![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_7997.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n
The excitement began right from the start; as I entered and was greeted by our host for the event, Amy Boatwright, I noticed that she was due to have a baby\u2014in about a minute!!! I don\u2019t know how she got through the day, but she did\u2014and welcomed baby Hendrix just a short while later. So, Major Congrats to Amy and everyone concerned!<\/p>\n
After I expressed my happiness about the upcoming birth, Amy handed me a certificate for a trip to one of Elite Island Resorts<\/strong>\u2019 Caribbean properties! So, all my pals better start being good to me as soon as possible! You know that they\u2019ll all want to join me in that fun.<\/p>\n The next thing I noticed was a sign alerting us to the many beauty services on tap at the suite. So, you just know I have to start my coverage right there, as I did that day:<\/p>\n Alie Hernadez and CC Park working on Karen Salkin’s tresses. Photo by staff of Wen.<\/p><\/div>\n Wen Hair and Body Care<\/strong>\u2014Upon entering the ballroom, I was immediately offered a chair in this section of the lounge. I had arrived with just-washed wavy hair, on spec, so I was thrilled that Alie Hernandez, with an assist from CC Park, blew my wet locks right away. They were really darling, and we had a great time together. And I left with a big bottle of the brand\u2019s cleansing conditioner. www.wen.com<\/a><\/p>\n FashionOmics LIVE Lounge<\/strong>–When I finally made it over to the other end of the giant room, I came upon this lounge area, which was offering snacks as well as even more services. Luckily for me, my hair had gotten a tad frizzy in the very populated space, so I was able to avail myself of more services:<\/p>\n karen Salkin’s new fun manicure. Photo by Katie Nguyen.<\/p><\/div>\n Toni & Guy<\/strong>\u2014The \u201cperson-in-charge,\u201d Lindsay Baker, and I were happy to see each other again because I\u2019ve occasionally frequented this follicle school in Santa Monica. (But it\u2019s moving soon! I\u2019ll tell you all about it when it happens.) Then, I had a girly-girl\u2019s dream\u2014I was double-teamed for services! Jenna Rose Olish flat-ironed the frizz right off my head, (all the while telling me I have great hair, which, trust me, never gets old to hear,) while Katie Nguyen polished my nails. How happy was I when Katie declared my hands to be the softest ones she\u2019s ever come upon???!!! She said she had never felt anything like them. Take that, young girls\u2014as I tell all of my pals, please take care of your hands! Now! www.toniguy.com<\/a><\/p>\n Bella by Design<\/strong>\u2014I actually ended the day with a chair massage by the always-pleasant Cecilia Alcala. I love that she never judges that if we weren\u2019t gathering so many gifts, we might not need her that day to begin with. And she\u2019s always the best-dressed person there. www.bellabydesignstudio.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n European Skin and Massage Studio<\/strong>–I finished-up my time in that area with a luxurious hand massage, using the 24K gold mask cream from this Santa Monica facialist. She formulated it specially for this event, and in addition to using it as a hand treatment on-site, the guests each got to leave with his or her own jar of it! www.europeanskinandmassagestudio.com<\/a><\/p>\n All spruced-up and relaxed, I finally had the ability to schmooze with the many, many Secret Room sponsors. Here are the highlights of those:<\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Croatian National Tourist Board<\/strong>\u2014Croatia is one of the countries I really want to visit since Mr. X is half Croat. It would be wonderful to see his father\u2019s homeland, don\u2019t you think? But until I can get there, I was very happy to meet these pleasant representatives of that country. I also liked that they were gifting bags full of their special products, including olive oil, chocolates, and since the country is famous for its salt, a little \u201csaltkeeper,\u201d so you can tote your own! www.croatia.hr<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Forever In My Heart Jewelry<\/strong>\u2014At this event, the jewelry company with a charity twist was gifting a gorgeous sterling silver filigree pendant, which featured a genuine\u00a0amethyst stone in the center. And here\u2019s the charity part\u2014whenever you buy a piece from their site, you get to choose which animal charity you would like part of the purchase price to go to. It doesn\u2019t cost the buyer anything extra, and the site owners are happy to do it. It\u2019s a win-win-win-win-win!!! www.foreverinmyheartjewelry.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Dermesse<\/strong>\u2013I\u2019ve been using products from this skin care for just about a year now, and I love them. So, I was happy to learn about even more of their line. They seem to have something for every skin care condition imaginable! And I love that their rep was honest, and told me to use most of them on their own, rather than piling them all on top of each other. Refreshing. www.dermesse.com<\/a><\/p>\n Julie’s Real Foods<\/strong>\u2014They were gifting a choice of their gluten-free cashew butters. We got to try tiny samples of them all, which made the choice that much harder! \u00a0www.juliesreal.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Catiques<\/strong>\u2014This jewelry designer was gifting one-of-a-kind pieces that she creates out of vintage jewelry.