What #Beauty Brands did @beautypress put on the radar of #bbloggers this time? Find out here!

NOTE: This is an event recap, this is not a product endorsement or review.

Please note my new disclaimer above event recap posts, an event recap is not a product review nor is it an implied endorsement, these are brands we had the chance to interface with at the Beauty Press Spotlight Day, and as we go actually testing product samples (if samples were provided), we will then highlight our specific thoughts about each product in an individual post.

The first Beauty Press Spotlight of 2015 put some brands that were new to me on my radar and I also got to meet the faces behind a few brands I was already familiar with.

Here are the brands we  met, this time in no particular order:

Pictured Above: All Beauty Water comes in three 'refreshing-tastic' flavors: Pomegranate, Cucumber Aloe and Strawberry Acai, each bottle is 16oz and contain: 2 glasses of water per serving, 8 SkinVitamins including: Vitamins A, C, D E, B3, B6, B12, and Biotin as well as 7 SkinNutrients including: Selenium, Green Tea Extract, Magnesium, Manganese, Calcium, Potassium and Zinc. They are 0 Calories, contain NO sugar and are non-GMO, Kosher, Vegan and Gluten Free with no artificial flavors, sweeteners or preservatives!

Pictured Above: whats hot! showed off two products, Blemish Potion (above on the upper shelf) and the Sen7 Fizz (on the lower shelf) a fragrance atomizer that is actually TSA friendly so you don't have to leave your favorite scent home for fear it will be taken from you at the airport!

Pictured Above: cureology beauty certainly caught my eye with the butterflies on their poster, they make haircare products that use only ingredients available from renewable/sustainable resources, packaging with post consumer material, organically grown ingredients, are a cruelty free brand that doesn't use animal testing and they donate 10% of their proceeds to the Breast Cancer Cause. I definitely love supporting brands that give back!

Pictured Above: Grand Central Beauty - There wasn't a time when this booth was by itself so we have a candid photo above with the Grand Central team mid pitch! They offer "S.M.A.R.T." skincare with SMART being an acronym for Smooths. Moisturizes. Anti-Aging. Redness-reduction, Tones. They are also cruelty free and they are made with pride in the USA.

Pictured Above: My Amazing Hair Secrets offers a Shampoo, Conditioner, Quick Dry Shake'n Spray (that cuts your blow dry time in half), a Repair & Shine Secret and a 'My Amazing Color Boost+ Secret that helps to protect and intensify hair color while helping to also maximize shine and luminosity. Their website even offers '15 steps to a perfect "Amazing"  30 Minute Blowout!

Pictured Above: Co-Founder of NUTRAFOL, Giorgos Tsetis holds up NUTRAFOL for both men and women, these clinically formulated supplements promote thicker, fuller, faster hair growth as well as improved texture, by repairing and revitalizing damaged hair follicles, minimizing hair loss due to stress, combating hair loss due to hormonal imbalance, helping the body build resistance to stress and protects hair against damage from excessive styling or excercise and counters the effects of (lack of) sleep or nutritional deficiences. - This is definitely one of the products I look most forward to starting on as I am a lifelong insomniac!

Pictured Above: Ottilie and Lulu provides an all-natural skin regimen for tween and teen girls including cleansers, moisturizers, sun protection solutions and blemish treatments. Their products are all dermatologist tested and allergy tested and contain natural ingredients, never to early to get started on a healthy skincare routine!

Pictured Above: Pour le Monde Parfums are the only CERTIFIED 100% natural prestige fragrances in the world! And they also give back to charities including: Cancer Support Community, Guiding Eyes for the Blind and The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. there is a huge difference between natural versus synthetic perfumes butterflies, and please remember 60% of what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your bloodstream!

Pictured Above: Primp and Polish Manicure with Nail Art!

MY TAKE:

Sadly a lot of bad behavior by super entitled "Print Editors" marred my experience. While some of us patiently waited our turns in line to meet a brand rep many "Print Press" felt it was OK to walk right in front of the line, and instead of brand reps asking them to wait their turn in line like everyone else, if the person said "I'm Print" the brands more than 75% of the time allowed it, marring my opinion of them both quite frankly. Perhaps for the next show I should tout my print credentials and see if it allows me to skip the lines too......And as many brands went 'vial size' for 'bloggers' this time around you won't see as many individual product reviews on this show as a vial size is not sufficient to test the efficacy of any Beauty Product. There were some brands who did provide sufficient full size test samples and those will be given individual features in the future.

I am finishing up a supplement I am currently testing and will start on the NUTRAFOL system next, so I will keep you posted on my progress with them at the end of the testing and report my results in a separate post.

