The Celebrity Moms' Swag Bag: Incredible Giveaway Worth $1000+

{Spoiler alert! Read on - you could be gifted just like a celebrity mom!}

You may think that new moms in Hollywood already have it easier than we do. Nannies, chefs, personal trainers, makeup and hair professionals...no wonder they make it look so easy! ("Look" being the key word - I'm pretty sure all moms share some of the same pressures, stresses and worries.)

As an extra perk, stars often have products bestowed upon them (more details on that later), and what better occasion than Mother's Day to share the wealth love?

This year, an unbelievable gift basket is being given to 25 new Hollywood moms: Jennifer Love   Hewitt, Hayden Panettiere, Rachel Bilson, Christina Ricci, Gaby Hoffman, Kelly Rowland, Stacy Kiebler, Lake Bell, Eva Mendes, Kate Hudson, Zoe Saldana, Molly Sims, Milla Jovovich, Amanda Peet, Shakira, Carrie Underwood, Sara Gilbert, LivTyler, Alicia Keys,Vanessa Lachey, Blake Lively, Ali Larter, Jessica Biel, Zoey Deschanel and Mila Kunis.

The basket, worth more than eight grand (!) includes products shown below:

I was very curious about how the whole gifting thing works, so I jumped at the chance to fire a few questions at Lash Fary, founder of Distinctive Assets (they've orchestrated  coveted Gift Baskets and Gift Lounges for events such as the GRAMMYs, the Latin GRAMMYs, the Tony Awards, the Kids’ Choice Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, the MTV Movie Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards). Here are the questions, with Lash's responses.

What is the process for businesses who want to get their products into your swag baskets?

It is a simple and streamlined process. They either contact us or one of our sales associates reaches out to them.  The logistics of participation are fairly straight forward so if they have the budget to participate (it is only $900 so it is incredibly affordable for any size brand) there is truly no down side for them.  We handle all of the organization, assembly and delivery (in most cases directly to talent).  

How did you decide on the celebrity moms to receive this Mother's Day basket? 

Each year, we try to find new-ish or soon-to-be moms . . . mainly because so many of the items we gift are geared towards infants.  There actually aren’t dozens and dozens of new or expecting moms so the selection is pretty straight forward.  We keep tabs on pregnancy and delivery announcements throughout the year and announce our final recipient list in early March (or April at the latest).

Can you share any success stories in terms of stars who have been seen with/talked about products from your swag baskets? Do you usually receive thanks/feedback yourself?

So many of the recipients in the past (Leah Remini, Jenna Elfman, Kourtney Kardashian, Nancy O’Dell, Elisabeth Rohm, Samantha Harris, Fergie)  have sent thank you notes directly to clients … which obviously makes the clients very happy.  The thank you note of 2015 is of course the tweet, and our clients have been the lucky beneficiaries of a bunch of those as well.  For example, last year Jennifer Love Hewitt particularly loved the Bert and Bratt portable sterilizer and tweeted about it the day after our delivery to her.  She gave Twitter love to several other faves as well. Tammin Sursok gave a Twitter shout out to the Artisan Group.  And then there is the homerun when a celeb recipient is later photographed using one of the items they were gifted . . . as was the case with Kourtney Kardashian and a photo that appeared in Star magazine.

What would you say to those who argue that celebs have so much money and aren't in need of these freebies?

My biggest frustration with this argument is that folks confuse need with basic marketing. This is a publicity and celebrity seeding promotion NOT a charitable initiative. Jennifer Lawrence doesn’t “need” $20 million per film … nor did Robert Downey Jr. “need” a billion dollars for the last Avengers movie.  But that’s what celebs receive because their brands warrant it.    

Brands are leveraging the fame of the recipients to publicize their products.  So the trade off is more than fair.  The celebs are, in fact, not receiving the products for free . . . they are purchasing them with the power and cachet their names represent.  And brands take full advantage of that fact.

Ultimately, the root of this question is (1) not understanding basic PR and Marketing and (2) basic jealousy . . . because 9 out of 10 of these types of complaints I receive are accompanied by a request to have the product sent to them instead!  Not even to a women’s shelter or orphanage . . . to THEM!

The power of celebrity is real.  They sell movie tickets . . . they sell magazines . . . they sell products.

Thanks for all of that insight, Lash!

Now guess what? Distinctive Assets is going to provide one lucky This Mom Loves reader with a selection of these amazing gift bag items! (Not all $8000 worth - but it's still a pretty fantastic prize!)

Here's what one lucky winner will receive (a great mixture of fashion, beauty and treats - with some books thrown in because hey, I am a teacher!):

• My M and M's  ($39.99)
• Dermawand ($115.00)
• Dermabrilliance ($199.99)
• Adri and Sara scarf ($203)
• Penguin Young Readers bundle ($79.92)
• Tags Boutique package ($100)
• Lat and Lo engraved necklace ($150)
• The Golden Door ginger cookies ($72)
• Soft Star Shoes ($234)
• Teeth Fairies book and doll set ($49.99)

The total value of this prize is $1243.89 USD - my biggest giveaway yet!

To enter, simply leave a comment below letting me know which item you're most excited about, and make sure there's a way for me to contact you. (Contest is open to Canada and US.)

For extra entries, please leave additional, separate comments letting me know that:

• You follow This Mom Loves on Twitter (leave your Twitter handle)
• You subscribe to This Mom Loves through email (leave the applicable email address)
• You like This Mom Loves on Facebook (leave your username)
• You follow Kate This Mom Loves on Instagram (leave your username)

Giveaway ends Saturday, May 16th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

Now, if any swag gifters ever decide that I make the "celebrity mom" cut (I mean, I appear biweekly on CHEX Daily and I did make my debut appearance on Canada AM) I would adore any of the items above...and please note that my feet are a delicate size 10.