First Year Blog Anniversary + $200 Beauty Giveaway! [CLOSED]
Well, it’s officially been one year since I started Brighter, Darling last January and I’m celebrating with a beauty giveaway! I’ve had some form of a blog since 2008 – originally, it was about my comical dating adventures as a single girl in Philly, then it slowly segued into beauty, gluten free food and life and now I have narrowed my niche, created focus with what I’m most passionate about and also created an actual business plan with branding to help set some goals, measure my metrics and expand my reach/engagement.
I also made the big jump from using a free blogging platform (wordpress.com) to migrating over and paying for self-hosting, which allowed me to utilize some HTML to enhance my custom branding and use a beautiful new theme. If you haven’t actually checked out my blog’s homepage in a couple of months, it’s been completely revamped and I’m extremely happy with the layout and color scheme. It’s very *Steffanie.*
Enough about all that though, you’re really here to enter my beauty giveaway valued at over $200 full of goodies I hand-selected!
Celebrate with me!
Each of these brands have been featured on my blog at some point and they’re high-quality products that I hope will make you feel beautiful. I included a full size toner, serum and mask by Origins to give you a nice starting base, then we have a perfect everyday eyeshadow palette with a bulletproof full size black eyeliner, a thickening/lengthening full size mascara by Lorac and you’ll finish off the look with a natural rose-hued plumping lip gloss by one of my favorite brands, Buxom. All of these items combined have a retail value of over $200.
What you’re getting:
- ORIGINS Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Micellar Cleanser – Micellar water made a big impact in 2015! It’s a liquid cleanser that can be used as a toner or makeup remover. Apply to a cotton pad and gently wipe all traces of makeup off – from foundation to mascara, or use as a toner after cleansing. This no rinse, soap and alcohol free formula is suitable for all skin types.
- ORIGINS Original Skin Serum – This serum is targeted for those whose skin seems to be hitting a “quarter life crisis.” Starting to see more visible pores, fine lines, losing a slight bit of glow? This is for you. Smoothes roughness, dullness and helps minimize pores with several natural ingredients.
- ORIGINS Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask – A must-have for congested skin or times when you’re dealing with breakouts, charoal helps draw out impurities, leaving your skin tighter and brighter over time.
- LORAC Love, Lust & Lace PRO Eye Collection ($100 value) – Lorac eyeshadows are one of the best in the industry for pigment, blendability and texture. This trio is perfect for any skin tone or eye color and is excellent for every day use. Beginners and pros alike will enjoy this simple packaging and portability. I loved that there was nothing too dark or too light in this palette. The liner is impossibly budgeproof – I tried the tester on my hand. A true, dark black with a creamy texture will apply easily to your lash lines. The mascara is dramatic, but layerable. See it used on YouTube here.
- BUXOM Lip Cream, Dolly (mini) – I have talked about loving the Buxom glosses on the blog before, so I wanted to include this super neutral-light rose shade to complete the entire look. Buxom glosses are long-lasting, plumping and have a mild, sweet mint taste.
This beauty giveaway will run from Jan. 4, 2016, 12:00 AM CST until Jan. 19, 2016, 12:00 AM CST to U.S. residents. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I can’t wait to see what Brighter, Darling Year Two brings! Thank you for being my readers and followers on social media – it really makes me so happy to write about something I love and help others feel their best through my experiences.
Happy 2016 and best of luck in the giveaway,
-Steffanie
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![*GIVEAWAY* | Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette [CLOSED]](https://brighterdarling.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Becca-x-Jaclyn-Hill-Champagne-Collection-Face-Palette-Giveaway-768x511.jpg)
Can’t wait to see what you have in store for the blog this year. In 2015, you introduced me to some great products! Thanks for being my go to for everything beauty! For 2016, I have set a personal goal to hike at least one new place each month. For me 2016 is about new adventures, new friendships, and developing an overall better me! Bring it 2016!
Aw thanks, Ashley 🙂 I’m so happy to hear from my friends that they’ve found some favorites thanks to my trials haha! Living in NC, you certainly have some awesome hiking options. I miss it so and can’t wait to be back (hopefully) sooner than later!
