Sonya Dakar and Adwil Celebrate Oscar Week

By Andrea Goodwin, associate editor (agoodwin@beanstalkbiz.com)

Sonya Dakar opened her elegant and spacious Beverly Hills skin clinic this week to a galaxy of celebrity friends who wanted to relax and enjoy indulging in some of their favorite beauty products, beverages, spa services, clothing and accessory lines, and luxury getaway opportunities. Readers should know that Sonya Dakar corrective skin care products are an absolute BeansTalk essential and favorite, even as it is hard to stay brand loyal with the huge range of skin products available today. Anyway, BeansTalk was lucky enough to be invited to mix and mingle with the celebrity crowd and to sample some the “suite treats” ourselves. Here’s the scoop on what went down.

To start, the atmosphere of the evening was set by Carrie Zack, who served beautifully presented hors d’oeuvres and adorned hallways with her stunning concept for the floral arrangements. BeansTalk immediately felt a drop in stress when we walked in!

At ABS, we learned that the “it” top of the season is their braided neck mod dress. (Retail: $240.00) This pleated silk little number which comes in green, black, fuscia, cobalt, or teal, can be worn alone if you have great long legs or over skinny jeans. Kristin Cavalierri thought it was “gorgeous”, and other stars loved it so much they picked it up in several colors.

Mimi Turner was a hot spot as well. This designer creates the prints as well as the cuts for her amazing silk dresses. BeansTalk thought they were feminine and sexy. Gwyneth Paltrow stopped by and picked up a few pieces including a white bustier dress while Sara Rue took a black floral dress.

Lush was a hot spot of action. Celebrities couldn’t wait to try their fresh and organic bath products. Nick Verrios from Project Runway said Lush rocks and took one of every product Saturday Night Live alum Chris Kattan tried to steal stuff from Lush and then he found out it was free! Ha! BeansTalk gives this company big originality points for creating a fun and brightly colored line of solid shampoos, bubble baths, block soaps –which are sold by weight, and moisturizers. Most of their products are sold unpackaged, although if you stop by their Beverly Hills salon you can pick up little reusable tins to keep them in! BeansTalk was lucky enough to receive a nice assortment. So cute! We love the fresh smelling and humorously named “Green Day Bubble Bar” , “Buffy the Back Slayer” body butter, and “Honey I Washed the Kids” real honey body soap.

At the ever-socially-conscious Sonya Dakar booth, celebrities were generously signing bottles of their landmark Sunscreen 365 for a special auction benefiting Cancer Care. Cancer Care is an organization which offers support and counseling to families coping with the dreadful disease. (You might recall from earlier BeansTalk stories that this cause is close to our hearts, so we were heartened to hear about this effort!) The Sunscreen 365 skin treatment contains SPF 30 and titanium dioxide and we hear is a Gwyneth Paltrow and Drew Barrymore favorite. Additionally, this product is only one from a complete line of corrective skin products which are categorized by skin issue: acne, scarring, skin refining, discoloration, sensitive, and anti-aging. BeansTalk’s recommendation: check out te Ultraluxe Age Control with nine different anti-aging complexes including a synthetic snake venom (that’s right!) for a botox-like effect.

BeansTalk chatted up Elizabeth Moore of Froote. Our readers may recognize her from her Top Design appearances on Bravo. She recently has launched a luxurious jewelry line. We loved the watermelon tourmaline and 18 carat gold hoop necklace. So did Bai Ling, who said it was “hip and beautiful.” Dominika Wolski of Dark Angel fame will be wearing a striking Froote necklace and earrings in her next shoot in Maui.

BeansTalk really enjoyed receiving the flowering teas from Numi which are actually hand sewn lily and jasmine flowers sewn around a bundle of aromatic tea. The flower actually blooms in the pot! It is amazing and beautiful enough to be featured in the recent Marie Antoinette film. Battlestar Galactica's Kate Vernon loved the hand crafted flowering teas by Numi. She especially loved that the teas were organic and very healthy. Numi teas are created by the Rahim brother and sister team who feel that their product encourages their customers to “create the time and space to develop their thoughts and feelings.” (I guess all of us workaholics need this.)

