Sunday, April 7, 2013

I'm Getting Positvely Radiant with Aveeno®! #AVEENOActiveNaturals



When your use of a brand spans your entire lifetime to date, you know it's a brand you can trust. While my memory doesn't go back that far, Mama Butterfly tells me I suffered from severe heat rash even as an infant, and when she checked with the doctor about what to do, instead of a prescription for something chemicals laden and bad for any skin, nevertheless an infant's, the Doctor recommended she use Aveeno® products on my skin and she tried it and it worked like a charm. So my first introduction to the brand goes back a long way!

She was impressed with how well my skin responded to the products then, and it still works just as well for me now, my skin thankfully is not as sensitive now as it was then, but it is acne prone and like most skin, reflects bad habits like lack of sleep, poor eating habits, or sensitivity since I test out a wide variety of products. But my Doctor's advice then, still holds true now, use products on your skin that you can pronounce ALL the ingredients for.

I just got introduced to some new products from Aveeno®, and before I even started putting them to the test, I was impressed with the ingredients list for Aveeno® Active Naturals products:

Moisture: OAT - Colloidal Oatmeal, a rich mixture of components found in Oat Seed



Skin Tone: SOY - Soy Complex helps to naturally even out skin tone and texture



Redness: FEVERFEW - has anti-irritant and anti-oxidant abilities,  improves the appearance of redness and calms irritated skin



Nourish: WHEAT - Helps to replenish moisture



Youthfulness: SHITAKE - Works in harmony with  your skin's unique chemistry



Softness: SEAWEED - is rich is VITAMINS (ahem some very pricey beauty products contain this ingredient at 10 times or more the price! Just saying!)



Antioxidant: SOUTHERNWOOD - fortifies your skin's moisture barrier



Botanical: LUPINE - essential amino acids are found in this plant!




Water Repellant: LOTUS - in this instance the use of Lotus repelling water is a GOOD thing, it helps the sunscreen formulas to adhere to your skin even when it's wet so you have continuous sun protection.


Sometimes it's what NOT in a product that speaks volumes! Natural ingredients soothe your skin so you end up feeling not only softer and smoother, but you can combat redness, irritation and protect your skin's moisture barrier!

Here is a picture of the products I have been testing out:

Aveeno Active Naturals and Positively Radiant Moisturizers/Lotions for Face and Body


What I tried:


Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - AVEENO® POSITIVELY RADIANT® SKIN BRIGHTENING DAILY SCRUB
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - AVEENO® POSITIVELY RADIANT® DAILY CLEANSING PADS
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - AVEENO® POSITIVELY RADIANT® TINTED MOISTURIZER WITH SPF 30
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - AVEENO® POSITIVELY RADIANT® DAILY MOISTURIZER WITH SPF 30
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - AVEENO® DAILY MOISTURIZING LOTION
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - AVEENO® POSITIVELY RADIANT® SKIN BRIGHTENING CLEANSER
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - AVEENO® DAILY MOISTURIZING BODY WASH
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - AVEENO® DAILY MOISTURIZING LOTION WITH BROAD SPECTRUM SPF 15

My Take:

This is where science meets nature to make products that are good for your skin! You know how much I love sharing affirmations and meditations, so today repeat after me 'I affirm that I deserve and have beautiful, youthful and healthy skin!'. I start with the Skin Brightening Cleanser in the morning and then the apply the Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 30 (as I lost my Auntie Butterfly to skin cancer, products that protect from the harmful UVA/UVB rays is incredibly important to me!), at night I remove any makeup with the Cleansing Pads (one side is gently textured so it will help to mildly exfoliate your skin, and the other is soft and has foaming skin cleansers and natural soy extract), and then on alternating nights in addition to removing makeup with the pads I will also use the skin brightening daily scrub. (Cleansing Pad Tip: I like to take along a few of the cleansing pads in a clear plastic bag, they are great pre gym workout to help you remove any foundation so you don't sweat the makeup into your eyes which burns!). Do something good for your skin each and every day and trust me when I tell you that you use less makeup when you have a good skin regimen in place!

Twitter Party: (Here is YOUR chance to nab these great products too!)

