Sunday, November 29, 2015

Enter the "Taking Care of Business #Giveaway" with prizes from @ribbetapp + @Logitech + @TinyPrints

Taking Care of Business Holidays 2015 Giveaway

Sponsored Giveaway, brought to you by Logitech, Ribbet and TinyPrints!

Taking Care of Business Holidays 2015 Giveaway on Ascending Butterfly, Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400, Logitech MX ANYWHERE 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse, 1 year of Ribbet Premium, 100 Tiny Prints Business Cards
I hope all my butterflies had a blessed Thanksgiving (for those of you that celebrate) and hopefully you are not too deep in a Turkey Leftovers Coma to do a little 'sweeping'. And by 'sweeping' I mean entering a great contest!

If the title of this giveaway doesn't give you a hint about where my head is at moving into 2016, nothing will. I have been blogging for a VERY long time, blogging is actually my fourth foray into being an entrepreneur, I may just be a 'serial digital entrepreneur'! In College I started a Translation and Transcription Service as one of my part time ways to earn money to put myself through school. I even landed Latina Magazine as a client. Not a bad start for a 'first business'. Later on I added a Graphic Design Business to the mix, and after I left the Staffing Industry a Career Coaching Business that morphed into a Life Coaching Business. And now it's Blogging and Social Media Consulting.

I wanted to put together a Holidays Giveaway this year that included my favorite resources for running my business(es).

I was considering including adding Pajamas to this mix, but then I remembered that is exactly the mindset I want to get most people OUT of! Do I sometimes get a chance to work in my PJ's? YES - but is that all the time? - NO! (and its actually mostly when I do the writing part of my blogging, which is usually during graveyard type hours anyway)

Let's outline the prizes in this Giveaway shall we?: (in alphabetical order)

LOGITECH:

Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400, Taking Care of Business Giveaway Holidays 2015 Ascending Butterfly Blog
Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400

Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400Earlier this year I got to attend an event where I got to try out the Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard, this was during the week of BlogHer (there are enough of you who will know exactly what that means, INSANITY!!!!) - so this product review is a bit overdue to say the least.

This HTPC Keyboard is intended for PC connected TV's. Those that know me well know I have no skills with touchpads. I mean literally none. Thankfully I admitted this to the Logitech team, they had me try it out and use the TouchPad first. And surprisingly I was able to work it, it wasn't so overly touch sensitive that I couldn't get to what I needed but was actually sensitive enough to get it where I wanted it go onscreen. Color me impressed!

I had resigned myself to a lifetime of avoiding touchpads. (I don't even use touchpads on laptops, I actually travel with a travel mouse!)

My living room TV recently died (as it's Thanksgiving Present to me. LOL), so on Black Friday I broke down and ordered my first Smart TV ever, you'll see more about that soon, but now I can finally make the best use of this Keyboard. (Notice I said 'ordered' as in online, I did NOT brave the crowds!) This Media-friendly TV Keyboard has a 33-foot range - can you say 'host Twitter Parties from my couch? YES!!!!

Logitech MX ANYWHERE 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse
Logitech MX ANYWHERE 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse
I still prefer a real mouse, even when I travel and I finally hit on the right one. I was using a wired travel mouse before hitting upon the Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse. It took about 2 weeks for me and this mouse to get into a groove. It doesn't use batteries, it's a re-chargeable, but I use my mouse A LOT, I mean super heavy use and do a lot of photo editing whether I am at my home PC or on the road so I needed to really put this one through it's paces to figure out how often I would need to re-charge it. A one-minute charge gives you an hour and a full charge lasts normal people up to two months. I give it a full charge about every four-five days. So on the weekend when I am ready for bed I will put my mouse to charge and this gives me enough charge for most of the week. The mouse can be paired with up to three devices, I have it connected to my home PC, laptop and my Surface Pro Tablet and can switch flawlessly between them with ease. This light weight mouse can perform anywhere - glass tables (in your hotel room for instance), laminate, train and airplane tray tables and yes even in your jeans!

