Sephora

Mcakes · ‎12-22-2022

***Sign Ups are CLOSED - Exchange is in Progress***

It's back! The gift exchange celebrating "the best day of the year" is here 💖

Our previous rounds have been wonderful platforms for bringing us all together though our appreciation for beauty, treats and camaraderie. Come and join in on the fun!

Positive Energy and Unicorn Love Always,
Mcakes & @eshoe

Links to Previous Galentine's Day Exchanges:

Spoiler

2022: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange-2022/m-p/6382941#M227257
2021: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange-2021/m-p/5690748#M2105
2019: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange-2019/m-p/4361327#M182782
2018: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange/m-p/3675077#M161033

2022: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange-2022/m-p/6382941#M2272572021: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange-2021/m-p/5690748#M21052019: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange-2019/m-p/4361327#M1827822018: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange/m-p/3675077#M161033

How to Join and, Key Dates and Housekeeping Info:

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If you are interested in joining, please see the Eligibility Requirements, Rules, and Key Dates below to see if this will be a good fit for you!

Eligibility:

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Have you participated in a gift exchange on BT/BIC previously?

Yes
Previous participants in exchanges that either eshoe or I have hosted without incident on their part are pre-approved. If you participated in an exchange that eshoe or I have not hosted, please kindly provide a link to that exchange thread for us to do our due diligence. If there were no issues from the exchange on your part, we are excited to have you on board!

No
Meet one or more of the following requirements:

1.Must be willing to do a $50 box deposit that will be taken at sign up and returned once your Galentine has given us confirmation of delivery.
2.Must be vouched for by 2 members of the community who eshoe or I are familiar with.

*Since we are trying to be as inclusive as possible while also protecting other participants in this exchange, eshoe and I will have final discretion on participant eligibility. We realize that this is very subjective, but we must establish a certain degree of trust between users as there is sensitive information being exchanged. Thank you for your understanding.

Rules:

Spoiler

By expressing interest in signing up for the exchange, you are agreeing to the following:

-The minimum spend for this exchange is $50. You do not need to go over this amount, but in the spirit of fairness you may not go under it.

-If you have not participated in an exchange previously, you must ship your gift on or before February 1st. If you miss this deadline and do not communicate with eshoe or I about the reason for your delay, you will not get your box deposit back. Instead, we will use your box deposit to create a gift on your behalf. No Galentine will be left behind!

-Provide tracking number(s) to eshoe or I once you have shipped your gift. This can be done via Elfster or messaging eshoe or I.

-Acknowledge receipt of your gift ASAP, even if you need a little more time to do a full post. This is a courtesy to your gift or to know it was received (it is stressful waiting to know if a package made the journey ok!) and for eshoe and I to keep track of the progress in the exchange. You may do this via Elfster, by posting on this thread that you have received the parcel, or by messaging either eshoe or I.

-You must post pictures of your gift. This is an integral part of the exchange experience and we want to share in the excitement with you! We know how much thought and care goes into curating a gift, and we want to acknowledge your giftor's efforts as well. You may provide pictures for either eshoe or I to post on your behalf if you are having issues posting, but please know that the pictures are a firm requirement.

Key Dates:

Spoiler

Sign Up Deadline: 12/31/22

Draw Day (This is the day you find out who you are shopping for, yay!): 1/1/23

Ship Date for First Time Participants: 2/1/23 (*If you are shipping from Canada to US or vice versa, this deadline will be earlier)

All Gifts Must be Received: On or before 2/13/23 (Galentine's Day)

To sign up, please comment on this thread! eshoe and I will be messaging approved participants with more details and will be updating the Participant List as we go.

We are looking forward to celebrating with y'all! 💖

Positive Energy and Unicorn Love Always,
Mcakes & eshoe

P.S. We will make every effort to accommodate all shipping restrictions, please state those restrictions at sign up via PM. Thank you!

