Check out my Holiday Buying Guide #Video #VLOG and interview with @RobertVerdi for my @ProcterGamble #PGHoliday Buying Guide!

Founder and Butterfly-in-Chief of Ascending Butterfly Tracy Iglesias shoots holiday buying gift guide VLOG at Robert Verdi's Luxe Lab in New York City!

Within a few days of each other I spent a week shooting my first ever VLOGs for Ascending Butterfly. I'm much more comfortable sharing my world from behind my camera and from my computer then I am with being in front of the camera or on video, but when I was offered the opportunity to film a Video VLOG for P&G with Lifestyle Expert, Celebrity Stylist and Television Personality, Robert Verdi I jumped at the chance!

Despite four years of keeping myself relatively hidden I knew after the health scare I experienced last year and the horrible way I started 2012 that it was time for me to jump in front of the camera, take risks and really meet life head on! How can you inspire others to come outside their comfort zones and be a good life coach if you don't rise up to challenges that make you uncomfortable in your own life?

The first time I was ever on television I was 5 years old and had won a national competition and the grand prize was an appearance on the television show Romper Room. I hadn't been in front of a camera since. To say I was super nervous, is probably the under-statement of the century! (I think I was a lot more calm when I was five!)

All my nerves were immediately calmed upon entering Robert Verdi's Luxe Laboratory! I was met by the 'Glam Squad' which started with Nails, and I can tell you I gave the manicurist quite a job as my nails were in really sad shape! I picked out a perfect Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss in (180 Lasting Love), which was a very close match my signature red lip that I custom blend. This high gloss nail polish does not require a top coat and lasted one week chip free on my nails. No easy feat, because I put my hands and nails through a lot of typing, being in water and I kept expecting that the tips of my nails would chip fast, and was super surprised that they didn't! I also loved that they dried super fast! Later on that same day I got my thumb caught in a zipper of my handbag and it did not smudge, chip, smear or budge, color me impressed!

Then it was on to makeup, I was super happy when the makeup artist chose not to change my lip color, she liked my custom red so much she left it alone! That's quite a compliment!

Luxe lab stylist uses Aussie Hair Care Products to style Ascending Butterfly for Video Shoot!

From nails it was straight to hair where Aussie Hair Care products were used on my hair and my hair was expertly flat ironed to glossy fabulousness!

Left: Ascending Butterfly Founder and Butterfly-in-Chief Tracy alongside Right: Robert Verdi - of course as soon as the flash went off I closed my eyes!

Then I got a chance to meet Robert Verdi and it was on to the first of two video shoots! I love that Robert is exactly the same way you see on Television, he is super warm, friendly and totally approachable. He instantly put me at ease!

Ascending Butterfly and Robert Verdi all smiles during the P&G #PGHoliday Gift Buying Guide Video VLOG Shoot!

See, I really can keep my eyes open! In the first of the two videos shot, Robert interviews me and asks me about my tips for holiday shopping, here is the video:



Just in case it doesn't play nicely for you or you'd prefer to view it directly on YouTube you can just click HERE, but don't forget to come back and watch the second video!

Not bad considering I had literally run to the lab after covering an event with Jordin Sparks (if you missed our recap coverage of that event, press HERE).

After the Questions and Answers video with Robert, it was time for the main video, the Holiday Buying Guide VLOG! Here is the video:



 
The products I selected include:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  -  Lulu Lemon 'Daily Om Duffel' (perfect for gym, travel or daily commuters like me!)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  -  Cambridge 'The Metallics' Satchel in Metallic Rose Gold (perfect for New Years Eve!)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  -  Olay Pro X Advanced Cleansing Skincare System
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - P&G Little Luxuries Gift Set (available at your local drugstore, you know, like the one I am a blogger brand ambassador for maybe? :)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - UGG Womens Great Jones Earmuff W/Speaker Technology (Perfect for those cold winters to keep jack frost from nipping at your ears while still listening to music on the go. This matches my new Jacket and Gloves!)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - I also picked Diane Von Furstenberg Headphones in the 'Stone Leopard Red' Print, paired with gloves that allow for smartphone use and I love how cleverly the fingers of the gloves are stuffed with Covergirl Outlast Lipsticks in each finger, what teenage girl wouldn' t love that bundle?
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - I also loved the quirky yellow rubbery iPod Portable Speaker! (Needless to say that the #TwitterPartyDJ is always on the lookout for great music accessories!)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - And don't forget your Tide to go Instant Stain Remover sticks, I have one in my handbag at all times and keep one in my desk at work and at home, they really do work! I've had all kinds of things spilled on me during events and these have kept favorite outfits from being ruined!

