TIFF Swellness: TIFF lounge gifties

September 10, 2013

The Toronto International Film Festival has taken over the city. It kicked off on the 5th and it runs until the 15th and the city is in a state of cray cray. Crowds of stargazers lining the streets, paparazzi parked outside of hotels, and so many movie screenings and parties every night, and so many A-list celebs in the city: Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, Clive Owen, Adam Levine, Zac Efron, Mark Wahlberg, Keanu Reeves, Taylor Kitsch–it’s like a laundry list of all of my star crushes! (I actually got to attend the gala screening of The Grand Seduction the other night–thanks Metro Ontario–and Mr. Kitsch aka Tim Riggins is great in this charming movie, and looks even greater in person, amirite?

Anyhow, on top of all of the movies and parties, let’s not forget the gifting lounges. You know, where the celebrities get to go and pick up gifts–it’s a chance for brands to get their products into the precious hands of celebs.

If you want to know what exactly are the celebs getting at the lounges, well, here’s the scoop on three of the lounges I had a chance to check out last week.

First, the IT Lounge by NKPR. Hello, carbs, beauty and fashion! Namely Avon makeup, Tweezerman tools (including a complimentary brow touch up), Roots Canada, Uber (the car service), cute socks from YoSox, Barilla pasta, Colgate toothpaste, sweet treats from PS by Pretty Sweet, LOL Candy and Cold Stone Creamery and hydration from David’s Tea, Bottle Green, Aqua Hydrate and Skyy Vodka (I got the chance to sip the signature Skyy Vodka cocktails a couple of weeks ago at the Skyy Vodka Cocktail Countdown — my favourite is the Spicy Scarlett).

Next, I headed to the Essentials Lounge, which is actually designed for media working the long days and nights of TIFF. It’s put on by Esther Garnick PR and lucky media peeps scored two cleverly themed bags, one filled with TIFF survival goodies and the other with recovery supplies. While there, I received lash extensions from Winks Eyelash Boutique and my hair was styled by Aveda, and I was sent home with my loot than at Christmas: Ethical Bean Coffee, Calvin Klein Underwear. TeAlchemy, Be Better lip balm, Centrum vitamins, Tums, Sensodyne toothpaste, Dial bodywash, Elizabeth Grant products, Elastoplast heel savers, Hard Candy makeup and apparel, Sorel slippers, Micro Pedi foot-smoothing tool, Vitaminwater, Soap & Glory facial cloths, Aveda products, Creeds dry cleaning giftcard, Moksha Yoga yoga class pass, Viviscal supplements, Guru Athletics towel, Nike Fuelband, and an HP Slate 7. (Yes, an HP tablet — I told you it was like Christmas morning!)

I know, kinda crazy right?

Finally, over at the BaskIt Style lounge? Well, first off I was whisked to the $8 million condo suite where the lounge was set up in a sleek Mercedes  (courtesy of Unlimited Personal Services, a global concierge service), and once I got there, more of a whirlwind of gifts: All But Gluten baked goods, Mary Kay cosmetics (where I got to chat with the lovely makeup artist Diana Carreiro), Kiss and Broadway Nails, O.N.E. Coconut Water, Green & Blacks chocolate, Wolf Blass wine, Louianna organic olive oil, Thinking of You perfume, Sarah Mulder jewelry, Fuck Cancer, some books (it was so nice to meet authors Craig Davidson, Peggy Kotsopoulos and Adrienne Kress) and Killigrew tshirts.

Seems pretty sweet to be a celeb, eh? Getting showered with gifts and all. And that’s not even all of the TIFF lounges, just the three I managed to visit.

Wish you could visit a TIFF gifting lounge? Well, I have it from good authority (myself!) that Health & Swellness will be holding a giveaway of one of the very coveted items from one of the lounges! Check back to find out what the giveaway is and be sure to enter!

Filed under: Random Swellness

Tags: Baskit Style, EGPR, gifting lounge, Lianne Balaban, NKPR, Taylor Kitsch, The Grand Seduction, TIFF, toronto international film festival