6th Blogiversary + 2017 Birthday-to-Birthday Giveaway

Today is a really special day because on this exact day six years ago I decided to try something new and enter into this world that I essentially knew nothing about. I was never really someone to put myself out there but I decided to take a chance and here we are six years, hundreds of blog posts, and thousands of followers later.

Many of you already know the story but I’ll dive into it just a bit for those of you who might be new around here. Beautiful Basics was created because I became ill in 2009 at the age of 22. I went from being able to do anything and everything I could have ever possibly dreamt of doing to being bedridden most days. When I first got sick I thought with all of my heart that I would get better but with time I found myself getting a little worse each and every day. I can’t even tell you how hard it was to go from being a normal 22-year-old with a job I loved and endless possibilities to being as sick as I was. I wasn’t doing anything and I needed to do something.

I really thought long and hard about things that I enjoyed and what I could possibly still do. I couldn’t go for a run or take up mounting climbing or anything strenuous so that narrowed my possibilities. In my free time, which was essentially all of my time, I watched a lot of beauty videos on YouTube and I read a lot of beauty blogs. I realized how much I loved it and wanted to try it myself so Beautiful Basics was born. It started as something very different than what it has become. It was originally a place where I shared very basic beauty tips and hacks but it morphed into a natural beauty blog where I now primarily review natural and organic beauty products. It kind of took on a mind of its own and continues to grow and change. Something born out of desperation for something resembling normalcy and out of a feeling of uselessness and hopelessness has become a wonderful outlet for me to write, which I love to do, and talk about beauty, which I also love.

I also created Beautiful Basics – The Sick Life as a way for me to share my journey to being well while living with chronic illness. Blogging has changed my life in a lot of ways because I have a way to get out my feelings while forming relationships with all of you. Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or if you somehow stumbled upon my blog today I want to tell you how thankful I am for you. I am truly grateful for each and every one of you.

The past 6 years of creating content for Beautiful Basics and being able to interact with all of you has given me hope and something I absolutely love to do. I appreciate this all so much more than you could ever know. I could have never imagined how many people would read my words or what companies would want to work with me. Each day brings something new and exciting into my life. Each like and comment you leave me mean a lot and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with you all.

Today I’m launching the annual Birthday-to-Birthday giveaway for this year.  I put together one of those super popular sampler bags you all seem to enjoy. I like to do this as a way to say thank you. I only wish I could give you all a special prize because you mean a lot to me.



There is only one mandatory entry for the giveaway and after that you can do as many or as few of the options as you would like. Be sure to check out the terms and conditions. All entries will be verified. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway