Golden Globe Lounge Hopping...
Indulging
in celebrity worship isn't easy. I played faux celeb for three
days at four lounges leading up to the Golden Globes: the Silver
Spoon Buffet, Kari Feinstein's Style Lounge, the InStyle Suites, and Glamour Suites...
 DAY ONE: THE SILVER SPOON BUFFET
After an excursion into the Hollywood Hills, I finally found
the estate hosting the Silver Spoon Buffet. (It was a top secret
location SO secret that they'd accidentally given me the wrong
address.) Not to worry, I'd finally arrived at the Bev Hills
estate and entered into the jungle of freebies. But not
without giving, attendees were asked to give a donation to the
Safari West Wildlife Foundation.
First up,
Via Spiga offered three shoe styles to try on for
size. And their handbags? Adorable! Everyone from Vanessa
Lengies to Lisa Edelstein were sized and sent their fave pair.
In two weeks, let the indulging begin. (Totally worth the wait!)
Meanwhile, Isaiah Washington, Simon Rex, and Kevin Dillon
stopped by the booth and autographed a Via Spiga purse. That's
the one I'm currently eyeing...
As I made my way through,
CeaSwim struck my attention.
And there was Cea offering up her favorite designs. I pointed at
a wild print and asked what it was called. "Celebrity," I was
told as she handed off a suit. Apparently, Maria Menounos
agreed. However, the suit was in such high demand that, by the
time she hit the stand, they were all out of her size. (They
promised to mail her one.) Paris Hilton noted the line was "hot"
and walked off with a couple additional styles (Baby Luxe and
Island Girl).
Another catch? A pair of rock style jeans from
Inkslingers and
pink tattoo style shirt. Andy Dick and Isaiah Washington (with his wife and new
baby!) also picked up some goodies from the booth. Taraji
Henson was excited to "show off her crazy tattoo" with her new
low rise jeans.
Then I discovered it...
Gorjana's booth! Her jewelry
line is beautiful. It was still early in the day, so not too many celebs had stopped by.... But her
pieces felt like hidden
treasure on a hunt. As she sent me off with her
Leaf Crescent Necklace (retail:
$50) and $25 gift certificate, I secretly celebrated,
convinced I'd found my new good luck charm. Turns out Paris
Hilton picked up the same keepsake as well as Gorjana's Wood Wrap Necklace.
Next up,
Me! Bath. As I perused the line, one of their
representatives gave me a hand massage with their tasty lotion.
Later in the day, Kathy Hilton stopped by. Apparently,
she's a longtime fan of the line and, since moving to Los
Angeles, hasn't had access to it since her NYC stomping ground.
Lucky for her, I'm sure they sent her off with plenty of
products to stash away!
In a booth nearby,
Haley Duff
could be heard saying, "I want to eat it!" about
Mixed Emotions
"Bite Me" Body Butter. Eva La Rue agreed,
“Wow! Your products actually
smell like edible chocolate!" she told Mixed Emotion's Emily
Harrow.
Other notables:
Voluspa Candles (Adrien Brody
picked up their Pomegranate Patchouli scent!),
Bliss Spa
products (Neil Patrick Harris & Chris Kattan received a bunch of goodies!), Hanes' 360 Stretch
underwear,
Lucky Chick hand cream,
Sugar's upcoming sandal line
(Paris pre-ordered several pairs!), Torricelumn Pur skin care products, Betty Boop t-shirts and
trading cards, and
Joico hair products.
Other observations:
Tyler Hilton and Rachel Boston holding
hands as they passed the Me! Bath booth, Paris Hilton grabbing
whatever she could and refusing photos--for once.
On my way out, I
stopped for some freshly squeezed juice. While waiting, a
spokesperson from
Jack Lalanne's Power Juicer Elite asked,
"Would you like a power juicer? We're gifting them today." Why
not? Might as well bring something back for my roommates, right?
