WOW CREATIONS PRE-GOLDEN GLOBES GIFTING SUITE 2025

For those of you who were expecting to read my review of the Golden Globes today, you’ll have to wait until the end of this week to do that. I didn’t want to keep you guys waiting to learn about this Gifting Suite which preceded the awards show. So here are all the scoops on it.

Wow Creations returned their famous gifting suite in honor of the way-too-early Golden Globes this year to the ballroom of the Universal Hilton, one of their favorite venues.

My contributing writer, Roz, had accompanied me to many gifting events over the years, but had never been to any of the Wow Creations ones. She enjoyed meeting the Harris twins, as well as spotting some of the celebs in attendance, which she said “topped off the fun.” And she noted that “everyone was very happy” there, which was good to see right at the beginning of the year.

Two of those celebs were actually book-ended for us, with another one right in the middle. As soon as we entered the room, we spied Erik Estrada, from the old TV show CHiPs. I’ve never seen it, but I had met Eric at a mutual friend’s dinner party back in the day when I was doing my TV show, Karen’s Restaurant Revue. When he told me that he was a big fan of mine, we bonded immediately that night, and stayed pals for a little while. And then we hadn’t seen each other in many years, so it was good to be back together at Wow. Especially impressive is that he looks exactly the same as he did back then! (And he even had the smarts to remind Roz and me where to look in the camera as we took selfies!)

Speaking of impressive, I have to tell you of the private kindness that I witnessed of “cuchi-cuchi girl,” (and classical guitarist,) Charo. We spotted her on our way out of the event, and let me tell you—she is exactly her adorable self! I have never seen her in person anywhere before, so I almost could not believe my eyes. And then, as people were immediately surrounding her for selfies, I noticed her do something that I’ve never seen anyone else do in all my times at Wow suites. Whenever the event is staged at the Hilton, they have a harpist, Karina Ward, sitting smack dab in the middle of the room, playing her beautiful music for us all day. I’ve approached her over the years to praise and thank her for entertaining us, but I’ve never noticed anyone else talking to her. And this time, I saw Charo walk right over to Karina, before meeting any of the sponsors who would be eager to gift her, and they spoke for several minutes, musician to musician. I’m not kidding about this—her kindness towards the woman who is usually ignored choked me up! So I went over to Charo to tell her how lovely that was, which she seemed to appreciate.

And then in the middle of our time at the event, we spied Dee Wallace, of the blockbuster movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. I was happy to see her because some rude on-line gossip site had recenlty done a piece on Dee as a “you won’t recognize her now” situation. And just a few days later, here she was, looking just as she always has! Rocking a cute, spiky, gray hairdo, as well. You go, girl!

As fun as celeb-sightings always are, (as a matter of fact, due to popular demand, I’m bringing that feature back here on INAM in just a few weeks,) let’s face it—most guests were there for the gifts. (Duh—it’s a gifting suite, for goodness sake!) So let’s get to the highlights of the ones that all those famous peeps were receiving!

Haymad & Co.—This clothing company is brought to us by a lovely couple from Winnipeg, Canada, who support Mental Health Awareness with proceeds from the sales of some of their attire. So of course they were gifting their beautifully-crafted sweatshirts that have the message “Be Kind” on the front! That appears to be their own life motto, so kudos to them for that. Roz says those are “two words we should all live by,” and wishes that “every kid in middle school could have this kind of gear, so they can bring peace and kindness back into fashion.” That makes the shirts “apparel with a purpose” in her estimation. She tried-on their latest design, the three-quarter zip sweatshirt, and deemed it to be the “perfect-fitting sweatshirt!” www.haymadandco.com

Ellovi—Before I tell you about this company’s skin care products, I must say how impressed I am with the owner. I had met her only once before, yet she remembered me immediately, and knew exactly what I had written about them back then! I love smart and aware people! This time, the company was gifting their body and lip butters, which Roz says “combine only six ingredients for people who love clean skin with a soft and supple look.” She perused the lip balms, and decided that her faves are the Mint, Vanilla, and especially the Rose because that one is tinted. And now Ellovi has also branched-out to include roll-on essential oil perfume, deep hair treatment oil, and their latest—make-up remover oil—which debuted here, making the Wow guests the first people ever to receive that one! Wow to that! www.ellovi.com

