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Exclusive: Sarah Hyland, Katharine McPhee, Camila Morrone and More Showed Up For a Very 2020 Party

Amy Graves

Producer Jennifer Klein’s annual Day of Indulgence usually falls in August. It’s the quintessential (luxe) girls’ day out, with a who’s who list of attendees who spend the day at her Los Angeles home, bonding after a summer hiatus. It’s easy to catch friends sharing a laugh, a hug, and indulging in the many treats on site, from spa treatments to a backyard filled with brands giving freebies to guests.

But in the midst of the pandemic, the plans for Klein’s 22nd annual summer event were postponed indefinitely. And while it was uncertain if she would be able to have it at all, as more details on COVID-19 safety precautions rolled in, Klein decided to move the event to October. She developed a game plan to hold it in a new and safe way, and rebranded the Day of Indulgence to the Day of Indulgence, Gratitude, and Wellness, with each participating brand committing to donate to a charitable or non-profit organization for COVID-19 relief, voting initiatives, mental health awareness, and more.

As the event kicked off Sunday afternoon, guests like Laura Harrier, Rebel Wilson, Allison Janney, Camila Morrone, Eiza Gonzalez, Melissa Benoist, and more arrived in timed shifts, with no more than about 15 attendees on site at one time in the very spacious outdoor area of the home. All guests were required to wear masks and stay six feet apart from each other as they quickly popped in and out.

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Before they walked into the event, attendees washed their hands at a Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day hand washing station stacked with the brand’s fall and holiday-scented soaps, and they could grab individual cups of coffee and tea for a quick pick me up from the nearby Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf stand or a Shake Shack hand-spun shake. Upon entry, temperatures were taken, and there were Touchland Kub hand sanitizing dispenser stations at every turn.

“There’s been so much positivity today,” Klein, who wore Kate Spade leopard platforms and a Sam Edelman floral dress, said. “People have expressed so much gratitude, so much emotion that I was able to do this again, safely, carefully, and joyfully. With a pandemic and politics determined to divide us, I felt more compelled than ever to bring the ladies together with health and safety protocols in place.”

For many of those who attended, it was their first time in a social yet social-distanced setting since March. Everyone in attendance was grateful to have a taste of some sense of normalcy, even if only for an hour.

Amy Graves

“I thought it would be really nice to see people, get out of the house, and have this little relaxing time,” Laura Harrier said, adding that quarantine has felt “obviously super stressful.” The actress later headed to the Kai Wellness station, where she tried out Crystal Ear Seeds designed to ease stress, followed by a stop to try RéVive Revolve Contouring Eye roller.

As Melissa Benoist took in the moment, the Supergirl star and new mom told InStyle she will return to work in January, and that she is grateful for her family. “I've gone back to the basics. I love my family and husband, my son, my house. I'm grateful to have those basic things in my life,” she said.

Amy Graves

Meanwhile, Leslie Mann and her daughter, Iris Apatow, made it a mother-daughter day out, with Mann taking a moment by the pool for a quick NOW Massage. Other wellness stations used EO, Fresh, AMOREPACIFIC, Skin Medica, and Elizabeth Arden products. Katherine McPhee showed off her growing baby bump in an olive Zara dress as she enjoyed a hand and foot massage with NOW oils. Patchology treatments were available at a separate wellness station. She went on to grab a pair of comfy sandals from LA-based and female-founded Ma’am shoes.

Amy Graves

The backyard gifting suite was back, with brands like Rothy's and Makeup Junkie dominating the grounds this time around. Good Girls co-stars Christina Hendricks and Retta were just two of many who stopped by. They made the rounds together, socially distanced, snapping up C Drops and lip glosses at CBD beauty fave Saint Jane’s station, picking up Naked Papaya Enzyme Cleanser and more from clean skincare brand Kinship, and the fall box from Rachel Zoe’s new Curateur subscription service.

Amy Graves

“I don't go anywhere. The only place I go to that's suspect is my mailbox,” Retta said, “so I’m very excited to see people that I know and like.”