New Ribbet Logo

Photo Editing Software is the Best Friend of most bloggers, photographers and editors - while there are many 'free' versions out there, most of the advanced features or 'premium features' (you know basically the ones you really want it for) have a fee now. I think we all know how expensive that program is,  you know the 'big P' - and with many laptops and tablets not having optical drives anymore, software on CD is becoming obsolete for most of us. What makes Ribbet my preferred Photo Editing program is that it is browser based. So while I am on the road I can edit photos instead of leaving it all for when I return. Ribbet 'Premium'  has an annual fee to access it's premium features but the basic photo editing program is still very much free. Ribbet made me premium for one year and I'm super happy to pay it forward! With Ribbet I can remove Red Eye from my photos (I have light eyes and tend to get red eye in my photos all the time!), I can add frames/borders, I can also hyper focus on an object and blur others from a photo (especially helpful in food posts) and so much more!

Tiny Prints


I think you all know my love for Tiny Prints is deep and real. Ever since they paired me with a designer and I got my first set of business cards done, I have NOT changed my business cards in awhile. (The only thing I ever change on these cards is my contact number, I test a lot of mobile phones and devices across a variety of carriers so I tend to change my cards when I am going to be with one phone/carrier for more than a brief trial period). These are foldable and our logo is on the front flap (not shown), and the back of the cards has a section for a person to write notes and despite the gloss look they give off, any kind of ink pen can write on the card notes section. I have featured Tiny Prints a ton since I began with them and I am stoked they are back again for a 100 business cards giveaway for you! Here is a link to my last review so you can check out other views of this card:  http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/2014/03/giveaway-need-to-update-your-brand.html

WIN IT:

One lucky butterfly is taking home the entire haul valued at just under $200! 

Prize Includes:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1 year of Ribbet Premium - so you can go crazy editing photos, this program is also fun for designing your own Holiday Cards! (ARV $29.99)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - A Logitech MX ANYWHERE 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse ($79.99)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - A Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400 (ARV $39.99)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 100 Tiny Prints Business Cards (Depends on style you select, my preferred style is $49.00 for 100)

Enter using the Rafflecopter Widget Below: (sometimes the widget gets stuck, if that's the case, just refresh your screen, that usually does the trick!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MY TAKE:

Having Tiny Prints pair me with one of their designers to design my current business cards was a game changer for me. Every time I attend an event, conference or travel and present my card it always gets me tons of compliments. This has been my most effective business card design to date, this is actually one of those small things that slip through the cracks for many people but it really is not only the 'first' impression you make, but the last one too as that card goes home or back to the office of the person you presented it to. And many people I meet at conferences particularly always tell me the same thing, they hate 'unique' shape cards or super small ones as those tend to fall from the pile and often times get lost! You don't want your card being the one that gets lost do you?

I actually got an interesting post event follow up email from a rep that told me "I remember you saying that your card when in full size orientation makes a perfect bookmark" - "you were absolutely right, I used mine in a book I was reading during my flight" - "I just had to touch base with you and tell you that. You are the first person I circled back with!" - Be memorable my butterflies, be memorable!

I have hit my new Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse pretty hard so far and love how seamlessly I can switch between my PC, laptop and tablet, and my fellow blogging friends who have hosted twitter parties know, you sometimes need to have all devices open at once when you are hosting a tweet chat! I do heavy Photo-Editing and this mouse has definitely served me well. I have to charge it more frequent than most users probably will, but that I pretty much expected that to be the case. While I was testing it I used it to the max until the battery just plain couldn't take it so I could figure out my charging frequency needs and for me I do it at 4 days, but I actually max out closer to five days. I LOVE this mouse, and quite frankly no matter what mouse comes with a PC I end up using a Logitech Mouse instead! (I have been using their products WELL BEFORE my blogging days, when I tell you they are the ones I have always bought for all my home PC's that tells you everything!) And I can tell you from experience, Logitech products can really take a beating and stand up to the test of time. (Yes I drop them often, don't judge me! LOL) They may not be 'totally indestructible' but they come quite close in my experience.

As for the Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400 I got to test it briefly at the event I attended earlier this year on a Smart TV they had setup and I was greatly impressed with how well I was able to navigate the touchpad, now that I have my first ever Smart 4K TV on it's way I am totally excited about really getting a chance to test this out with the projects I would actually be working on and the apps I need to log into when I set up my new Smart TV.

