The lounge that most surprised me was Lia Sophia. I knew it was a jewellery line but I didn’t expect to fall in love with it. On display was the newest red carpet collection called La Belle Rose. The collection used materials like silver, gold, copper, black diamond crystal, clear crystal, jet crystal, Hematite, Tortoise resin, jet enamel and lapis resin.
The gift bag for this lounge was a choice of jewellery from the collection. It was a hard decision but I was attracted to the steampunk looking Runway style of the collection which featured Black Diamond Crystals in Matte Silver and Matte Gold or Clear Crystals in Matte Silver and Matte Copper.
Runway Rings with Crystals
I left with a huge cocktail ring and 3 bracelets (two thin and one wide) in the Black Diamond Crystals in Matte Silver and Matte Gold finish. I’m kicking myself now for not picking up a matching necklace. They are statement pieces. I’ve had nothing but compliments and someone always notices I’m wearing them.
I’m sure the generators dying as the lead singer from USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) started to play his guitar wasn’t part of the plan. I stood there in shock. The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project concert with USS isn’t starting off on the right foot. I felt terrible for the band but being professionals he sat down on the edge of the stage, gathered everyone closer and began an acoustic set. It seems he was just pulling songs out of the air to keep the crowd entertained. It was great to see them making the most out of a horrible situation.
I felt bad for the band but I got a kick out of the Techs freaking the hell out. This type of thing can’t be good for business. They were running around doing their best to get things started again. After five minutes of darkness I wondered if they would be able to get things going again. It wasn’t looking good until the 20 minute mark when the roar of the generator filled the quiet area behind the Bell Lightbox. The show would go on. USS opened with a ballad but there was no sign of the DJ. A man in a Jeremy Scott x Adidas tracksuit came out on the stage. It was blue and covered in stars.
As the music started to get heavy, the large crane lifted a crate high above the stage. On top of this crate were dancers who danced on the mid-air dance floor. I was a little surprised the that I didn’t see individual harness. Then I got frightened and wondered if the crane techs were the same as the power ones. It was scary until I heard that they were restrained up there. They did a good job of hiding them.
Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker is Toronto based and the members are Ashley Boo-Shultz and Jay Parsons (Human Kebab). The music is eclectic; a mashup of grunge, jungle and hip hop. Ashley has a great voice that sounds almost identical to Kirk Cobain. It’s really kinda of eerie. Ashley and Jay meet in 2004 but didn’t start the band until 2007. They had some early success with their 2008 EP, Welding the C:/. Questamation, their first full length album dropped on Mar 9, 2009.
The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project involves 14 countries (Canada, USA, Great Britain, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Poland, South Africa, Thailand and Venezuela) and their respected nightlife figures. The idea is to put promote the best elements of a country’s nightlife free of charge. to discover and celebrate the best elements of their country’s nightlife. Each country has a Cultural Curator to fill the crate with representative items of their country’s nightlife. USS is the Canadian representative. Canadians can contribute their ideas to add to the crate on the Smirnoff Canada facebook page. USS will choose the best ideas and place them in the The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project crate. The items added to the crate will be unveiled on October 22, 2010. All the countries will exchange a crate with another country for this cultural nightlife exchange. Of course Smirnoff will be capturing these events online to share with the 14 countries and the world. On November 27, 2010 each country will receive the crate and a party to celebrate will be held.
USS put on a fun show. They are very energetic and sometimes the show felt like performance art. I didn’t understand the objective of The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project when I was watching USS play. It was only when I was doing research for this post did I see the scope and size of it. I’m curious what Canadians will select for the crate and I wonder which country’s crate Canada will open.
Disclosure: This a post about The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project. Smrinoff hired me to share my experiences at the USS show and talk about the The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project with you. Watch for the big exchange party on November 27, 2010.
There were a lot of great Canadian brands at the lounge, too many to talk about individually. It was great to see Canadian content getting pushed to the celebs. ANZIE jewellery initially invited me to the DPA Gifting Lounge so I could get a look at the collection. I was familiar with the brand as I’ve seen them at Holt Renfrew before. I didn’t know that they were Canadian and based out of Montreal.
