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Post in Besides Beauty
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~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

 

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

 

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

 

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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

How to Join and, Key Dates and Housekeeping Info:

Spoiler
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:
Spoiler

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!

 

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.

Participants:

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

 

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

I’m so glad to see you received it on time! I was worried because I noticed the tracking never updated and still showed it as not sent! 

I had never heard of Lemonhead before but I knew as soon as you said it was the top of your list, I had to buy it! I’m not going to lie…I busted open the package as soon as I received it because I wanted to check them out. So gorgeous!

 

I’m happy to hear you liked everything. Your list made everything so easy with an abundance of choices. Annnnnnd it served as a great excuse to take a day off work and road trip down to the USA because the brush was literally the only thing available in Canada lol (don’t worry, it’s not a super long road trip and I’ve literally drove down just to buy post it notes before ha!)

 

Happy Galentine’s Day, @gonerogue! 💜

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@Snglbug I was nervous about the tracking too but it magically arrived while I was on a call so I turned my camera off and went out to get it so I could examine the goods lol Had I known you were in Canada I would have been more mindful about my selections- so sorry about that! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

I’ve always been tempted by the spacepaste but have never pulled the trigger! So awesome and fun! Happy Galentine’s Day to you both! @gonerogue @Snglbug 

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@sister13  Same here! I don't do party looks often and I already own lots of glitter products so I could never justify it but now I don't have to 😆 super stocked to use it!

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@gonerogue   Ouhhhh rave worthy glitter (or for laundry day in the interim;)).   Do I detect green sparkles in that glitter?  st patty’s day is approaching if there are no raves anytime soon;);). 
I love the customized keychain!  Very cute!!  

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@heartsmyface  You evil genius, you! That had not crossed my mind. My bf is half Irish so we will for sure be hitting the pubs on St. Patty's day and I will be sure to incorporate my new glitter goodies in my look somehow 🤓

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

Oooooh those Space Paste shades are 100% glittery goodness @gonerogue 🤩What a sweet Galentine @Snglbug was to surprise you with those! Enjoy 💖

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@gonerogue @I’d never heard of Space Paste before…. But dang that’s some gorgeous glitter!!

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@missjeanie If you're into glitter, you gotta look up Lemonhead LA. They have the most amazing glitter pastes around!

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@gonerogue @The swatches are gorgeous!  Many yummy snacks too.  Your Galentine @Snglbug  gave you a wonderful box 🤩

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@gonerogue what a perfect gift!! so excited that you finally got your hands on the space paste! fellow raver here 💃 it's definitely an excuse to go!! The SC x Wetbrush is also a win - i liked my FS one so much that i bought two minis for my gym bag and car!

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@cianni That brush sat in my wish list for what seemed like decades. I'm glad it's finally out of the graveyard so I can test it out. If you're a fan, I'm sure I will like it too 🙂

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@cianni   Yea!!! And stick that glitter in your hair!!!  There’s gotta be a V Day one happening like everywhere!  

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@heartsmyface i've seen a lot of spongebob ones on social media.... i cant explain why but im SO intrigued LOL 

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@gonerogue What a wonderful gift from @Snglbug ! The wrapping is so pretty.

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

Those swatches are so pretty! Enjoy all your goodies @gonerogue!

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

Oooh so sparkly @gonerogue !!!! What a fun gift ! 

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@gonerogue @Aww what an amazing gift of goodies from your Galentine. 

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

I am just so blown away right now!  This big heavy box arrived yesterday and oh my gosh!  I thankfully opened it right side up and was presented with glorious glittery hearts and a Galentine message on the inner flaps!!!  phew that I didn’t try the other way😄!    it was a never ending tall box and I just kept pulling out more and more items!  ha, the box was as deep as my arm!

I drew the attention of a certain six year old who was very happy to help assist me in the most exhaustive job of gift opening!  

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^the contents released from the box!  My Galentine is a Tetris Master.  

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The cutest card for this avacado lover!!!  

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The wormies were a hit!!!  They morphed into alien tentacles (as they do) and consumed innocent civilians.  

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I tried taking a nice before photo of everything but someone was anxious to help me open everything😅

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Pretending to be sleepy Pika!  The pika is adorable!!! I love him soooo much!  

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Cherry shaped under eye patches! How fun!

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Omg!!!  I can’t even!  My first chantecaille blush!!!  Thank you so much!  I feel so utterly spoiled and overwhelmed at this point!!  

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The softest fluffiest heart printed at home socks!   These will get sooo much wear!   

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Ouhhhh my fav night mask that’s almost empty AND the blueberry cleansing balm!!!!  I haven’t tried the blueberry yet so I’m sooooo excited!!  

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Ahhhhh, okay I feel stalked right now😆. Also a complete HG of mine!!!   Cherry is the best shade!!!! ;);).  Thank you sooo much Galentine!  This is so overly generous and shocking in the best way!!!  

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Ouhhhh I haven’t tried this one yet (or this brand in general so I’m really looking forward to experiencing it!!  I love exfoliators way too much!  

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Ha!  So my eye patches all turn into ‘boo boo’ fixers so my son was like ‘oh these will be food for when you get hurt!’  Ha, thanks for the foresight Galentine!  

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Ahhh, I just placed an order for Native body washes and didn’t even think to buy or try the deodorant which is what they seem to be popular for!  it smells really good!!!  

Teh Kérastase looks awesome!  I know I’ll love it cause I haven’t been disappointed by a single product from them!  Thank you!  

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This is the cutest (mug? Makeup brush holder?- I haven’t decided either way it’s permanent title.  And cha cha Cherry and unicorn teas and a beautiful chamomile lavender tea!  

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THE CUTEST THING IN THE BOX!!!  A itty bitty glass pikachu!  Literally a pocket monster!  He’s so precious!!!!  Dior lip oil placed for size

comparison.  I am dying happy at his adorableness!!!  He reminds me of those little animal figurines that used to come in tea boxes.  

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It just keeps going….. 

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And going…..  the heart charm is already adorning my bag:) 

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And snacks for daaaays…. The Reese have been pilfered but I managed to snag a couple before they disappeared.  Yum!!! Mochi!!!!  It’s like you know me! 😂

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And masks to wear while eating snacks!!!  

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And all the samples!!!   

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Pika being my buddy while I boil water for tea:). I totally missed the opportunity to use the heart coasters for that round!  

 

I feel so…. Speechless really!  The generosity and then the time my Galentine put into curating this box and presenting everything wrapped and packaged in cute paper (i tried saving some heart tissue cause it’s so precious!) and gift packages… I love it all!   Thank you for making my whole month cause it’s going to take that long to give everything the love it deserves!  

Now for the great reveal my Galentine is…….. @Nickelliebear1 !!!!!  Thank you sooooo much!  I am truly appreciative to have you as a BIC family member!!  Thanks for the sweet note and for, well, everything!!!   You must have had so much fun putting everything together and it shows! 🥰🥰🥰😘

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

Completely swooning about so many of the goodies @Nickelliebear1 picked for you @heartsmyface ! And "baby" hearts, how is he 6? omg time is a thief. The cutest little helper! The Chantecaille blush looks soooo pretty. 

Re: ~♥Galentine's Day Exchange 2023♥~

@heartsmyface ,

 

This unboxing was a real party.  So much fun!  The rose quartz Pikachu heart-stealer.  ❤️ The gorgeous Chantecaille blush.  😍  Swoon!

Great job, @Nickelliebear1 !  Well-posted, @heartsmyface !

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