“Same,” Hendricks chimed in. "We go back to work this week [to shoot Good Girls] and we've been getting tested every day. When Jennifer said she was going to do this, I said, ‘that's a feat,’ but I knew that she was going to do it responsibly. So I just thought, if you're going to do it, this would be a place where people are going to be respectful. It really is nice to have a little bit of normalcy, especially when we're about to go back to work and come out of our bubbles, come out of our shells.”

Amy Graves

Meanwhile, Wilson grabbed Drunk Elephant’s new Head to Toe Littles Kit for haircare, Made By Mary’s inspirational necklaces, and raved about Black-owned sister brand 54 Thrones Body Butters. “I’ve got dry skin, so I’m really looking forward to trying it.” The Isn’t It Romantic star was also excited about an Alo Yoga workout set that she bought from their shopping station, telling us that she is still hard at work on and committed to her “year of health.”

Cynthia Erivo, who is currently shooting Genius: Aretha for National Geographic in Atlanta, walked around the backyard virtually via phone. “It’s strange but it’s really lovely, because everyone is being really kind and sweet, and everyone’s really excited,” she told InStyle. “We somehow made it work. I loved it the last time I was there and this way too.” When asked what she was grateful for during this time, Erivo said, “I’m grateful that people are learning how to communicate with each other more than we have been. People are reaching out to their families more, I’m having more conversations and come-togethers with my friends and family than I did before. That means a lot.”

Amy Graves

Sarah Hyland, Molly Shannon and other guests made a statement as they arrived. They both wore “vote” masks, but Hyland went all out to spread the message, rocking a Levi's “When We All Vote” denim jacket, a Phenomenal Voter top, and an Awe Inspired Ruth Bader Ginsburg necklace. “I'm actually terrified right now, so anxious," she said, "that's why anytime I leave the house, which is never really, I put on every single voting piece of apparel I have.”

“I think the best thing that you can do, not only as an American citizen, but especially as a woman, is to be able to use your rights and your voice to vote. If you don't vote, then you can't complain about what's going on in the country. This election is very important. There are a lot of things at stake for so many people ... for the LGBTQ plus community, women everywhere, for the Black Lives Matter movement, for the indigenous women that are disappearing, and for the children in cages.”

As for the food, gone was the event’s famed salad bar. This time around Mann, Wilson, and more grabbed their food to go at an individually wrapped salad and sandwiches bar stacked with Ggiata sandwiches and salads and Tocaya burrito boxes. There were also sweets and treats placed around the room.

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Amy Graves

Tyra Banks stopped by at the beginning of the event to debut her new ice cream brand, SMiZE CREAM, and her Salty Cream Caramel Queen flavor. Guests who craved a sugar rush also grabbed huge Crumbl cookies, Sugarfina Gelato and Tea Collection, Shappy’s Pretzels (founded by Scandal alum Katie Lowes’ husband), Chic Cakery cake pops, Broadway Baker brownies, Hansen’s cupcakes, Lily’s Sweets, Sprinkles fall cakes, and mini cups of Jeni’s Ice Cream. To balance things out, guests were offered Suja Wellness shots and Clio yogurt bars.

Throughout the day, masked servers walked around with trays of beverages like canned Babe Wine, mini Don Julio margaritas, mini Le Grand Courtage champagne bottles topped with gold straws, and cans of THC/CBD-infused beverage CANN.

Guests were given one more surprise as they headed out — a rose gold Samsonite suitcase and LeSportsac weekender filled with gifts, like personalized clothing, shoes, and gift certificates tailored to each guest. The suitcases also included Madewell fold-over totes and jeans, Sam Edelman Nina boots, masks from Jaanuu, Dolan, Vista Print, and Magic Linen, NuFACE’s Line Smoothing Device, TKEES clothes, Jabra’s crystal clear headphones, a one-week loaner of Cadillac’s brand new Escalade, Splendid hoodies, Under Armor Moisture Infused tops, and beauty products from Pixi, Benefit Cosmetics, Oribe, Tatcha, HUDA beauty, Sunday Riley and Algenist.

Talk about a few things to be grateful for.