I belong to a make-up forum that I absolutely LOVE called makeuptalk.com. I'm a beauty product addict & love trying out new things & talking about them. A group of gals on the forum started talking about maybe doing a Secret Santa exchange for Christmas this year & I thought it sounded fun so I joined the group. It was a blast. The only requirements were that you spent $25 on your Santee's gift. You can choose to go over that amount if you so desire, but they do ask that you spend at least $25 to be fair to everyone participating. There were two groups:
#1: for make-up & beauty products
#2: Nail Polish
So of course I joined both groups. As soon as I got my Santee's names, I started stalking the forum for posts they had posted to give me hints on what their likes/dislikes were. I had fun going to Sephora, LUSH, Ulta, & a few other places in search for the perfect gifts for my gals. I also shopped my "stash" (I have a HUGE stash of make-up beauty related samples at my house that I acquire from Sephora & my subscription boxes) It was a BLAST!!! I put together 2 boxes: one for my normal Secret Santee package & the other for my Nail Polish Secret Santee package. I did a 25 days of Christmas where they each got to open one gift a day for the entire month of December. Each gift got more & more exciting as the month went along. It was SO MUCH FUN to do. I mailed it the week of Thanksgiving & my little Santee's LOVED them. It was so fun seeing their excitement when their packages arrived. It was great hearing from them the entire month of December as they opened their gifts. I'm definitely doing this again next year.
As for me, I also had 2 Santa's that bought gifts for me. My regular Secret Santa gift arrive first on December 6th. We had a military Christmas party that night & it was torture having to wait until MIDNIGHT to come home & get to finally open my gifts.
My Santa sent 12 wrapped packages for me & then some packages for each of my kids & a bag of shaving supplies for my hubby. She really "stalked" me to find out what I'd like & to find out about me (having 6 kids & a military hubby who has to shave every day.) The kids each got a candy flavored chapstick & the baby got an adorable hat & rubber ducky. They loved it.
I was completely dumbfounded by my gifts from my secret santa. She more than spoiled me rotten. The price point was $25, but she quadrupled that easily. I felt so touched that she spent so much time, money, & effort on a complete stranger she'd never met before.
She got me some Philosophy Body Wash (my favorite body wash brand. . . which retails for $17 alone), Zoya polish, some fun samples of brands I had never heard of before, a journal & keychain, some Real Technique brushes (very NICE top of the line brushes), Couture of Minnie nail polish (I love anything Mickey or Minnie related), & the main gift was the new Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. This JUST came out on December 3rd & it's the hottest make-up item available right now. I don't know how she got it. It sold out in 30 minutes the night it came out. This puppy costs $52 & I still can't believe it's mine. I wanted it SO BADLY & never would have bought it for myself. My Secret Santa was amazing. She MADE my Christmas.
Oh & then to top it all off, Christmas Eve I got ANOTHER package from my Santa saying she found something else she wanted me to have. Inside was December's Glossybox sub box. It had 5 full size beauty products to try out in it. I'm having a blast with them. I was super duper spoiled rotten.
Then, a few days later, my package from my Nail Secret Santa arrived. I was so excited & floored by my regular Santa that I had totally forgotten I had a nail surprise still coming.
This Santa also did a 12 days of Christmas theme. She asked that I only open one gift a day & I told her I would follow her wishes. Each gift had a verse to the popular 12 days of Christmas song.
On the 1st day of Christmas my Secret Santa gave to me:
a Minnie Mouse on a ring
She sent an adorable Minnie Mouse keychain that I LOVE as well as a beautiful red polish mini that actually smells like peppermint after it dries. LOVE IT.
Two Texas Treats
some Longhorns & a yummy lavender soap from her hometown.
Three Teal Treasures
a Deborah Lippmann teal glitter polish, a teal Cult Nails polish, & a Pixi teal eyeliner
Four Pink Pleasures
(which turned out to be 5 things). . . 3 lip pink lip glosses, a coral/pink polish, & a pink/white polish duo.
Five Gor-geous Gems
five beautiful polish minis
Six Sparkling Secrets
This was the Orly Secret Society line of polishes. They are gorgeous.
Seven Talented Tools
Five dotting tools, a file, & adorable clippers
Eight German Santas
She knew there were 8 people in our family & she knew we loved & missed Germany SO MUCH that she searched out some Lübecker Marzipan chocolates (my favorite from Germany) for all of us. What a sweetheart huh?
Nine Bathing Beauties
nine different samples of things I'd use for or after a great bath.
Ten Mommy Minutes
She knew that as a mom of 6 kids, I don't get much time to myself. She sent some fun things to enjoy in little ten minute breaks I get for myself like hot cocoa, a magazine, a candle, candy, & polishes.
Eleven Girlie Goodies
YES. Everything a girl would love. A cute make up bag, nail stickers, polish, lotions, perfume, a bow. . . you name it.
Twelve Ice Cream Fundaes
twelve ice cream flavored bath bombs. How fun is that?
I was once again spoiled rotten by a complete stranger. Did I mention how wonderful the ladies are on this forum? Trek laughs at me chatting with my "pretend" friends, but let me tell you. . . sometimes those "pretend" friends end up being better & more honest that your real life friends. Not always. . . I have great friends, but it's fun getting to know others around the country as well.
Here's all my polishes from my Nail Secret Santa all lined up next to each other. Aren't they beautiful. Now to decide which color to use first? Decisions, decisions.