I loved that many brands included this time do give back a portion of their proceeds to benefit charity, and that a movement toward natural, chemical free products are prevailing with many emerging brands. Me and All Beauty Water definitely have something major in common, we both believe that Beauty definitely starts from WITHIN.

Which product mentioned would YOU most like to try and why? 

(Who knows if a lot of you are interested in the same product I may be able to have them come back and do something nice for YOU! So don't forget to let them know you saw them featured here first when you connect with them via Social Media!)

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post and all opinions are 100% my own!  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

What happens when @beautypress takes their #spotlightday to the water? It's #Beauty on a #Boat! #zephyr #bbloggers

This Summer our friends at Beauty Press decided to mix things up a bit and took their Beauty Press Spotlight Day to the high seas, well OK maybe not exactly the high seas, but we definitely set sail aboard The Zephyr Yacht on a beautiful Summer Day on the Hudson River in New York City to interface with Beauty Brands, enjoy eats and cocktails, take in magnificent views of Manhattan and enjoy the sounds of DJ Ralphael Valentino! What a wonderful way to celebrate the Fifth Anniversary of beautypress in the United States.

Beauty Bloggers if you are not already registered with Beauty Press you definitely should be! They are an amazing platform that helps brands and Bloggers/Beauty Editors connect. It's all about forming valuable partnerships right?

Brands Featured:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -  Elke Von Freudenberg - NYC Celebrity Eyebrow Specialist showed us how to take the natural route to brow growth with her trio of products including the Brow Scrub, Serum and Brow Smooth!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Happy Hands - The Original UV Nail Glove! The glove is 100% cotton and offers a 40+ UPF, it has a protective coating that blocks 98% of UV rays and the ruffled fingerless tips allow for easy removal! They allow you to shield your skin from artificial UV rays while getting gel, shellac and acrylic manicures, and by the way you can also use these to block natural UV rays when you are behind the wheel while driving, brilliant right? And yes my fellow nail junkies these are dermatologist recommended!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Measurable Differences - They are a variety of brands that offer pretty much head to toe beauty solutions -

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Primp and Polish - They Specialize in Nail Art - Don't you just love this 'zenicure'? Namaste Butterflies!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Scenterprises - They offer Custom Fragrances for men and women, fun for Bridal Showers, Bachelorette Parties, Corporate Team-Building, Graduations or even to celebrate a special birthday!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Fragrance Group -  they are an exclusive distributor of prestige fragrances whose brand portfolio includes: Bentley Fragrances, Christian Siriano, Lalique Parfums (my personal favorite of their brands), Parfums de Marly, Tiziana Terenzi and Tadashi Shoji.

I have been absolutely obsessed with this Lalique De Lalique Butterfly Collectible Crystal Flacon - a 2003 Limited Edition since the day I first laid eyes on it! But at $1,200 for 2.0 Fl Oz, here's hoping to me winning to the Lotto so I can add this epitomy of butterfly perfume perfection to my collection of all things butterfly!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - LONDONTOWN - a 5-step nail treatment system that strengthens, hydrates and restores weak, brittle nails.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 180PRO - A hair system by Zotos Professional that is formulated to mend and target hair's worst breaking points, and repair up to 2 years of hair abuse! One of their products was in the gift bag and as soon as I try it out I will be sure to update you guys with the results and a full review! (Although I think my recent haircut has helped get rid of major damage to my tresses as they are looking way better now!)

The Brighton Beach Sea Breeze created by Sorel

Signature Cocktail:

The Brighton Beach Sea Breeze created by Sorel:

Ingredients:

1 oz Hibiscus Liquor
1 oz Vodka
1 oz Copra Coconut Water
1 oz Pomegranate Juice
1 oz Water

Ascending Butterfly Editorial Team taking in the view!

My Take:

The Ascending Butterfly Editorial Team simply adores Beauty Press Spotlight Day, it's a wonderful opportunity to interface with Beauty Brands in a way that is truly conducive to networking and really getting a chance to understand the products a bit better. I have to say that hosting the event on the Zephyr Yacht was a truly unique touch! It was relaxing, fun and I got a chance to enjoy the South Street Seaport area both before and after the sail. (Which of course gives me some great photos for upcoming Wordless Wednesdays! So definitely a Win/Win!)

Which of the beauty brands featured above in our recap coverage of Beauty Press Spotlight Day are you most interested in trying? Sound off here, and hopefully we can make that happen!


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FTC Disclosure: This is an event recap NOT a sponsored post, no monetary compensation has been received to share our opinions of this event. As always, all opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

A peek at the must have #Beauty Brands that @beautypress #Spotlight Day put on my radar

Beauty Press Spotlight Day has quickly become one of my favorite Press Events to attend in New York City. They have helped me discover Beauty Brands that are completely new to me or new products from old favorites as well as one-to-one time directly with the brands, oftentimes with the Founders of the Brand which is certainly a rare treat.