I had been using Ribbet since their inception. Like most I was not totally thrilled when it went to a paid service for premium, but as a blogger I certainly understand - you gotta eat and businesses need to grow so they can survive. For me this is convenient as you edit in a web browser and I can work on the road using it so it's beyond worth it for me. 

These four are definitely some of my favorite blogging tools, and I am stoked to get a chance to bring them all to you!

Readers Sound Off: Which of these four tools do you want/need most and why?

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FTC Disclosure: All product featured were supplied to Ascending Butterfly at no cost for Editorial Consideration. 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.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Thanks to @BestBuy I attended the @LGUS Designed to Inspire Event, presented by LG Studio #NateBerkusLG #ad

#Ad: This post is sponsored by Best Buy

David Vanderwaal, Vice President, LGEUS Marketing, Alex Sobolewski, Petya Toncheva and Nate Berkus LG US LG Studio Kitchen Appliances #NateBerkusLG
From Left to Right: David Vanderwaal, Vice President, LGEUS Marketing, Alex Sobolewski, Petya Toncheva and Nate Berkus far right.

On November 19th in New York City Designer and LG Studio Artistic Advisor, Nate Berkus as well as ASID finalists attended a Hearst Magazines, LG Studio event to celebrate the new line of LG Studio premium kitchen appliances.

LG US LG Studio Kitchen Appliances #NateBerkusLG

I got the chance to attend with fellow Best Buy Bloggers and in addition to a meet and greet with Nate Berkus, I got to swoon over the sweet new appliances too! I need ALL of these in my life right now, especially on the heels on the biggest cooking day of the year!


Above: You know I am all about the small touches and love live flowers so I just had to nab a  table centerpiece shot of these beautiful flowers.


Above: You can tell that's a candid shot of me, because I always take off my glasses! LOL

David Vanderwaal, Vice President, LGEUS Marketing #NateBerkusLG

Above: David Vanderwaal, Vice President, LGEUS Marketing - Considering how far back I actually was standing I can't be mad at this shot, glad I lugged my DSLR along! David gave us an overview of the design contest and the appliances and then kicked it over to Nate Berkus who is the LG Studio Artistic Advisor and who judged and selected the winner of the contest for the ASID (The American Society of Interior Designers) contest.

Nate Berkus #NateBerkusLG

Above: Nate Berkus, LG Studio Artistic Advisor discusses the judging contest.

Nate Berkus and ASID winner Petya Toncheva #NateBerkusLG

Above: Nate Berkus and ASID Contest Winner Petya Toncheva


Above: Let's just say it was Cats and Dogs raining outside (like really all Noah's Arc 40 days/40 nights like!) so this photo booth shot is all #curlyhairdon'tcare - I also posted this photo on Instagram along with a photo of the signature drink made with Tequila and Jalapeno! So be sure to be following us Instagram to catch moments that may not always make the recap post!



MY TAKE:

I think it's great that LG US is looking to the next wave of designers to help create new appliances, and with contests like this one, it gives upstarts a chance to showcase their skills!

It was great meeting Nate Berkus, and he was kind enough to sign copies of his new book for the bloggers in attendance which I thought was such a neat touch!

I know I for one will be looking for new appliances and other electronic items during this weekends sales (I tend to shop Cyber Monday more than Black Friday), and Best Buy is going to be offering some super competitive pricing on the LG Studio Collection at Best Buy so get it while it's HOT!

Will you be shopping at Best Buy for Black Friday Deals this year? Are LG Appliances on your Appliance Wish List?

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FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post brought to you by Best Buy. This is an event recap, 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.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Photo Highlights & Important Quotes from @WeAllGrowSummit New York City Tour! #WeAllGrowNYC

We All Grow Summit #WeAllGrowNYC

The We All Grow Summit is a Blogging Conference whose mission is to unite our community, infuse YOUR professional growth with hand's on learning and networking opportunities which is held in Southern California annually. This year the Summit visited a few main cities around the United States, and fortunately for me, New York City was on the roster! I haven't had the chance to attend the main summit, so getting a chance to attend it while it toured the 'City That Never Sleeps' that I call home was a fantastic opportunity for me to get a taste of this conference without having to fly out.

You all know I am *never* wordless on 'Wordless Wednesday' - but this recap is photo heavy - that counts right?

