Oscar Swagga Like Us

One of the perks about fashion writing is attending the annual GBK Oscar Gift Suite, a gift-giving extravanganza themed "Circus of the Senses." Think of it as one big swag party thrown by a high-end events company for Oscar nominees and presenters and members of the press.

My copilot, Sí TV host Christian Vera, and I rolled up to the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, where the paparazzi swarmed like bees, and indulged our senses inside five suites filled with booths and vendors gifting away their products in exchange for promotion.

Oscar winners Claudio Miranda (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) and Dustin Lance Black (Milk) and nominee Rebecca Alleway (The Duchess) were in the house, along with Paula Abdul, Adrien Brody, Jamie King, and other VIPs. Proceeds from the event benefitted Homeless Not Toothless, Hollywood Dreamz, and Worldteam Foundation.

While we may not have walked away with an Oscar, we did score big-time on swag. Here's what's inside our Oscar grab bags:

1. A trip to Mexico, The Carribean, or Central America courtesy of The Escapes Group. (Fingers crossed.)
   
2. Bust-ease: an alternative to plastic surgery. (I tried them out Friday night and they work!)
3. I.C.O.N. professional hair care products, which launched a worldwide campaign "Cure for a Cause" and donates a portion of their sales from their popular replenishing spray to non-profit organization Stop Cancer.
4. Black Knight sunglasses designed by Chanel Young, co-founder of Tingaling
5. Callisto of California lime green leather sandals with diamond-shaped gold studs
6. A cooler filled with Verve! insanely healthy energy drinks
7. Hair thickener by RevitaLash
8. A pearl necklace designed by Barbara Conner Jewelry
9. A wishing rock from Our World Ranch
10. A purple stone ring by Dara Ettinger
11. A year supply of Nordic Naturals Omega-3 fish oil supplements
12. Purlisse daily moisturizer with SPF30 and lip nourisher
13. Lalo Fuentes' fitness DVD
14. A slice of cake baked exclusively for the Oscars by Hansen's Cakes. Mmmmm!
15. Acai fruit juice by Amazon Thunder
16. Metrolopis Technology hair styling tools