Exhausted make up artist Keri Kemper, who did over 35 makeovers in six hours, chatted up BeansTalk at the end of the day. Apparently everyone who stopped by the booth, including us, was thrilled to receive their alcohol and oil-free cheek stain. The colors which have fun names like Blushing Bride and Flush seem to be quite bright and unconventional when viewed from the bottle, but apply in a sheer and pleasing stain. Their sunburst bronzer was a big hit as well. Alas, it was back to work -- Lisa and Joni, from America’s Next Top Model stopped by the Tarte Cosmetics room. Lisa received a dramatic look with smokey eyes and red lips, while Joni got softer more natural look.

Girl Extraordinaire welcomed their guests into a girly-girl pink enclave to select really cute personalized tanks (Retail: $15.00) and doggie tees. BeansTalk thinks that our bride-to-be readers should keep these little numbers in mind when picking up bridal shower gifts. They are long for layering and perfect for SoCal weather. We hear that Dominika Wolski nabbed a “center of attention” tank and stuffed puppeo dog along with a dream big magnet while Sara Rue got a “girl extraordinaire” tank.

Sarah Rue (Less than Perfect) stopped in for ME! Bath’s signature Ice Cream. She loved the delicious scents and lavishly moisturizing body butter and couldn’t wait to use the product in the privacy of her home.

Craig Robert Young of Lost fame sampled Vava Breathe for his allergies but requested a mixed case to sample all nine responses. Sara Rue, from the new hot Fox show “Nurses”, sipped from her bottle of Vava Voom and requested a case of that as well. John Dixon, just back from Hawaii where he was filming Lost, requested another shipment of his favorite water, Vava, and took a Vava Chill for his pilot audition. Gwyneth Paltrow was served Vava water as she enjoyed her signature Oscar Facial (a combination of her Fitness Facial, her UltraLuxe Facial, her Red Light Collagen treatment, and the Oxygen Treatment) and remarked how much she liked it.

Guests were allowed to take the relaxed and positive vibe at Sonya Dakar home with them in the form of special prints from Nature’s Notebook by Courtney Noelle. Loretta Devine loved the beautifully crafted images by Nature's Notebook so much that she is hoping to commission a photograph just for her. BeansTalk received a lovely shot of the tides at sunset with the word “beautiful” inscribed in the sand. Now this ephemeral art will never “wash away” in our home.

Carribean Escapes generously gifted the stars as well. They gave Chris Kattan and fiancé Sunshine Tutt a trip to the Mayan Riviera for their honeymoon. Sunshine Tutt bragged about the wedding and found a jacket to wear during the reception…black Flux Noveau Audry Hepburn meets Yoko Ona jacket ….just imagine what that looks like!

To ensure the mood was right, Chris Kattan took Exhale Spa’s only essential oils and a lavender sache pillow to sleep on with his new fiancé Sunshine Tutt because he is such a spiritualist. BeansTalk hears that their core fusion classes are really cool as well.

We had the pleasure of meeting the creator Mary Shriver-Bugatti of the new O2Hide (Zero to Hide) line of clear accessories. These strudy and attractive clear plastic totes and purses will keep our busy travelers on the fast track in the airport. Julia Verdin brought 02H bags back to the bridesmaids in Liz Hurley’s wedding so that when they go through customs they will be given the all clear. Loretta Devine came in and was really excited about the line and all that it stood for.

Other snaphots:

China Chow loved Carpe Diem! She was blown away by such high science in something that is so simple and essential.

Lisa and Joni from America’s Next Top Model had a great time hanging at the Flux Nouveau room. Joni picked up two pieces from the fall line: cute dresses with pockets that are easy to wear.

Pumpkin from Flavor of Love came by and loved the LA Pop Art posters. Paul Litt came by and said it was his favorite thing in the entire Oscar Lounge.
Sara Rue came and took a bottle of Marani Premieum Vodka and a bottle of Mojito Island to make Marani Mojito-tinis for a home poker tournament. Adrienne Janic thought it was the smoothest vodka she had ever tasted.