If you are interested in joining, please see the Eligibility Requirements, Rules, and Key Dates below to see if this will be a good fit for you! Eligibility:Have you participated in a gift exchange on BT/BIC previously? YesPrevious participants in exchanges that either eshoe or I have hosted without incident on their part are pre-approved. If you participated in an exchange that eshoe or I have not hosted, please kindly provide a link to that exchange thread for us to do our due diligence. If there were no issues from the exchange on your part, we are excited to have you on board! NoMeet one or more of the following requirements:1.Must be willing to do a $50 box deposit that will be taken at sign up and returned once your Galentine has given us confirmation of delivery.2.Must be vouched for by 2 members of the community who eshoe or I are familiar with.*Since we are trying to be as inclusive as possible while also protecting other participants in this exchange, eshoe and I will have final discretion on participant eligibility. We realize that this is very subjective, but we must establish a certain degree of trust between users as there is sensitive information being exchanged. Thank you for your understanding.Rules:By expressing interest in signing up for the exchange, you are agreeing to the following:-The minimum spend for this exchange is $50. You do not need to go over this amount, but in the spirit of fairness you may not go under it.-If you have not participated in an exchange previously, you must ship your gift on or before February 1st. If you miss this deadline and do not communicate with eshoe or I about the reason for your delay, you will not get your box deposit back. Instead, we will use your box deposit to create a gift on your behalf. No Galentine will be left behind!-Provide tracking number(s) to eshoe or I once you have shipped your gift. This can be done via Elfster or messaging eshoe or I.-Acknowledge receipt of your gift ASAP, even if you need a little more time to do a full post. This is a courtesy to your gift or to know it was received (it is stressful waiting to know if a package made the journey ok!) and for eshoe and I to keep track of the progress in the exchange. You may do this via Elfster, by posting on this thread that you have received the parcel, or by messaging either eshoe or I.-You must post pictures of your gift. This is an integral part of the exchange experience and we want to share in the excitement with you! We know how much thought and care goes into curating a gift, and we want to acknowledge your giftor's efforts as well. You may provide pictures for either eshoe or I to post on your behalf if you are having issues posting, but please know that the pictures are a firm requirement.Key Dates:Sign Up Deadline: 12/31/22Draw Day (This is the day you find out who you are shopping for, yay!): 1/1/23Ship Date for First Time Participants: 2/1/23 (*If you are shipping from Canada to US or vice versa, this deadline will be earlier)All Gifts Must be Received: On or before 2/13/23 (Galentine's Day)To sign up, please comment on this thread! eshoe and I will be messaging approved participants with more details and will be updating the Participant List as we go. We are looking forward to celebrating with y'all! Positive Energy and Unicorn Love Always, Mcakes & eshoe P.S. We will make every effort to accommodate all shipping restrictions, please state those restrictions at sign up via PM. Thank you!

Tips and Tricks:

Spoiler

♥Ask questions! Anyone can ask anyone an anonymous question, that will help you get a better idea of likes and dislikes, haves and wants, etc.

♥When you purchase something, click "Mark As Purchased." They won't see it, but they might be using the same wishlist for other gift exchanges, so this can prevent them potentially getting the same gift from two different people.

♥If you got something for yourself, remove it from your wishlist!

Shipping:

Spoiler

How to ship abroad/add a customs label while still using online shipping:

1. Creating an account: First, you must create a free account on the USPS website. The paypal.com/shipnow site will not let you create customs forms.

2. Shipping Label: To create the shipping label, you want to use the "Click n Ship" function from the dropdown menu under Mail & Ship. Many of the directions from above are basically the same but the key difference is under, "Where are you sending to?" you will need to use the dropdown menu to select the country of choice.

3. Finishing the Shipping Label:Fill in all the corresponding information until the end of the form including the value of the package. The Canadians on the board may have more to speak to with this but I always kept this amount on the lower side so the recipient doesn't get hit with high customs fee. (average amount I would put would be $10-$20) A great feature is at the end of the page it will give you all your options for shipping. I can tell you on a personal note that when I ship to England I always choose first class international mail and I have never had a problem. Once again, delivery confirmation is thrown in for FREE.

3. Beginning the Customs Form: You will then get to a page that will you through step by step filling in the customs form. The first question will ask you to "Enter Package Information." This is where you can just write this is a gift box for a friend. You do not need to write anything more!

4. Customs Inventory: Next up is, "Enter Item Information." Okay, this one is a little tricky. If you want to itemize, and fill in every single thing in the box, you can. If you only want to do a couple, you can. I've done both over the years and both have been okay. I'm not going to tell you though that it will work every time so ultimately, the decision is up to you. Make sure though that you mark each item a GIFT so that the recipient does not get charged increased fees. Also, and this is IMPORTANT, the total that adds up for the all the items has to be the same total you gave on the previous page for the value of the box. So if you make something worth $1, that's fine! (Again, Canadians speak up hear if I'm wrong but my abroad friends always told me it was better to do this to reduce customs fees for the recipient.) Lastly, each weight of each individual item will need to add up to the to the total weight item, so I've honestly literally made up ratio numbers in the past. (I have never had a problem in years of sending packages)

5. Tarrif Number: Lastly, you do not have a tariff number so leave that blank. Okay, one last thing, choose your AES exemption. I would choose the second one having to do with gifts.

