GBK 2016 PRE-EMMYS LOUNGE

[Note: I made it out to five gifting suites, or lounges, that celebrated this year’s Emmys. As usual, each gets its own write-up because I don’t want you to miss even one tidbit.  This is the fifth and final one, so please make sure to read the previous four, as well, to learn about all the fabulous-ness.]

GBK’s gifting lounge to celebrate this year’s Emmys was held once again at one of my favorite venues of theirs–the tented rooftop of Beverly Hills’ L’Ermitage Hotel. It’s always so lovely up there. I’m sure that the nominees, (like Veep’s Tony Hale and Margo Martindale, from The Americans, who were both smiling away,) enjoyed it as much as I did.

Some of my favorite sponsors were back, as well as many new ones to discover. So, let’s get right to them:

The Artisan Group—Nothing puts a smile on my face more at an event than receiving a goodie bag from this talented group of diverse artists. I wait to go through it all until I need a little pick-me-up in life, which I definitely did this week! Here are some of my favorite gifts this time: a Swarovski crystal bracelet from Nikki Fleming, who chose a lotus flower charm on the end because it means “eloquence,” (so she must have known that I was the recipient, right?) (www.nikkinakks.com); classy pearl dangle earrings from Boy Cherie, (although I believe the designer is really a girl—go figure!,) (www.boycherie.com); fine art photography notecards by Shannon Howard, featuring very peaceful pictures of close-by Manhattan Beach (www.shannonhowardphotography.com); Black Dog Jewelry‘s pendant made from sea glass from Florida (a place I can never visit again because I look like Monica in the Bahamas there!) (www.blackdogjewelry.com); and lovely hand-designed note paper from The Beez Kneez, for those of us who are still polite enough to send thank yous! (Or to even just jazz-up a shopping list!) (www.beezkneezdesigns.com.) www.theartisangroup.org

Gift Wrap My Face—I went nuts for this innovative company!!! What it is is custom wrapping paper featuring…your own face! You just know that I’ll be ordering a ton of it, but the problem will be that I won’t want to get rid of it! On a funny note—a, shall we say “thrifty,” pal once gave me a piece of wrapping paper…for a birthday gift! And she wrapped it…in other wrapping paper!!! I just may steal that idea now, and give this wrap with my mug as the gift. (And, let me tell you—the picture of me on it will be an old one. This is not my first time in the show biz rodeo!) www.giftwrapmyface.com

Burke Williams Spa—Boy, was I happy to see reps from my favorite spa there! Besides that they were gifting a bottle of Shankara essential oil (which helps muscles and joints,) they were doing chair massages right on-site. Preston Ramyard really helped my poor aching back, which was a mess from carrying all those bags! (And tomorrow, I’m going to tell you all about the fabulous opening soiree at their new Hollywood location.) www.burkewilliamsspa.com

Viva Youth—This company was gifting certificates towards plastic surgery procedures, but, for people like me, who need healing more than new looks, they also included certs for yoga, a massage, and a healing session. So, everybody wins! www.vivayouth.com

Il Palato Italiano—Mr. X is half Italian, so, of course, I love everything to do with that country! (And people mistake me for that nationality, too, all the time. It must be my long dark tresses. Or maybe that I’m from Brooklyn, where everyone sounds Italian! New York Italian, that is.) One of their chefs was on hand to gift the guests authentic Italian gustatory items. One was a Mauro Scaglia-made panettone, (which is a sweet bread with fruits, for you nescients,) which was presented in a beautifully-decorated box. Even better was the gift carton containing unique Italian products, like tomato sauce and mustard. They were feeding some specialty items to the guests on-site, as well. Of course. www.ilpalatoitaliano.it

Hastens Los Angeles—This Swedish bedding company was showing a bed that was so beautifully-appointed that I just wanted to plop myself down on it, and go to sleep right there in the lounge! Since that wasn’t a viable option, I contented myself by speaking with their amiable rep, and having my mouth water over a pair of their down booties, which look like the coziest things ever. They made me root for winter to get here already! www.hastensonbeverly.com

Swimline—I seriously have no clue as to how the guests choose between all the fabulous designs of this company’s inflatable pool floats! I don’t even know how someone came up with all of them! Not only were their animal ones, like giant swans, but their were so many food floats, (pizza, cherry pie, cookies, and root beer floats, which are the most clever because of the word “float,”) that I got hungry just looking at them! If each recipient of one of them doesn’t have a pool at the present time, they should build one, just to use these whimsical items. www.swimline.com

Pilot Pen—I was thrilled with my choices of colored pens, which the stylish reps so cutely attached to a thick note card, for a really pretty presentation. And then I noticed that the other guests who were so proudly displaying their same gift were—children! I was a tad sheepish about it, but not surprised. And proud to be in such good company! www.pilotpen.us

Busté Bras—This is more about me than you need to know, but I can rarely find a bra that fits well. So, on behalf of big-breasted women everywhere, I’m always on the look-out for new ones. So, I was very interested to discover these bras that are designed to provide wonderful lift without an underwire. (And they work with real and fake boobs, so the latter covers all of Hollywood, while the former covers, well, most likely just me!) And they’re attractive, as well! www.getbuste.com

Mavea Water Filters—This company’s rep was one of the most pleasant, enthusiastic sponsors I’ve ever encountered at a suite! He made me want to use their tiny, disk-shaped interchangeable water filters all the time! They were gifting each guest’s choice of a pitcher, carafe, or bottle, which all come with the special filters, of course. As someone who drinks nothing but water, ever, I was thrilled to learn about it all. www.re-thinkyourwater.com

7 Charming Sisters–I was so jealous of this group of females because I wish I had even one! (Charming sister, that is.) They curate, and sell, many different types and designs of jewelry. With so many “sisters” involved, (they’re not related, by the way,) they definitely have something for everyone. I think all the disparate show biz folks at the suite agreed. www.7charmingsisters.com

Allocacoc–-This tech company was gifting their PowerCube, which is a nifty, and attractive, petite space-saving multiple-socket device. Some of them even come with extension cords. And some with USB ports. But the thing they have in common is that they’re all cute! (As were their reps at the suite, actually.) www.allocacoc.com

Beauty Kitchen—This maker of beauty products, out of Vegas, always has the prettiest displays! She uses my kind-of colors, and everything is ultra-girly. This time, she gifted little kits containing a body scrub, body lotion, and a little lip mask. www.heathermarianna.tv

Along the way, we snacked on little sandwiches from Ike’s Place, and then satisfied our sweet tooths (or is it “teeth”?) with chocolates from the Bread Basket Cake Co., who also designed the gorgeous cake at the center of the suite.

GBK featured two charities this time. They were:

American Friends of Magen David Adom, which is this country’s branch of Israel’s national emergency medical response agency. I’ve actually been peripherally involved with them before, when I was one of the people who helped an old friend of mine raise money for an ambulance in Israel. I’m always happy to help a worthy cause. www.afmda.org

Unite 4: Good, an organization whose mission is actually the same as mine, so, of course I was happy to hear what they had to say. They are “dedicated to making kindness count—one act at a time.” Now, if everyone on earth would feel the same way, how wonderful would that be? www.u4g.com