I am going to try my best to present the photos in as close to the order that panelists were presented to give you the best idea of how the summit was organized:

When One Grows We All Grow Sign at #WeAllGrowNYC
ABOVE: When I saw this on the blackboard, I knew it was going to be a great day! That's EXACTLY what it's all about, blogging is a form of entrepreneurship, and when one of us grows and succeeds in this space, we ALL grow!

Pinterest Neon Sign Brunch Buffet at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015

ABOVE: Doors Open and there was time for a Sponsor Mingle, Pinterest sponsored a wonderful Brunch Buffet (Blogging is HUNGRY business!)

Ana Flores Founder of We All Grow Summit speaks at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015
























ABOVE: Ana Flores, Founder of the We All Grow Summit was our emcee and she kicked it off with a reminder to "Make Your Elevator Pitch Your Mantra". I can tell you many conferences stress this to bloggers, be able to sum up what you do, what you offer and what you focus on in a very brief sentence. Memorize it. Rehearse it. Run it by fellow blogger buddies until you have it DOWN PAT. She threw it to the first panelist, Emmelie De La Cruz of TheBrandingMuse.com

Emmelie De La Cruz of TheBrandingMuse.com speaks at We All Grow Summit speaks at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015
ABOVE: So you thought you would ignore the whole thing on the Elevator Pitch you say? Well the first speaker brought it up again, here is a great boiler plate on what a solid 'Elevator Pitch' should contain:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - What do you do?
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - What are your skills?
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Who Benefits?
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - What is the Outcome?
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - What Do You Want?

Emmelie De La Cruz of TheBrandingMuse.com speaks at We All Grow Summit speaks at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015
ABOVE: "Telling Your Story Informs You. Blog Like a Brand + Business" - Speaker Emmelie De La Cruz of TheBrandingMuse.com got down to the nitty gritty of what to do and HOW to do it, she showed us examples of bloggers who are slaying their niche - how and why.

Enid Hwang, Pinterest Community Manager at We All Grow Summit speaks at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015

ABOVE: Enid Hwang, Pinterest Community Manager gave us an amazing run through on the ins and outs of Pinterest. Let's just say there were TONS of quotes by Enid that gave us all great insight on how to use Pinterest to drive traffic and expand our reach. Pinterest is a visual bookmarking tool that helps people discover and save creative ideas. One of my favorite 'quotables' from Enid was this:

"People Follow Interests and Personal Tastes, NOT Social Connections, we are fundamentally NOT a Social Networking Service" ~Enid Hwang, Pinterest Community Manager

If this panel weren't kick ass enough, the conference worked with Pinterest to offer some of the attendees a chance to have a one-on-one session at Pinterest HQ in NYC! How awesome is that? Now is that a conference that is fully invested in our learning and advancing. I plan to post separately about my one-on-one session in a future post.

After this session there was a Networking Break sponsored by Vive Mejor:

Dia De Los Muertos Sweets Bar sponsored by Country Crock and Lipton at We All Grow Summit speaks at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015
ABOVE: A Dia De Los Muertos Sweets Bar? Um, YES PLEASE!!!!

Dia De Los Muertos Sweets Bar Display sponsored by Country Crock and Lipton at We All Grow Summit speaks at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015
ABOVE: The walk to the venue was lined with Houses that still had their Halloween Decorations up, so this display was right on the money, and this was a great point for a bit of a 'sweets break' thanks Country Crock and Lipton!

Dia De Los Muertos Sweets Bar Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Display sponsored by Country Crock and Lipton at We All Grow Summit speaks at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015
ABOVE: These 'Chocolate Crinkle Cookies' were the bomb dot com - Yummo!

