GBK PRE-GOLDEN GLOBES LOUNGE 2017

GBK always surprises us with a new fun venue, and this time was no exception. It was held in At The P, a new event space with so many different areas.  This lounge was held in the big front area, which their lovely and adorable rep, Miriam, told me is called simply “The Cole.” (I guess because that’s the street it’s located on. Duh.) www.gotothep.com

I was thrilled with two of the celebrities I spied along the way—the always-pleasant Tommy Chong, and up-and-comer Thomas Barbusca, from the new show The Mick. (He’s actually been Mr. X’s favorite new young actor for awhile now. The only way I could get my bae to watch that show was to point-out that the kid who plays an obnoxious version of Peter Pan on a funny commercial is in it!)

My contributing writer on this one is Hillary Clark, whose take on these products is a fun addition to my own. (Her comments are the ones in quotes.) She had never been to a GBK event before, and loved that “the atmosphere was tons of fun.” I agree, especially because of the cool tunes spun by DJG, who classifies his music as “inspirational soulful house,” an assessment with which I truly concur. (And his friend’s sporadic dancing throughout the day was a treat to watch. He was his own little dance troupe!)

I’m sure you all know by now that one of my favorite aspects of GBK productions is that they always make sure to feed us along the way. (Gathering gifts takes stamina, people!) This time it was an Asian food fest, with both Chinese delicacies and sushi! I was madly in love with the Chinese treats from IXLB DimSum Eats. They had not only several different types of dim sum, (I loved the veggie bun!,) but also delicious cold pastries, like the sesame ball, that hit the spot. www.ixlbdimsumeats.com

Hillary tried a “fresh, made-to-order hand roll” from Su She Art, (clever name,) and said it was “bursting with vibrant flavor.” She noted that the place is “one of the few spots in town with a female sushi chef,” so we loved that, especially nowadays, when we’re all about girl power! (If only this country was!) www.susheart.com

Okay, let’s get to the highlights of the gifts now:

Jiusko USA Watches—Some of you may know how timepiece-obsessed I am, (I even went to a major watch show in NYC recently,) so I stopped right in my tracks when I saw this display of beautiful, classy wristwatches from Jiusko. This international brand has connections to China, Switzerland, Japan, and North America, where they are headquartered in New York City.  (You really should check-out the whole interesting story on their website.) At the lounge, they let each guest choose his or her favorite, with a lot of help from the charming reps. The way the watches come packaged is an extra bonus. It’s so impressive, and worthy of jewelry ten times the price of these affordable luxury watches! An added bonus is that a classy business card case is included in each box. What a perfect gift this is, all the way around! www.jiuskousa.com

Artisan Group—The traditional goodie bags from this conglomeration of artists were jewelry-laden this time, which is just how we girly-girls like things! Here are some of our faves, beginning with Hillary’s: Alyce Ross Designs’ natural material necklace, which features an unusual design–a blue pearl drop that extends from a leather band (www.alycerossdesigns.com); Rock & Hardware’s cognac-colored leather triple-wrap bracelet that clicks into place with an urban magnet finish, which is perfect for mixing metal and texture (www.rockandhardware.com); and a gorgeous copper Wonder Woman-esque bracelet from Necessities by Nichelle (www.justnichelle.com.) Mine are: CY Design Studio’s simple drop necklace with a gemstone that appears to change colors as you twirl it! Wow. (www.cydesign.studio); tiny teardrop rope stud earrings from Gemspell (www.gemspell.com); and Calista Rose Designs’ ultra-feminine “Pastel Dreams” bracelet made with pink pearl and white howlite gemstones. (www.calistarosedesigns.bigcartel.com.) www.artisangroup.org

Barbar Hair Tools—OMG! This display was mouth-watering to me, in both colors and hair tools! With my ten thousand pounds of hair, I could use every single one of them! The enthusiastic rep showed us the pretty pink Mini Max Cordless-Rechargeable titanium flat iron, which made me want to take a trip this very second, just to pack it!!! Adorbs. (And uber-practical, too.) www.globalsalon.com

Tweezerman—While I got my brows shaped (beautifully, I might add,) by Camille Clarke, Hillary chatted with the always-lovely reps from this company about all the products they have. She was thrilled because she’s my fellow make-up junkie! She found-out that, at this suite, they were gifting the “Rose Gold Love Story,” which is a make-up bag with precision tweezers and an ergonomically-designed lash curler, made specifically for round-shaped eyes. She told me that the kit is “just as pretty as it is functional!” (Have no fear, almond-shaped eyes gals—they have a curler for you, too.) www.tweezerman.com

Ezpz Silicone Mats—About these colorful silicone mats for children’s meals, Hillary gushed, “I fell in love with them as soon as I laid eyes on them, especially their new ones for pets!” Yes, sir, you read that correctly—they now make pet bowls with the same “ingenious high-quality silicone” as they use for humans. Hill continued, “The truly genius part is that the mat suctions to any flat surface, so that your pet can’t ‘drive’ its dinner around the feeding area. And the mat catches any spills.” I’m adding, “any??? Have you met a dog?!”  She also noted that the pet bowls are available as a single or double, and come in various sizes.  www.ezpzfun.com

Tempt Brands—I was so happy to introduce Hillary to this wonderful shopping site from Canada! They always have tons of items to choose from, at great discounts, which shoppers like my pal need. She told me that she “was so excited to discover a new sunglasses brand” from them. She told me, “Street Affaires sunglasses are super chic and ultra-lightweight. And they have a zany take on aviators and the classic round frame.” What she said!  www.temptbrands.com

Life Cell Skin—This skincare company was gifting their lip treatments, (which I’ve been using for years.) Hillary tried one for the first time, and said, “Get ready to drop the needles and forget about lip injections! This lip-plumping treatment works by dilating blood vessels to plump your pucker without stinging or burning your delicate lips. And the clear formula is ultra-hydrating!” Take that, Kylie Jenner! www.lifecellskin.com

Sense Max—This one was an eye-opener for me, so I’m letting single-girl Hillary tell you about these “high-tech sex toys that hit the spot!” The one for woman comes with a self- charging carrying case that she pointed-out is “designed to be discreet and convenient.” But I almost fainted when I saw that they also make ones for men!!! Who knew?! She checked-out the demo of one of them with virtual reality glasses that connect to an app of animated couples (in both senses of “animated,”) so the men “get the whole experience.” I say “wow” to the whole concept. www.sensemax.net

Swimline Pool Floats—I was happy to see this company, of which I’m already a fan, here again. I did not think that their giant, inflatable, creative floats for the pool could get any better, but they just did—this Spring they’ll be launching a light-up collection!!! Okay, now I’m definitely building a pool!!! www.swimline.com

We also chatted with the reps from the two GBK charities this time. They were:

American Friends of Magen David Adom—Hillary found the the story of this organization to be “heart-warming.” AFMDA is Israel’s national emergency medical response agency, so they were gifting tiny toy ambulances to remind us of its purpose. www.afmda.org

Lambda Legal–Lambda Legal is a national organization that works on insuring the civil rights of gay and transgender people, and those with HIV. www.lambdalegal.org