Get Social With it:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - Follow @ProcterGamble on Twitter and use the hashtag #PGHoliday
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - Follow @RobertVerdi on Twitter
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - Like on P&G Beauty on Facebook
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - Like Robert Verdi on Facebook

Here is the pro shot of myself and Robert Verdi after both videos were shot:

That's A Wrap!

My Take:

I greatly enjoyed my day filming the #PGHoliday Gift Buying Guide, and I will never forget meeting Robert Verdi! Robert helped make my first time back on camera after so many years fun, Thank You Robert! Finding the right gift and staying within budget isn't always easy but with the P&G Little Luxuries Gift Sets you can knock out some of those 'hard to shop fors' with something that is thoughtful and within budget,  for Holidays 2012 P&G has got you covered!

Happy Holidays Butterflies!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a compensated post, no monetary compensation has been received for shooting this video VLOG. All opinions are 100% my own.

Highlights from the 2012 Fashion Forward Conference!

After having spent the bulk of this year in the hospital, it took awhile for me to ramp up again, but one of the things that has greatly helped me get back to up to speed professionally are the Industy Conferences that I have been able to attend. Being around other Bloggers helped to re-energize me and hearing such amazing speakers this year has me more motivated than ever to help grow the Ascending Butterfly community even bigger and better than ever. With the advent of a New Year very swiftly approaching, the Conferences I've attended have given me the impetus to truly change my goal setting and aim higher than I ever dreamed possible!

When I attended BlogHer in 2010, one of the co-founders, Elisa, urged us all to attend one panel that we had immediately crossed off our list, a panel we never planned on attending. I took that advice. I attended a panel on Fashion Bloggers and PR firms and Brands playing nicer together. While the topic of bloggers working better with brands was of interest, I have never really niched myself, I'm not a mom so I'm not a Mom Blogger, but my readers are Moms so I keep track of trends and child friendly brands for them, I do cover Fashion as part of being an overall Lifestyle blogger, but I wasn't immediately convinced that that specific panel would be of great value. I took Elisa's advice and did go to that panel, it was by far the best I had attended that year. The  Brands that were there had a true interest in learning HOW Bloggers wanted to be approached, how to perfect their pitches to us and vice versa. Everyone there really learned something. The questions were as insightful as the answers.

Skip ahead to 2012. I have to be incredibly selective right now about what events I attend. I'm not at 100% yet and I have to use my energies wisely. I received an invite from Nicole at MomTrends.com, and when I didn't answer in my hyper-responsive way she sent me a Twitter DM too (which I really appreciated, sometimes that's actually the fastest way to reach me nowadays!). I remembered just how awesome that Fashion Panel was that I attended during BlogHer and I decided to go! I don't think I had entirely un-packed my bags yet from the Niche Mommy Conference in New Orleans, but I when I read the panelist line up, and read up on the driving forces behind the conference, I knew I would learn a great deal! The Fashion Forward Conference is organized by the same team behind Getting Gorgeous.

The Super Team includes @AudreyMcClellan, @VeraSweeney, as well as @powermomsmedia and @momtrends. The Conference was held at @404NYC and I absolutely love their motto: 

"The Fashion Forward Conference aims to to bring aspirational and attainable fashion and style to real moms – after all why should women lose their sense of style just because they became moms…"

Many of you had the chance to follow my tweets live and I posted a few twit pics with my iPod Touch, but I wanted to do a full recap as well and include some pictures from the event so you could truly feel like you were there with me!

