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<\/a>The classy veggie appetizers, shot through a golden filter. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n
Debbie Durkin’s Ecoluxe Lounge returned to the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, but this time it was held in the Stardust Penthouse, which is one of the most special places in this town.<\/p>\n
The venue’s very classy waiters came around with trays of finger foods all day, including our favorites\u2014mini-burgers, chicken empanadas, and veggies with ranch dressing in cocktail glasses! How visually interesting those last ones were. And it was all so delicious.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Elliott Gould and pals. Photo by Igor Spektor.<\/p><\/div>\n
Everyone there was really excited to see a pair of genuine old school movie stars, who are both experiencing career resurgences on TV: Beau Bridges<\/strong>, and my almost-life-long very good pal, Elliott Gould<\/strong>, whom I always especially<\/em> appreciate for being wonderful to my late parents.<\/p>\n We didn’t know there would be any beauty services, but there were girls doing make-up touch-ups. And one who was doing spray tans, which only a very few people were privy to. Read this to see why it was so private:<\/p>\n Bronzed by Bridget<\/strong> (www.bridge2beauty.com<\/a>)–We had the most fun with this one!\u00a0 Let me just tell you that we were thrilled and surprised to get full-on spray tans on the beautiful, breezy rooftop of this hotel.\u00a0 Alice said, “Bridget Hight did our spray tans, and it was definitely an experience and a\u00a0treat; Karen will definitely give you the crazy and funny details, I am sure!”\u00a0 And she is correct!\u00a0 You can hear all the juicy, naked<\/em> details here, in this, my third YouTube vid:\u00a0www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3lOUvnBcFfc<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Now that you know of our Lucy and Ethel tanning escapade, let’s check-out this suite’s gifts:<\/p>\n AlignMed Posture Shirt<\/strong>\u2014I was the most excited to see this new sponsor. Knock on wood, people always give me props for my own good posture, but I think that makes me even more aware of everyone else’s bad<\/em> posture. I notice more and more people slouching nowadays, and I just can’t correct them all, even though I try my best to at least give them some hints. AlignMed to the rescue. Alice checked-out this easy-to-wear-anytime posture-correcting shirt, and said, \u201cI highly recommend it, especially if you’re sitting at the computer all day!\u201d www.alignmed.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Alice Farinas.<\/p><\/div>\n Youth Eternal<\/strong>–Alice noted that this nighttime facial serum “is made with all-natural ingredients, including essential oils.”\u00a0 She also loved that “it’s in the cutest red dropper bottle.”\u00a0 When our tans fade (see two paragraphs above,) we’ll be sure to give it a try.\u00a0 www.kellyannsreikispiritualhealing.com<\/a><\/p>\n Fresh Body<\/strong>–This unique (to say the least) body odor company has several interesting catch-phrases on their website.\u00a0 My fave is “defunk your junk,” which they apply to their delightfully-named product, Fresh Balls.\u00a0 It may be something for us girls to chuckle about, but I bet you guys<\/em> are happy to know about this one!\u00a0 www.freshbody.com<\/a><\/p>\n See what I mean about the boxes of sponges? Photo by Alice Farinas.<\/p><\/div>\n J. Andre Cosmetic Sponges<\/strong>–This one started off fun for us because I, very mistakenly<\/em>, thought the pretty packaging was housing vibrators!\u00a0 (I had seen them only from afar, and the girl who repped them was pretty. So, I put two and two together and came up with…the totally wrong answer! But it made us all laugh because, of course, I told on myself!) When we discovered that they were really the most beautiful cosmetic sponges we’ve ever seen, we were thrilled.\u00a0 Alice, who’s an in-demand make-up artist when she isn’t working with me, said, “The beauty of these all-natural cosmetic sponges is that they are latex-free and contain Vitamin E,” which is so much better for the skin than the usual variety of make-up applicators.\u00a0 We both can’t wait to use them, even though I’m hoping she’s the one doing the make-up for us both!\u00a0 www.jandresponges.com<\/a><\/p>\n Armani Wells<\/strong>–This San Fernando Valley designer men’s\u00a0apparel discount boutique was gifting beautifully tailored shirts in a variety of styles.\u00a0 I’m sure some of the really muscled men at the suite appreciated that the sizes go all the way up to XXXL!\u00a0 (And fans of Back To The Future<\/em> were happy to discover that the owner is a woman who was in that film! So, she doubled at the suite as a sponsor and<\/em> a celeb!)\u00a0 www.armaniwells.com<\/a><\/p>\n Media Personality Karen Salkin signing the Rein Coat for charity. Photo by Alice Farinas.<\/p><\/div>\n The Rein Coat<\/strong>–Alice noted the “great spin on the word ‘rain,’ ” because it’s really<\/em> a clever coat-harness (hence the word “rein,”) which can double as a rain coat.\u00a0 It’s \u201cdesigned to calm the dog, and reduce fear and anxiety in them.\u201d\u00a0 If it can do all that, I just may wear it myself!\u00a0 And I don’t think I’m kidding. www.thereincoat.com<\/p>\n Canine Caviar<\/strong>–Alice commented that “the name says it all!” This natural, alkaline-based dog food line just added some items made with Buffalo. \u00a0Not exactly real<\/em> caviar, but pretty chi-chi nonetheless. \u00a0www.caninecaviar.com<\/a><\/p>\n Baylee Nasco Dog Blankets<\/strong>–Alice mentioned, “When I first saw these blankets marked with beautiful prints,\u00a0I thought they were for humans<\/em>. They’re made of the softest fabric; your dog will love you for it!”\u00a0 www.bayleenasco.com<\/a><\/p>\n Special cake pops. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Vypassetti Cake Pops<\/strong>–These weren’t your usual cake pops; they featured designs on them that were in honor the Emmys nominees, making them too pretty to eat! They also served white chocolate-covered Oreos and pretzels.\u00a0 www.vypassetticakepops.com<\/a><\/p>\n The Ecoluxe Lounge charity this time was Big Brothers Big Sisters Los Angeles<\/strong>. I can’t imagine that there are any of you out there who aren’t familiar with this most famous organization, but just in case, this is what they do: they match children, who might be having a hard time in life, with caring grown-ups in one-on-one situations. What a very nurturing group. www.bbbsla.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ECOLUXE LOUNGE IN HONOR OF THE 2014 EMMYS (featuring Karen’s third YouTube Vid!) [Note: The Emmys came early this year, and with them, the attendant gifting suites. I managed to make it out to five of them. Each one gets its own write-up because I don\u2019t want any of you to miss even one<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>