Day one in my
celebrity excursion was beyond fun... it was exhausting! But
something told me I'd find energy for day two. Besides, with a
juicer in tote, some Vitamin C was all I needed to be back up
and running.
 DAY TWO: KARI FEINSTEIN'S STYLE LOUNGE
After a hectic premiere, a night earlier, I decided I
was in much need of some R&R. Kari Feinstein's Style
Lounge was offering just that.
At
the door, I gave my suggested donation to AIDS and then
I was off...
I stopped by
Sinful Suds who offered up their "Dirty
Diva Sin Tin." As they put it, it's for "the nights you
intend to come home, but don't." Jessica Alba, Kelly Hu,
and Melinda Clarke stopped by. Wonder where they've been
spending the night...
Page Sargisson's booth was next. Her jewelry was
absolutely gorgeous. I'd hoped to pick up a little something,
but Kristen Bell had the same wish. As she chose a
style, Page mentioned she'd yet to name it. I chimed it,
"You can name it after her," pointing toward Bell. And
with that it was named "Bella" (retail: $180). Michelle Trachtenberg
could also heard telling Page, "I'll e-mail you tonight!" Apparently,
Page was a huge hit with young
Hollywood!
The
Save the Ta Tas booth was also in full swing
with such visitors as Haylie Duff, Vanessa Lengies, and
Rachael Leigh Cook. The company offered shirts with a
variety of phrases including: "Caught you lookin at my
tatas," "I love my little tatas," and (the one I chose)
"Bodacious Tatas." Normally sold for $24, a portion of
the profits goes toward Breast Cancer Research.
By the poolside, I stopped by
Spanx where they helped
me choose the perfect undergarments for my Golden Globe
dress. A rep from the company introduced me to a "Hide &
Sleek: Midthigh Smoother," guaranteed to give me butt.
Now I know why everyone's bodies look so perfect! They're pampered from top to
bottom. Nearly every female in attendance picked up an
item or two including: Nicollette Sheridan, Teri Hatcher,
and Jamie-Lynn DiScala.
Time to indulge in food: I'd heard
Candy Zoo's
brittle was "dangerously delicious" and it's no joke.
They sent me off with their Chocolate Almond Toffee and
I can't stop eating it. Model Caroline D'Amore also
picked up Candy Zoo treats. I'll have to ask her how I
can indulge and still fit into my Golden Globe dress.
Plush Puffs was also a huge hit with Tiffanni
Thiessen, Dominic Purcell, and Shawn Pyfrom, who posed
for photogs with the gourmet marshmallows.
 After too much edible indulgence, it was time to do
something for my body. In the Style Lounge's Day Spa, I
signed up for a facial from Rebecca at Skin Haven in Los
Angeles. With a freshly exfoliated face, I was ready for a tan hollywood style from Hollywood Tan. The before picture
was shot and I was instructed to strip. Did everyone go
nude? They admitted most of the girls had, but wouldn't
divulge who. With that, I
stripped. Caroline airbrushed my body front and back and
promised it wasn't too dark. As I looked in the mirror, I
wondered about the upkeep. This was a treatment I could
get used to....
As was living life celeb style... On my way out, Jill
Smith of
Jill Smith Designs handed me a set of note
cards so colorful, I couldn't wait to find a reason to
write. With that, I headed back to write, reflect, and
relish my time at Kari's Style Lounge.
DAY THREE: INSTYLE & GLAMOUR SUITES
I headed to the InStyle Suite for a quick manicure
(and photo with jewelry designer Penny Preville, the
woman behind Eva Longoria & Mira Sorvino's Golden Globe
jewels),
popped into the Glamour Suite to browse for a few, and
passed on the Stuart Weitzman display. (Boy, did I
regret that! A friend of mine was sent home with a pair
of shoes for the show!) At this point, I was tired of
pampering and ready to get to work... And welcome to The
63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards' relaxation lounges...
>>
Last feature: VW Hollywood Celebration >>
top, middle
photo:: Adriana M. Barraza\Hollywood.com,
bottom photo:: becky sapp
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