{#WordlessWednesday} Highlights from Sip Japan's Sip SHOCHU spirit tasting event in #NewYorkCity!

Butterflies you know how hard it is for me to go completely Wordless, but I promise to keep this post as word light and picture pretty as possible since it's Wordless Wednesday and all, but I attended a unique tasting event here in New York City that I just had to share!

You all know I have a fascination with Asian Art and culture, this definitely extends to the food and spirits too, and while I have covered many a Sake (Japanese Rice Wine) Tasting on these pages (Check out my coverage of Sake and the City as an example HERE), this tasting definitely took the cake on uniqueness and versatility!

I had the opportunity to attend Sip Japan's Sip Shochu tasting event in New York City and learned all about what has to be one of the most diverse spirits I have ever tasted! It can be made from a number of base ingredients including rice, sweet potatoes, barley, buckwheat and sugar and depending on what it is distilled from, shochu can take on the characteristics and flavor of other spirits such as Vodka, Rum, Brandy and even Whisky!

I found the shochu varieties I tasted to pack quite a powerful punch so be careful with your pour on these for sure! But because they took on quite a wide variety of taste profiles, they can be paired with a wider variety of foods and enjoyed for the most part throughout all of your meal.

Here are some photos from the tasting event:

Above: SATSUMA SHUZO exhibitor booth at Sip Japan Sip Shochu Immersion Tasting Event in New York City

Above: Watching my sample being poured!

Above: When you get a chance to speak to the maker of a spirit you are about to try you learn that so much more goes into it than the ingredient list, SHOCHU makers shared their love and passion for the spirit and what goes into it!

Above: Just some silliness and fun at the Satsuma Shochu booth, I think a bottle this big would knock you out for a few days! LOL

My Take:

Shochu is amazingly versatile and diverse, because of it's diverse characteristics it is equally wonderful enjoyed straight as it is blended into a cocktail, I would be interested to see if more venues and bars stock it!

Fun Trivia: The Chinese Characters for SHOCHU literally mean 'burnt liquor' (Just fun to note, however, the Shochu's featured above are Japanese).

Happy (Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Bloggers feel free to leave your links here so we can visit your photos too! (NO Giveaway links here, WW only please, thanks!)

Have you tried Sake or Shochu, what do you think of them?

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, this is an event recap. 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.

{#FoodieFriday} Who says Frozen can't be FRESH? Find out why I am LOVING the #NYC #UES Gem @babethsfeast

When you think Frozen Food, what is the first thought that comes to mind?

I'm sure some of the first include:

-Quick

-Convenient

-Tasteless

-Calorie Laden

Life will always be filled with 'a case of the Mondays' and not so 'happy humpdays', days where the idea of going anywhere near your kitchen after a long hard day is about as appealing as dental surgery, am I right?

But you can still enjoy ready-to-eat-dishes with Babeth's Feast, a 'Premium Frozen Food' Store that aims to turn what you think you know about Frozen Food on it's head. The Founder of Babeth's Feast, Elisabeth de Kergolay spent some time living in France where Premium Frozen Food Stores are actually a familiar sight. When she moved to New York, she couldn't find a store with frozen food that compared and Babeth's Feast which began as an online distributor of gourmet frozen food from local AND international producers was born!

The array is actually quite vast, and whether you want a spread worthy of entertaining with or just a simple meal for one, you can delight your tastebuds and not have to break a sweat in the kitchen!

Skeptical? Are you thinking 'but Butterfly how good can frozen really be?' - If you live central to New York City find out for yourself, Babeth's Feast is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at 1422 Third Avenue between 80th and 81st Street in New York City an the in-store full service kitchen prepares free samples of store offerings so you can try before you buy! Not based in NYC, no worries you can still order the premium frozen food online!

I had a chance to visit a tasting and here is what I sampled:

Above: Babeth's Feast in store sampling/tasting opportunity!

Above: The Crispy Asiago Asparagus was the perfect appetizer!

Above: Preparing Chicken Curry!

Above: Giving the Chicken Curry a quick toss!

Above: Babeth's Feast Chicken Curry (28 oz) Chicken in a coconut curry sauce with cilantro and lime - this box comfortably feeds 3-4 people if you are serving it with a side dish for only $19.99 - Total SCORE and it tasted delicious!

Above: I purchased the Osso Buco to take home (it is one of those dishes I love ordering out but for whatever reason I never prepare it for myself) and this one comfortably fed two people with hearty appetites, me being one of them, LOL!

Above: Thought you might like a peek at mine plated! Braised veal shank in a sauce of tomato, carrot, white wine, and veal stock! (I was too lazy to make a side dish but this was definitely a generous portion! Delish!