It was great to talk to Ana of Imperfect Indulgence about her beautiful handcrafted leather bags. They are available at Pho Pa in Toronto. I love the Butterfly handbags (posted above) and the Armor Necklaces.
Manitobah Mukluks is a great Canadian success story. This native owned business produces everything in Canada with a focus on helping the Native community. Mukluks aren’t really my taste but I can see the benefits of them outside of the city where the snow is fluffy and white. However, they do make them with rubbers soles which helps for city dwellers. I don’t really look at them as any type of fashion statement, they are purely a functional boot. That being said the Limited Edition Tall Wrap and Half Wrap boots are kinda nice. They’d be perfect for Whistler.
Susan Hood is an amazing glass artist that creates wonderful jewellery. I’m dying over her Phantasea shell necklaces. I’ve never seen anything like it in glass. There were no Phantasea shell necklaces on hand at the lounge but she had some lovely blown glass pieces.
This lounge had the a lot of stations and it took much longer to get through than I anticipated. I didn’t learn anything about the Lomography cameras that were being gifted to the celebs. It would have been nice to learn a bit more about the company and see some units up close. I didn’t even know about the resort gifting to Tahiti and Dubai till I started doing research for the post.
DPA Gifting Lounge Gift Bag Favourites (These are products I found interesting. In some cases I’ve tried them and in others I’ve excited to try them):
Flower Silver Bracelet by ANZIE – I got a lovely purple Flower Silver Bracelet that hasn’t really left wrist since.
Kusmi Teas – I love tea and the sample pack from Kusmi will go to great use. The packaging is just beautiful
Ridiculous by Jilli – The best biscotti I’ve ever tasted.
Sula Beauty Paint & Peel nail polish – I find the idea of paint and peel nail polish very interesting. I wonder how it treats your nails.
Ruby Wow! – I love the beautiful Surfer wrap bracelet made from leather and silver.
SwissTEC skin care products – I’m always interested in high end skin care. This line of products can only be bought through a physician.
Snoflake tank – It’s cute but I wish I picked a bigger size. A Snoflake small is tiny.
Bathing Bell – I received the Anchor Baby monokini. After trying it on I’ve come to realize that monokinis and my shortwaist don’t go together. I think I’d be more suited to Fancy Fanny or Taj.
Brandy Cranberry Marmalade by Galloping Cows – It’s easy for food to be on my favourites list. I wonder what this would taste like with some soft cheese.
The Murale/Sally Hershberger Lounge set up shop in the Intercontinental Toronto Yorkville Hotel. I was at the Intercontinental so much it almost felt like a second home. I laughed at people wondering if I was famous walking into and out of the hotel. Of course, I had my neon green Prada shades on. Sally Hershberger is a well know celebrity hairstylist who brought some of her crew to Toronto do get everyone’s hair red-carpet ready. There was also complimentary makeup applications and I took advantage of those services. Sponspors for the Murale/Sally Hershberger Lounge included: Coty Inc, Sally Hershberger Professional Hair Care, Murale
I had my makeup done on Saturday and Sunday at the lounge. I had Dino on Saturday and he gave me a bit of smokey eye. It wasn’t dramatic but it was quite pretty. Sunday I had my make up done by Anil Bhatoo of Murale and he gave me dramatic makeup to go with the leather Danier dress I was wearing. It was my favourite look of TIFF. I also discovered the wonders of YSL mascara and it’s on my list to pick up next. I’m really bad with taking pictures of myself. I know there are a bunch out there of me, I’ll track them down.
