This gifting lounge, held right before the Emmys, was at one of my favorite hip and classy hotels, the W Hollywood. I love that GBK always varies their venues, sponsors, food, and even celebrities! You never know what fabulousity you are going to find at one of their events, but you know that each one will be stellar. And will have gorgeous personnel!<\/p>\n
One thing I really love about GBK is that they always provide some sort of sustenance to give us the strength to meet and greet each and every sponsor. This time, they had a buffet of very different sandwiches from Ike’s Place<\/strong>, out of Northern California. Rachel went absolutely nuts for them; we’re looking forward to them opening a branch right here in Los Angeles. www.ilikeikesplace.com<\/a><\/p>\n There were also assorted cookies, candy, fruit, and other snack-y treats, along with several wines to taste, but we had eyes only for the sandwiches.<\/p>\n And eyes for the many wonderful gifts, as well! So, let’s get to the highlights of them:<\/p>\n Rachel winning money for the charity by tossing the lightweight Tidy Cats container. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Tidy Cats<\/strong>–This company was debuting their new LightWeight 24\/7 Performance cat litter. Many of you may know that I eschew anything to do with the felines, (because I’m deathly, I repeat deathly<\/em>, allergic to them,) but Rachel has a few of her own, so she’s reviewing this one. She tried it out and said it’s, \u201cgreat for multiple cats because it has excellent odor control. And the good clumping makes for easy cleaning.\u201d Of course, wimp that I am, I<\/em> noticed that the light weight of the package was a bonus. Better yet was the fact that Tidy Cats donated a certain amount to spcaLA for each VIP who was able to throw that container a certain number of feet. I’m proud to say that Rachel handled that thing like it was a nerf ball, and hit the bull’s-eye on her first attempt. So, good for her and<\/em> Tidy Cats! www.tidycats.com<\/a> www.spcala.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n The Artisan Group<\/strong>–Opening a bag from this sponsor feels like Christmas! (Or Channukah, because there are at least eight gifts in each bag.) I’m always amazed at the array of handcrafted goodies that the organizers choose for everybody. Included in each bag is an assortment of jewelry, stationery, fine art photography, spa and bath products, and just about anything else that an artistic mind can think of. Some of the top picks from my jewelry-centric bag this time are: Saniki Creations Captured Marble Aurora Chainmaille Pendant; Ever So Lovely iridescent circle earrings; a Druzy Necklace, that looks like a piece of shiny sugar, from Saressa Designs; and a pendant from Belukro that looked to have minuscule flowers in it! In the non-jewelry category, I was thrilled to receive a CT River Candle in the fragrance \u201cBay Rum\u201d because, intentional or not, it smells like Christmas! Mr. X and I have been looking for a scent like that for years, and now our search has finally ended. At the GBK gifting suite, of all places! www.theartisangroup.org<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n TC Intimates<\/strong>–This is my absolute favorite brand of underwear ever! If I need to look good, I refuse to leave the house wearing anything but their special panties. So I was happy to share my discovery with Rachel who said, \u201cI adore this underwear! It’s pretty and<\/em> comfortable. And love that there are no panty lines!\u201d I don’t know about her, but I sometimes try to bend over in a short dress, just to show people how cool my undergarments are. Okay, I want them to notice my lack of cellulite, too! www.tcfineintimates.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Pelo Hair<\/strong>\u2014Niki, the cute owner of this company enthusiastically showed us a few samples of their ethnically-matched, high-end hair extensions, (made with real hair) that they do at their Thousand Oaks salon. Since nature already gave both of us tons of hair, (knock on wood,) we were most excited to see their Vibrant Color Strands that clip right into your own hair. Rachel said, \u201cI love them! \u00a0They look great, and the colors are fun. \u00a0And they blend in nicely with my hair.\u201d Now we just have to coordinate whose turn it is to wear them. www.pelo-hair.com<\/a><\/p>\n Helzberg Diamonds<\/strong>–This is one of the companies that had a true television tie-in, because they were gifting little silver pendants from their Infinity X Infinity collection, which was inspired by the series Revenge<\/em>. I’m hoping to do a giveaway of one of their pieces soon, so you definitely want to check back for that. www.helzberg.com<\/a><\/p>\n Headware<\/strong>–I love the big scarves from this company! Not only are they attractive and comfortable, but if you visit their website, they’ll teach you over a dozen ways to wear them. Their tagline is \u201cKeeps your head happy,\u201d and hey, when my head’s happy, so is the rest of me. www.theheadware.com<\/a><\/p>\n Lovely Candy<\/strong>–Rachel said that these \u201cberry and apple candy chews\u00a0taste great,\u201d and she loved that \u201cthey use real fruit pieces!\u201d www.lovelycandyco.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Apple Revolution Carmel Apples<\/strong>–I brought one of these designer carmel apples home to Mr. X, and he said it was the best one he’s ever had! In addition to being delicious, they’re absolutely gorgeous, and can be made in any design possible. One of their specialties is sports team insignias, so now, sadly, I have a year to request a Yankees one because they won’t be playing again until then. www.apple-revolution.com<\/a><\/p>\n GPK also always has at least one fun activity, and we took advantage of both of them at this suite. They are:<\/p>\n Action Flipbooks<\/strong>–This was actually my favorite \u201cgift\u201d from this suite! If you’ve never seen these before, each guest chooses a background and any of that many fun props that are provided, and then just move in front of a screen for about thirty seconds. And then the guys turn it into a little book for you to flip through, like something from the olden days. Rachel and I chose to play giant instruments on the beach, and even though we were skeptical at first, we wound-up loving the results. (Even if we do say so ourselves.) When I showed it to Mr. X, he didn’t know what it was at first, but then he flipped through it and said it was \u201cso cute and fun!\u201d www.actionflipbooks.com<\/a><\/p>\n These nails make even my for injured hands look good! Photo by Rachel Wilcox.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Impress Nails<\/strong>–I had never done these before, but Rachel was brave enough to try them first, so I had to copy. It was the quickest manicure I’ve ever gotten! Marianna Karagarian of Dollie’s Nails applied them for us, although I think that anybody can do them for themselves; they’re that easy. And shiny, too! You just choose your color and length, and then just press them on! Period. I was thrilled to get them because, with my hands being numb these past few months, I’m scared to get a real<\/em> manicure because I wouldn’t be able to feel if someone was hurting me. So, the Impress press-on nails made me for feel like the fabulous fashionista that I usually<\/em> am. I may even use them after<\/em> my hands are healed! www.impressmanicure.com<\/a><\/p>\n And that’s a wrap for this year’s Emmys Suites coverage! Next week, we move on to movie<\/em> awards season, with lots of reviews of this year’s contenders. I also have plenty of parties to tell you about, and let’s not forget the event I’ve looked the most forward to all year\u2014having my second hand surgery!!! Shortly after that, I should be back to my usual chipper self. So that’s something for all<\/em> of us to look forward to, especially Mr. X.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GBK EMMYS GIFT LOUNGE 2013 [Note: As usual, each Emmys Suite gets its own write-up, in the order of my visits this year. So, please make sure to check each day’s column this week to learn about all the fabulous-ness. This is the fifth of five. (Because these were my first events out of<\/p>\n![\"Rachel](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/IMG_8431-e1380764947978-300x223.jpg\")
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