MY TAKE:

My apologies, but the desserts went so quickly during the tasting I didn't get a chance to photograph any of them, but I got to try out the assorted mini parfaits which included 3 combinations: pistachio cream and strawberry compote, dark chocolate mousse and coconut cream, milk chocolate mousse, lemon curd, meringue and cookie crumbles so small and so tasty, better buy a bunch of these!

Everything I tried definitely gets my butterfly seal of approval. I definitely want to sample from their seafood selections next as that is the one thing I am super picky about!

Hopefully we can work with Babeth's Feast to come back with something fun for you guys, in the meantime check out their website and tell me what you would most like to try!

Which Premium Frozen Meal would you try first?

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, this is an event recap. 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.

Find out how @Vitabath is helping me keep it #FruityFresh for Spring, plus a #Giveaway and #TwitterParty too! #client

While the weather here still has a bit more to warm up before it truly begins to feel like Spring, small signs are starting to pop up everywhere, birds chirping out the window in the mornings, tulips in the local flower shops and direct to me from Vitabath two new products to put a little 'Fruity Fresh Spring in my Tub Time'!

The folks who have been putting Vitamins, Nutrients and Anti-Oxidants in their bath products for 50 years and counting while always keeping it all free of harmful chemicals are hitting us with two new scents for Spring called 'Pineapple Sunset' and 'Raspberry Vanilla Velvet'.

And if you are thinking 'butterfly that name sure sounds familiar' - (A) I commend you for your sharp memory and thank you for being such a loyal reader and (B) affirm that you are right, I met the Vitabath team in person at one of my favorite New York City Lifestyle Events, Getting Gorgeous! There were featured in my recap of Getting Gorgeous 2014 HERE.

Let's get all 'up close and personal' with the two scents and their notes:

About Pineapple Sunset:

-Sweet Pineapple

-Sun-Kissed Melon

-Passion Fruit

-Coconut

-Cashmere Musk

-Blend of Vitamins A, B3, C, E, and pro-vitamin B5

-Anti-Oxidant Blend of Acai Berry, Goji Berry, Coffee, Noni and Pomegranate

About Raspberry Vanilla Velvet:

-Black Raspberry

-Mirabelle Plum

-Rich Vanilla

-Caramel

-Amber

-Blend of Vitamins A, B3, C, E, and pro-vitamin B5

-Anti-Oxidant Blend of Acai Berry, Goji Berry, Coffee, Noni and Pomegranate

My Take:

I am super picky when it comes to scents and my bath products. And while I normally keep all things 'fruity' contained in the tropical umbrella drinks I enjoy beach-side while on vacation, I am stoked to report that the 'fruity' in these new scents is actually subtle and not cloying sweet despite their sweet names. They both contain one of my favorite base notes in the perfumes I like to wear, the cashmere musk in the Pineapple Sunset and Amber which they use in the Raspberry Vanilla Velvet. I can also tell you it's a good Vanilla smell in that one also, I know most Vanilla scent lovers are very particular, this one doesn't dis-appoint.

And I do love to layer so I was happy to have the duo of the Body Wash and Fragrance Mist.

But wait there's MORE, A Twitter Party:

Not only are you going to be rewarded for reading this far by the giveaway we are hosting, but our friends at Vitabath are hosting a Twitter Party! Giving you another chance to win! Here are the deets:

What: #Vitabath #FruityFresh Twitter Party

When: Thursday, April 16th at 8pm EST

Where: Twitter! Once you are logged in, type the party hashtag into the search box on twitter to follow along

Who to Follow: @Vitabath (Please direct any questions about the party to the host, @Vitabath)

Hashtag to Follow: #Vitabath

RSVP: You must RSVP for the party, which you can do HERE

So dear butterflies, you can get with THIS:

or you can get with THAT:

or have a chance to win them both for yourself, because that is where it's at! (for my music lovers did you like my 'The Choice is Yours' by Black Sheep reference? LOL)

WIN IT:

Use the rafflecopter entry widget below to have a chance of winning the Scent Duo (Body Wash and Fragrance Mist) of YOUR Choice from Vitabath!

As always the first entry is easy peasy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Which of the new #Fruity Fresh Scents would you choose and WHY? + Tell us if you are going to RSVP for the Twitter Party! (You are NOT obligated to RSVP for the Twitter Party to enter our contest!)

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FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, 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 check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

Mix up your Spring #Haircare Routine and join in the #TwitterParty FUN too! #NewNexxus #Spon

As a Lifestyle Blogger I get the opportunity to test out a lot of different products, let's face it, it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it! While I don't mind it being me, I do know that in between products I take a few days and go back to old favorites whether it's skincare or hair-care.