6. Obtaining the Label/Customs Form: The steps following this are similar to the ones from above except that I believe the payment options for USPS may also include credit card options as well as PayPal. Go ahead and print your label which will also contain your completed customs form. (Please note: you may need to sign your customs form before affixing it to your package) On a positive note, YOU STILL SAVE MONEY BY USING THE ONLINE POSTAGE SYSTEM!

7. How to actually ship it:For international packages, my personal advice is yes, bring it to the post office, and yes, actually check it in and get a receipt saying it was checked in by a postal worker. Since many international packages take quite longer than domestic and tend to get delayed at different intervals, you want to make sure that everything is okay when it first enters the system.

Duty Info (Thank you veronika23!)

The US can receive a gift up to 100$ USD. If you are sending a gift from Canada and mark it as 100$ you are actually saying it cost you 100$ CAD. Today Google converts that to 73.30$ USD so your recipient should be ok and not pay additional fees.

Canada can receive a gift up to 60$ CAD. If you are sending a gift from the US and it was 60$, you are actually saying it cost you 60$ USD. Today Google converts that to 81.86$ CAD. So your Canadian recipient in this case might pay duties/taxes/fees. But if your gift only cost you is lets say 35$ USD today Google converts that to 47.75$CAD. So the recipient shouldn't pay fees.

I believe customs will check the rate on the day the item is processed.

For the US ladies. The cheapest way to ship to Canada is via USPS First Class International mail.

♥Ask questions! Anyone can ask anyone an anonymous question, that will help you get a better idea of likes and dislikes, haves and wants, etc. ♥When you purchase something, click "Mark As Purchased." They won't see it, but they might be using the same wishlist for other gift exchanges, so this can prevent them potentially getting the same gift from two different people. ♥If you got something for yourself, remove it from your wishlist! Shipping:How to ship abroad/add a customs label while still using online shipping:1. Creating an account: First, you must create a free account on the USPS website. The paypal.com/shipnow site will not let you create customs forms.2. Shipping Label: To create the shipping label, you want to use the "Click n Ship" function from the dropdown menu under Mail & Ship. Many of the directions from above are basically the same but the key difference is under, "Where are you sending to?" you will need to use the dropdown menu to select the country of choice.3. Finishing the Shipping Label:Fill in all the corresponding information until the end of the form including the value of the package. The Canadians on the board may have more to speak to with this but I always kept this amount on the lower side so the recipient doesn't get hit with high customs fee. (average amount I would put would be $10-$20) A great feature is at the end of the page it will give you all your options for shipping. I can tell you on a personal note that when I ship to England I always choose first class international mail and I have never had a problem. Once again, delivery confirmation is thrown in for FREE.3. Beginning the Customs Form: You will then get to a page that will you through step by step filling in the customs form. The first question will ask you to "Enter Package Information." This is where you can just write this is a gift box for a friend. You do not need to write anything more!4. Customs Inventory: Next up is, "Enter Item Information." Okay, this one is a little tricky. If you want to itemize, and fill in every single thing in the box, you can. If you only want to do a couple, you can. I've done both over the years and both have been okay. I'm not going to tell you though that it will work every time so ultimately, the decision is up to you. Make sure though that you mark each item a GIFT so that the recipient does not get charged increased fees. Also, and this is IMPORTANT, the total that adds up for the all the items has to be the same total you gave on the previous page for the value of the box. So if you make something worth $1, that's fine! (Again, Canadians speak up hear if I'm wrong but my abroad friends always told me it was better to do this to reduce customs fees for the recipient.) Lastly, each weight of each individual item will need to add up to the to the total weight item, so I've honestly literally made up ratio numbers in the past. (I have never had a problem in years of sending packages)5. Tarrif Number: Lastly, you do not have a tariff number so leave that blank. Okay, one last thing, choose your AES exemption. I would choose the second one having to do with gifts.6. Obtaining the Label/Customs Form: The steps following this are similar to the ones from above except that I believe the payment options for USPS may also include credit card options as well as PayPal. Go ahead and print your label which will also contain your completed customs form. (Please note: you may need to sign your customs form before affixing it to your package) On a positive note, YOU STILL SAVE MONEY BY USING THE ONLINE POSTAGE SYSTEM!7. How to actually ship it:For international packages, my personal advice is yes, bring it to the post office, and yes, actually check it in and get a receipt saying it was checked in by a postal worker. Since many international packages take quite longer than domestic and tend to get delayed at different intervals, you want to make sure that everything is okay when it first enters the system. Duty Info (Thank you veronika23!) The US can receive a gift up to 100$ USD. If you are sending a gift from Canada and mark it as 100$ you are actually saying it cost you 100$ CAD. Today Google converts that to 73.30$ USD so your recipient should be ok and not pay additional fees.Canada can receive a gift up to 60$ CAD. If you are sending a gift from the US and it was 60$, you are actually saying it cost you 60$ USD. Today Google converts that to 81.86$ CAD. So your Canadian recipient in this case might pay duties/taxes/fees. But if your gift only cost you is lets say 35$ USD today Google converts that to 47.75$CAD. So the recipient shouldn't pay fees.I believe customs will check the rate on the day the item is processed.For the US ladies. The cheapest way to ship to Canada is via USPS First Class International mail.