There was a phenomenal line up of panelists and I wanted to include not only pictures of them, but also my favorite quote from that speaker! These shots are a mix of my own as well as pro shots by Bellamy Blue used with permission. Any shot that does not contain the ascending butterfly watermark was taken by Bellamy Blue Photography. (Please reach out to them directly for permission to use any of their shots).From the venue, to the panelists, moderators, models, runway show for both adults AND Kids, I tried to share my highlights of it all.

@404NYC WAS THE VENUE FOR THE #FASHFORWARD CONFERENCE

Welcome to Fashion Forward Conference 2012!

Introduction before panel, Fashion Forward Conference, New York City

Very Left: Moderator for the panel, Kelly Wallace, Chief Correspondent iVillage, next to her Michelle Madhok of SheFinds who said "DON'T WORK FOR FREE!" and the audience cheered!

"People tend to underestimate how determined a woman can be." ~ @Julie Deane,CEO @CamSatchelCo

Jill Herzig, Editor of Redbook Magazine

Jill asked the audience to ask themselves, 'What's in it for the reader?' Each time you write a post, what it is in it for the reader. It's a call to action as a writer to challenge yourself - read what you write, understand what benefits you are offering, and most importantly where you can improve?

Left: Jill Herzig, Editor Redbook Magazine, Right: Nicole Feliciano of MomTrends.com

Andrew Sotomayor host of DIY Beautify said: "Practice Does NOT Make Perfect, It Makes Empowered!" - I think that was one of the most tweeted quotes that day!

Favorite Quote: 'It's not just the numbers, it's deeper than that, the influence is far greater than a number." ~ Kendra-Bracken Ferguson, co-Founder, DBA. She is standing second in from far right, wearing all black.

Pro shot of actress Susan Lucci (Far Right)

Sherry Aikens ‏ @Babypop

@NYCSingleMom

@NYCSingleMom Pro Shot Used with Permission

Serena from @MamaGoesNatural

Nicole from Mom Trends Left and Audrey McLelland Right

Handbag and Accessories Raffle to attendees, Left Nicole Feliciano, right holding up handbag is Pamela Peckerman. I hadn't seen Pamela in three years, we got to catch up briefly during our shared ride to the station!

All the Models My Shot!

All the Models Pro Shot!

Time for the Infant/toddler and children's Fashion Show!

Doesn't this baby look super comfy in her Snugli Baby Stroller?

I love the dress on the right best, looks like a kimono dress and the color is just so bright!, Aren't they both adorable walking the red carpet holding hands!

Notice the placement of a graphical tee under his plaid bigshirt?

Loving the flutter shoulder top and her glittery hair, my niece would love this outfit!

Love how the older one is leading the more shy one down the red carpet!

Both outfits are super cute, both models seemed shy!

Above: ME! Ascending Butterfly stealing a moment on the red carpet after the shows were over, Thanks to my friend Mitch at http://www.gaynycdad.com/ for snapping this picture and making me laugh! Who knows, maybe next year I'll walk the red carpet! Sashay Sante, Butterfly on the Runway! ;)

There are actually way more pictures taken that day so I will start a folder on Ascending Butterfly's PINTEREST page and post these and a few  more there within the next few days!

So if Fashion is Your Passion, whether you are new to the Fashion Scene or a mom who stays up on the latest trends in both maternity and new mom wear as well how to style yourself after your baby is born, Fashion Forward is definitely the Conference for YOU! Check it out in 2013! I personally hope it remains in New York City!

Stay up to date on the planning of the next conference via twitter at: 

@fashforwardconf

Use the hashtag #FashForward on twitter when talking about the conference so everyone can find your tweets!

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FTC Disclosure: I was invited to this conference as a member of the Digital Media, I was fed, and gift bags were provided to attendees, however all opinions expressed in this recap are 100% my own! No monetary compensation has been received to share my recap of the Fashion Forward Conference.