My first 'salon' hair product was Nexxus, that is what my hairdresser at my favorite hair salon used on me during each visit so that is what I would buy to use at home as well. When I'm not testing new products this is still the brand I tend to return to so when I find ways to nab it a discount I definitely take advantage.

So when I a little birdie dropped some interesting news in my inbox I knew I just couldn't keep it all to myself! From April 5th through April 11th hit the Beauty Counter at your local Duane Reade or Walgreens (or both, tee-hee!) during the 'Beauty Must-Haves' Event and meet with a Beauty Advisor to score a $2 off coupon on all your Nexxus New York Salon Care Faves! Coupons are only available while supplies last, so RUN not walk! The coupons may be used from 4/1 - 6/24/15 on any one product. (Like I said hit more than one counter, you will want a coupon for each product right?)

Turns out my old favorite has actually been re-formulated, and now offers a new Encapsulate Serum that has been enriched with 100% Elastin Protein and Caviar Complex to help re-balance, restore and replenish hair, I don't know about you, but Spring always puts a new bounce in my step, why not put some bounce in my hair too? Feeding my hair Caviar? So FANCY!

A little birdie also told me that Walgreen's is hosting a Twitter Party! Here are the deets:

Walgreens #NewNexxus Twitter Party

What: Walgreens #NewNexxus Twitter Party

When: Wednesday, April 8th from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. ET

Follow: Host @ResourcefulMom and tweet with party hashtag #NewNexxus

NOTE: I am NOT the moderator, nor am I co-host, please direct all questions to the party hostess @Resourcefulmom

MY TAKE:

I stayed with my favorite hairdresser until he retired from the industry and the smell of Nexxus will always remind me of him, I am looking forward to trying out the newly re-formulated Therappe Shampoo, Humectress Conditioner and the Encapsulate Serum, I say just like we re-vamp our makeup routines come Spring, we should mix things up with our hair too!

What is YOUR Favorite Haircare Brand?

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FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, 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 check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

{#MotivationMonday} Are butterflies worth a thousand words? {#Video}

If Monday isn't exactly your favorite day of the week, let this You Tube Video Montage on Inspirational Butterfly Quotes help you start your week on a positive note, if a picture is worth a thousand words, how much are butterflies worth?

Credit: Video Courtesy of User: Beautiful Life T2

Stay Motivated My Friends!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, no monetary compensation has been received 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.

Win a pair of tickets to @NYBG 's The Orchid Show: Chandeliers! + #Orchid Slideshow #Photography

Apparently Old Man Winter wants to  keep New York in his Vice Grip with snow here on the first day of Spring. This butterfly and Spring Baby (my birthday is coming up in April) yearns for signs of Spring and I found them at the NY Botanical Gardens!

They host an Orchid Show annually (in fact this is the 13th year!) and this year the show is called "The Orchid Show: Chandeliers". This year, it's all about looking UP, not just down or around, but it's this year's "Orchid Evenings" that combines Music, Cocktails and the sublime beauty of delicate orchids that are allowing visitors to make unique connections on themed 'adult only' evenings that allow for a romantic date night, or even a way for singles to connect and meet. Orchid Evenings are being held Saturdays, March 7, 14, 21, 28, and April 4 (My birthday!), 11 and 18th.

For $25 for Members and $35 per ticket for non-members, the ticket includes one complimentary beer, wine or cocktail of your choice and you will need to select an entrance time for The Orchid Show at time of purchase. Head to the show before your time and hit the gift shop or dine at The Pine Tree Cafe where you can enjoy a special event menu or just lounge to the sounds of The Nick Russo Latin Trio, and ladies don't miss your chance to stop for a quick lipstick touch-up by one of Guerlain's famed make-up artists and indulge in a specialty cocktail inspired by Guerlain's Orchidée impériale line. And for those of you who are Mastercard holders, please be sure to purchase your ticket with your Mastercard to enjoy a special champagne pre-party at Shop in the Garden on Select Nights. Note this VIP ticket is $40 and you can learn more about that ticket HERE.

The three tier living chandelier of orchids is absolutely breath-taking! And while it's still a bit chilly out here in the Big Apple, it's super warm and toasty in the Enid Haupt Conservatory at the Gardens!

And for those of you who visited us last week for Wordless Wednesday, that photo was a teaser, and yes that 'strange' hanging thing was an Orchid Plant!


ABOVE: My Photo slideshow of the show, I took ALL of these photos! (I am working on getting a Pinterest Board posted of all these photos as well, in the meantime each photo can be viewed individually on Flickr using the link on the bottom right of the slideshow.)