You all know how much I love 'the tweety box' and how much I love twitter parties, so I would be remiss as 'The Official #TwitterPartyDJ' if I neglected to let you know that there will be an Aveeno® Sponsored Twitter Party this month, so SAVE THE DATE:

Date: April 22, 2013

Time: 9pm EST / 6pm PST

Hashtag: #AveenoActiveNaturals

Hosts: @chicanol, @ClubdelasDiosas, @MamaHolistica, @Mejoramihogar, @NaturalmentMama

Moderators: @lbconnect, @laflowers

Sponsor: Aveeno®

Prizes:

3 WinnersAveeno® Products valued at $100 AND a $50 Gift Card

Eligibility: Join the party by participating during the hour using the hashtag #AveenoActiveNaturals, and your own original tweets, re-tweets will not count as entries. You must answer giveaway questions correctly during the party to be eligible for all party prizes.

NOTE: I am not a host or co-host, please direct any questions regarding this twitter party to the hosts directly!

Butterfly, What is YOUR Favorite Aveeno® Product?


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FTC DISCLOSURE: This Sponsored Post is in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and AVEENO® - All products featured were provided to Ascending Butterfly free of charge for our editorial consideration. All opinions are 100% my own.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Who won the @janeiredale #Beauty #Giveaway on @Ascending1, Is it YOU?


We have a winner!





Congratulations to Teresa Koedyker who won our @janeiredale PureGloss Lip Gloss and Longest Lash Thickening & Lengthening Mascara Giveaway!  (her winning entry was #430!) Join me in congratulating her!

Our annual 'It's MY Birthday, but YOU Get the Gifts' promotions has begun! Don't forget to enter our latest giveaway in the promotion:

Just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who sent me birthday messages via Facebook and Twitter, it is much appreciated! I'll be taking some time to celebrate this weekend!

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FTC Disclosure: This winner announcement is NOT sponsored or compensated. Giveaway sponsors for all giveaways are responsible for prize fulfillment. Ascending Butterfly and Giveaway Sponsors are NOT responsible for lost or mis-directed mail or prizes damaged in transit.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Share, Love, Celebrate the Best of @PGeveryday with @SheSpeaksUp @TerrenceJ and @Ascending1 #PGmostloved #spon



On March 26th I shared a winner announcement and RSVP information for a special twitter party, in case you missed the original post you can just click here and check it out! I was so happy to see that so many of my butterflies participated in the party! I was live tweeting from New York City with the @SheSpeaksUp team with a special celebrity guest who was also the 'Master of Ceremonies' for the fun that was happening at the live event as well as during the Twitter Party itself, Terrence Jenkins from E! News (who goes by @TerrenceJ on twitter!). Terrence shared his enthusiasm for P&G as well as personal stories and jokes, as well photo-bombing a few attendees and taking pictures with everyone.

Household name Procter & Gamble (P&G) is celebrating the hundreds of awards that their brands have received from leading magazines, some of the brands being celebrated include: CoverGirl®, Olay®, Pantene®, Venus®, Gillette® Bounty®, Cascade®, Charmin®, Dawn®, Febreze®, Swiffer® and Tide®.

I thought I'd share a behind the scenes in pictures of what the event was like:

We started out by grabbing a signature mocktail called the 'Best-ini' which consisted of pineapple, sparkling white grape juice and garnished with 24K Gold!

Signature Mocktail Cocktail with pineapple sparking white grape juice garnished with 24K Gold
Signature mocktail -'Best-ini' - pineapple, sparkling white grape juice garnished with 24K Gold

And there was also some eats to go along with the Mocktails!

Mocktail, Cocktail, Pineapple, Sparkling White Grape Juice, 24K Gold Garnish
Signature Mocktail Cocktail made with pineapple, sparking white grape juice, garnished with 24K Gold + eats!

After grabbing a quick bite it was time to check out the different stations, this was the first one:

Bun Updo Instructions
Instructions on how to make bun updo using a donut hole (hair tool, not a real donut!)


How to make an updo with a donut hole instructions:

(1) Make a ponytail as high or low as desired

(2) Pull pony tail through the donut hole

(3) Wrap excess hair around the donut making sure the donut is fully covered

(4) Secure with Bobby Pins

Tips: Better with day old hair. For Fullness and texture, tease hair before wrapping around the donut. Here are the tools use:

Mirror, Brush, comb, Donut Holes for hair, ponytail holders, bobby pins
Bun Updo Station: Ponytail holders, Brush, Comb to tease, Bobby Pins, Donut Holes and Mirror

Mama Butterfly decided to get an updo:

Bun, Updo, Hair, Hairdo
Left: Mama Butterfly getting an updo bun!


Getting her updo finalized:

Left: Mama Butterfly getting her bun updo hairdo finalized!