My 2016 is going to see me lose excess weight (yuck!), do more artistic projects, and just have a much better 2016 than 2015 was! 🙂
Those sound like some great and positive goals! I hope you enjoy exploring your artistic side more this year <3
Hooray! Happy Blog Anniversary! I’ve been loving your blog so much and love that we have the same taste in so many products! Keep doing you, girl!
Thanks, Chelsie! Thank you for always being so supportive. We have big dreams for 2016 😀
I’ve been hearing so many great things about the Lorac palettes! I have never used any of their products before, but they look fantastic!
Congrats on your one-year-anniversary! I hope you enjoy many more years of blogging. Thanks for the giveaway!
Ohhh they’re so great and the holiday sets are a great time to try them. Hopefully you win the giveaway, but if not – def keep them on your radar for next holiday season 🙂
Happy blogiversary, dear girl! This is an awesome giveaway!!!
Thank you so much! <3 Happy 2016!
What an amazing giveaway! Thanks for putting it together. Congrats on your blogging success and milestone : )
Congrats on your one year anniversary Steffanie! I’m planning on stepping my game up with my blog this year. Thanks for this amazing giveaway!
Thanks, my dear! Congrats on your blog. It’s very rewarding – no matter the metrics – to see yourself grow and improve 🙂
Would love this for the new year! Mama needs some pampering!
Thanks for entering, lady! Good luck – I’m rooting for you!!
happy anniversary!!! <3
Thanks, love! Hope all is well! Planning on a convention ’16 trip this summer <3
Happy Blogiversary!! I’ve never tried an Origins product but I hear great things about them as a brand.
Thank you! It’s a brand I have found a couple complete holy grail items by… so I hope this giveaway provides someone else the same luck 🙂 Happy 2016 and good luck with the giveaway!
Congrats on your anniversary! I’m a makeup junkie – I’d love to win 🙂
Thank you and best of luck! Happy 2016 🙂
Congrats on the blog anniversary love! You picked out such gorgeous products and I’m loving your site so I can’t wait to continue to follow you 🙂
Thank you!! Love your blog, too. Here’s to a great 2016 for us 🙂
Congratulations on your blogiversary! My main goal for 2016 is to be more active 🙂
This is an amazin giveaway!!! Thank you so much!! I hope you have a WONDERFUL 2016 <3
Thanks, girl! Happy 2016 to you and best of luck 🙂
A big part of going thorough life is by having goals set for yourself. I never really understood that at first, but I do now. My main goal of 2016 is to better myself mentally and physically. By doing so I want to do things in my life that no one would expect me to do. I wanna become true to myself and confident in who I am and in my faults. It’s a lot of hard work, but I think I can do it. Congratulations on all ur accomplishments! Happy New Year!
That sounds super positive and a great way to kick off the new year. Thank you for your kind words and good luck in 2016 AND in the giveaway 🙂
I decided that for 2016 I want to be a better person. I don’t consider myself a bad person by any means, but I think there’s always room for improvement in everyone.
Agreed. I think it’s all about a lot of patience. I myself need to work on that. Good luck in 2016 AND in the giveaway 🙂
A year already?! Happy blogiversary! My goal for this year is to continue kicking butt and getting healthier and setting an example for my kids. 50lbs down in 2015 and so much healthier and now my son loves working out with me 🙂
Congratulations! My goals for 2016 are to genuinely go to the gym several times a week, EVERY week to feel better inside & out. I’m also planning on letting my completely gray hair shine through instead of constantly dying it every month. I want to just be who I am & shine all on my own! 🙂
That’s awesome! I personally think grey hair on a woman looks so sassy, so good for you and best of luck with the fitness goals 🙂
I plan on having a brighter year by eating healthier and cooking healthier for my family!
What a great giveaway! Hope this is your best year yet 🙂
I plan to have a better and brighter 2016 by starting a new job. I finally decided to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself with something I have never done before. 🙂
I plan to have a brighter 2016 by being able to visit with my family in Utah! Because of medical and financial reasons I haven’t seen my mom in over 2 years. I miss her so much! I know, if I can make it up there, this year will be so amazing!! Thanks for the chance to win!! <3
Make it happen, girl! We all need our mommas! <3 Good luck!
