Hello, darling readers! I have two beauty tools for those who like testing out new products. The first tool costs a bit of money, but it is well worth it. The second is free to join, but depending on how you work with it, you could spend a lot of money on your own projects.
The first tool is New Beauty's Test Tube http://testtube.newbeauty.com/, which is an amazing thing for sampling. Its name is perfect for it is a big tube filled with deluxe sample sizes (most products last about a month) of different beauty products ranging from makeup to skincare to hair. Along with this tube, you get a copy of that month's New Beauty full of reviews and tips for all-around beauty, a $20 gift card to Spa Look, and sometimes a special seasonal magazine. The tube is sent four times a year, $29.95 for each tube, sent automatically until you unsubscribe. The cost seems like a lot, but I think it is worth it if you actually sample the items. A lot of the items are high-end, so I treat the samples like a special treat for my skin because I use drugstore to mid-price items. Some of the samples do make me feel more pampered, others show no difference from my own toiletries, and some I automatically swap on Makeup Alley, the other beauty tool I'll be talking about. I swap the anti-aging items because I don't need them right now. I know that some beauty "gurus" say to prevent wrinkles with anti-aging stuff, but I talked to a dermatologist at home and he said that anti-aging products either do nothing or get your skin so used to the ingredients, they don't work when you eventually get wrinkles. I'll prevent wrinkles with sunscreen, thanks. Back on subject, if your are interested in sampling a lot of products to pamper yourself, this could be a good purchase.
The other beauty tool I started using that I love is Makeup Alley http://www.makeupalley.com/, a site where you can list your unwanted cosmetic, hair, and skincare items to swap with other members for their items. It is a free service- you just have to sign up and list your items. I've had some really great swaps from this site...and some that were less than fair. Most have been amazing, though. The way a swap goes down is either you see an item on someone's list that you would like and you send a message expressing interest. If the other person responds with what they would swap the item for, you can negotiate, assuming they give you options. If they give you only one option, you determine whether it is a fair swap. Once you determine a fair swap, you exchange addresses and send your item and they send theirs. You are expected to ship promptly or at least say when you will if you won't ship that day or the next. The community is friendly and understanding if you cannot swap at that time or if you are delayed. Just let the person know you forgot or ran out of time and let them know when you DO send.
When you are new, most of the time you will be asked to ship first. You don't have a reputation yet, so you have to prove you are trustworthy. You earn the community's trust through the distribution of swap tokens and comments. The more positive tokens you have, the more trusted you are and you won't have the burden of shipping first. If you get any neutral or negative tokens, explain the situation if you know you are at fault. If you are not at fault and the person is just trying to smear your name, report them and leave a comment on their token, exposing them as a liar. Some people label them as "swaplifters," a label usually reserved for those who do not send their end of the swap. For either of those people, those who just award negative tokens for no reason and those who essentially steal your items, report them and inform everyone on the forums. If they are reported multiple times, they will be kicked off the site. If you report them, they will be off that much quicker.
Even though that last bit makes Makeup Alley sound sketchy, I can assure you, there are very few people like that on the site. I've only had one person who has not swapped back and no negative token-aholics. I've had 40 swaps this year that have been amazing and I've gotten to try some new items and replenish my supply of favorite items without spending more money, just by swapping some of my unwanted makeup for it. I highly recommend this to everyone who owns makeup. It has been very useful and beneficial to me and many others.
If you have any questions regarding these tools, shoot me a message. I'd be happy to go into more details with these websites.
Stay beautiful and have a lovely Easter!
-M
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