VALENTINE SNEAK PEEK OSCAR SUITE

 

[The official title of this suite is: “Third Annual Valentine Romance ‘Sneak Peek’ Oscar Suite at Cafe La Boheme produced by Doris Bergman and Kathy Duliakas,” but it took up too much space at the top, so I shortened it.]

As a veteran of gifting suites, first as a “celebrity” because of my TV show, and now as a member of the media, I can tell you that this one-day event is one of the best I’ve ever attended! And it’s smartly scheduled as a pre-Valentine’s event, which gives us plenty of time to learn about all the items before the Grammys and the Oscars.

It was held at the red-interiored Café La Boheme in West Hollywood, who did the cooking for a lovely buffet lunch on the patio. Honestly, I had never been a fan of this place before, but the food was delicious! And kind-of healthful, too, with faro/edemame salad as a featured item, along with several other creative salads, salmon, and absolutely delicious filet mignon! Trust me when I tell you how generous this fare was! Most other suites don’t feed us at all, including their many sponsors. But we needed all our strength at this Jurlique-sponsored suite to gather all the goodies. (I later found-out that I had missed the passed appetizers, which included grilled shrimp, and a whole dessert buffet! How miserable am I??? I’ll just have to contain myself till next year’s suite.)

The gathering was made infinitely easier by the loveliness of each and every sponsor. I’ve never seen anything like it. They seemed genuinely happy to gift the assemblage and treated media as specially as they treated show business personalities, which is a rarity, in general. Everyone was interacting with each other and there was a happy hubbub throughout the restaurant. It’s a total tribute to the organizers, Doris and Kathy, who set the tone.

Their charity of choice was Love Cures Cancer, which raises funding for cancer research as well as improving the daily experience of the children in treatment at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. They collected toys and stuffed animals from the attendees to deliver to the kids on Valentine’s Day. Yet another nice touch of this suite. www.LoveCuresCancer.com

Let’s get to some of the fabulous gifts, each one a highlight.

MENBUR PURSES–the table that drew me in the most, with gorgeous colors, textures, and decorations, was the menbur purse table. I’ve been a fan of theirs for almost a year now, and I would own every single one from the ever-growing collection if I could. It’s just so hard to choose one, so luckily for me, the wonderful rep, Taura King, encouraged me to pick two!!! One’s red and satin, so now Mr. X has to take me someplace fancy for Valentine’s Day! www.grupomenbur.com

CHUNG SHI ATHLETIC SHOES–these are fabulous! They’re the newest entry into the “exercising-while-looking-cute” arena, and we had many choices of style and color. Once I tried on the white sneaks with blue trim that I chose, I just couldn’t take them off, even though they didn’t go with my red-accented outfit which I wore to keep with the Valentine’s theme, though no one seemed to get that.) They were so comfortable! They felt almost like slippers. Now I covet them in every color! www.chungshiusa.com 

COLEMAN/TRAVELERS CHOICE LUGGAGE–we had our choice of so many different kinds of luggage including fashion travel cases, small duffle bags, and lots more. The kind girl manning the booth even stopped me as I was going down the door loaded with shopping bags, (I felt like I was in Gossip Girl!,) and put all my goodies in one giant sports bag. What a pleasure that was!  www.travelerschoice.net

NOT JUST ANY OLD DAY KEEPSAKE CHARMS–I can’t tell you how excited I was to see this item! They customize a calendar charm by inserting a colored stone of your choice into the month and date that’s most special to you. I had a small one like this when I was little and I was just mad about it! You can choose any date, so I went back and forth between January 14, which is my birthday (in case you haven’t noticed how very many times I’ve mentioned it before,) and Mr. X and my anniversary on July 7. It seriously was a hard decision, but guess which one I chose? [Answer near the bottom of this column.] P.S. I love the name of this company, too. www.notjustanyoldday.com

KYMARO’S CARDIWRAP–I’ve run into this health and beauty company before, and love just about everything they have to offer. This time, we received their new Cardi Wraps, which can be worn as a sweater, shawl, or scarf. I can’t wait for it to get cold again so I can experiment with it. www.kymaro.com

