3 Years + a HUGE Giveaway!

Three years ago I hit publish for the first time and inadvertently created the thing I’m most proud of – this blog! This space is very much an escape for me and my hope is that you feel the same. The feeling I get when I share something that resonates with you all in some way is the absolute best, and I couldn’t be more thankful!
the perfect picnic basket weekends in the park picnic basket necessitiessummer daysPutting together a giveaway post each July has quickly become one of my favorite collaborations to work on! It’s a small way to say THANK YOU. Thank you for reading, thank you for sharing your stories with me, thank you for letting me be a part of your day. Thank you for everything, really! I appreciate each and every one of you who reads here and follows along across social media. (And extra thanks goes out to those friends and family members of mine who act as copy editors. Even though a good majority of my day job is spent marking up copy, things often slip past me when I’m burning the midnight oil or wrapping up a post in the wee hours of the morning before jetting off to work.)quick picnic essentialsTo give back, I’ve teamed up with a handful of my favorite brands to give you a chance to win one of two separate giveaways! Up for grabs today is a package including: $150 LeVert Beauty gift card, the entire Perfect Hair Day Line* from Living Proof ($180 value), a Turkish-T Beach Candy towel (in Hydrangea – seen in these photos) and a copy of Jen Sincero’s You Are A Badass!

Second way to win: I’m giving away a Lo & Sons OG bag (seen below) on Instagram (it’s live right now, click here) – so be sure to enter there as well!

A little bit about the brands: LeVert carries some of my very favorite natural beauty products (the Vintner’s Daughter active botanical serum and One Love Organics cleanser both make an appearance in my daily routine) and their customer service is top notch. Always looking to feed my stripe obsession, my Turkish-T towel is the perfect pool/beach/weekend/picnic companion. I haven’t taken a single trip where I haven’t brought along my Lo & Sons bag since getting it last summer. Traveling without checking luggage is the best and this bag counts as a personal item! As for Living Proof, let’s just say I sing the praises of their dry shampoo more days of the week than I care to admit, and when I’m not, their shampoo and conditioner is my go-to. And lastly Jen Sincero’s book is  a must-read, because YOU, my friend, are a badass!

Enter the giveaway using the widget below and if you have any questions (or if any issues pop up), please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email and I’ll get back to you asap. I’ll be picking a winner bright and early next Monday morning! Good luck 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SHOP PICNIC ESSENTIALS:



LEVERT BEAUTY
PICKS:

TURKISH-T PICKS:

LIVING PROOF PERFECT HAIR DAY LINE:

If this is your first time here – welcome! To get a taste of what we talk about on the blog, peruse these posts: Every(body) Has Bad Days, You Can’t Have It All, Ebb and Flow and a whoooole lot of Rosé All Day!the perfect bag for travel*The Perfect Hair Day Line includes each of the following full-sized products: Shampoo, conditioner, dry shampoo, travel kit, 5-in-1 styling treatment, night cap overnight protector and fresh cut split end mender.

A huge thank you to LeVert Beauty, Lo & Sons, Turkish-T and Living Proof who partnered with me to make this giveaway so great. Thank you to Shanley for shooting the photos for me, and an even bigger thank you to everyone who reads this blog and supports the brands that make 26 and Not Counting a happenin’ place to be! 

Leave a Comment

75 Comments

  1. Liana Colvin wrote:

    Congrats on year 3, Jess! Happy to continue to follow along 🙂

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you Liana!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  2. Abby L wrote:

    Congratulations on 3 years! I’ve loved following along and watching your blog grow!

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thanks Abby! So happy to have you following along 🙂 If there’s ever anything specific you’d like to see, I’m all ears!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  3. Nina wrote:

    Congrats on 3 years!

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you Nina!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  4. Congrats on all of your success and perseverance lady!! Love seeing your blog grow and reading all of you content <3

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Cassandara – thank you so so much! I loved reading your most recent post on all the amazing work you’ve been doing 🙂

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  5. Helen wrote:

    Congratulations on 3 years! So inspirational to someone like me who is just starting off!

    XO Helen @ http://www.KaleidoscopeSpinning.com

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you! Congrats on starting…that’s often times the hardest part!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  6. Sydney Garrett wrote:

    Congrats Jess! I absolutely love reading all of your posts! So proud of you friend 🤗

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Yayyyy, thanks Syd! It means so much to me 🙂

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  7. Meg wrote:

    As always so proud of you Jess, excited to see all the new stuff for next year! I know it will be great.

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      The feeling is mutual, Meg 🙂 I miss you already!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  8. I love your blog! Congrats on three years!

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you Virginia!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  9. Congrats, Jess! So excited to see where the next year takes you. Reading your blog is a bright spot in my day! 🙂

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thanks Shan! 🙂 Hope your weekend was great!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  10. Jenn Lake wrote:

    Congratulations, lady! Woo hoo!

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
  11. Whitney Dunbar wrote:

    3 years is such a huge success and I am so proud of you! Reading your blog is an outlet for me and I am able to kick back, feel inspired, and gain insight from you. Congrats and please keep doing what you do!

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      I’m SO beyond thankful for friends like you!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  12. Lauren L. wrote:

    Since I’m local – more KC guides/reviews! I always check out “local” bloggers sites before I travel to a new city, so that would be a great resource for visitors to our lovely town, too!

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Hi Lauren, so happy to have you following along! I’m not sure if you saw my most recent post, but I just moved to Chicago over the weekend! Don’t worry though, I’ll be back often and plan to share the new spots I try when I do 🙂 Here are some KC posts you might like: http://bit.ly/1FHSA72, http://bit.ly/1GKIvWA, http://bit.ly/1oDlKub. And of course, I’ll be sharing lots more about Chicago, which will hopefully inspire you to take a trip up this way 😉 Happy Monday!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  13. lauren wrote:

    Congratulations on 3 years! Your blog is one of my favorites and I appreciate your honestly in posts about your fitness journey, etc.