Man Labs—This company, whose tagline is “Skincare for the Distinguished Gentleman,” was gifting a trio of products from their “Titan” anti-aging line which Roz says “men of all ages will love, and be happy to pamper themselves with.” She explains that the products have “ingredients that include peptides and other top skin-healers and softeners which nurture and liven the toughest skin.” I’m sure the other guests also appreciated the classy packaging as much as I did. www.manlabs.com

Art Lewin Bespoke—Roz had met Art with me a few times before, and declares he’s “the best resource for those with a high fashion sense of self. The clothier has impeccable taste with his line of clothing for men and women.” At this event, he was gifting a bow tie and pocket square in a choice of popular colors. Roz checked them out and said they are “so nice because they fit in with both formal wear and sleek modern attire.” www.artlewinbespoke.com

Edanugo Skincare—This brand new entry into the skincare biz was gifting a trio of products which we browsed through. Roz gushed that she “loved the All Over Body Oil which is made from jojoba along with other great oils for the skin.” She added that “the CeraMEL Balm also has super-conditioning qualities,” and I noticed that the Tamanu Nut Oil, (a nut I had never even heard of before!,) helps with many skin conditions, including wounds and minor burns! And you can be among the first to learn about this company because their site just went active this week! www.edanugo.com

Sweet Cali Body—I had met the creator of this company before, and with his cool fashion sense and sense of humor, I instantly wanted him to be my New Best Friend. So I was very happy to see him again here. Each guest had their choice of a quartet of body washes. Roz, who is always concerned about ingredients, was impressed that the reason the Ocean Breeze “is green is because it’s infused with a lively spirulina which gives it that very pretty ocean color.” She said that she bets that the recipients of it “can’t wait to use it in the shower, and give their entire bathrooms that lovely and peaceful ocean aroma!” I add only “mmmm.” www.sweetcalibody.com

Healthy Paws Herbal Labs—This company was gifting certificates for a choice of their pet-healing products. I already knew about them because a friend of mine with a big dog has been using the ones that help with anxiety and allergies, and she loves them! She said they worked on her pet almost immediately! And the products are all-natural and made with herbal ingredients, which is a bonus. www.healthypawsherballabs.com

Central Cali Caregivers—Roz has been hearing me rave about this company’s Miracle Healing Rub for years. But now that she recently had a major tennis injury, she was anxious to learn more right from the creator of it. She now believes that “this helpful product is the perfect thing for tired and worn-out knees or other body parts that just need more healing energy. In addition to a cannabis extract the other key ingredients, such as lavender, juniper berry, and peppermint, make your tired body part feel much more alive.” www.centralcalicaregivers.net

Practicality Skincare—Roz tells us that this affordable skincare company “knows all about the power of nutrients such as magnesium to help relax muscle tension. The aroma in their That Spa Smell lotion is really great. And their hair mask has fantastic ingredients including a lovely rosemary twist, while the magnesium oil is the one to keep ready after playing a long game of tennis or other physical sport.” I say—what she said. www.emeraldhealingartsapothecary.com

Celebrity Hair for Less—We chatted with the very amiable company founder, Nicole Oliver, who Roz says “brings us several great hair products along with a new way of hair-tinting which is safer than chemical treatments.” The guests had a choice of lovely festive hair-clips, of which Roz says, “Their glitter and shine will, for sure, be handy to brighten-up date-night outfits.” www.celebrityhairforless.com

G.L.A.M Body Scrub—Roz said, “This new woman-owned line of body scrubs looks terrific. I tried the Bubblin’ Brown Sugar one, and nearly wanted to eat it! It smells delicious and I feel it will be great to achieve softer skin.” And I advise using it on your hands at least weekly, because, in case you don’t know this already, our hands are the first to age! www.glambodyscrubs.co

Comfy Dental Studio of Beverly Hills—This was a new concept to both of us. It’s a dentist’s office that was gifting certs not for dental services, but rather for sound therapy! No wonder “comfy” is the first word in their moniker. Roz chimed in, “It’s unusual to have a relaxing dental appointment, so this place just might be starting a trend.” www.comfydentalstudios.com