Dia De Los Muertos Sweets Bar Arroz Con Leche sponsored by Country Crock and Lipton at We All Grow Summit speaks at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015 #ViveMejorDDLM

DIABOLO drink Diabolo at We All Grow Summit speaks at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015

ABOVE: Diabolo presented an assortment of thirst quenching beverages! Networking makes a blogger thirsty you know! =)

Mentor Q&A Panel with Zuania Capo, Marie Chalita and Ana Flores at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015

ABOVE: Back to Business with the Mentor Q&A Panel featuring LEFT: Zuania Capo of vivala.com, CENTER: Marie Chalita of vanidades.com and RIGHT: Ana Flores, Founder of We All Grow Summit

"To Tell A Story, You Need To Listen - Engage Through Listening" 

Lisa Price, Founder, Carols Daughter panelist at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015

ABOVE: Lisa Price, Founder of Carols Daughter was open, honest and real about her experiences launching her brand and the road to the eventual sale of that brand, which she still plays a major role in. She shared about her insecurities with her weight and fears of appearing on Home Shopping she said "I was afraid that people wouldn't buy anything because I didn't look right". It bothered her, and she did something about it, literally, dropping 100 pounds and gaining control of her health, learning the social media ropes, but it was the quote that inspires HER, that I can't help but share:

"Tell Your Story The Way You Actually Want It To Work Out" ~Soledad O'Brien's Advice to Lisa Price

Let your peers inspire you my friends!

Isaac Oppenheimer Co-Founder NIGHT at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015

ABOVE: Around 3pm we took a Networking Break and one of the event sponsors NIGHT shared a bit about their pillow with us. Night Pillows use a special technology to give you better skin and hair while you sleep. On the way in I got to check out their 'zen' set up - many bloggers took cool instagram photos here:

NIGHT Pillow discovernight.com on display at #WeAllGrowNYC 2015

Let's just say you will see more about this pillow again, later on in this post, and it may get a special post of it's own, so stay tuned!

Group Shot of Panelists at We All Grow Summit #WeAllGrowNYC 2015

ABOVE: A group shot of all the panelists and Founder of We All Grow Summit in the Center, Ana Flores

The Blogger Swag Bag included products from Conffianz, Carols Daughter and Vanidades!

Left: Co-Founder of NIGHT, Isaac Oppenheimer presented me with my new NIGHT Pillow!
RAFFLES: There were great raffles including conference ticket and hotel stay for the main summit, and one winner won a NIGHT pillow, guess who won the pillow? If you guessed Ascending Butterfly you are RIGHT! I am LOVING this pillow. This is coming from a lifelong insomniac. You have no idea how high a praise this really is. My love runs deep. I actually regretted NOT bringing this pillow along on my recent Food and Wine Bloggers Press Trip to BrandyWine Valley (which I will share all about very soon I promise!)

MY TAKE:

I LOVED this conference. And when you have been in publishing in some form for as long as I have, that is saying A LOT. Many conferences tend to be a bit too 'basic' for 'advanced' bloggers - I have a ton of notes from this one day tour so I can only imagine how much I would learn from the full conference experience for We All Grow!

I think setting up One-on-One sessions with Pinterest was an amazing thing to do and I am so glad I was able to avail myself of such an amazing opportunity. I learned I really was approaching it wrong and using it all wrong, more on this to come.

As you all know I try to make at least one conference a year. I do with conferences what I do with my leisure travel. I try to hit a different one each time. We All Grow is now one I want to put on my roster, I felt like I really got a chance to learn and grow, and very few conferences 'challenge' me, so when I find one that does, it's refreshing and exhilarating!

Readers Sound Off: Have you attended We All Grow Summit? What is your favorite Blogging Conference and Why?

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FTC Disclosure: This is an event recap, no monetary compensation has been received, and all opinions are 100% my own! I received a summit pass for Editorial Consideration and a Swag 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.

Monday, November 16, 2015

@beautypress #SpotlightDay closed out the year with a #BEAUTY bang! Check out my highlights!

Beautypress Spotlight Day September 2015
Beautypress Spotlight Day put a few great products on my radar and with holiday gifting season upon us, I thought a few of these would make perfect gifts!

The gift of 'grooming and beauty' is for both men and women!

Here are the Featured Exhibitors in no particular order:

Flowers and Candle upon entrance at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
Above: Walking in to flowers (I spot my favorites, Stargazer Lilies!) and a lit candle, set the mood!