On such a cold day, these signs of Spring were certainly a site for sore eyes!

So Backsplash shots aka 'Step and Repeats' are becoming the norm at most events, and despite the fact I have been blogging for a long time now, I have always been camera shy, but they got me coming in! LOL

Right: Ascending Butterfly - Rocking one of my favorite jackets from Wilson's Leather, that green color always cheers me up!

After the backsplash my first stop was something warm and Filicori Zecchini Coffee was just what the Doctor ordered! They warmed me up and perked me up!

They have a location on 46th and Madison so if you are in the area you should definitely stop by!

Ceci Cela Patisserie

We were super lucky that Ceci Cela Patisserie brought the French cafe experience directly from NYC's Nolita neighborhood right to us, as their sweet delights paired perfectly with our coffee.

Ceci Cela Patisserie Pastries Display at BeautyPress Spotlight Day February 2014 - All I can say is that everything tasted as good as it looks!

I normally get so wrapped up at events that I end up invariably having to skip the Beauty Treatments because the lines are long, so for once I opted to think about ME first for a change. And I signed up for a Blow Out with the lovely team at Blo Blow Dry Bar! I felt like a superstar afterwards:

A great blow out always makes my day so much brighter!

Blo is North America's Original Blow Dry Bar. They started in 2007 with one vital question 'Why isn't there a place for quick, affordable catwalk-quality blow outs?', they now have 39 locations across North America. My neighborhood doesn't have one and certainly needs one, hmm....Maybe I went for Beauty and will come out thinking about inquiring on my own Franchise!

Even Mama Butterfly got in on the fun and as you can tell she loved her Blow Out too!

I figured I'd keep the hair theme after my blow out and hit the Dear Clark booth:

Let's face it, how could I pass up a 'Hair Revival'?

Stylists Holly Dear and Kaycee Clark (Dear Clark, get it?) created this range of effective, natural based and locally sourced products to help bring stressed hair back to life. With ingredients from the deep heart of the Lone Star State and a signature scent crafted from pure and powerful essential oils and one that as a Latina I am quite familiar with:

One of the ingredients Dear Clark uses in their haircare products is Rose of Jericho, known as 'the Resurrection Flower'

One of their ingredients is Rose of Jericho, known as 'the Resurrection Flower', it survives years in West Texas desert yet regenerating instantly when water is present, as a haircare ingredient it delivers amazing hydration and anti-aging properties too!

Following right along with the Haircare theme I had to visit the team behind Design Essentials, because even though I blow it out, I have naturally wavy hair and I like to keep up with thelatest products for my hair type!

On their website you can purchase Hair Care Packages specifically based on your hair concerns which saves time and eliminates the guessing behind which products will work best for your hair needs.

I am a big fan of monthly box subscriptions that allow you to try out a variety of new products and figure out which work best for you before you commit to a full size, one of the fun takeaways from BeautyPress Spotlight Day this time around was the CurlKit box that contained a ton of goodies for curly and natural hair (mine included: III Sisters of Nature Spiral Pudding, U R Curly Still Control for edges (free of alcohol, parabens, sulfates, silicones, and Dyes and enriched with Abyssinian Oil), Hante Textures Tea Tree Conditioner with Peppermint Oil (Detangles, Hydrates and Stimulates Scalp), Honey Hair Mask Detangling Deep Conditioner, Hante Textures Hair & Skin Butter, An assortment of products from NothingButHairCare.com, Pooka Sandalwood Rose Body Oil, and Mixed Chicks Trial and Travel Pack)

Before switching out of Hair themed products I thought a cocktail just might be in order and decided I'd try "The Gojipolitan":

The Gojipolitan includes Fresh Goji Berries, FAIR Quinoa Vodka, FAIR Goji Liquer, Triple Sec and Fresh Lemon Juice, it is DELICIOUS!!!

I wish there was 'tastovision' so I could share one of these with you. I had no idea that a Quinoa Vodka would taste so good!

Tasting Notes:

"Clear very neutral aromas and flavors suggest cream, cake and minerals with a very soft, dryish light-to-medium body and exquisitely smooth custard, dried fruit, and limestone accented finish. A superbly silky, elegant, and delicious Vodka that is fantastic on it's own and will be perfect in cocktails"

Fair Spirits. Fair Trade. FAIR Quinoa Vodka is bottled in France.

Have you ever wanted Beauty Mark? How about one you can move and remove? The team at Beauty Mark showed off their temporary Beauty Marks, I'm thinking a Butterfly Beauty Mark should be created just for Ascending Butterfly!