Kathy Griffin was unable to stop by the Sonya Dakar – Adwil Oscar Lounge, so we put together a beautiful bag filled with treats from each of the rooms at the lounge including a bottle of PURE ECSTASY Liqueur.
With their baby girl at home sick, Donovan Leitch and Kirsty Hume asked their assistant, the lovely Debi Kohos, to put together a little something for them. As a thank you, Donovan and Kirsty gave her their certificate entitling them to a customized pair of Vans shoes.

Entertainment Weekly's Jessica Shaw is featuring Kathleen Cavalaro's Sophia necklace on Early Show this Friday.

Prince’s good friend Hanna from Lyric Jeans snagged a jeweled scarf for him. A custom-made Sophia necklace went to Chris Kattan’s mother.

Jay Jablonski, the new face of Marani Vodka, spoke to various members of the press about his part in the upcoming Brian Grazer film, “Kids in America” featuring Topher Grace and Ana Faris.

The Pure Ecstasy bar was overjoyed that guests of the Sonya Dakar - Adwil Oscar Lounge could not get enough of their intoxicating concoctions.

Loretta Devine loved her gift from Vans of custom sneakers. She couldn't wait to get home and log on to her computer to start designing her dream pair.

Here’s a more complete list of Sonya, Mimi, and Israel Dakar’s celebrity friends who visited the lounge:

Ashley Rose - actress, Broadway
Bettina Bush - singer, actress (voiceover)
Bird York - Singer, songwriter, "In The Deep" from Crash
Brian Austin Green - actor, "Beverly Hills 90210", "Domino"
China Chow - actress
Chris Kattan + Sunshine Tutt - actor, "SNL"
Daphnee Duplaix - actress, "Passions"
EG Daley - actress, singer, the voice of Babe the Pig, Rugrats.
Elena Fabri - actress
Howie Gordon – reality actor, Big Brother All Stars
Jay Jablonski - actor, "Kids in America"
Janet Chiarabaglio - actress, "The Search for Caravaggio"
Jenna Dewan - actress, "Step Up", "Take the Lead"
Jennifer Sciole - actress, "Entourage"
Kristy Frank - actress, Nickleodeon
Lauren Storm - actress, Nickleodeon
Lenore Zann - actress, "The Shooter"
Loretta Devine - actress, "Grey's Anatomy"
Megan Pope - actress, "Transformers"
Melinda Esquibel - Producer, "An Inconvenient Truth"
Natalia Cigliuti - actress, "All My Children"
Navi Rawat - actress, "Numb3rs"
Nick Verreos – Designer, "Project Runway"
Nick Zano - actor, "What I like about you"
Niki Zeiring - actress, "American Wedding"
Peter Templeman - Academy Award Nominated for the short film "The Savior"
Rob Pinkston - actor, Nickleodeon
Russ Irwin - keyboardist, Aerosmith
Sarah Jane Morris - actress, Brothers & Sisters
Stuart Parkin - Academy Award Nominated for the short film "The Savior"
Sara Rue – Actress, “Less than Perfect”
Justin Long – Actor, “Dodge Ball”, Mac vs. PC commercials
Gwyneth Paltrow – Actress
Art Linkletter – Emmy-winning actor
Cameron Goodmin - Actress
Dan Wells - Actor
David Caruso - Actor
Goldeb Brooks - Actress
Heather Tom - Actress
Jayson Blair – Actor
Joanie Dodds – America’s Next Top Model
Kari Whitman - Actress
Lisa D’Amato - America’s Next Top Model
Niecy Nash – Comidienne
Olivia Wilde - Actress, NBC’s The Black Donnellys
Patricia Arquette - Actress
Sophia Brown - Actress
Boti Bliss – Actress, CSI Miami
Alan “Scooter” Zackheim – Actor, Beauty & The Geek Winner
Christian Oliver – Actor, The Good German
Oliver Macready – Actor, Guiding Light
Bahar Soomkeh – Actress, Crash
Tina DiJoesph – Actress, Medium