MODEL IN A BOTTLE–this is a brilliant make-up setting spray that works on eyes as well as skin. No more wasting time re-applying from day to night. And the owner’s business card has her listed as “CEM,” which stands for “Chief Executive Model.” very clever. www.modelinabottle.com

GOLD CANYON CANDLES–just as I approached this booth, Mr. X called to tell me he was in a store and couldn’t find a candle I wanted. Voila! Better candles than I could have imagined were right in front of me! Not only are they beautiful and delicious-aroma-ed, but the bubbly designer, Karen (what a great name,) also treated me to specialty tools for the wicks! Who even knew there were such things?! www.goldcanyon.com

MAXIMIM LASH–I’m always eager to learn of new eyelash growing serums, and this one comes in beautiful purple packaging, so I’ll be happy to have it on my nightstand, at the ready to make me beautiful! Well, at least do that for my lashes. www.maximumlash.com

KAMA SUTRA–this company that specializes in romantic items, which made them a perfect choice to be in this pre-Valentine’s suite, gave us special lip gloss “with a warming glow” and kissable body powder. Watch out on Monday night, Mr. X!!! www.kamasutra.com

EMILIE SLOAN BAGS–these totes and purses have the look of a very famous pricey designer, but are coated in a muted plastic, so as to resist stains that other porous material bags inevitably get. I was so surprised when I touched them! You could never guess that they’re coated just looking at them. Very clever. And attractive! www.emiliesloan.com

WHIRL-A-STYLE–this is the perfect tool for styling classy, and hip, buns and updos. And the smartest move yet was that they brought their own model to demonstrate on, rather than on us guests, so we could see the technique. www.whirlastyle.com

JURLIQUE SKIN CARE–I’ve long used Jurlique products because of their lovely light fragrance and good Australian ingredients. So, I was happy to receive some new ones, like the Love balm from this primary sponsor of the suite. www.jurlique.com

RUBINA’S CAKE SHOPPE–this was the prettiest display ever! And her bite-sized truffle cakes, especially the chocolate-hazelnut ones, were out of this world! I’d love to see her on TLC’s cake baking show that I spent Christmas eve in Brooklyn getting hooked on! www.rubinascakeshoppe.com

STEMULATION FACE CREAMS– this skin care line is based on stem cells, ergo the clever name. They said they’ll send me the crème and if you spy me around town with the skin of an embryo, you’ll know it’s working. www.stemulation.com

LIZ ALPERT’S HEALING CHARMS FOR ANIMALS–we all know that I wish I had known about these about six and a half months ago! I would have layered them around Clarence’s neck like a rap star! Hey, since Mr. X claims I treat him like a dog, maybe I can use it on him! www.lizalpert.com

ART LEWIN & COMPANY CUSTOM CLOTHIERS–I believe this is a company for men, (or cross-dressing women–you never know!,) but I was happy to receive a pair of classic socks and a good-looking for when Mr. x rocks the suits that he looks so handsome in. www.artlewincompany.com

WAIALUA SODAS–these sodas from Honolulu have fun flavors that I never heard of before, like Lilikoi and the hard-to-find Red Kona. www.waialuasodaworks.com

TWISTED SILVER JEWELRY–I’m sick I missed this booth, but there was always a group around it, and I never butt-in when a sponsor is with another guest. I kept meaning to try them one more time, but never made it. But, I’ve heard the jewelry is worth checking into, so hopefully, I’ll have more details to share in my Suites Follow-up column for items that didn’t make it into the main one. Check back later this month for that one.

In addition to all of the above, we each received an already filled goodie bag containing the smaller items, such as Buddha Balm, Antonio’s Nuts, mini bottles of Blue Angel Ultra Premium Vodka; and Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueurs, and many more.

I wish this suite was more than once a year! And speaking of once a year, for my keepsake charm, I chose…(drum roll, please) my birthday, of course! Yay you, if you got it right.