\u00a0\u00a0The ones that I saw are all pretty spectacular. www.cathy-sexton.squarespace.com<\/a><\/p>\n Auspect Skincare<\/strong>\u2014This Aussie skin care company was gifting their serum kits. I don\u2019t know how I lived most of my life without serums because they are now mandatory in every face care regimen! www.auspectskincare.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Attipas Baby Shoes<\/strong>\u2014These baby shoes are the cutest things ever!!! At first, my circus mind thought they were clown shoes<\/em> for infants, because of their rounded rubber tips, but then I realized that\u2019s just for extra safety. I do not know how the guests each chose just one style\u2014they are all absolutely adorbs!!! www.attipaskids.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Storm Instant Wrinkle Lift Serum<\/strong>\u2014I have a feeling that all the show biz types on hand at the event were very happy to receive this serum that helps hide eye wrinkles and bags. Oscars week (heck, it feels\u00a0more like a month<\/em>,) is murder on one\u2019s sleep cycle, so it\u2019s great to be able to fake looking refreshed. www.cosmeticresearchlab.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Pets People Planet Connection<\/strong>\u2014This lovely author, Diane Rose-Solomon, was on site, signing her pet books that are for both children and adults. (Or course, I<\/em> was more into the kid ones!) www.dianerosesolomon.com<\/a><\/p>\n EternnaBella<\/strong>\u2014This natural skin care line features a handful of products, to keep your regimen as simple as possible, while still yielding results. Guests had their choice of creams for day or night. www.eternnacosmetics.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n The Gottlieb Native Garden<\/strong>\u2014I cannot believe that the gorgeous garden depicted in this book is right near my house! And it took me visiting a gifting suite to discover that fact. Not only is the photography in this book beautiful, but all sales of it benefit environmental charities. And the environment needs all the help it can get in these crazy times, don\u2019t you think?\u00a0www.thegottliebnativegarden.com<\/a><\/p>\n Vivajennz<\/strong>\u2014A portion of the sales from this \u201cmom company: goes towards autism research. To remind the guests to check them out, they gifted a pair of collapsible silicone wine glasses, which I\u2019m sure come in handy for many a mom who needs to relax. www.vivajennz.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Doery Aromatherapy<\/strong>\u2014This aromatherapist from Texas was gifting lymphatic support spray with a dry brush. Just chatting with her had a calming effect on me, so I imagine her products do the same. www.doreyaromatherapy.com<\/a><\/p>\n Dermis RX Skin Care<\/strong>\u2014They were gifting a serum from their anti-aging line, which I\u2019m sure that many of the looks-conscious guests appreciated. www.dermisrx.com<\/a><\/p>\n Parfaire Medical Aesthetics<\/strong>\u2014I once had a mini-facial from this skin care spa in Pasadena, so I know what goodness the recipients of their gift certificates from this suite are in for. www.parfaire.com<\/a><\/p>\n Karen Salkin’s former mani (before she got them done at this suite,) matching the shiny Malibu rocks! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Cavalleri Malibu<\/strong>\u2014I wish I could say that this Malibu realtor was gifting beach houses, but no such luck. But, to make us aware of them, they gifted little shiny rocks, like Malibu itself! www.cavallerimalibu.com<\/a><\/p>\n Sally Snacks Venison Jerky Dog Treats<\/strong>\u2014I was relieved when I realized this jerky is for dogs! I have a feeling Clarence would have loved it. www.sallysnacks.com<\/a><\/p>\n As if all that wasn\u2019t enough for one person, (or twenty<\/em> of them!,) the Secret Room VIP guests exited with a humongous gift bag full of at least three dozen additional goodies! I got a gander at one of those, and noticed some of the highlights to be: lots of stunning make-up from eyebrow guru Anastasia Beverly Hills<\/strong>, a hip lambskin choker from Blk Blu NYC<\/strong>, a gift certificate for Hey Lady Shoes<\/strong>, (I just hope that Jerry Lewis is not the designer!,) Cosmetic Laboratories<\/strong>\u2019 five-in-one skin care complex, a year\u2019s subscription to New Beauty<\/strong> mag, a peaceful-aroma-ed candle from Yankee Candle<\/strong>, a bag of delicious Brownie Brittle<\/strong>, a Leuchtturm 1917<\/strong> professional notebook, (perfect for journos such as myself,) a whole passel of Gummi Bear vitamins (for adults as well as children) from Hero Nutritionals<\/strong>, a cert for a facial at Sasaki Advanced Aesthetic Medical Center<\/strong>, fine art by Rachel Tribble<\/strong>, Imedeen<\/strong>\u2019s skin vitamins, and SilcSkin<\/strong>\u2019s decollette pads, (which I noticed at the Oscars that half of Hollywood could use!) And it all came in a gigantic, heavy-duty bag from LL Bean<\/strong>!<\/p>\n Secret Room has always been kind as well as generous, so their Oscars event benefitted the Best Friends Animal Society<\/strong>, the only national animal welfare organization focused exclusively on ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. www.bestfriendsla.org<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0www.nkla.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SECRET ROOM OSCARS SUITE 2017 The ballroom at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills was at an all time level of exhilaration with this Oscars suite put on by Secret Room Events. The fun was off the charts! The place was absolutely abuzz with activity. Usually at a suite, people know what\u2019s happening at each<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>