How To: 8 Things I’ve Learned From Selling Makeup Online

Hello lovelies!

 

So the husband and I are going on vacation, AND I’ve been cleaning our house and donating a lot of items, so I have been selling a lot of my makeup online. Here are a few of the major things I have learned:

 

1. Facebook is your friend!

I posted on a few makeup exchange groups. These groups are great! People post a LOT of stuff on them though, so you have to make sure you keep your listings up to date and keep on top of who wanted which item first. Also, make sure you read through the group’s rules before you post, so you don’t get yours deleted!

 

2. DON’T do holds!

I had one girl wanting multiple items. She was one of the first people that contacted me and I decided to be nice and do a hold for her. Looking through the forum’s comments, she was posting all over (literally every 3rd listing had her comment for purchase on it!) and she was telling everyone that she needed more time. I ended up missing out on a for-sure sale on some of these items because I was holding them for her.

 

3. Don’t forget shipping and paypal fees when you’re setting prices.

Most of my items cost about $3.50 to ship and another $1.50 in materials and PP fees. If I’m not making what I ACTUALLY want for the item + $5 MINIMUM, then I’m not getting a good deal. The customer might be, but I’ll be out some of the money I thought I was getting!

 

4. Don’t stay in the groups too long…

You WILL see things you want to buy! If the point of you listing is to make money and declutter, take care of your listings and GET OUT! This has been hard for me since there are a lot of AMAZING deals on these forums. I have to keep reminding myself WHY I am on the forum in the first place.

 

5. Auctions are another option.

One of the groups I am in does auction events. They will have you post photos and starting bids (as well as bid increments and shipping fees to the winner) on the event page. Then users comment with their bid. This is a good way to get more for your item if it is in high demand and you can hold off on selling it for a couple of days.

For instance, if you listed an eyeliner for $10 on the regular group, it would sell for $10. If you list it on the forum STARTING at $10, and it’s a high demand item, it will get you at least $10, but bidding will likely net you more money.

 

6. If you do buy anything (or for items you are selling), sanitize them and pack them well!

Sanitize everything you purchase online. Even if they said they did, it’s not worth the risk. Usually all you need is some alcohol in a spray bottle to spritz on the item. Also, be kind and sanitize your items for your customers. If your brushes or fingers have been in it, you need to clean it!

 

7. Pay attention to specifics

Look at the oz size listing. You may think you are getting a full size when really they are selling a travel size at a higher price point. Make sure you watch this part of the listings, or ask if it is not stated outright.

 

8. Compare online

That bronzer that is listed for $22 (+shipping) looks like a great deal… Until you see that you can order it from Ulta for $25 with free shipping. Sometimes a couple bucks isn’t worth the hassle of dealing with strangers online or paypal. If you go through a well known retailer, you know EXACTLY what you are getting. You have to weigh how good of a deal it really is before you commit, so the easiest thing to do is do a quick check online at Sephora, Ulta, Walgreens, etc.

This also goes for selling as a way to help you set your prices. You probably aren’t going to get the full amount you paid for an item, unless it’s still brand new in the box and you got it on a super deal or it was a Limited Edition/discontinued item. Look to see what they are going for at retailers and set your prices accordingly!

 

 

Any other tips or lessons you’ve learned while selling or buying makeup online? Let me know in the comments!

How To: Remove Gel Polish

Hello loves!

I’ve been MIA for a few days because I am packing up my house! My husband and I are moving so you’ll have to bear with me and some sporadic posting for a bit! The goal after we move though is to get a room set up where I can do my blogging and hopefully branch out into some vlogging as well!

 

Anyway, on with the show.

I LOVED my first trek into gel polish! Regular polish always seems to chip so quickly on me so I get acrylic nails. With those I was going to the nail salon at least once a week because I would break one. Not the easiest thing to do when my salon is half an hour away!

Gel has staying power which is great until you want to take the damn things off! Here is what I learned along the way.

Grab cotton balls and cut them in half. This will make the rest of the process much easier.

Cut a bunch of foil into strips before you start the rest of this. It’ll make things much easier as well. I ran out part way through and it wasn’t pretty.

Take your half cotton ball and soak it in polish remover. Put it on top of your nail and then wrap the foil over it to hold it in place against your nail. Repeat with the rest of your nails.

Try to do this when you won’t be doing anything and can just sit and relax for about 15 minutes. I just put on a timer and then watched tv for 15 minutes. 

Now take them off one by one and use a cuticle pusher or something similar to push the weakened gel off of your nail. Mine would not come easily, so I took off what i could, then re-wrapped the nail I had been working on and moved on to the next. That way they can keep soaking while I keep working!

I also recommend roughing up the surface of the gel with a coarse file before you start and before each time that you have to rewrap you nails. This will help the remover to penetrate the gel better, especially if you have a pretty in tact top coat on still. 

Please remember that you NEVER want to just chip your gel polish away! This can rip off the top layer of your nail as well and damage your nail beds!

Any other tips for removnig gel polish? Leave them in the comments below!