I know recession beauty tips are as stale and crusty as week-old bread so I’m not going to espouse on that. But I will say that swapping beauty products is a great way to keep that sense of luxury we love so much alive and well despite the dismal economy.

Instead of downgrading to a cheaper brand, why not trade something you don’t want for something that you do? It’s not a new concept to beauty addicts, so I’ll just talk about my experience.

As I was cleaning out my closet after I returned from my Sydney holiday, I couldn’t help but feel guilty about practically full bottles of fragrances that I didn’t adore as much as before.

I was like, “I’ve got nothing to wear…” But in my heart, I knew it would be frivolous of me to buy more of something that just evaporates into thin air.

Then, I remembered an excellent article from one of my favorite perfume blogs, Now Smell This, which gave a comprehensive guide on swapping fragrances at popular beauty forum, Makeup Alley. I had been a lackluster member of Makeup Alley, so I dived back in and spruced up my profile (I’m astrorainfall there, by the way).

I discovered a world of barter trade — from bags, to shoes, to lip gloss. Whatever could be dug out from a woman’s closet, you will find it here.

That’s not to say swapping is as easy as shopping online. It’s a long drawn-out process where it takes time to find a match for what you want and what you are willing to give up.

I was lucky to have 90 per cent full bottles of unique perfumes and these are what I got in return:

Lolita Lempicka Midnight (this is my favoritest perfume right now!) and Juicy Couture (I’m kind of regretting this as the watermelon note is a little… overpowering)

I’ve still got a Diptyque perfume on the way which I’m dying to lay my paws on.

So far, I swapped with very experienced swappers and their feedback profiles were flawless (they are called “tokens” on MUA). They also included very thoughtful extras like body cream samples, Greek tea bags, decants of Hypnotic Poison, the original Lolita Lempicka, and Donna Karen’s Cashmere Mist.

What I love about swapping is, it feels like you’re getting a lovely present when your parcel arrives but all you did was to pay for postage to give someone else something she wants.

I wasn’t in a hurry to get rid of my stuff and was careful to make equal swaps. Sometimes I would trawl the swap section for people who have things on my wish list as a way to pass time.

I would definitely encourage you to put up your wares but do have realistic expectations in terms of time and effort. On a last note, here is a fascinating story about a Canadian guy who started off swapping a red paper clip and ended up with a house at One Red Paperclip.

Related posts:

1. Adding spice to your perfume
2. A perfumista’s pilgrimage
3. Where to get beauty goodies in Tokyo