Absolute New York/NickaK New York is a contemporary beauty brand founded in the heart of New York, and they were showing off their temporary Beauty Marks.

Clique by Roble was back again at BeautyPress Spotlight Day:

This time they brought along some wonderful Body Butters to go with their fragrance (which we covered before HERE). I am LOVING this Body Butter, it is super thick and a little goes a long way. The scent is sweet but not clawing and really lasts, you could wear it alone quite frankly or layer it by wearing the fragrance in conjunction. I love this Body Butter right after a hot shower when my skin is still slightly damp and warm, it helps the body butter spread easier and just sinks into the skin.

I'm an Argan Oil Fanatic, so I was super happy to meet the team at DermOrganic, who sent us home with a full size collection of their products including: Soapless Facial Cleanser with Moroccan Argan Extract (purifies, clarifies and moisturizes), Hand and Body Moisture Lotion, 100% Pure Argan Oil Organic Moisturizer for hair and skin, and a Facial Moisturizer also with Moroccan Argan Extract in a sheer formula that absorbs quickly.

I share their motto: Minimal Ingredients. Maximum Benefits. They are Vegan, and NO Animal Testing!

I would definitely love to try their haircare next!

For Wordless Wednesday I gave you guys a sneak peek at the brand I met next, Dolluxe:

Dolluxe includes several brands including Gothic Lolita Wigs, RockStar Wigs, and Cosplay Wigs.

We got to go home with the fun eyelashes that will help turn this butterfly into a living doll:

I'm thinking some of their RockStar Wigs would be adorable for Coachella this weekend!

And although I am pretty well blessed in the Melanin Department I got to meet the team behind Fake Bake and their products are definitely brilliant to help you keep that sun kissed glow year round!

And my pals tell me Fake Bake is the new pantyhose! Instead of wearing hosiery in the summer many of my pals use this instead.

The LASHEM Brand also showed off a wide variety of products, and sent us home with a cute kit that included their False Eyelashes, Instant Lash Extensions with RegenaLash (For Longer Lashes and Fuller Brows in just 4-6 weeks), Lipo Lotion Tummy Toning and Cellulite Smoothing System (Designed to Diminish Dimples and Tone Skin), and Liquid Eyeliner with Lash Enhancing Serum.

I would love to try their new Ultrasonic Beauty Massager that is to be used in conjunction with the Lipo Lotion to help speed up the results!

Don't you love when you are wearing a fragrance that makes total strangers approach you just to ask you what you are wearing? Prepare for the onslaught with one of my favorite discoveries at this BeautyPress Spotlight Day, Spadaro Luxury Fragrances.

I love all the scents, but our editors favorite was definitely Doux Amour! A rare blend of floral essences - Ylang Ylang, Casablanca Lily, Moroccan Jasmine, Patchouli, Rare Amber, Sandalwood and a sheer veil of Vanilla - it's just an absolutely beautiful fragrance! The founder, Kim Spadaro, whose mom encouraged her creativity while her travels inspired her fragrances, donates a portion of the proceeds of Spadaro Products to The Spadaro Foundation which was created as a tribute to Kim's Mom who passed away on 1/1/11.

My Take:

Beauty Press delivered a great mix of brands I know and trust and brands that were new to me in an environment that is always conducive to not only networking but getting in those questions and one-on-one time that I find truly invaluable. While I still very much have to attend tradeshows, I find that Spotlight Days feel less like 'work' and more like a discovery zone which I appreciate. There were some brands that showed support with gift bag inclusions that weren't in attendance including Adovia, Foreo, Niki Saint Pierre Botanical Cosmeceuticals, Seaflora and South Beach Skin Solutions, as I use these products I will give them their own day in the sun in an upcoming post so stay tuned!

Butterflies which brand resonates most with you? Which one would you most like to try? Let them know you saw them featured on Ascending Butterfly so we can hopefully come back with something fun for YOU too!

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FTC Disclosure: I am a member of the Beauty Press Network. This is NOT a compensated post, it is an event recap. This is NOT a sponsored post and all opinions are 100% my own!  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

@beautypress @RockStarWigs @CosplayWigs @lolitawigs @DolluxeUSA Bring out the purdy lil Easter Bunny in me! #WordlessWednesday

Find out what event I saw this at (and so much MORE) by coming back tomorrow for a full and very fun recap coverage post that is sure to put some new beauty goodies on your radar!

Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterflies! Bloggers feel free to link up by leaving your link as a comment below so we can hop on over to your photo this week too! (Please No Giveaway Links, Thank You! Photos only!)

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post.