Florapy Beauty at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015

Above: A facial mask for every mood? It's now possible with Florapy Beauty and their line of hydrating facial sheet masks, with the restorative powers of flowers and essential oils that include:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - arnica rose - strength + energy mask
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - chamomile patchouli - stress relief mask
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - jasmine peppermint - detox mask

These 100% coconut sheet masks are the perfect holiday stocking stuffers in my book, let's face it, everyone you are gifting has a 'face' right? Most users see an 8-10% increase in skin hydration after the FIRST use! Who wouldn't appreciate the gift of radiant and more youthful skin? (Santa could stuff my stocking with a few more of these and I wouldn't get mad at him either!)

AGEbeautiful Temporary Haircolor Root Touch-Up Spray at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015

Above: Thankfully I don't quite have a need for the products above just yet, but Zotos Professional presented their AGEbeautiful Temporary Haircolor Root Touch-Up Spray in assortment of colors. The ease of application definitely makes these perfect to have on hand with holiday parties just around the bend!

Pencil Me In Cosmetics at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
AbovePencil Me In Cosmetics These eye liner pencils are heavily pigmented so you don't have to press hard or repeat the line. They have a sharpener already attached to them, how smart is that? Can't have too many eyeliners, at least speaking for myself anyway! I love that you can shop their site by tones (think cool or warm), by hair color (red heads, brunettes, blondes) or by desired effect (like dramatic eyes or glamorous glitter eyes). I LOVE the black! I also love the navy but for some reason the navy one really runs on me so I have to keep up with it when I wear this color, I haven't tried them all yet, but I like the ones I have tried so far including the purple/amethyst color. Somehow the black one is the one that pretty much stays put even if I put it on the water line only. There are actually very few brands I can wear on my water line without irritating my eyes, so I'm stoked that the black which is the workhorse color for me for eyeliner -works so well for me! (High praise indeed. I have tried black eye liners three times the cost of these that run on me like they are in a marathon to make me look like a raccoon at just the wrong moment!)

Bellapierre Cosmetics at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
Above: Bellapiere Cosmetics I don't quite think I've got the facial contour thing down yet, and now we are contouring LIPS too? Lawd, I can't keep up with all this contouring! What happened to the day we just put on some lipstick? I will admit I love that this kit has everything in one place, and while I know most people are not like me - wearing a signature red lip everyday - this kit is a perfect gift year round if you ask me, but also perfect for your BFF for holidays too! Their motto is "From Everyday to Runway" - don't you just love that? This kit retails for $74.99 - not bad when you consider it offers lip perfection in a box!

La Vendemmia Pinot Grigio at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
Above: All this Beauty makes an Editor thirsty, time for a quick wine break and this La Vendemmia Pinot Grigio hit the spot!

Bluebeards Original Beard Wash presented by husband and wife team of Paul and Moira Kaniewski at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015


Bluebeards Original Beard Wash Product Closeup at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
AboveBluebeards Original Beard Wash - Ladies if you love a bearded man, this is the grooming stocking stuffer you want to stock up on! Founded in 2005 by the husband and wife team of Paul and Moira Kaniewski in Pittsburgh, PA - the original goal was to ease "Beard Itch" and provide natural products that clean and tame even the wildest of beards.

Think Bearded Men aren't sexy? Get a load of THIS:

Jason Momoa with Beard, Bearded Jason Momoa
or this one in character:

Jason Momoa in character as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones

Above: Yes I just totally found a way to integrate my obsession with Jason Momoa and Game of Thrones into a Beauty Post, Your'e Totally Welcome Ladies! Beards are starting to look a whole lot sexier right?

Da Luca Prosecco Italia at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015

Above: OK all this talk of Jason Momoa requires a break, so let's take another pause for some Da Luca Prosecco Italia! What I can say, I LOVE my bubbles!

VISAOMD at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
AboveVISAOMD Visit their website and take their skin assessment so you can mix up the perfect Skin Care Cocktail for YOUR Skin Type! I can't wait to get started on these, and I definitely dig the packaging, I have always been partial to the color blue, especially that deep cobalt. Medical Grade Skin Care? Um, Yes Please!

elvis+elvin Sea Mud Soap at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
Above: elvis+elvin presented their Sea Mud Soap which uses Natural Mineral-Rich Dead Sea Mud. Sea Mud Detoxifies and improves skin texture and also stimulates blood flow/circulation. It's the benefits of a 'mud mask' within the ease and speed of a soap. I have used many sea soaps, and I will say this one is fantastic, I definitely cracked into this one when I got home. NYC is certainly a pollutant filled city and I love products that give me that 'spa treatment feeling' at home.

