Hey all -
So excited to share this swap with you! After meeting through a FB Makeup group, I have started the first steps of a swap with a lovely young lady from the land down under - Australia!
I've actually decided to post this in lieu of a video I've been working on to show you the products in person, as I've had heaps of tech issues that I really cant be bothered to fix during holiday.
**Warning - makeup swaps can be dangerous, as it is easy to get swap-lifted without Paypal protection. Although I'm not doing this the 'safe' way and setting an awful example, you should! There is nothing worse than mailing off your package only to receive one of far less value or trashed products - or nothing at all. Tomorrow I will be posting a quick guidelines post for protecting yourself while swapping!!
...but now? On to the goodies.
So excited to share this swap with you! After meeting through a FB Makeup group, I have started the first steps of a swap with a lovely young lady from the land down under - Australia!
I've actually decided to post this in lieu of a video I've been working on to show you the products in person, as I've had heaps of tech issues that I really cant be bothered to fix during holiday.
**Warning - makeup swaps can be dangerous, as it is easy to get swap-lifted without Paypal protection. Although I'm not doing this the 'safe' way and setting an awful example, you should! There is nothing worse than mailing off your package only to receive one of far less value or trashed products - or nothing at all. Tomorrow I will be posting a quick guidelines post for protecting yourself while swapping!!
...but now? On to the goodies.
Our Swap Terms
Initially, we decided on a dollar amount to swap - we realized pretty quickly that between countries, that's not the best way to go. Different currency exchange rates is one issue, but another is the stark difference in the price of products in some countries. In Australia, for instance, it seems a drugstore mascara would run at least $15 for a Covergirl or Revlon product, where here they are an average of $5-$8. You can see how this could make things difficult - if we swapped by dollar amount, I'd be getting far less bang for my buck than I could here at my local stores.
We ended up deciding to include...
1. 5 High-End Products
2. 10 Drugstore Products
3. Unique Chips & Sweets
Although we estimated we would be spending around $200pp, we've probably both exceeded that by now...unfortunately? Fortunately? I guess it's all prespective (:
We ended up deciding to include...
1. 5 High-End Products
2. 10 Drugstore Products
3. Unique Chips & Sweets
Although we estimated we would be spending around $200pp, we've probably both exceeded that by now...unfortunately? Fortunately? I guess it's all prespective (:
Drugstore Goodies!!
Preface -
First: I may not be swapping all of these items, as I am Christmas shopping around this time as well so I'll be getting more products I might switch out. Though the majority will go to the swap, I'm sure there will be some modifications.
Second: Yes, I got way more than 10 products...but I hit some good sales so it was only fair (:
First: I may not be swapping all of these items, as I am Christmas shopping around this time as well so I'll be getting more products I might switch out. Though the majority will go to the swap, I'm sure there will be some modifications.
Second: Yes, I got way more than 10 products...but I hit some good sales so it was only fair (:
For a fully polished eye-look, you have to have the finishing touches. 1. Hard Candy Ginormous Lash Mascara in Blackest Carbon Black (One of my HG mascaras) 2. NYC Brow/Eyeliner Pencil in 925 Sable One of the drugstore brands she was most intrigued by was Hard Candy, which is fine by me as they are one of my favorites (cruelty free & wide range of solid, affordable products). This is one of the most volume-enhancing mascaras I have ever used and it comes in at under $10, with multiple color options. The NYC pencil is a basic pick - I'm thinking of going back and getting her either a retractable eyeliner or liquid in addition to what you see here. | We'll start with the eyeballs. 1. NYC IndividualEyes in 938 Union Square 2. ELF Under Eye Concealer & Highlight in Light 3. Jesse's Girl Baked Eyeshadow in Plum Frost I actually haven't gotten to try many of these products yet. I've heard good things about the Elf Concealer from a few friends, and I loved that they eye palette was an all-in-one kind of deal (includes primer & illuminator). I will admit I bought the Jesse's Girl individual shadow because it's absolutely gorgeous, but I don't think that's a bad reason entirely. I've actually gone back to grab a few for myself after seeing swatches & reviews. As my girl prefers mostly neutral eye looks, I thought this was a good group of products, though I will probably go buy at least one more solid shadow product. |
Gimme more lips! 1. Softlips in Vanilla 2. Wet n' Wild Juicy Lip Balm in 281C Raspberry 3. Wet n' Wild Natural Blends in 104 Berry 4. Wet n' Wild Long Lasting Lipstick in 907C Mauve Outta Here & 968 Pinkerbell 5. NYC Applelicious in 353 Pink Lady 6. Eos Balm in Sweet Mint & Summer Fruit To cut straight to it...I picked these because I love them. She was wanting both WNW & Eos (I picked Pinkerbelle because it's an awesome dupe for MAC Viva Glam Nicki) . The WNW Natural Blend is a mix between a balm & lipstick in my opinion. I have it in Spice and I wear it alllll the time. I also have the WNW lip balm, though mine is Strawberry. Last but not least, in my opinion, if you haven't been obsessed with Softlips at least once in your life, you're missing out big. |
Warmth & Highlight (: 1. Wet n' Wild Coloricon in Ticket to Brazil 2. Wet n' Wild To Reflect Shimmer Palette I have heard awesome things about both of these products. Since Australia is creeping into summer as we're getting colder, I figured a couple nice highlights/bronzers were appropriate, and these were actually my favorite out of the entire selection at my local Rite-Aid. I like the simple but cute packaging, and I love the large-sized compact. The Fergie highlight is actually a trio of colors swirled together and reminds me of the beautiful marbled look of Ambient blushes...in highlight form & 1/8th the price. |
And finally...cheeks & face! 1. Milani Baked Bronzer in 04 Glow 2. Milani Baked Blushes in 01 Delizioso Pink & 08 Corallina 3. Hard Candy Sheer Envy Perfecting Primer I bought the Milani products as per her request, and through I was SO tempted to keep Corallina for myself, I've managed to find some self control & decided to sent it off to her as well. I'm really excited to hear what she thinks because I'm keen on buying myself one or two of these. I have used the Hard Candy primer multiple times in the past and it never caused me any problems, even when I was sweating in the heat. Hopefully it works just as well for her (: |
Well...is that it?
Of COURSE not - when we go, we go hard. I'll be ordering the bulk portion of her order (money-wise) right after Thanksgiving, which includes 5 items handpicked by the lovely Aussie herself! I'll make sure to share them with you before I send them off to her (packaged securely & ready to withstand cross-continental travel).
Keep an eye out for my post tomorrow about Safe Swapping!
If you could pick 3 products to share with someone who's never used them before, what would they be?
Keep an eye out for my post tomorrow about Safe Swapping!
If you could pick 3 products to share with someone who's never used them before, what would they be?