Murale/Sally Hershberger Lounge Gift Bag Favourites (These are products I found interesting. In some cases I’ve tried them and in others I’ve excited to try them):
Harajuku Lovers Fragrance – I really don’t care what they smell like but I freaking LOVE the bottles. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. I got Music and Baby. The little tote they came in is cute too
StriVectin eye concentrate – I don’t have wrinkles but I’m always looking for a good eye cream
Balenciaga Eau De Parfum
Marc Jacobs Lola solid perfume – Solid perfume, this should be interesting
Spa Ritual Shoot for the Stars nail polish – It’s purple
BMW Toronto Celebrity gift lounge was setup at the Hugo Store in Yorkville for the Toronto International Film Festival. Greg May Hair and TDotTV teamed up to produce the lounge. Guests were treated to mini spa days with hair by Grey May, facials by Mayavii using the Black Pearl Collection products, make up by Jessica Llyod and massages from the Toronto Performance Health Centre
Mayvaii is an importer of Sea of Spa & Dr. Kadir Laboratories skin care lines. They are bringing the famous Dr. Kadir Matrix Gold Mask which was made popular by Kate Moss. Two 2011 BMW 5-series cars were on hand for viewing. I was all about the pampering this TIFF so I took advantage of the facial with Ilan and really liked the Black Pearl products he used. I also had my makeup done with Jessica Lloyd.
BMW Toronto Celebrity Gift Lounge Gift Bag Favourites (These are products I found interesting. In some cases I’ve tried them and in others I’ve excited to try them):
Laser pointer pen and USB key from Black Diamond – My cats think this is the best thing ever. So do I
Dr. Kadir Exclusive Organic Car Clay Mask
Elizabeth Grant hand and foot cream – I like their mascara, maybe the cream will be nice. It’s got Camphor in it so maybe I’ll only use it at night.
Greg May Hair Architects shampoo and conditioner – In the winter months I do have some hair on my head I’m usually using Greg’s products
RealTVfilms Social Media Lounge presented by The Cutting Room was another gifting lounge I visited during the Toronto International Film Festival. It also followed the Festival and parked itself in the Abode Public Residence, close to the Bell Lightbox. Chic Little Devil, LA’s largest style house joined the lounge for their first appearance in Canada. They were on hand to dress celebrities for red carpet and parties during the festival. RealTVfilms host, Samantha Gutstadt, was on hand to interview celebs. Justin Rousseau from Brennen Demelo Studio was the lounge’s official hair stylist and Caroline Grenier was the makeup artist.
The You Rock Guitars were very cool. It’s like Rockband but you play cords and there are strings. I had the chance to schedule an appointment to get my lashes done with the Winks Eyelash Boutique. They had set up shop in the middle of the lounge. I love false lashes but decided against it. They last for a couple of weeks but I looked into the removal and care commitments and decided I was much to lazy. It’s kinda the same reason why I probably would never get a Shellac manicure. I like the kind you can remove at the end of the night with no commitments. Gail McInnes had them done and they looked amazing on her.
I wasn’t gifted any eyewear from the Les Pieces Uniques but I liked some of their sunglasses offerings, especially the tortoise-shell and cat eye ones. The FHE Group has these tissue bath mats that I love. They are sold at The Bay, Home Outfitters and Homesense.
RealTVfilms Social Media Lounge Gift Bag Favourites (These are products I found interesting. In some cases I’ve tried them and in others I’ve excited to try them):
Dearforms Signature slippers – super soft terrycloth spa slippers
Grazie recipe book – tempted to try the pasta options
Big boo to the Ed Hardy water bottle in the gift bag, I don’t know what is up with that.
I love Alessi and in addition to quirky kitchen products they have two new watch designs for fall 2010.
Space-bimba (top row) is a product of designer Miriam Mirri and retails for $163. It’s to look like an alien and I think that’s very cute. NEKO (bottom row) is designed by Pritzer prize winner, SANAA. It’s a very simple watch but I like to think those are devil horns. It retails for $173. You can get the watches at the Alessi store in Montreal(2085 Rue Crescent) or online at www.alessi-shop.com.
I previously mentioned the upcoming Venomous Villains collection from MAC Cosmetics. The colour palette and product shots are now available. I’m dying over the nail polish. It’s out at all MAC stores on September 30, 2010. Prices range from $15 – $30.