WIN IT: 

Ascending Butterfly and The New York Botanical Garden want to help melt away those winter blues and put some 'Spring' back in your step! Enter to win a pair of passes to Orchid Evenings at The Orchid Show: Chandeliers at New York Botanical Garden! Please note this is a Flash Giveaway and ends SOON! Use the rafflecopter widget below to place your entries! (If reading this put the widget to sleep you may need to refresh the page again to get the widget to show up for you so you can place your entries.) Remember Orchid Evenings are on Saturday Night's Only, and you must be 21 years of age or older to claim your passes as there are cocktails being served, this is an ADULT ONLY giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MY TAKE:

The New York Botanical Garden is one of my favorite 'Urban Oasis' places in Bronx, New York. Being there just adds instant zen to my day and as you can tell by my photo slideshow I really enjoyed the Orchid Show. The living Chandeliers of Orchid Flowers just blew me away!

There was a DJ, great flowers, fun Photo Opps, lippie makeovers from Guerlain and fantastic cocktails too! What more can you ask for?

Whether you are single and ready to mingle or lost in love, The Orchid Show has a little something for everyone!

What is your favorite flower?

(Remember you get extra credit in the giveaway for answering this question as a comment below!)

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, no monetary compensation has been received to post our recap of the show or host this giveaway, and all opinions are 100% my own!  We were provided access to show for editorial consideration. 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 #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.

{@WordlessWednesday} Guess me from underneath! {#Photo}

Can you guess what I am?

Happy Wordless Wednesday! This picture ties into something very special that is coming very SOON, so stay tuned for a Flash Giveaway that will open and close quickly and include some very special surprises!

Bloggers feel free to post a link to your Wordless Wednesday Post so we can check out your pictures too, just remember, NO giveaway links or linkies here, Wordless Wednesday links only!

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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.

{#MotivationMonday} #Butterflies we are FOUR days away from the first day of SPRING!

Fellow East Coast Peeps, soon we will have LESS of this:

And more of THIS:

In just four days, it's bye bye old man winter and HELLO Spring! Who is with me?

I hope this put the motivation in your Monday!

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{#WordlessWednesday} My wish for you Butterfly!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post. And I really do wish you Happiness in Your Life, Today and Every Day!

{#TryItTuesday} Thinking about a new #hair color for Spring? I tried @eSalon and here are my results! #eSalon #bLinkBiz

I am a Spring Baby and if the season of Spring represents anything it's renewal, a perfect time for change in my book. I started the changes last year actually by donating over 13 inches of hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths, an organization that uses the hair to make wigs for women battling cancer, if you missed that post, click HERE. That was serious change for me as I had my hair super long for a very long time!

This year I knew I wanted to try color, and not just a 'wash out' over time color, but something that would last longer and bring me into summer. And that's where esalon comes in.

Here is the 'lo-down' on my experience:

Ordering Process:

You complete a questionnaire that asks questions about your hair's length, texture, current color, level of grey (if any) and you are also asked to include a current photo to help make it easier for the colorist who will be working on your order to get the right color for your hair. I personally had trouble completing my order and had to try a different browser than the one I normally use to finally get my order to go through, I still don't know why that happened (and no, I wasn't on a mobile device or tablet I was on my desktop!). Despite attaching a photo I was asked to re-send via email another photo. The order took quite awhile to arrive, and arrived via US Postal Mail (which I had to pick up, it wasn't brought to me directly - apartments and their super small mailboxes!).

This is what arrives:

Packaging/Contents:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Two Bottles of Developer

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Two bottles of hair dye - one for roots, the second for ends

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Gloves

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Dye Brush

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Stain Remover

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Stain Guard (much akin to Vaseline to protect your scalp and ears from the color)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - One Packet of Shampoo

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - One Packet of Conditioner

Application:

I don't have grey hair so I don't color my hair and had no real idea of what to expect, but the fact that this comes with one hair color for roots and another one for the ends, seemed strange to me, but you start with mixing the color for your roots and then applying it and leaving it on for what seems like a very long time before mixing and applying the color that gets put on the ends. The final step is to add water to the leftover dye used on the ends to create a rinse that can be used in the shower BEFORE Shampooing or Conditioning your hair.

It took a LONG time to rinse this stuff off I will tell you that. and you will definitely want to jump into the shower and not try to crouch over a sink as it's a bit difficult and time consuming to get the rinse to go clear before you start to shampoo.

TIP: The 'personalized instructions' don't mention the gloves are in the box in the center, so if you open your kit and can't figure out why there are no gloves, they are there, just in that box where the stain guard, stain remover and shampoo and conditioner packets are.

