{#FashionFriday} High Fashion AND Washable? Oh yes you can! #PGFutureFabricsNYC

Are those three dreaded words 'Dry Clean Only' going to become a thing of the past? I can only hope so!

With cars out that can now drive themselves, it's about time fabric and fashion took a leap forward and gave us more choices. Like the choice to enjoy designer label fashion that is completely washable and having the fabric retain both it's feel AND color!

P&G hosted a Future Fabrics Event in New York City hosted by Fashion Stylist/Expert, Author and Television host George Kotsiopoulos focusing in on the science of the beauty and care of clothes and the advancements in fabric and technology that included a Fashion Show of looks by Giles Deacon that are completely washable! (see photo of all the looks below:)

Women wear only 20% of their clothes 80% of the time, and according to Cognitive Psychologist, Dr. Lawrence Rosenblum there are 'a myriad of cross-sensory influences on your experience - what you see, how it feels to the touch, what your nose smells, it is the look, feel and scent of your clothes that combine to impact the relationship that you have with them and your final decision on 'what to wear today'.

Above: 'The Look' of a garment plays a huge part in whether or not we will select it to wear, no one wants a white shirt that is now beige or yellow! (as you can tell the whitest of the shirts is the one washed in Tide Laundry Detergent, where as the same garment washed in competitor brand detergents did not yield the same results and did not preserve the 'whiteness' of the garments)

Above: 'The Feel' of a garment is part of the multi-sensory perception that goes into whether or not we will pick a particular garment out of the closet that day.

Above: 'The Scent' While that may seem like an obvious one, I had no idea that invisible stains also cause odor. Tide formulas are helping to protect the 'like new' feel of clothes via Fiber Preservation Technologies that prevent hard water minerals from compromising fiber integrity and The new Tide 4-in-1 Pods with Febreze help take this process a bit further by aligning and polishing the fibers to remove soil and invisible stains and binding the parts that actually cause fiber damage and that also lead to premature degradation.

There was a bit of focus on 'Scent' (which was to be expected!) and I was very surprised to learn that proctor & gamble (P&G) employs the most perfumers in the world!

Six of the 'main' notes that go into Downy include:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Green Notes

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Apple

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Rose

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - White Floral

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vanilla

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Musk

There were even demos that explained the science behind what goes on in our washing machine (this butterfly is thinking it is really time to invest in a High Efficiency washing machine and get out of the 'dark ages' when it comes to washers!)

Green and Floral Notes of Downy #PGFutureFabricsNYC

New products to look for on your next trip to the supermarket include:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tide Pods Plus Febreze

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tide HE (high-efficiency) Turbo

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Downy Fresh Protect in-wash odor shield in the 'active fresh' scent

MY TAKE:

Tide and Downy have always been my laundry 'go-to' products, and getting this inside look into the science and technology of washable fashion was certainy fun and definitely made me think. I want to re-evaluate my wardrobe and get rid of that 80% that is not being worn and focus more into the 20% that I tend to wear more often, this way I can never say 'I have nothing to wear' and I can really say I love everything that I am currently rocking!

And as events always come with cool swag, with my online nickname being The Official Twitter Party DJ, I have to share that part of the swag was a pair of MARC by Marc Jacobs Humlan Oil Edition UrbanEars headphones! (you can toss the  removable headband and the ear cushions in the wash!) SUH WEET

Do you think more designers will embrace the 'washable fashion' trend?

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FTC Disclosure: This is an event recap, no monetary compensation has been exchanged however Ascending Butterfly was provided with Product Samples for Editorial Consideration and there was a 'swag bag'. This however did NOT influence my opinion. 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.

Is sharing about my newest 'Fling' Oversharing? #MusictoYourNose #MúsicaParaTuNariz

Photo Courtesy of Gain

My love of music, a popular New York City Hotel, a lingering fresh scent in the room.... All elements of my latest 'fling' and of course, I just had to share it all with YOU! 

Photo Courtesy of Gain

OK so it's not quite as titillating as it sounds, but all of the elements are accurate! 

Photo Credit: J.D. Anderson

The Braxton Sisters took over the rooftop of the Empire Hotel in New York City to help launch Gain Flings, and it was like an episode of Braxton Family Values come to life (ironically the event was being held on the same night their reality show 'Braxton Family Values' was debuting on WE TV)! Their personalities and playful sibling rivalry definitely took center stage.