What better way to get your tresses bouncing and behaving than with Pantene:

#PGmostloved tweet up event New York City, Pantene, Hairspray, Shampoo, Conditioner, Hair, Hair Care
Let Love Wash Over You - Pantene Products Vignette at #PGmostloved tweet up event in New York City!

Super cute Pantene products vignette at #PGmostloved Tweet Up in New York City

What better to follow up haircare and hair styles than with Skincare?

Skincare, Olay, #PGmostloved
Love is a Fountain of Youth - Lovely Fountain Vignette overflowing with great skincare products by Olay!

Check out this display of Olay products:

Olay, Olay Bodywash, Olay serum, Olay regenerist, #PGmostloved
Display of Olay Products at #PGmostloved tweet up event in New York City


Mama Butterfly was super excited to see the Olay Display and learn what's new, she is a regular user of Olay skincare, it's what keeps her skin so young looking! I can't wait to try these out!

Be a Goddess of Love Venus Display at #PGmostloved Tweet up Event in New York City

Part of great skincare is keeping certain parts smooth and hairfree, and keeping armpits and legs soft and smooth with Gillette Venus razors for women makes it easy!

The Venus ProSkin razor, Gillette, Moisture Rich
The Venus ProSkin razor 


The Venus ProSkin razor is designed with 3 blades and lubricating MoistureRich  Shave gel bars for a comfortable shave and beautifully smooth skin.

• 3 blades and built-in MoistureRich Gel Bars with extra-rich body butters for a smooth shave
• Simply wet the razor for skin-loving light lather and a smooth shave
• For best results, hang razor on shower hook to air dry between uses
• Easy-to-change cartridges

and Gillette didn't forget the men:

Gillette Hydrator Body Wash, #PGmostloved, Gillette Fusion ProSeries Irritation Defense Soothing Moisturizer
Gillette 'Love Me Tender' Product Display at #PGmostloved tweet up in New York City


The Gillette Hydrator Body Wash for men and the Gillette Fusion ProSeries Irritation Defense Soothing Moisturizer for men were part of the shaving station for men at the #PGmostloved tweet up event in New York City!

Mascara, eyeliner, Covergirl, Let Your Heart Flutter, #PGmostloved
Let Your Heart Flutter Cosmetics Station Product Display at #PGmostloved tweet up in New York City

This of course was my favorite display station, "Let Your Heart Flutter' was such a cheery and creative display using CoverGirl®mascaras as the sunflower on the lower left and those butterflies were actually eyeliners from CoverGirl®

sunflower, covergirl, mascara, #pgmostloved
Sunflower made of CoverGirl Mascaras at #Pgmostloved Tweet Up event in New York City

I thought that was totally creative!

CoverGirl Eye Liner, Butterfly, #pgmostloved
Closeup of Butterfly made of CoverGirl eyeliner!

This is a totally creative butterfly made of CoverGirl eyeliner!

Super cute False Eyelashes!


There were even instructions on how to apply them:

Instructions for the Application of False Eyelashes


How to apply False Eyelashes:

(1) Remove False Eyelashes from their container
(2) Draw a small straight line of lash glue on the container
(3) Take a Q-tip and dip in the glue
(4) Aplly glue with Q-tip on flash eyelash lash line
(5) Hold lash in both hands and put on top of your lash line
(6) Hold in place for 20 seconds until fake lash is attached
(7) Rrepeat with second lash

Cleanliness is Next to Loveliness - Charmin and Dawn Housecare Products Display Station

There were super creative display stations for various P&G household cleaning favorites including a very creative Peacock: (Can you guess what the peacock is made out of?)

Peacock, Swiffer, Swiffer Dusters, Household Cleaning Products, #PGmostloved
Swiffer Duster Peacock Display at #PGmostloved tweetup in New York City


Had to get a closeup of this Peacock that was made with Swiffer Dusters, How Creative is That?

Swiffer Dusters, Swiffer, Household Cleaning Products, Peacock, #pgmostloved
Closeup of Swiffer Duster Peacock Product Display at #PGmostloved tweetup in New York City

Check out this cute use of Pods:

Tide, Tide Pods, Birds Nest, Love is in the air, #pgmostloved
Love is in the Air - Birds Nest with Tide Pods inside instead of birds!


After checking out all the stations there was time to grab another signature mocktail and some eats and mix and mingle, and then there was a raffle, Master of Ceremonies, Terrence Jenkins from E! Online got ready to announce the winner:

Terrence Jenkins of E! Online News gets ready to announce raffle winner at #PGmostloved Tweet Up Event in New York City, hey notice any difference in this photo from the others? This was taken with my iPod Touch instead of my camera so I could post it on twitter!

