2015 GBK PRE-GRAMMY MUSIC LOUNGE HONORING THE GRAMMYS
I cannot tell you what a great time we had at GBK’s Pre-Grammys Lounge! It was their best event ever, and I’ve been to quite a few of them. It was their first lounge celebrating the Grammys, and it was done to perfection. Every little detail, from the venue to the sponsors to the food to the music to the guests, was spot-on.
Table Tennis Champion Soo Yeon Lee, having just beaten another opponent. Photo by Karen Salkin.
It was held at a creative site for a gifting suite, The Standard in Downtown L.A., in the hotel’s pro ping-pong club, Spin Standard. What a brilliant idea since many of the Grammys guests are staying downtown to be closer to the Staples Center, where the show was. And, to make extra-good use of the equipment there, professional Table Tennis Champion Soo Yeon Lee was on hand, taking on all brave challengers, which I can assure u did not include me!
GBK’s resident DJ, GoodBoy, spun all day, at the perfect volume to keep us all going, but to let us chat at the same time. (And that’s the purpose of these events to begin with—to learn about all these fabulous companies and products!) [Fun note: I was getting my nails done near the DJ booth, and picked out a color from about a hundred Hard Candy options, without looking at the clever monikers. And guess what the name of my choice turned-out to be? Dancing with the DJ! OMG!]
Some of the early action. Photo by Karen Salkin.
The hotel itself did the catering, and the food was delicious, from the passed mini-sliders and macaroni and cheese balls (both my favorites) to the classy buffet of shrimp and charcuterie. Alice, my contributing writer on this one, especially loved the “delicious” large prawns, and said the salmon on miniature pancakes was a “different take” and “very tasty.” She added that the tuna tartare with mango salsa on bread crust was a “great choice.”
Okay, let’s get to the fabulous sponsors already!
Photo by Alice Farinas.
Hard Candy—This Presenting Sponsor was celebrating their twentieth anniversary at the suite! But they were the ones giving out the gifts instead of receiving them. The goodie bags of their affordable cosmetics included what Alice deemed to be a “ perfect palette” of eye shadows, a tube of bronzing lotion, and a plum lip gloss that Ali said “works both in the evening, for drama, or in the day with light eye make-up.” They also had several make-up artists on-hand for the guests who wanted to try out their products right then and there. But we loved the best part of their presentation so much that I just had to give him his own section, below. www.hardcandy.com
Merrick Fisher making Karen Salkin’s nails fabulous! Photo by Alice Farinas.
Merricures—We absolutely loved Merrick Fisher, the fabulous freelance nail tech who did our mini-manis with Hard Candy’s new line of polishes. (What a great way to try them out!) Alice dubbed this “the best manicure yet,” and I loved Merrick’s joie de vivre, and willingness to do it right, which is rarely the case with mini-manis done at events! They were doing just polish changes and not shapings, but when I produced a less-than-professional nail file from my purse (I never leave home without one!,) he was totally game. And he even did an extra coat of the sparkly, color-swirly polish from Hard Candy, to make me extra glam for the rest of the music biz-y week-end. www.merricures.com
Guiliano Donadoni working on Karen Salkin’s fabulous hair. Photo by Alice Farinas.
Contesta Rock Hair—We had so much fun with these wild, crazy hair stylists from Italy! (They have several salons in the States, too. Can’t wait till they take over LA!) They had a mini-salon set-up right in the lounge, and were giving full-on haircuts, if you wanted one. We didn’t have enough time for that, (and we both have tons of hair, so we didn’t want to use up all of their time,) so Alessandro Santopaolo cut my messed-up bangs, and then Guiliano Donadoni blew them for me. They gave everyone something from their signature line of hair products, in either volumizing or hydrating formulas. The former had Alice’s mouth-watering because, as she said, “I have straight hair, but I like to have big hair when I go out.” And isn’t that what Italian men all love? www.contestarockhair.com
Photo by Alice Farinas.