Photo Credit: J.D. Anderson

But the 'man of the hour' was the new Gain Flings, the new single use detergent product by Procter and Gamble. If better cleaning power than Gain Liquid Detergent, an added Oxi Boost and the odor killing power of Febreze sound good to you, than you need to join me in having a 'laundry room Fling' with Gain Flings!

Photo Courtesy of Gain (With my online persona being #TheOfficialTwitterPartyDJ you know I love capturing shots of DJ's!)

Where Scent and Music Collide

Gain partnered with Dr. Alan Hirsch and Innerscope Research along with Gain Loyalists who they call 'Gainiacs', to see how their feelings for Gain Flings! scent measured up to their favorite pastime of listening to music. The study compared a person's emotional response to music with specific scent profiles like Gain Original and my personal favorite Moonlight Breeze - the reactions to the Gain Flings! scents proved that the scent of Gain is 'Music to your nose'.

YouTube Sensation, Andrew Garcia - Photo Courtesy of Gain

With scent and music being the major themes of the evening, there was also a live performance from YouTube Sensation, Andrew Garcia who sang covers of several popular songs!

Toni Braxton ended the evening by performing some of her hits including 'Another Sad Love Song', 'Breathe Again' and 'Unbreak My Heart' as well as a bit from her latest track 'Hurt You' her latest single with Babyface from their duet album 'Love, Marriage & Divorce' which hit the stores on February 4th (just in time for Valentine's Day!).

My Take:

In our gift bags was a Gain Fling pod to try and a copy of Tamar Braxton's release 'Love & War', music for my ears and my laundry! I am not totally sure my love of scent will ever outshine my love of music, but if anything can call itself 'Music to my nose' Gain Flings is it! I recently received a full size container and I'm having a Fling with my laundry! (I'm not going to say I love doing it, but this is giving me a very rewarding scent explosion!). Suggested retail is $4.49 for the 14 count and up to $21.99 for a 90 count tub.

Photo Courtesy of Gain

One of the biggest surprises was Toni Braxton jumping offstage and singing directly to members of the audience, I thought that was totally cool of her, and it actually took the crowd off guard!

Happy Valentine's Day Butterflies - Hope your day is more romantic than mine!

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FTC Disclosure: I have NOT been compensated to share my opinions on the film. I was however provided with Product Samples in the form of a gift bag for Editorial Consideration and passes to the advanced screening. However, 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 visit our full giveaway and disclosure page for complete policy information.

Purex Let's Be Honest DOUBLE Giveaway! {Rafflecopter}

As you may remember in May I introduced a very fun campaign from Purex called Let's Be Honest (you can refresh your memory by reading the original post HERE), it's where Purex sheds some light on everyday absurdities with a series of new videos and the chance to win free Purex for a year! Hopefully you entered when I posted about it then, but if you haven't then HURRY there is still time!

The Purex for a year giveaway ends on July 20, 2012. To enter, you need to enter a 10 digit code from one of your Purex products.

I know some of you are thinking 'But Butterfly, I don't have a Purex Product, does that mean I can't enter?' -   You know I'm always looking out for my Butterflies, so I'm going to help you out! You can enter to win a coupon for a FREE bottle of Purex Triple Action Detergent! -See it's a DOUBLE Giveaway, free coupons for free detergent and the codes from the products can be used to enter a SECOND contest! WIN/WIN. There will be 2 lucky winners. US ONLY.

*If the rafflecopter doesn't load the first time, hitting refresh will usually help it along! :)


a Rafflecopter giveaway



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FTC Disclosure: This is not a compensated post, no monetary compensation has been exchanged. I am however, a Purex Blogger Brand Ambassador Insider and my participation in this long term campaign does come with additional perks and opportunities to sample various products for the purpose of facilitating honest reviews. Questions about our Disclosure? Please visit: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html

How do you Apple Mango Tango?

About a month before the official start of summer, I get a very rare disease, which I've officially named the 'travel itchies'. Sadly, I get this every year, and doctors can't seem to cure it and the only thing that works is getting away! The hectic pace of city living can be extremely tiring and the only thing that seems to center me is time at the beach. This time spent near the Ocean gives summer a scent for me, sometimes many scents combined. Once one of those scents hits my senses, I'm ready to pack my bags and go!

Being near the ocean or at the beach whether it's local or abroad brings up so many sensory memories for me, like eating fresh fruit, or enjoying a tropical beverage sometimes straight from a pineapple or a coconut and those smells are the ones that imprint the memory of favorite summer vacations straight to my heart!