Participants:

Spoiler

Mcakes
eshoe
gonerogue
Snglbug
AznAngelLiz
SportyGirly125
faeriegirl
sister13
quspork
heartsmyface
Kim888
cianni
Cissy63
Mellmars1185
Anastasiya13
danielledanielle
missjeanie
ClassicallyFab
ohheyitscindyk

McakeseshoegonerogueSnglbugAznAngelLizSportyGirly125faeriegirlsister13qusporkheartsmyfaceKim888cianniCissy63Mellmars1185Anastasiya13danielledaniellemissjeanieClassicallyFabohheyitscindyk

CynthieLu · ‎03-14-2023

That's too cute! @Anastasiya13

Anastasiya13 · ‎03-09-2023

Update of how he grew…. Such a cutie

sister13 · ‎03-09-2023

Oh my goodness, he’s so adorable! @Anastasiya13

missjeanie · ‎02-15-2023

I don't even know where to start.

I got home last night and my lovely neighbour had a note on my door that she had a package for me. When I knocked on her door, I was greeted with such a giddy smile. Not only did my Galentine make my day, she also brought smiles to my elderly neighbour and the delivery guy who apparently had quite the discussions about making sure my gorgeous package wasn't ruined by rain or snow and that they would entrust she could keep it safe for me. I of course had to come in for a cup of tea with the dipped strawberries I brought her and to explain the exchange. She was just tickled pink at the idea of Galentines and wanted me to tell everyone how much fun it sounded like and how much she was honoured to be delivering my package.

After my neighbourly Galentines visit I had to open my package right away! It was completely decked out on the outside, but the inside held so many treasures all wrapped up in my favourite colours and glittery finery. The flower on the note card and message was just the perfect touch.

My table is now covered in glitter and I'm not mad at it! So many gorgeous gifts all wrapped up in tissue and the most beautiful bags.

I opened up each gift and was ohhhing and ahhhhing the entire time. So much skincare that I'm in need of right now. My dry skin has been looking... lacklustre of late and I just know that between the Peach and Lily and the Monastery products I'm going to be glowing. So many samples, all tailored to my dry skin. I was actually just thinking the other day I needed to figure out what I wanted to try next for a clarifying shampoo and ta-da... the Briogeo appears! I'm a big fan of Dr. Jart products and I'm pumped to try out the Water Drop moisturizer. My only debate is if I can get away with just trying it all at once or if I should play things safe and test out one or two at a time?

And of course some goodies for the soul as well! The hair pins are gorgeous, I've never used this style before and while I always start the. day with my hair down, by mid day it's been flung up in some fashion, and this fashion is making a messy bun look classy! A little self indulgent bath and shower bomb will be perfect after a long day. And the fragrance... how on earth my Galentine managed to find so many that are exactly up my ally... beachy and gourmand all at the same time, I honestly can't decide which is my favourite. So many new to me that I love already! And the candle... you have to see the inside!! I know the eye gels are meant for some de-puffing... which will be perfect after a long night or on a hot day... but today, today these guys are nice and cool on my jaw after a long day (recently had a wee operation there), how have I not had these before? Talk about perfect for the odd bump and scrape and hangover!