elvis+elvin Treatment Masks at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
Above: elvis+elvin also presented their Treatment Masks, they offer Grape Stem Cell and Rose Stem Cell Treatment Masks. The Grape Stem Cells protect skin against harmful UV rays (which are responsible for 80% of skin aging) and also help prevent against photo-aging. This masks tones and strengthens the skin. The Rose Stem Cell Treatment Mask which is made using the natural essence of rose extract works as an antibacterial cleanser for treating acne and curing skin infections (rose water toners are also fantastic for this as well), this treatment mask is great for sensitive skin!

elvis+elvin Sea Salt Scalp Purifying Anti-Dandruff Shampoo With Sweet Almond Oil Extract at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
Above: elvis+elvin also presented their Sea Salt Scalp Purifying Anti-Dandruff Shampoo With Sweet Almond Oil Extract. For my fellow 'fine-hair' hair types, anti-dandruff products are great for building body and keeping your scalp healthy, so you don't have to actually regularly experience dandruff to benefit from using them!

Spa Week at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
AboveSpa Week Spa Week was promoting their annual Spa Week where you can get Spa Treatments at Various Select Spas for only $50, while this week is now over, you should still visit their site for Spa Deals and Special Giveaways year round! (PS: Check out their current #SquadGoals Instagram Giveaway!)

Arts&Scents at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
Above: Arts&Scents is a young German company that creates perfumes which combine classical European perfum tradition with modern art and design elements. Their packaging is made by an artist using recycled paper, and their bags are actually compostable! Smell great and help the environment, sweet right?

CōTZ Skincare at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015

AboveCōTZ Skincare has quickly become one of my favorites since they first exhibited at BeautyPress, their mineral protection and sheer matte finish make them my favorite daily sunscreen for all skin tones. Sun protection with enough sheer tint to even out your skin tone - Santa can definitely stuff my stocking with a few of these!

Obliphica Professional at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015

Obliphica Professional makes a great hair day easier to achieve with their Seaberry line of hair care products. Simple System to use, just remember: Orange is for fine to medium hair types, and Purple is for Medium to Coarse. The heart of their line is the Seaberry superfruit (also known as Sea Buckthorn Berry), the therapeutic oil is rich with over 190 bioactive compounds! As for me, if I have time for only thing before I head out the door - hair or makeup - I am team HAIR all the way! Santa can't possibly keep up with my obsession for hair care products! (That and handbags, what can I tell you? As tech oriented as I am, I am still a girl at heart!)

Obliphica Professional Fine/Medium Hair Care Products at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
Above: My hair type is fine, so the orange system from Obliphica Professional is the one for me!

Cheryl Lee MD Sensitive Skin Care at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
Above: Cheryl Lee MD Sensitive Skin Care helps those with Eczema Prone Skin, Atopic Dermatitis, Aging Skin, Redness & Flushing, Dry Skin, Acne Prone Skin, and Cracked Hands and Heels find relief!

Cheryl Lee MD Sensitive Skin Care Product Closeup at BeautyPress Spotlight Day September 2015
Above: With winter swiftly approaching here in the North East, those cracked hands and feet kits are certainly going to come in handy! I would say as a former Special Education Teacher that those would make EXCELLENT teacher gifts (think mail carriers, doctors office assistants, etc) as well!

Swag Bag Inclusions:

Bellapierre Cosmetics, Florapy Beauty, Pencil Me In Cosmetics and Zotos Professional Products that were featured above were swag bag inclusions, the reps were not actually there in person. I definitely hope to see them at upcoming BeautyPress Spotlight Day with other offerings in their line.

MY TAKE:

BeautyPress Spotlight Day always curates a great mix of products and brands, this was the final BeautyPress Spotlight Day event for 2015, and I have to say they definitely closed the year on a high note with a diverse range of brands and products that certainly offered a little something for everyone! The quality and caliber of brands featured this time around make it incredibly difficult for me to pick a favorite! I can't wait to see what 2016 will bring!

Which product above would you most like to try and why? 

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FTC Disclosure: This is an event recap, 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.