When he went to draw the winner's name, this little cutie stepped up to help draw the winner:

Terrence Jenkins about to announce the winner with some help from  a young member of the crowd! - I also took this shot with my iPod so I could post on twitter during the #PGmostloved Tweetup in New York City!

She's definitely a little emcee in the making, everyone just couldn't help but smile! Lastly the winner claims his prize:

Terrence Jenkins gives raffle winner his prize at #PGmostloved Tweet Up  Event in New York City - I also took this with my iPod instead of Camera so I could post it to twitter!
The raffle winner was totally surprised! I got this shot in action so my apologies for the slight blur, but I will admit the three above shots came out pretty good for it being with the iPod instead of a real camera!

Terrence Jenkins, @TerrenceJ, E!, E! Online News, #PGmostloved
Left: Terrence J and Right: Ascending Butterfly at #PGmostloved Tweet Up Event in New York City!

Of course my eyes were closed so we took another one:

Terrence Jenkins, Terrence J, E! Online News, Ascending Butterfly, #PGmostloved, Tweet Up Event, New York City
Left: Terrence Jenkins of E!Online News and Right: Ascending Butterfly at #PGmostloved Tweet Up Event in New York City

I realized that I had my glasses on, and Terrence was patient enough to pose for another photo! :)

Left: Terrence Jenkins of E!Online News and Right: Ascending Butterfly at #PGmostloved Tweet Up Event in New York City


This was the most unique 'Make Your Own Swag Bag' event that I have ever attended! We got to visit with each station and learn what was new, and take the products that we liked best! Pretty Cool! Here is a picture of me and mama butterfly holding up our P&G Treasures:

Left: Ascending Butterfly Right: Mama Butterfly holding up our custom swag bags at the #PGmostloved Tweet Up Event in New York City!
We participated in the #PGmostloved twitter party with a ton of great bloggers, the team at She Speaks and Special Guest Terrence 'J' Jenkins of E! News.

My Take:

The Team at She Speaks really knows how to treat their bloggers! They provided us with roundtrip carservice to and from the Tweet Up which was such a thoughtful touch, and I thought the stations were very creative and allowing us to custom design our own swag bags was also a very neat touch! If only all Twitter Parties were this carefully crafted! I normally host twitter parties from my own computer by myself so participating in an actual live 'tweet up' twitter party was super fun and WAY more interactive!

Get Social:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @SheSpeaksUp on twitter to participate in other great promotions and twitter parties!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @PGeveryday on twitter to participate in their great promotions too!

And hopefully you remembered to pick up the P&G brandSAVER Coupon Booklet in local newspapers on March 31st to save on P&G's award-winning brands!

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FTC Disclosure:received VIP perks as a SheSpeaks blogger for this program including transportation to and from the tweet up event as well as a swagbag, however no monetary compensation has been received and all opinions are 100% my own!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Rock on with your Bad Self!




Yesterday I got the chance to see Kinky Boots on Broadway, and it was so fun and uplifting I thought this graphic would make a perfect Wordless Wednesday, and a perfect reminder that every now and then you have got to let out your inner rock star and let him/her have some FUN! I will definitely post a full event recap of the show soon!

Well it's official butterfly this is my Birthday Eve, and my birthday is tomorrow! I can't wait for the big day! Today I'm off for more social Butterfly fun with several New York City entertainment related events (another play is just one of the things I will be doing today!), and in the next week or so I'll share all that I've been up to this week!)

Rock on with your bad self Butterfly and if you are a blogger share your Wordless Wednesday link as a comment to this post so we can all see your pictures for this week too, and if you haven't already done so, please don't forget to enter our 'It's MY Birthday, But YOU Get The Gifts!" Giveaway of this week for the cake of your choice from We Take the Cake!

Happy Wordless Wednesday!


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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post, no monetary compensation has been received, the Giveaway referenced above will be fulfilled by the Giveaway Sponsor.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

{CLOSED} It's MY Birthday but YOU Get the Cake #Giveaway sponsored by @wetakethecake via @Ascending1



Ever since I founded Ascending Butterfly (except the first year because it was founded after my birthday) I have hosted an annual 'It's MY Birthday but YOU Get the Gifts!' series of promotions, because it's my birthday and I can, because it's fun and who doesn't like presents? Am I right?

But what's a birthday without cake? We've had some fun cake collaborations over the years, for my birthday, for Easter, for our Mother's Day Buying Guide, for our blogaversary, I mean who really needs a holiday or a reason to enjoy cake?

