/neuter/return. If you’re like me, and fear you’d want to keep every cat and kitten in sight, there are many other ways to volunteer!” (Okay, here’s my story. Years ago, I was playing an animal handler on a TV show. One of those animals was a cat—it was a comedy gig–which had me worried, but his was a thirty-second bit, so I figured I could make it through without having an asthma attack. But when I left hair and make-up and got back to my dressing room, I opened the door to be greeted by—you guessed it—the long-hair cat!!! They said they had no place else to put it, so my dressing room was it. Needless to say, my difficulty breathing scared them enough to get him out of there, pronto. Ah, the things I’ve done for my career.) www.modernbeast.com

Educating Young Minds—As a former teacher myself, you know that I’m down with as much education as one can get! And if we get to the minds while they’re young, maybe more of them will learn to speak better, and stop saying “me and him,” and “bought” for “bRought!!! The distinguished gent from this organization whom we met at this event was in a handsome suit, yet he was the only person there who was not sweating in that heat! That man is one more cool cat, to add to Denise’s list from the top of this column!  www.educatingyoungminds.org