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The treats! I absolutely love getting to try out some local goodies and I can't wait until I can enjoy the dip with a fresh loaf of bread followed by alllll the candy!

I really can't stop smiling. My heart is full of joy and gratitude not only for my wonderful Galentine @sister13 but for everyone on BIC who helps to make this such a wonderful haven. The glitter on my kitchen table will be there a few days (so I can see it and smile) but I will be smiling each and every time I reach for a new product or a new memory. Thank You so much Sister13, you found some of the most unique and wonderful products that are so perfect for me. Your gift is so appreciated and loved, much like yourself.

Cissy63 · ‎02-26-2023

Oh I love the colors of your box and so may wonderful goodies @missjeanie 💜💜. Your Galentine did such a great job picking out such an assortment of different things 💕. Your neighbor sounds delightful 😀. It’s great having neighbors like that. Sounds like you are really enjoying your gifts 🎁. Happy belated Galentine’s Day 🥰

missjeanie · ‎02-26-2023

@Cissy63 Yes!! @sister13 Did an amazing job picking out both fun and useful gift items! Its all been getting use and I'm finding some new favourites along the way for sure!

quspork · ‎02-20-2023

Ooh, I love the theme for this one, @missjeanie! Plus so many wonderful goodies!

missjeanie · ‎02-21-2023

@quspork Same!! I might... maybe.. sorta... still have it all out on my kitchen table. Makes me smile whenever I pass by! Trying to figure out what I can do to up cycle the silver balls!

Mcakes · ‎02-19-2023

Oh my goodness @missjeanie , what a perfect cap to the exchange! Your neighbors sound so sweet, how could anyone resist that cup of tea?! I know @sister13 was so sad the package ended up delayed, but wow is this so beautifully done! Enjoy!

missjeanie · ‎02-21-2023

@Mcakes The timing actually worked out perfectly for me! I totally would have waited to open it anyhow and this way my neighbour got to feel a part of it all. She's all on her own for the most part so I think she really likes it when there's 'action' in the neighbourhood lol.

Nickelliebear1 · ‎02-16-2023

I’m so smitten on the neighborly Galentine visit! It looks like @sister13 sure snagged some great products for you!

missjeanie · ‎02-17-2023

@Nickelliebear1 So many fun things!!

faeriegirl · ‎02-16-2023

That is an awesome story @missjeanie! Enjoy all your wonderful goodies!

missjeanie · ‎02-16-2023

Thanks @faeriegirl Twas a great night!

Mellmars1185 · ‎02-16-2023

@missjeanie I really enjoyed reading about your unboxing. It really sounds like you had such a pleasant experience from chattinf with your neighbour all the way to opening your goodies. You are so right - this space is such a special haven. @sister13 Did such a great job picking out just the perfect items for you. The candle is so special. Enjoy everything. 💜💜💜

sister13 · ‎02-17-2023

@Mellmars1185 , @missjeanie Was easy to shop for since she basically said she likes everything from makeup to skincare and snacks, sweet and salty!

missjeanie · ‎02-16-2023

Thanks @Mellmars1185 It was a great night all around and I'm loving everything so far!

Samtian · ‎02-16-2023

@missjeanie Ok that candle is the coolest!! I love your neighbor! Glad those eye pads helped your surgery spot! What perfumes did you get?

missjeanie · ‎02-16-2023

@Samtian My neighbour is pretty great. She's lived here forever and I think really likes watching the coming and goings. It's kinda nice having someone to take in packages and keep an eye out. The six fragrances are labeled as Hilde Soliani: Crema Di Latte, 19-69: Miami Blue, Beach Geeza: Ocean Water, Nicolai: Coccocabana, Profumum:Acqua e Zucchero and a roller ball of Monyette Paris. I've never smelled any of them before but they're all amazing! I haven't been able to pick a favourite yet!

Samtian · ‎02-17-2023

@missjeanie I had to go look them all up lol. I've only heard of one of those brands before. Now I added a bunch to my wishlists. I'd love to hear your detailed thoughts!

missjeanie · ‎02-17-2023

@Samtian I'm still trying to decide! I apparently have switched my favourites every day so far... which tells me I don't have a fav just yet lol

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