GIFTING SUITE/EVENT: DORIS BERGMAN’S VALENTINE ROMANCE OSCAR STYLE LOUNGE & PARTY

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DORIS BERGMAN’S VALENTINE ROMANCE OSCAR STYLE LOUNGE & PARTY

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Doris Bergman’s gifting suite and fabulous luncheon was held once again at famous West Hollywood restaurant, Fig & Olive. We began the day feasting on their tray-passed signature flatbreads, followed by a gourmet buffet lunch served by their most amiable staff. (I hope that my favorite server, Josh, owns his own restaurant one day, and stays as perfect as he always is at this event!)

Doris is so smart to have her fabulous event a week before all the Oscars hubbub begins, because her guests want to stay at this one all day and relax, without having to run out to another event. It’s like the calm before the storm.

My contributing writer, Alice, (whose comments later on are the ones in quotes,) and I were there from 11:20AM to almost 4 PM! And were happily occupied the entire time!

Joe Bologna and Renee Taylor entering the party, with a pal in-between. Photo by Karen Salkin.

Joe Bologna and Renee Taylor entering the party, with a pal in-between. Photo by Karen Salkin.

We got to spend a lot of time having a lovely chat with Joe Bologna, who’s absolutely charming. What an intelligent thoughtful guy he is. We didn’t even talk much about show business! Our convo was basically about how to have a successful, happy relationship, which he said is rare even outside of show business. He and his also-famous wife, Renee Taylor, (who was there with Joe,) will be celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary this year! Wow! So he knows of what he speaks!

But, in-between all the food and celeb mingling, we were all there for the gifts, of which there were many! Doris has so many attractive sponsors; some even matched their outfits to their beautiful displays!

Let’s get to the highlights of the gifts now, matching or not:

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

MDSUN Skincare–I love this beautiful, upscale skincare travel kit! It contains smaller sizes of everything you could possibly need while away from home. And it sure beats my usual on-the-road skincare, which is whatever junk the hotel provides! (And if I have the doctor who invented this line, Dr. Sun, do any work on my face, you know I’ll be telling everybody about it!) www.mdsunskincare.com

Twisted Silver Jewelry—Alice, who was already a fan of this company, was once again amazed at designer Debra Mitchell’s “beautiful, and versatile” creations. I always am! www.twisted-silver.com

Karen Salkin modeling the Liv Hair Jewelry.  Photo by Alice Farinas.

Karen Salkin modeling the Liv Hair Jewelry. Photo by Alice Farinas.

Liv Hair Jewelry—These lovely hair accessories are perfect to hold back my ten pounds of hair in a beautiful way! Alice said these “gorgeous jewels make you feel like a princess, for sure!”  www.whirlastyle.com

Sue Wong—The elegant designer, Sue Wong, was there, showing her gowns, and gifting her classic beaded chiffon shawls. I’ve been to her fashion shows in the recent past, and even to parties at her historic house, but I had never seen her at a gifting suite before! That’s a testament to Doris Bergman, for sure! www.suewong.com

Single Dress—Alice said, “This clothing line has all the best dresses from fun to fabulous! I really love the beaded collection. Those timeless pieces dazzle; you will have them in your wardrobe forever.” www.singledress.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Microderm 360–This may just be the one item that all the Hollywood folk at this suite need! It’s an at-home dermabrasion kit, that you can use on your body as well as on your face. It saves the user a ton of money on facials, and since people won’t spot you out of the house, making a visit to an aesthetician, they’ll think your skin just got gorgeous on its own! This company just may put the paparazzi out of business. Finally! www.microderm360.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Pura D’or Hair Care—This hair care company features all products that contain pure argan oil. It’s touted to be good for hair loss prevention, so that everyone can have as much hair as I do! (People who blow it often tell me that I have enough hair for ten people, knock on as much wood as I can find!) Alice mentioned that it gives hair “body and thickness, and can even be used on color-treated hair.” www.purador.com

Photo by Alice Farinas.

Photo by Alice Farinas.

My Saint, My Hero Bracelets—Alice and I both have a collection of these serenity blessing bracelets, and wear them all the time. She mentioned that “there is something so healing about them; every time I wear mine I feel protected.” www.mysaintmyhero.com

Telic Sandals—Alice said these colorful, cushion-y sandals are “so comfortable you can wear them all the time!” And they had something new this time, that I particularly loved: little jewels that you screw onto the thong bands in whatever spot you choose! The sparkly starfish and pink sea turtles are adorbs! www.telicfootwear.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Silvana K Jewelry—Alice thought this jewelry line has “an Egyptian feel to it,” probably because of the infinity necklaces they were gifting. She noticed that their “hieroglyphic-inspired bracelets” would be “a great match” for those neck chains. And I loved the uber-friendly designer! www.silvanakdesigns.com

Samiah—I was wondering how this designer of Victorian-esque coats would be able to give one to every celebrity guest. And then she told me the clever thing she did: She had each one explain, on a form, why he or she “deserved” it, like with an Oscar, and she and her pals will choose the guy and girl who made the best pitch! And she said they were all game! In the meantime, she gifted them big shoulder bags made from brocade or chenille, to “take you away to that time period.”  www.samiah.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Di Snap Back Caps—Ali said, “The design of these very smart and stylish caps is so on the money! Every one is unique.” Each features a different word or saying that includes the letters “LA,” to pay tribute to our town. Loving it! www.disnapback.com

Model in a Bottle—Alice advised of this make-up setting spray, “When you’re finished applying your make-up, (on yourself or others, as I do in my day job,) spray this and it will stay all day. Voilà–now you are ready!” I’m just hoping to try their new lipstick-setter one day. If that works on my non-stop lips, I’ll think of investing in the company! www.modelinabottle.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

My Dog Nose It–This is an interesting product, that I never realized dog owners had a need for. But they do! It’s a protectant cream for their noses. It turns-out that human sunscreens are poisonous to animals, so even when you think you’re doing something good for your pet by using your own sunscreen on them, you’re really not. This new product appears to be the go-to one from now on. www.mydognoseit.com

Art Lewin—This bespoke men’s clothing designer was on-site, gifting bags with dress socks and pocket squares. Some were wild, some were classic, which I suspect the man himself is a combo of! www.artlewin.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Shoppe 815—Even though this company has tons of products in their catalog, they were happily gifting candles that Alice deemed “so unique” because they come in very different fragrances, like black tea and coffee!!! www.shoppe815.com

Arbonne—We were pleasantly surprised to find this famous skin care company now has pure and organic nutrition products. They were gifting bags with samples of some of them, including detox tea to daily nutrition drinks. www.arbonne.com

Bling It Hats—They were gifting fun fedoras. Alice’s favorite was a brown-and-cream leopard print that she says can be worn with even a dress because it’s “a kick-it-up-a-notch statement piece.” www.blingithatdesigns.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Spongelle—Alice was happy to discover that this colorful bath sponge company now makes body lotions, as well. What a bonus for her! www.spongelle.com

On top of all that, upon entering, each guest was handed a gift bag already filled with goodies, and each celeb even received a Guess Watch! www.guesswatches.com

Since it’s truly more fulfilling to give rather than to receive, Alice and I were thrilled to bring several new, unwrapped gifts for teen-agers in foster care, collected though Doris’ official charity, Wednesday’s Child. Doing that made it an even happier, more worthwhile event for us. www.wednesdayschild.davethomasfoundation.org

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