There’s the incomparable Cruella De Vil, the infamous London heiress hell-bent on obtaining one very couture fur coat; the jealous, aging supermodel that is Snow White’s Evil Queen; Maleficent, a snubbed evil fairy whose vengeance put Sleeping Beauty to bed without supper; and the devious Dr. Facilier, a hip, stylish voodoo king with a thing for frogs. Featuring a palette of pearlescent blacks, royal plums and rosy reds, you wouldn’t dare turn them down. It’s absolutely wicked.
I’m loving Maleficent’s colour palette. Like I mentioned before, the NAIL POLISH!
NKPR Inc. returns for a fifth time to the Toronto International Film Festival with the IT Lounge. It moved south with the festival and was held at the new NKPR head office, just steps away from the Bell Lightbox. Toronto Interior Design Group partnered with NKPR to turn the office space into the IT Lounge. This year the lounge partnered with Paul Haggis’ Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) in order to raise money for Haiti.
The lounge featured laptops from Rogers with mobile internet built-in. They are Internet ready because of the integration but I don’t know if I like the idea of having my machine that committed Rogers. I got a media pass that gave me access to the lounge and these computers during the festival. I could write posts or check email, etc. I was running around too much to take advantage of this.
It was the biggest gifting lounge I visited. It was a bit of a circus on media day as so many outlets where going through the place. I signed in and recieved a very large and deep bag. I looked at it and was a bit surprised. Is this suppose to be full after this visit? If so, OMFG this is like the swag motherload. I was so glad to see Fraser Abe from Toronto Life come in at the same time. We could experience this strange trip together. It was your typical setup, we talked to brand reps at each station and then we were usual given a large quantity of product.
We arrived at the Kobo eReader station and I immediately made a huge mistake when I said I saw the eReader at the competitor’s store in Santa Monica. I was quickly corrected and forgiven. I could tell that Fraser and I were thinking the same thing. “Please, please, please give us an eReader”. The rep mentioned that they were gifting these units to celebrities. My heart sank and I believe I heard Fraser’s heart breaking too. We aren’t celebrities, boo. Then like out of a dream, the rep asked us if we would like a white or black Kobo eReader. Weee! I took a white one with a great gelaskin to decorate it.
At the Stila Cosmetics booth I tried the custom color blush which looks neon pink but works for all skin tones. I already had makeup on from the Tastemakers Lounge earlier in the day so we played with blush only. The Stila One Step Makeup in the gift bag had me excited until I learned it wasn’t in my skin tone. Boo. I wanted to try the Moroccanoil but they were out of gifting items when I talked to the reps so we left empty-handed. One rep even made a point of mentioning the benefits for short hair like mine which I appreciated but it’s a shame I can’t try it for myself.
I love false lashes so I didn’t say no when offered at the Ardell Lashes booth. It was only during research for this post did I learn that the lashes are 100% human hair. They were relatively comfortable and not as heavy as other types I’ve tried. If I had hair I would have gone crazy about the insane amount of Goody products I received: brushes, combs, hairbands, elastics. It was ridiculous.
The Sharpie booth had an illustrator who drew the guests. I had mine done.
The Dagmar Jewellery booth full of ornate and beautiful jewellery. It reminded me of India. It turns out that the collection is designed in Mumbai. The pieces were perfect for the red carpet and making a statement. We left the IT Lounge with massive bags. Thank god the Brill Communications office is just around the corner I was able to stash my bag there for the day and get my nails done.
The IT Lounge Gift Bag Favourites (These are products I found interesting. In some cases I’ve tried them and in others I’ve excited to try them):
Kobo E-Reader – Definitely the best thing I got all TIFF.
Ardell Fashion Lashes – I have to learn how to put these on by myself
Espirit Leather Jacket – I have a nice brown leather bomber to wear
Espirt Garment Bag – It had a loop at the bottom and Velcro to help it keep it’s shape when folded.
Bakerstreet Apple Pie – I sampled some of their other desserts and they taste like heaven.
Sharpie pens and the Sharpie Drawing of me.
My Tagalongs Handywoman’s Kit – A beautifully designed sewing kit that takes up very little space. Perfect for your handbag
Stila Custom Colour Blush
Baker Street – I have that apple pie to eat. I can’t get over how tasty everything is