ABOUT THE SPONSORS
02Hide – www.02hide.com (zero to hide) - is the countries first branded collection of transparent travel bags for the modern world.
ABS Style by Allen Schwartz (www.absstyle.com) on trend contemporary collection ranging from sportswear, cocktail dresses, day dresses and evening gowns.
Caribbean Escapes (www.caribbeanescapes.com) is the authority on luxury travel in the Caribbean. They are currently the publisher of Caribbean Escapes book featuring 140 of the most luxurious resorts in the Caribbean and Central America. They also are in production on a new TV show featuring the best in the Caribbean.
Carpe Diem (www.carpediem.com) - As a brand, Carpe Diem stands for drinking with a purpose – for innovative functional drinks that equally combine drinking pleasure with effectiveness. The beverages of Carpe Diem are based on traditional methods of preparation and knowledge that is thousands of years old.
Carrie Zack (www.carriezack.com) is one of Los Angeles' premier event planners. Her growing client list -- from celebrities and entertainment companies to major corporations - has gained her momentum in becoming one of the most sought-after event organizers in Southern California.
Exhale Mind Body Spa (www.exhalespa.com) that encourages a connection of mind and body through therapeutic fitness, healing waters and state of the art therapies and treatments in Santa Monica. (ayurvedic treatments)
Flux Nouveau (www.fluxnouveau.com) breaks down the line of demarcation between art and life and democratizes the art of experience in clothing in the form of couture cottons, dresses, knits and modal. Wearing it is an art.
Froote Jewelry by Elizabeth Moore (www.froote.com) is a clean exquisitely designed one of kind jewelry using gold, silver and precious stones.
Girl Extraordinaire (www.inthecenterofattention.com) customizes T-shirts, tanks and dog apparel helping people and pets be extraordinary for their special events.
Kathleen Cavalaro (www.kathleencavalaro.com) creates exquisite, hand-made, one-of-a-kind pieces that are made to replace traditional diamonds on the red carpets.
LA Pop Art (www.lapopart.com) creates iconic artwork based on an art form commonly known as Micrography. This art form has been around for centuries and has primarily been used by artists of Israeli decent; it is the style of creating an image strictly using the words that tell the story of that specific image. Some of the film scripts that have been re-tooled into images are Rocky, Scar Face, and Reservoir Dogs.
LUSH Hand Made Cosmetics (www.lushusa.com) include bath, body, skin care and hair care made from fresh and organic ingredients. (i.e. Dream Cream – oatmeal, rose absolute and cocoa butter)
Marani Vodka (www.maranispirit.com) is a premium vodka infused with milk and honey.
Mimi Turner (www.mimiturner.com) is a NY-based fashion designer whose style mixes feminine fabrics with rocker chic looks.
Natures Notebook (www.naturesnotebook.com) creates customized seaside works of art.
Numi Organic Tea (www.numitea.com) is a organic and fair trade tea company that specializes in premium full leaf tea and an innovative line of flowering tea.
Pure Ecstasy (www.drinkecstasy.com) a super premium 70 proof clear enhanced spirit with flavors of pomegranate, citrus and exotic herbs. (Ginseng Gurana Taurine).
Sonya Dakar (www.sonyadakar.com) is a family-run, luxury skin care company whose mission and passion has been to make skin beautiful and healthy by offering men and women solutions to their skin concerns through our proven, results-oriented products and treatments.
Tarte Cosmetics (www.tartecosmetics.com) - Women know us for our chic packaging and cheeky names, but as you'll come to find out, tarte is more than just a pretty face. We’ve worked extra hard to ensure that our products are doing good things for your skin-all of our formulas are chock-full of good-for-you benefits, whether it's nourishing vitamins or soothing natural oils.
Vans (www.vans.com) is a fun, edgy shoe company that has its roots in the skate board and surf community.
Vava Water (www.vavawater.com) is charged with electromagnetic frequencies to create specific response. (ie Joy, Slim and Voom)