Well this birthday I had the privilege of trying a cake from a company whose cake is one of 'Oprahs Favorite Things'! I discovered her favorite bra well before she began talking about it (and of course after she did my favorite colors and sizes were always sold out!), but this time I will admit I found this great find from her, and what a sweet find it is!



About We Take the Cake:

With a cake for every occassion, from birthday, baby shower, holidays and even cupcakes and corporate gifts, We Take the Cake has got you covered! Madame 'O''s particular favorite is their Key Lime Bundt Cake!

What began in 1997 as a mail-order bakery got its start when Lori went to visit a bakery to buy a cake for her son Sean's third birthday, it was 'love at first bite' and she ended up buying the business! It's a small team that makes each cake by hand, and butterflies I can tell you that you can literally taste the love!

"To us, cake isn't just a dessert. It's a symbol of celebration, happiness, friends and family. That's why we take so much care in creating the most splendid and delectable cakes and cupcakes... because we know what it means to you." ~ Lori Karmel, Owner, We Take The Cake


Unboxing My Cake!


My Take:

I love the background story on We Take The Cake, can you imagine loving something so much you just decide to buy the business completely? What started out as something so simple, buying her son a birthday cake became a thriving business operation that still makes each cake by hand!

Here is a picture of my cake:

We Take the Cake Award Winning Chocolate Cake with Creamy Rich Cheesecake!


I love that it's wrapped in plastic, and once I removed the plastic it looked like this:



Is it a bit too much to admit that I wanted to just dip my face directly in it? I didn't do that, but I was tempted to!



I swear I cut two slices one for me and one for Mama Butterfly, I didn't eat it all!



And above is a picture of my slice!

There are two things I didn't like when I was younger that I absolutely love now Yogurt and Cheesecake, it took me forever to eat them both, and now I appear to be making up for lost time! I can't enough of either one! This Cheesecake enrobed in Chocolate Cake is totally decadent, totally sinful and totally delicious! My advice for when order a Cheesecake that arrives cold is to let it thaw well so you get a creamy rich moist bite the first time and every time! I personally knew better than to even try freezing any because I knew it would all get devoured rather quickly!

I couldn't recommend We Take The Cake highly enough, it's fantastic, and now I want to try out their other flavors, maybe I'll even relent and try Oprah's Favorite Key Lime Bundt Cake!

Had to use a pro-shot of the Award Winning We Take the Cake Chocolate Cake with Creamy Rich Cheesecake, because my cut was not so neat or so even!

Win It:

It's THAT time! While Thursday, April 4th is MY birthday, YOU get the gifts too! Our friends at We Take the Cake want to provide 1 lucky Butterfly the opportunity to win a Cake of their own! How cool is that? Not to mention if you sign up on their website to receive their newsletter, you get another chance to win a Key Lime Bundt Cake that way!

Don't you just  We Take The Cake? I know I do!


DISCOUNT: Do you know someone celebrating a birthday soon? Send them an incredible birthday cake with "Happy Birthday" written on the cake and birthday candles included. Save $10 using code BDAY10 (use all caps, case sensitive) when checking out at http://www.wetakethecake.com/birthdays.html

Follow all instructions using the rafflecopter contest entry widget below! (If the widget doesn't load for you the first time, just re-fresh the page!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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FTC Disclosure: We Take the Cake provided Ascending Butterfly with one cake of our choice for editorial consideration, and they are also fulfilling to one prize winner, all opinions are 100% my own. Sponsor is responsible for Prize Fulfillment. Neither Ascending Butterfly or it's giveaway sponsors will be held responsible for lost, late or mis-directed mail. Our full disclosure policy can be found at: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html

Monday, April 1, 2013

Spring Skin Care with #Neutrogena helping us all to feel #ntgbeautifulinsideout



Feeling Beautiful Inside and Out certainly doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg! For every pricey Department Store Brand, I'll bet that I can find you an equivalent product at your local drugstore! As a blogger I get to test a lot of wonderful products, but my skin tends to need a break, and when I'm not testing anything specific, the brand I usually go back to is Neutrogena! I started with Neutrogena in my teens, their iconic Glycerin Bar was the only thing that would work for my skin for a long time, and it's still the one I turn to when my skin gets angry from playing with so many different products per week.

For me beauty starts on the inside, being emotionally, mentally and spiritually in balance gives you an inner glow that you can't help but radiate outward! Getting the outer you to reflect that beauty inside doesn't have to be complicated and can definitely be super affordable.