I plan to have a brighter 2016 by spending more time with my family. My mom lives far away and I just want to see her so bad. Hopefully in the summer. Also I want to spend time with my family here. I’m learning how important family is in my life.
I completely agree with your goal. I already marked down three weekend trips this year to different parts of the country just to see family. My entire family is in NY/NY, IN, CO, OH, CA or FL and I live in TX, so I understand. It sort of stinks having to spend the money just to ‘see family’ instead of saving for one big vacation to somewhere fabulous, but you’re very right – as we get older, it’s important to have your family connected even when you live far.
In 2016 I plan on working on & loving myself more. In 2015 I focused alot on my relationship and focused less on myself and doing things that made me happy, and even things like being healthy and excersing was on the back of my mind. So 2016 is all about ME & bettering myself (: & hopefully growing my makeup collection and getting the courage to start a youtube channel lol.
Great plans! I also am debating a YouTube channel – we should cheer each other on this year 🙂
My 2016 will be better than last! I have 2 kids and work 6 days 11hrs a day. I was going to school too but had to stop because I can’t afford it. This year, I really want to be positive and do what makes me happy. It’s so hard to put yourself first when you have a family to provide for. The more you work the more money goes out right? Lol that’s what I’ve heard. You can’t make anyone else happy unless you are first. So that’s my new year resolution…whether job, relationships , or anything do what you want that will make you happy. Thank you for this generous giveaway doll!! Xo
Oh my goodness! You are a busy lady for sure. I don’t know how you do it. I totally agree – the more you work, the more you spend. It’s so boggling. My household spent LESS when we moved across the country and I was still job hunting! Always do whatever makes your life less stressful and remove whatever is nagging you as soon as possible. Happy 2016 and may it be your best!
Can’t wait to have better skin in the new year!
I hope to expand my beauty product collection to include more bright colors and use more pastels in my everyday looks and also much to my husband and sons nagging about the time it takes for me to get ready I’m trying to find tips and tricks to create my favorite flawless looks in less time :)!
Happy first blogversary! Wishing you more success and plenty of great articles in 2016! ♡
As for my resolution for this year, it is to stop procrastinating and finish my thesis to get my doctorate degree and make my parents proud :))
Thank you and congrats on your upcoming doctorate! I completed my MBA last year, so I have an idea of how exhausting school can be after awhile, but get that thesis done, girl and then celebrate with your family 🙂 Good luck!
Happy One Year Blogiversary. My plans for 2016 is completing my hours in Beauty school I love makeup and eveything that has to do with it makes me happy. I also promised myself that I would eat healthier I have been eating healthier doing juicing and green smoothies since my family suffers from all kinds of sickness thyroid, diabetes, cholesterol, kidney stones these past few years I have beenspending my time in hospitals so I have agreed to myself that I would eat healthier this year. Do not want to go through that. Thank you for the opportunity.
I would love to become more fluent in French. I took it in high school and college and also bought Rosetta Stone that I plan on working on this year:)
I’m ready to get my life right with the lord! That’s what I’m going for for this great new year!
You have such a cute, informative blog!! I learned about you because I saw your giveaway post, it’s an awesome giveaway, so I completed all the tasks for entries, so I checked out your blog and I sure do like it!!
As for what I look forward to in 2016, I know I definitely want to be more active. Eat less, move more! Lol, seriously though, yes, it would be nice to lose some weight, however I’m mainly concerned with being more active, period. Lolll, also, I want to try to read more. Reading more only does good! In hoping to finish a few books I’ve been slacking on. Personally, I’m optimistic about 2016! A new year always means a fresh, new start! Yay!!!
2016– wow! The coming year promises to be full of changes, challenges, and little journeys… There are ~so~ many major areas in my life that need some tending-to and/or rebuilding, and one of my goals is to not get too overwhelmed. // (I could keep on writing for so long; what a great topic/prompt!) // I intend to continue noticing and appreciating the everyday joys and beautiful moments around me. Just yesterday I was looking through some photos that I took while traveling a long time ago, and either realized or decided that it’s time to put the smartphone away and start shooting with a “regular old camera.” I don’t want to take for granted how easy it is now, with our e- and i- everythings, to capture scenes and moments. // I’m so glad to have found your site (first through IG). Thanks for hosting this giveaway, and happy blogiversary!