One of my favorite vacation scent memories was a summer I spent in Puerto Rico. A friend who owns a large farm brought along fresh Mangos to the beach. They were ripe and fresh and just bursting with sweetness and scent. Anytime I smell Mango it takes me right back to that happy day. I can see myself sitting on the beach with Mango juice dripping down my arm, the sun warm on my back and the hint of a breeze.

But unfortunately a beach vacation isn't in my immediate future as things have been way to busy, but my senses were recently tickled by a great scent that I just had to share! Even the best travel goddess has to do Laundry sometime, and if you want to take a slice of vacation happiness and bring it home with you then I would highly recommend Gain Joyful Expressions Apple Mango Tango Laundry Detergent. I call it 'Vacation in a Bottle'.

What I call 'Vaction in a Bottle,' Gain calls Joyful Expressions Laundry Detergent, and they describe it as "A Superior and Uplifting Scent Experience" and I couldn't agree more. I am definitely going to go back and try out the other scents, especially 'Gain Butterfly Kiss' but for some reason after smelling the joyful expressions line, the Apple Mango Tango resonated with me most. It starts with that crisp smell of Apple, coupled with the sweetness of Mango and it just instantly takes me back to my favorite summer beach memory.

Not only does it smell great, but I like the way it cleans and how long the smell actually 'holds' to your clothes and lingers in the air!

Gain Apple Mango Tango Laundry Detergent

I put it to work immediately on a tough load, my favorite King Size Egyptian Cotton Blanket, which it left soft and smelling great!

Gain Apple Mango Tango Laundry Detergent after cleaning my King Sized Egyptian Cotton Blanket!

It was equally fantastic on clothes, leaving them pleasantly scented and soft to the touch! The only way I could be happier with it, is if it included a Merry Maid to do the Laundry for me! (LOL)

To learn more about Gain’s line of products and to see a full list of the anything but ordinary scents available, visit www.ilovegain.com.

Visit  www.facebook.com/Gain for updates on how to find your perfect match.

Butterfly what is your favorite Vacation Scent Memory?

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FTC Disclosure: No monetary compensation has been received in exchange for this post. I am participating in a campaign via the One2One Network and my participation does serve as an entry in a giveaway drawing that makes me eligible for a possible incentive.

Tide Coldwater Liquid Laundry Detergent Review

The Power of Tide and Cold, that's right COLD Water!

There are certain things I don't compromise with when I shop, brands I refuse to substitute and my laundry detergent is one of them. I have always used Tide, it's what was used in my house growing up and now I still use it. For one simple reason. It works.

I am a SheSpeaks.com member and was invited to participate in their Tide Coldwater Challenge. I gladly accepted because I already knew I could trust Tide. And unfortunately I have been taking this challenge for years now without exactly wanting to. My apartment and regular hot water just don't always happen, so many times I start my load of laundry in hot water, and the load ends up being washed in cold water anyway. So my Tide was already proving itself in cold water before they put out a special Cold Water version.

Tide Coldwater Liquid Laundry Detergent, is specially formulated to help get clothes clean when they are washed in cold water. Washing in cold water is one small step you can take in your daily life to help conserve energy and save money on your utility bill! To think I've been doing this for quite awhile without even meaning to!

Can washing in cold water get your laundry just as clean? I can definitely tell you, yes it can! Tide Coldwater Liquid Laundry Detergent was just as effective on my wash as the regular formulation. When I have a stain, I use it to pre-treat the way I normally would and find the stains gone when I'm done. And one of my favorite cold water tests is that my favorite PJ's don't fade or shrink. And the biggest test for me is how white my whites come out, especially in cold water using the new formulation. I'm happy to say my whites do come out very bright even washing them in cold water with the Tide Coldwater Liquid Laundry Detergent! (And if you run around doing Zumba for Wii at home on your hardwood floors wearing white socks, you need to be able to rely on your detergent to get your whites super bright!)

I am hoping to try out the Pods next (anything to avoid lugging heavy detergent bottles up five flights of stairs!) Keep up with Tide on Facebook to check out what promotions they are currently running and follow them on Twitter too! You can also keep up with all things She Speaks on Facebook too!

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FTC Disclosure: I received a Tide Coldwater Liquid Detergent sample, resources and promotional item from SheSpeaks.com to help facilitate this review. All Opinions are 100% my own.