Wednesday, March 15, 2017

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

37 comments:

  1. On my wishlist I would love to have a Morphe 350 palette and brushes.

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  2. Happy 6 year anniversary! My wish list item is 100% Pure Eucalyptus Body Scrub. :-)

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    1. Thank you so much, Rachel! I haven't tried that one but I bet it's super refreshing! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Happy 6 Year Blog Anniversary! On my wish list is the @zabanaessentials Rose Gold Beach Waves that just came out today :)

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    1. Thank you very much, Madison! I just had to look that up and wow! So gorgeous! Looks like the most perfect summer hair product, ever! I've never tried anything from Zabana Essentials but their products look really nice.

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  4. Happy Blogiversary! I'm so proud of you!

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  5. I use lots of moisturizer as my beauty routine. On occasion I will do a mask just to get dry skin off.

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    1. I'm a big time lover of moisturizer, too. Can't live without it! Do you have a favorite one?

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  6. Congratulations on your 6 years. I am glad to be s part of the celebration. I do not know how long I've been following but I still enjoy it greatly.
    My skin is extremely oily, which I didn't know could be caused by hormones-duh-hopefully the meds will help) and have looked and tried a lot of products that really didn't help. Until I decided to try Mario Badescu Healing Powder and Silver Powder both of which are $12 each (so cheap considering) and they are honestly helping my clogged oily skin. Along with a prescription retin A product I will add.

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    1. Thank you so much, Christy! And thank you for sharing your must have products with me! I've never heard of the Silver Powder but it sounds really great!

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  7. Congratulations on 6 years !!

    On Birthdays we cook something sweet & offer it to our Gods , wear new clothes, visit a temple(as I'm a Hindu) and seek the blessings of our elders and good wishes of friends and relatives.....very different frm Americans :)

    { Have re-tweeted but written my twitter Id instead of share link in the entry }

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    1. Thank you, Jayanthi! It's so interesting how different our cultures are. Thank you so much for sharing with me. I enjoy hearing about different cultures and learning new things!

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  8. Congrats on achieving such a big milestone ! wow, 6 yrs !!

    I am currently lusting after anything frm Burt's Bees as it is very expensive in India.......also Avon perfumes - Rare Gold, Diamonds....Avon too is costly here !


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    1. Thank you so much, Aishwarya. I'm sorry to hear that Burt's Bees is so expensive there. Are there many natural brands local to India or do you mostly have to buy things from other countries?

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  9. I have been following Beautiful Basics for a few years now, but I don't even remember how I found this! I do enjoy visiting though! My beauty routine is using a lot of different products each day. Mostly for anti-aging and dryness.
    twinkle at optonline dot net

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    1. I think you've been with me for a very long time now, Maryann. I'm glad you enjoy visiting Beautiful Basics. Anti-aging products for dry skin are my favorite, too!

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  10. All of my makeup needs replenishing. I need to take the time and purchase more. I am running out of everything.

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    1. I've noticed that things always start running out at the same time! It's so annoying!

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  11. I would love to try the Mac Fix Plus! It is top of my wishlist.

    mia2009(at)comcast(dot)net

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  12. I always have things on my beauty wishlist :-) Right now the Ere Perez Oat Milk Foundation after reading a raving review about it...

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    1. I always have things on mine, too! I've actually got a review on that foundation! If your'e interested here is the link -
      http://beautifulbasicsbeautyblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/talk-about-cosmetics-ere-perez.html

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  13. Happy 6th Blog-a-versary! My favorite product I've just added to my skincare routine is Organic to Green Vanilla Chamomile Coconut Oil. It works as a makeup remover and moisturizer (for both face and body) and I've also found it useful to add to my foundation when I want to create my own sheer coverage BB cream since I have such a hard time finding a match to my skintone.

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    1. Thank you! I've heard a lot about Organic to Green but I haven't tried them yet. I need to, though!

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    2. I really like the oil I've used so far. The scent is delightful and not the least bit cloying and the oil itself performs its many tasks admirably.

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  14. congrats on your blogiversary ! i like to go out to eat for my b day .

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  15. I read about your contest from the beautyinfozone blog so I just started following today. I have been looking for more natural and organic beauty products and DYI recipes. I'm very happy to have found your blog and follow along.

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    1. Welcome to Beautiful Basics! I'm so glad you found me! :) Thanks for entering and good luck!

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  16. I am looking for a good brand of lip pencils that won't break the bank. I would love to have some Josie Maran Argan oil products, as well.

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    1. I really like the Honeybee Gardens lip pencils. They have some really beautiful shades, are extremely affordable, and work really well!

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  17. At the end of the night I take my makeup off with an oil cleanser, then wash my face with a non-foaming milk cleanser. Next, I apply a moisturizing oil and then a moisturizer.

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Thanks so much for reading Beautiful Basics and commenting! I will be sure to respond as soon as I can!