Get ready to swap ‘til you drop, beauties! The Swapaholics—pioneers in fashion-forward and eco-friendly clothing swaps—are bringing a beauty event to Denver, Colorado that you won’t want to miss. As you might have read on Her Campus before, the Swapaholics have a knack for uniting thousands of women to exchange top-quality clothing. Well, they do the same with beauty products, and if you love shopping, beauty products, and a night with the girls, you’re going to want to check out the “Swap & Learn Happy Hour” this Thursday!
Stop by the event armed with the admission price of $10 and a bag filled with beauty products you’re looking to exchange (or $15 and no swap items) and you can to swap your products for different shades, brands, and sizes. Celebrity makeup artist Carissa Passerella of Hooked On Beauty and makeup artists from Makeup Mania will also be on hand to give free makeovers and help swappers pick the perfect products for their unique features.
Since beauty products are all about trial and error—come on, ladies, how many times have you used a product once and immediately hated it? —swapping is a great way to try out new products, says Melissa Massello, co-host of Swapaholics.
Massello says that swapping is good for the environment as well, since most beauty products come in non-recyclable packaging: “It’s great for college students, it’s great for women everywhere, and it’s great just to keep [beauty product packaging] out of the landfills.”
For anyone unsure about the sanitary aspect of swapping beauty products, Massello says there’s no reason to be shy. Only products that are safe to swap (think products that aren’t applied directly to the face, like mascaras, lip glosses etc.) are encouraged at the events, and the products being swapped are sanitized on location. And part of the fun of a “Swap and Learn” event is the educational aspect, where you learn about swapping and sanitizing products.
“You might learn a little about makeup for fall from the makeup artists, or you might take home a few lessons about sanitizing beauty products or even do this at home with a group of your girlfriends or your roommates or your sorority sisters who you feel more comfortable swapping with than strangers,” Massello says. “But you’ll have all the tools at your disposal to do this in the future and to learn what it’s all about.”
Swappers will also get some sweet swag bags from national sponsors, exclusive deals from Denver-based businesses, delicious local food from Big Fat Cupcakes and Steuben’s Food Truck, and the chance to win fun and fashionable raffle prizes.
At the end of the night, any makeup that isn’t swapped will be donated to a local shelter, SafeHouse Denver. Massello says this is one of the most exciting parts of the event, since makeup can really be transformative. And sharing beauty products with the women in shelters is a rewarding experience.
The “Swap & Learn Happy Hour” takes place this Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at StudioWed Denver on 4500 West 38th Street. For more information, visit the Swapaholics’ website! Or register, here.