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
  14. Lauren wrote:

    Congratulations on 3 years! Your blog is one of my favorites. I really enjoy your life style posts on fitness, career, etc.

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      That means a lot! So thankful that you keep coming back to this space 🙂 I appreciate the feedback and will keep this in mind for my upcoming posts!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  15. Tisha Chavez wrote:

    Congrats on 3 years, Jess!! 🎉🎉🎉

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thanks Tish!! 🙂

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  16. Lindsay wrote:

    Congratulations, Jess! I’m so happy for you! I can’t believe it’s only been three years!

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you Lindsay! I hope Cali is treating you well 🙂

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  17. Oh Jess, I am so happy for you! Congrats on creating 3 years worth of beauty, inspiration, and all around bad ass blogging! So proud of you and happy we met through this crazy blogging world!! 🙂

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
  18. Kelsi Graf wrote:

    Congrats on 3 years Jess! It’s been a wild three years and you’ve grown so much! Can’t wait to see what the future holds for you! Love you!

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
  19. Laura wrote:

    I live in Kansas City also, so I love seeing local restaurant reviews!

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
  20. Liz wrote:

    Congrats! I’d love to know more about navigating your 20s 🙂

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Noted! Although, I better get on this seeing as I just turned 29 😉 Thanks for the feedback, Liz!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  21. Shaheen wrote:

    Huge congrats on 3 years lady!!! So much fun stuff to celebrate and hope you had a wonderful birthday!

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you so much! I’m excited to see you around in Chicago 🙂

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  22. Rachel wrote:

    Woohoo! It’s so funny that you picked a blog name that CAN work 3 years after you launched it. “And counting…”.

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Haha what’s funny is that I didn’t put much thought at all into the name!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  23. Heather S wrote:

    That’s a huge accomplishment, CONGRATULATIONS! I’m a new(ish) reader, and would LOVE to see more wellness posts. They’re what I read the most from your site. Cheers!
    xoxo

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you, thank you! I appreciate the feedback so much and will definitely be putting together more wellness related posts soon! Happy Monday 🙂 xo

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  24. Congrats on three years girl! I remember when you first started ^.^ Looking forward to reading here for many more years! .. Jessika | http://beautybyjessika.com

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Seems like lightyears ago, doesn’t it?! Thank you so much Jessika!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  25. Mom wrote:

    Happy Blogiversary, sweetheart! So proud of this beautiful blog you have created. Can’t wait to see what the new year brings here on this page. <3

    Posted 7.18.16 Reply
  26. Cait wrote:

    Happy 3 Years, lady!!

    Posted 7.19.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  27. Rachel wrote:

    Congrats on 3 years!

    Posted 7.19.16 Reply
  28. Congratulations on your 3 year blogiversary! All of this stuff looks amazing!

    Posted 7.19.16 Reply
  29. Alyssa Steffes wrote:

    Congrats Jess! Fave blog! Better than my cat blogs!

    Posted 7.19.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Hahaha this comment wins all comments.

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  30. DJ wrote:

    Congrats on 3 years!

    Posted 7.19.16 Reply
  31. Erica wrote:

    Congratulations on your blog anniversary!! I love that you celebrate it in a big way with the best giveaway!! Can’t wait to see more of your Chicago adventures and behind the scenes of moving to a new city!

    Posted 7.19.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      I’m so glad you like the giveaway! And yes, I can’t wait to share more about Chicago soon! I appreciate it so much 🙂 Hope you’re having a great summer!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  32. Alice lewis wrote:

    Happy three years! 🍾🎉

    Posted 7.19.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you Alice!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  33. Kathryn wrote:

    Happy 3 years!

    Posted 7.20.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  34. Stephanie Grant wrote:

    I would love to see more things to do locally post.

    Posted 7.22.16 Reply
  35. Tamara Ackley wrote:

    Three years is a big achievement! Happy Anniversary! You are committed and talented!

    Posted 7.22.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you so much!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  36. Elisabeth wrote:

    Congrats on three years! 🙂 I’m new here, I found you through the rabbit hole that is instagram, and I’m glad I did!

    Posted 7.23.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Woo, I’m so glad you’re here Elisabeth! 🙂

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  37. Brenda wrote:

    I was looking for beauty tips and found your site and this awesome giveaway. Congrats on 3 years!

    Posted 7.23.16 Reply
  38. Carolsue wrote:

    I’d like to see recipes and/or more makeup tips

    Posted 7.24.16 Reply
  39. Stacey Roberson wrote:

    I love watching makeup tutorials and getting fashion updates.

    Posted 7.24.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you for the feedback!

      Posted 7.25.16 Reply
  40. Aww congrats girl! Happy blog birthday!!

    xo Jen
    Skirt The Rules

    Posted 7.27.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Thank you so much Jen! xo 🙂

      Posted 7.28.16 Reply
  41. Nicole wrote:

    Whew!!!! That took a long time to get to the bottom of all your comments! Now stop gallivanting around Chicago and start blogging. I’m dying to hear how things are going so far!

    Posted 7.28.16 Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      And by gallivanting do you mean walking until my feet fall off?! Because I’m pretty sure that might happen here soon haha. We’re adjusting! I’m going stir crazy not working and our apartment is a lot smaller than I would have liked (we only saw a video tour before moving in), but everyone here is super nice and having the pool doesn’t hurt either 😉 I don’t know what your schedule is like next week and if you’ll be in the city for meetings, but if you want to get together, let me know!

      Posted 7.28.16 Reply