Edit (Saturday August 8):
Congratulations, Jeannie! You’ve won my giveaway! I’ll be e-mailing you in a few minutes. To claim your prize, reply to my e-mail within 48 hours of the time stamped on that e-mail.
Thanks to everyone for celebrating my 5th blogiversary with me and for participating in my giveaway!
Stay tuned – I am already thinking about the next giveaway to reward my loyal readers! 🙂
IMPORTANT (Please read to protect yourself from scammers):
To enter my giveaways, I never ask you to click on links that direct to places outside of SwatchAndLearn.com that are random websites. I’ve heard of scammers like that who prey upon innocent people, so please don’t fall for that. If there is a shortened URL that starts with something like ow.ly, bit.ly, etc., you can use the web tool called “UnMask Me“, and it expands and uncovers any short URL, so you know where it directs to without clicking on it.
All legit links to this giveaway should go to my blog, and in particular, this blog post. If you uncover a URL that goes elsewhere, do not click it! Report it! The safety of my readers is very important to me!
Before I get into the giveaway, I have a few things to say. 🙂
You may have noticed that in my most recent posts, I’ve been rather nostalgic. That’s because a lot has changed since I began this blog in 2010. But, at the same time, things have stayed the same. (As they say in French, “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.”)
I’m still blogging for the same reasons I started – I love interacting with readers like you and being able to share the excitement over nail polishes and beauty products!
Money has never been a motivating factor for me to blog. In fact, I don’t make any money from it, but I put money into it (to pay for things like hosting and keeping my domain name.)
Not going to mention any companies, but I’ve turned down opportunities for paid sponsorships over the years because I want my first one to be genuine and the right fit for me and my readers. I won’t be doing any sponsored posts for marble moustache combs, nasal kazoo lessons, toenail-clipping contests, or scented earwax candles. (Hehe, I’m being silly about those, but my overall point is serious. If I ever do a sponsored post, it will be mentioned in a straightforward fashion and it will be beauty-related.)
Posting in-depth posts several times a week with lots of content is very demanding, especially since I work on it after my full-time job and on the weekends. (Although sometimes I get on my phone during lunch and post on social media.)
Just like at work, for my blog, I have to efficiently manage my time, in order to get things done. And I still make room for family, friends, dating, relaxing, and pursuing additional hobbies (like knitting).
You’re My Inspiration
You, dear readers, have been the greatest source of inspiration for me, and when you interact with me via a comment left on the blog, social media, or in a private e-mail, it means so much!
There have been days that are tougher than 100-year-old beef jerky with a ‘Mom’ tattoo, and it brings happy tears to my eyes when I read encouraging comments from you. Sometimes it spins the worst day into the best day!
I value all of my readers.
Whether you heard about Swatch And Learn only today because of the giveaway or if you’ve been following since 2010, I’m glad that you’re here.
Thank you for making my blog the welcoming community that it is!
Outside my loyal readership, I’m fortunate to collaborate with incredibly supportive companies and PR firms.
They have invited me to attend exclusive launch parties, shared exciting embargoed beauty news, provided me with product samples to test out, and generally supported me on a personal level.
There are many companies that I’ve collaborated with over the years, but I’d like to give a special shoutout to these, in no particular order:
I’ve had incredible opportunities since my previous blogiversary, and these are just a few:
But going back to you, nothing would’ve been possible if my readers didn’t support me.
Read the rest of this post carefully to learn how you can enter my 5-Year Blogiversary Giveaway for your chance to win 12 full-size nail polishes that I purchased especially for this occasion!
It’s open to everyone worldwide.
Starts now, and it ends on Friday August 7th, 2015 at 11:59 pm EDT.
Continue reading →