Tweezerman—Not only was this classic company gifting their you’ve-got-to-have-one slant tweezers, but they were introducing their new line of…make-up brushes! What fun! We got to try-out the powder one; Alice said it was “so soft to the skin,” which was the understatement of the year! Back in the day, I guest-starred on a couple of episodes of a sitcom that Ellen Degeneres was a regular on, and I was so jealous of her because of the soft face brush the make-up man was using on her every day. Now, after all these years, I can finally get over it because my new Tweezerman one is even softer! (So now I can be jealous of her for just getting to talk to Hugh Jackman!) www.tweezerman.com
Bare Organic Mixers—These certified-organic drink mixers are also low-calorie. What good news for us club chicks! Alice said, “These are the best no-guilt mixers; you can use them with vodka or, for those tee-totalers who want a taste of a fun drink, with sparkling water. I tried some and found the Lemon Drop especially refreshing.” www.baremixers.com
Photo by Karen Salkin.
Lula Mena Jewelry–This gifted designer from El Salvador also has a conscience. Not only are her creations eco-friendly, but she employs at-risk women and artisans in her own country to craft them. Alice commented that this practice is “as beautiful as her limited-edition pieces.” www.lulamena.com
Nuvino Wine–Alice saw these colorful pouches of wines from around the globe, and declared, “What a great concept! To not only have wine “to-go,” but from different parts of the world, just takes you away!” www.nuvino.com
Photo by Alice Farinas.
Milena’s Boutique—The whole room was smelling delicious, (which is not at all what one would expect from a ping-pong club!,) and when we moved closer to the aroma, we discovered these delicious-scented soy candles! And they’re touted to be made with such high quality ingredients that you can use the melted liquid as a skin moisturizer! (But I suggest you make sure it’s not too hot first. Unless you’re into Fifty Shades of Grey type of activities!) www.milenasboutique.com
Dr. Jamie Sands—This local cosmetic dentist was on-site gifting certificates that give the recipient a comprehensive dental exam and an in-office professional teeth whitening. I wish she was giving them to all of this season’s American Idol hopefuls! And Nick Jonas! www.drjamiesands.com
The cookies and champagne make quite a tasty snack! Photo by Karen Salkin.
Le Medaillon Champagne—Guests were bellying up to the bar to sample this classic French champagne in two flavors—the classic Brut or the pretty-in-pink Rose. Alice noted that the “sparklingly delicious champagne” is housed in a bottle featuring a “beautiful medallion, which makes it a lovely gift!” I checked out their website, and it’s so attractive that I wanted to live in it! www.lemedaillon.com
Fisch & Chips Cookies—These cookies, (so cutely named for the baker,) come in a box that look like an oven; Alice deemed it “a great little presentation.” They were doing on-site tastings, and Alice said, “You can taste the buttery brown sugar that gives it the great homemade taste.” www.fischandchips.com
Photo by Alice Farinas.
Beauty Kitchen by Heather Marianna—This is always the prettiest display at the suite! We spent a long time dishing with Las Vegas-based Heather this time, learning about her natural spa products. Alice said, “She’s always cooking-up some yummy body stuff, like skin polish. You can pair it with her body mist as a relaxing way to end the day!” www.heathermarianna.tv (I always love a fellow “.tv”-er!)
Lalo Fitness—Fitness trainer Lalo was gifting his workout videos. If my broken back ever gets fixed, I’d love to try them! www.lalofitness.com
GBK’s two charity beneficiaries this time were:
Alfalit International—As a former teacher, I get in pain when I see anyone struggle to read. This non-profit provides literacy programs for the underserved all over the world, including here at home. They hope to “eliminate human suffering caused by illiteracy.” Amen to that! www.alfalitInternational.org
The Grammy Museum—I always forget that museums need financial help, too, and this one was definitely apropos of the event! I’ve been there, and love it. It’s more than a museum, actually; I’ve also been to concerts and parties on its four floors of space. [Note: I’m so upset about this, but we were so busy getting glammed-up that we missed speaking with the Grammy Museum and the Stop Attack people! But I know that, at this event, Stop Attack, (which is an assault response app,) donated $10,000 to the Grammy Museum! So, big props go out to them.] www.grammymuseum.org
