Wednesday, July 20, 2016

This Lifelong #Insomniac is taking back the night thanks to @ZzzQuil and @Influenster #Zzzquil #SleepLovers #Zzzquilvoxbox

#ad: This is not a compensated campaign, however an Influenster #Zzzquilvoxbox was sent to us for editorial consideration. Full Disclosure Below.


ZzzQuil, Influenster, #Zzzquil, #SleepLovers, #Zzzquilvoxbox, Sleeping Pills, Sleeping Aids


I am a lifelong insomniac. I have tried everything, hot baths, turning off digital and the TV, meditation, you name it I have probably tried it.

While I was much younger it was great, I could read, get more studying done, cram for exams, write reports, etc.

As I got older and entered the workforce, my insomnia would let me work into the night, moving me ahead quicker. And working in International Corporations this proved useful as conference calls needed to happen in the time zone that was best for the client. Often times wee hours of the morning here in NYC.

As a blogger, most of my writing is done during 'graveyard' hours when most of the world is asleep. (Not that the noise level goes down very much in New York City, but it dies down enough to concentrate a bit better late at night).

I have to say all these sleepless nights are starting to catch up with me. They affect my mood during the day, and I tend to graze more to keep my body fueled as I am not quite giving it the rest it wants, needs and deserves.

Perhaps all my late night insomnia tweets got noticed because when I found out I qualified for an Influenster #ZzzquilVoxBox I definitely jumped at the chance. Was someone reading my tweets and reading my mind?

So tonight I am going to try these. I will report back to you all later, I have been secretly testing various 'natural, non-habit forming' supplements (on my own dime by the way with the exception of these) and have one other thing I want to test and then will come back to you guys with a full even-handed recap of my progress and results with getting a better night's sleep!

I have a very strong feeling that winning the Lotto, Mega Millions or Powerball would go a very long way in helping me sleep better at night! OK Universe, are you listening? Let's put THIS theory to the test ASAP! LOL

In the meantime folks #TheStruggleIsReal

And as always, another (NON) Wordless Wednesday was had by all.

Bloggers you can drop your Wordless Wednesday Link in the comments, but absolutely, positively NO Giveaway links allowed. I will check. And if you do not comply a black Escalade with tinted windows will pull up to your house. :) (joking, not joking).

Giveaway Alert: Don't forget to check out our latest giveaways! Want to win a $100 Gift Card for YOUR choice of TinyPrints or Shutterfly? Then enter to win HERE quick!

Butterflies/Readers: What helps YOU to get a good night's rest?

˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a paid campaign, no monetary compensation has been offered. Ascending Butterfly is a member of Influenster and Influenster boxes are randomly sent to members (bloggers as well as non-bloggers) for editorial consideration and our honest opinions of the products. All opinions expressed herein are 100% my own. See our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for full information.

Monday, July 11, 2016

One of my favorite moments from #TheMakeupShow NYC w/ @JVincentmakeup & @thebodyshopusa #MakeupMonday #MotivationMonday

Happy Summer Butterflies! Have you entered our first giveaway in our "Summer of Memories" promotion yet? No? Then get on that NOW!

My summer has been a mixed bag of *ish to be honest. Some Major Appliances decided to ALL die on me at once including my air conditioner in the middle of a heat wave (No Bueno), My Washer AND my Refrigerator. Not sure how I am going to magically replace all three of them. Let's see I'm already wearing three hats - Life/Career Coach, Social Media Consultant and Writing, I may have to take on a FOURTH job, LOL!

And life has had the nerve to get in the way of my normally daily blogging routine.

So there it is! Those are just part of the challenges I have been facing and it's been making it super hard to get focused, back into my writing and concentrate.

I have attended some amazing events whose recaps are long overdue. But I am sure if I hustle to put everything I experienced into one post in an effort to get them covered and keep it moving, that important things will slip through the cracks.

And with some major shows where so much ground gets covered that is all to easy to do.

That being said I decided to cut up my recaps into smaller bits and poignant moments.


This the 11th year of the show and they always host a blogger preview night that is hosted by the amazing James Vincent - he goes through which trends we should be looking for during the show and concludes by going through each item in the Blogger Swag Bag (a Bag which I promise will get a post of it's own). There are some amazing beauty brands that come through each year, so when James dissects the bag and what's in it and WHY, there are always a ton of 'oohs and aaahs' - this year he presented a brand that made the room literally go quiet. It wasn't 'silent awe'. Attendees weren't awestruck. I think they were a bit 'under-whelmed' to be frank. It's an ugly side of blogging I don't like to be honest. A bit of the 'bougies' is what it was.

And that made James decide to give us all some history on how he began to work with the brand and what he admires about them like their "The Body Shop Foundation" which supports a wide variety of causes including Animal Protection, Human Rights and Environmental Protection.

MY TAKE:

I love that James supported The Body Shop. The Makeup Show is about real MUA sharing real tips and tricks. A good bag has a wide variety of products in a wide variety of price ranges.

That "Keep it Real folks moment" was my personal favorite from the preview night. One of many I plan to feature (slowly but surely as my schedule permits).

And by the way I am totally digging The Body Shop MORINGA Softening Body Butter that was included in The Makeup Show Blogger Swag Bag. It offers 24 hour Intense Moisture for Dry Skin with Seed Oil from Hand-Picked Moringa. I love the light floral scent and rich intense hydration, especially on my hands which seems to soak up everything I use on them in an instant.

Remember blogging buddies, it's not the amount of the swag or the amount the swag costs, it's the *usefulness* of it!

This Body Butter has a familiar scent I can't place, if any of you out there have already tried it and can place what this is reminding me of, please let me know with a comment here or tagging me via social. (I swear it's been driving me nuts that I can't figure out what this smells like to me). I am picking up a white floral scent but it reminds me of something and I can't figure out what.

More Show Highlights, Makeup and the Swag I was blessed to receive, either in swag bags or at vendor booths to come.

Happy #MakeupMonday to my Beauty Babes out there and Happy #MotivationMonday  too!

What is your favorite 'budget friendly' Beauty Find?

˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure:  This is NOT a compensated Post, and as always ALL opinions are 100% my own! Press Passes to The Makeup Show New York were provided for Editorial Consideration. A Swag Bag was provided and this product was in that bag. 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.