I am now days away from my birthday (April 4th), and as you know after me spending a year in the hospital, 3 different hospitals in fact, this year I want to go all out for my big day, I want to have fun and just be happy that day, so when a package arrived at my door with Neutrogena's essentials for Spring I couldn't have been happier! I considered it an 'Easter Basket' Blessing for us grown ups!

Here is a picture of the goodies:

From Left to Right: Top left: Oil Free Cleansing Wipes, Shine Control Primer,   Shine Control Powder,  Top Right: Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock with SPF 45, Far Left Center row: Neutrogena Shine Control Makeup w SPF 20 in color Fresh Beige, Very Center: MoistureSmooth Color Stick in color 'Sweet Watermelon', Bottom Row/Far Left: New Healthy Lengths Mascara in color 'Carbon Black 01', Bottom Row Center: New Crease Proof Eye Shadow in color 'Constant Copper 40', and Bottom Row Far Right: Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes
Not a bad haul right? (Happy Birthday to ME!)

Here is a closer look at what I received:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Pink Grapefruit line
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - RTR Moisturizer
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ultra Sheer Sunscreen
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Shine Control line
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Healthy Lengths Mascara
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - MoistureSmooth Color Stick

Let's Break Them Down One-by-One:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Oil-Free Cleansing Wipes in Pink Grapefruit is geared to those with Acne Prone skin, the premoistened wipes help cleanse the skin of pore-clogging impurities leaving your skin clean and with no greasy residue. I personally always carry makeup remover in my cosmetics bag, and I never thought of remover wipes formulated for acne prone skin until I tried these!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Neutrogena® Ultra Sheer® Dry-Touch Sunscreen SPF 45 - This is a light weight formula that provides heavy protection from UVA/UVB rays. It provides 80 minutes of water-resistant coverage, and it's non-comedogenic so it won't clog your pores and it's PABA-free! Please protect your skin from the sun butterflies! I lost my Aunt/Godmother to Skin Cancer!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Shine Control Line - The Shine Control Primer is step one for a shine free face all day, you then follow it with the Shine Control Liquid Makeup and then lastly the Shine Control Powder is a quick 3 step system to help keep you shine free and beautiful inside out all day! Oily girls or just those with an oily T-Zone will love this system!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Healthy Lengths Mascara - Exclusive Vitamin E and Olive Oil formula will nourish and strengthen your lashes so they stay strong day after day, it lengthens and I can tell you I have experienced absolutely NO clumps, flaking or smuding, it replaced a different very popular 'available in drugstores brand' that I was previously using. I really do love this mascara!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - MoistureSmooth Color Stick - These moisturize and continuosly condition your lips so they are softer and smoother day after day. Made with fruit extracts along with Mango and Shea Butter, it goes on easy and it's sheer tint of color lasts for hours. It's a twist up color so you don't need to sharpen this. I loved the feel, but on it's own I found the sheer color too light for me, so I use this over my lipstick to give myself more pigment. (I might have to get these in the darker shades like Plum or Raisin to see if those colors give a slightly deeper pigment as I lean toward a darker lip even on a day-to-day basis)

My Take:

I am a long time Neutrogena user, it's what I started with to care for my skin as a teen, and it's what I still use now to regulate my skin between product evaluations! I think I've probably used every product in their line at one time or another, but I will admit the Eye Shadow, Mascara and Primer were new to me, and I greatly enjoyed the chance to try them out! All of them are a re-buy, but the Mascara really stands out, it doesn't clump, it gets really good distribution and I haven't had to double dip and it really applies easily and smoothly. If I get another bundle of love from Neutrogena, I hope it contains their Body Oil (light sesame formula) as that has been my favorite Neutrogena product for what seems like my whole lifetime as my mom introduced me to it first many years ago and I still use it just out the shower with my skin still slightly damp! This Body Oil was a life changer for me, I love the way it leaves my skin feeling and I use it for all four seasons!

I feel ready to face Spring with a fresh face and beauty from the inside out! I will definitely be using these again on my birthday!

Get Social:

You can connect with Neutrogena on Facebook or Tweet them with the hashtag #NTGBeautifulInsideOut

Happy April Fools Day Butterflies! What is your Neutrogena Beauty Favorite?


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FTC Disclosure: I am participating in a compensated campaign with Neutrogena via Latina Bloggers Connect, products were sent to Ascending Butterfly free of charge for editorial consideration, however all opinions are 100% my own. That Body Oil really did change my skin!