First Year Favourites & Giveaway

Hi guys, Glow Steady is one! For those of you who didn’t see my last post, today is my one year blogging anniversary and I’m going to be sharing my first year favourites. This was really hard for two reasons, 1) I had absolutely no idea how to cut this down. I nearly ended up with about 10 subcategories and 2) I have the worst memory. I’m sure I’ve forgotten something brilliant.  

I’m going to share my favourite posts of mine, my favourite recipes (I know that’s cheating) and then some of my favourite bloggers and posts I’ve read in the last year.  

My Favourite Posts of Mine 

1 This Month… I want to get serious about female health 

I mentioned in my last post that posting this one was a big deal for me, so I’m not going to go on about that again. But I was so happy with how well that one was received.  

2  £20 Grocery Challenge 

I’m cheating again as this was a three part series not an individual post, but there’s a myth that being vegan has to be expensive and that’s not the case at all. I was really happy with how this series turned out and I’d love to attempt something like this again. Posts like these that involve a budget as a challenge have become more controversial recently as it isn’t a challenge, it’s a necessity for a lot of people. When I did this, I set myself the challenge of trying to make it as healthy as possible while on a budget, rather than just buying the cheapest options available. Let me know your thoughts on whether you think it would be a good idea to revisit this.  

3 I Reviewed It, Do I Still Use It? 

I started a new series and you liked it. It’s always great when you try something new and it goes down well. A lot of you thought it was a great concept and I’m looking forward to doing part 2 soon. 

4 Save, Spend, Splurge 

I really need to rename this list because everything I’m mentioning is a series not a post. You may or may not have realised that I love skincare. You’ve probably noticed that I like expensive skincare too. When I started this series, I was looking forward to discovering new products and finding great cheaper alternatives. It was also an opportunity to show that you don’t have to break the bank to look after your skin. I haven’t done one of these in a while but I’d love to pick this series back up again at some point.  

 

5 Am I Expecting Too Much?  

This was me having a rant about the accessibility of food available in public places when you have dietary restrictions. Nothing inventive, but I needed to get it off my chest and it’s an issue lots of people have to deal with.  

My 5 Favourite Recipes  

I know I’m cheating by putting them into a separate category, but I dedicated an entire month to creating a new one every day. And I spend a lot of my time thinking about what to make next, so I thought they deserved their own category.  

1 Frozen Granola Clusters 

They were just a tiny piece of nutty goodness. My favourite post from Recipe A Day May for sure.  

2 Wimbledon Cupcakes 

So, in this post, I talked about how hard it was to mix icing the exact colour of tennis ball and get the yellow to green food colouring ratio right. Then we had a lovely discussion in the comments about what colour tennis balls were. When I asked that question, I really wasn’t expecting that many people to share their thoughts on whether they see them as yellow or green, but the fact you guys took the time to consider it put a smile on my face. 

3 Popcorn Bars 

I think you can probably tell how little sugar I’ve consumed in the last 6 or 7 weeks by the recipes I’m choosing here, but I was so happy with how these turned out as I didn’t have much of a plan before making these. 

4 Chilli and Tamari Baked Aubergine 

It’s the only way I can eat aubergine. This recipe made me like a new vegetable, that’s worthy of a top spot, right?? 

5 My Go-To Salad 

The number of times I’ve made this dish over summer, it would be rude for me not to include it.  

My 5 Favourites You’ve Written 

1.  Black Tulip Beauty – Sick to Death of High Street Sizing 

I loved everything Alice had to say in this post and found it really engaging. It’s such an important subject too!  

2.  Bryony Baker – Thoughts On Not Being A Size 8 Anymore

Again, on a very similar subject as the last one, this was more about embracing changes and I loved Bryony’s positive attitude here.  

3.  Soph Hearts – Internet Drama 

All the reasons not to get involved in Twitter drama and rising above it. Well worth a read to avoid conflict. 

4. Simply Mich – I Feel Lost

I loved this post so much. It really hit home as I felt like this post and the thoughts she expressed here are something we all go through at one stage or another. I highly recommend reading this if you’ve just graduated or are in your final year and are having a mini crisis about life.  

5.  Jenny in Neverland – Blogging For Bloggers

This isn’t necessarily about this post specifically, more Jenny’s blogging related posts overall. Jenny is a blogger I look up to a lot, her organisation is beyond phenomenal and I always learn something or take note of a valuable tip when she does blogging related content.  

My Favourite Blogs 

I’m not making this a top 5 because that’s too much pressure. And I know I’m going to forget people in this list, but I’m trying to avoid making this post 3000 words long.  

Alice – Black Tulip Beauty 

A great round up of amazing posts like the one above and other amazing lifestyle content.  

Jenny – Jenny in Neverland 

For all of the reasons listed above again  

Emily – The Vogue Veggie 

If you like my recipes, you’ll love hers. They’re delicious and she has the best food photography.  

Eva – What Eva Wears 

I love the way Eva structures her posts. She’s a fashion blogger but talks about a lot of relatable real life issues and her tone is always perfect.  

Abbie – Abbie Jade Wanders  

A more recent discovery for me but I adore her travel posts. I always get a serious case of wanderlust when I read her blog. Or a pang pf jealousy because I skipped somewhere amazing when I visited that city. Either way, her posts are great and she takes amazing photos.  

Jas – Thoughts From Jasmine  

Another amazing lifestyle blogger. She does a variety of posts but again, I like her content because of her tone. I always feel like her posts hit the mark perfectly. 

There’s so many more I’d love to include but I feel like I’m running the risk of listing everyone I’ve ever met.  

Giveaway 

To mark a year, I wanted to give something back. I found choosing what to giveaway really difficult. As I cover a range of topics, from recipes, health related posts and beauty, I wasn’t sure what to focus on. As a result, I ended up going for a few smaller things that cover all aspects. Skincare is very personal, and what I love may not work for you, so I opted mainly for minis of a few of my favourite things and a full size of a new favourite too.  

I’m yet to create a recipe book of my own for you, so you’re getting this great beginner friendly vegan cookbook, a meal planner and shopping list pad and a few of my favourite sugar free treats. The meal planner is magnetised so you can stick the pad on your fridge but then rip the top sheet off and take your shopping list with you when need it.  

Items included:  

• Mini Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm  
• Mini Moisture Surge Overnight Mask  
• Ultrasun SPF30 lip balm (this wouldn’t be my giveaway if we didn’t include SPF something) 
• Revolution Hyaluronic Acid Serum  
• A range of sheet masks  
• Mini The Body Shop Almond Milk & Honey Body Butter 
• A selection of Nakd Bars 
• Urban Fruit Strawberries  
• Vegan recipe book  
• Meal planner sheets 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway closes 11:59pm 13/10/18. UK entries only (sorry to my international readers) 

Good luck! 

Once again, thank you for the support in the last year and thank you for reading! 

Until next time,  

Sophie  

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