RESULTS:

So here is the big reveal, the before and after:

Top Photo is my hair BEFORE. The Bottom is my hair AFTER on the same day the color was applied. The only difference is in the top picture, the before photo, my hair is slightly shorter.

Price:

Each kit totals $24.95 and they offer an auto renew pricing which is slightly cheaper at about $19.95

My Take:

The color I selected was "Light Brown Golden Copper" - I find my hair looks more red than 'golden' and I don't like the different color at the roots and different color for the ends. Thankfully it is not totally 'ombre' probably because of the rinse but the rinsing didn't 'blend/marry' the color cohesively in my opinion. Overall this is NOT the color I expected and I am not thrilled with my results. 

Perhaps if I did have grey in my hair to cover, I would have been happier with the results, this is way redder and way darker than I expected and the results I wanted to achieve was to go LIGHTER and I wanted to see more of the Golden Brown shade that was shown to me on their website when I finished my survey/questionnaire.

And also as I don't color my hair regularly I think I would have preferred just leaving this to the pros and putting that $20 towards an actual salon experience which feels a bit more 'pampering' in my opinion. I guess I'm just not a DIY type of girl.

Do you currently color your hair butterfly? If so, what is your favorite shade and favorite brand? Have you tried esalon yet, if so, what do YOU think? Sound off and let us know!

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

FTC Disclosure: This is 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. I participated in the eSalon hair color campaign as a member of The bLink Marketing Network. I was provided a free hair color to review but all opinions are my own.

{#WordlessWednesday} No My Brain Doesn't Want to be PICKED, it Wants to be PAID! #Humor #Photo

If you like me, don't forget to Pin me!

When you get those 'Can I pick your brain?' emails that drive you nuts, send them the link to this page with a smile!

Noticed how I used overlay to carefully and sneakily put in butterflies all over the skull neck and shoulders?

I don't know about you but a cup of coffee just won't cut it, if you want to pick my brain pay my hourly consulting rate! If you want an advertorial I will gladly send you the rate sheet, no need to pick my brain!

Happy Wordless Wednesday on the interwebs! Bloggers feel free to comment with the direct link to your Wordless Wednesday Post today and we will be sure to stop by and show you some love too! (No Giveaways and no links to just your homepage - Wordless Wednesday Posts ONLY please!)

Butterflies what do you reply when someone asks to pick YOUR brain?

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

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, no monetary compensation has been exchanged 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.

Top 3 lessons I took away from @DeliverFromEvil #SinisterSunday #HorrorMovie #CableTVCouchCritic

"Deliver Us from Evil (2014 film) poster" distributed by Screen Gems

I am a horror movie buff. I have been since I was a kid. I would slip Fangoria Magazine into my text books when classes weren't challenging me enough. And about the only thing I ever really got into trouble for as a kid was watching The Exorcist when I wasn't supposed to.

For those of you on Optimum, the Starz Channel switched their new movies to Friday Nights, and this Friday they were giving a movie I really wanted to see in the theaters but missed, Deliver Us From Evil. The movie is supposed to be based on the book 'Beware the Night' by Ralph Sarchie and Lisa Collier Cool. The movie is marketed as being based on the book, but it turns out that it actually features a completely original plot and is not based on the cases recounted in the book by New York cop, Ralph Sarchie - portrayed by Eric Bana in the movie.

My Top Three Takeaways from this Movie are:

(1) It's hard enough for single ladies as it is, but ladies we now need to add this question to the list we ask prospects "Do you (or anyone in your bloodline) have any supernatural gifts I should be aware of?" - If you see the movie you will understand exactly why I am adding this list to my questions I ask prospects.....And Guys, yes you should ask this question too! - Sometimes people carry 'spiritual' baggage they aren't even aware about. SCARY SHIT!!!!

(2) I need to leave the Bronx as soon as possible. Just saying. (I may also be avoiding the Bronx Zoo from now on because of this flick!)

(3) Do not buy children stuffed toys. They end up being creepy and scary - and if you hear something under the bed, never investigate, RUN!

Below is the Official Trailer: (Flip the lights on if you need to while watching the trailer!)

My Take:

Now that I know that the movie created an original script and did not really base itself off the book I want to read the book and find out just how much creepier the real life cases that were investigated really were.  Although maybe I don't want to hear about all the supernatural shit that Detective Sarchie and the Castillan Priest encountered in the Bronx until I move away from here!

The lead role was actually supposed to be played by Mark Wahlburg, no offense Mark but I am glad it went to Eric instead!

Are you a horror fan butterfly? Did you see Deliver Us From Evil? If so what did YOU think about it?

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

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, 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.