Interview with Kelli of Unnecessary Drama

Let's meet Kelli! Her blog, Unnecessary Drama, is full of beauty and makeup and sparkle! She was, of course, the hostess of the Lip Gloss Swap and hopefully she'll host many more in the future!

SwapDex: Tell us a bit about you.

Kelli: My name is Kelli & I'm 22 years old from Pittsburgh, PA. I've lived here my whole life, so I'm really loyal to my city which obviously makes me a huge Penguin & Steeler fan. I've been with my boyfriend Jim for almost 2 years now & I love him to death. I graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh back in December with a Bachelor Degree in Advertising & I currently work as a leasing consultant at a luxury apartment complex in Pittsburgh.


SD: How long have you been swapping? How did you first learn about swapping, and what made you decide to start? Do you remember your first one?

K: I recently got into the swap thing by participating in a Scarf Swap on a blog called "Loves of Life" and just totally fell in love with the idea. I like giving much better than receiving, but it never hurts to get something in return, too. I love shopping for others and making people happy, so I felt like it was only natural for me to swap.

SD: What is your range of swapping? Do you stick to swaps hosted by people you know or are you likely to swap with anyone, anytime?

K: I like to participate in swaps that involve beauty products or accessories. I'm not huge with crafting or anything, so I don't typically enter in the scrapbooking swaps or anything like that. If it's a swap with something I like, chances are I'll enter regardless of who's hosting.

SD: Do you swap with any organized groups like yahoo groups, flickr, groups on swap-bot, other message boards, etc? Why or why not?

K: Nope, haven't really gotten into swapping on any site other than blogger. I'm not really involved in any other sites like I am here - so I guess it kind of makes sense that I haven't branched out :o)

SD: What's your favorite swap you've ever been in or hosted? (specific swap or type of swap if you can't pick just one)

K: I am currently loving the lip gloss swap I'm hosting. The more entries I get, the more excited I become. Even though it's something little, I love that there are SO many choices out there. That's what makes swaps so special - you truly never know what you're going to get.

SD: What do you do to make your packages special?

K: I am the queen of wrapping paper, so everything usually gets wrapped. The post office has really cute bubble envelopes now, so I always pick one of those up when sending stuff out. If you have a hot pink polka-dot package waiting for you, chances are it's from me :o)

SD: What do you think is the most challenging part of hosting a swap? Any advice for someone who is thinking about hosting a swap?

K: Don't even think about hosting a swap if you're unorganized in any way! In order to have everything run smoothly, it's essential that you have a game plan going into things, too. Don't think that making a spreadsheet won't help you - cuz it totally will! Before posting instructions on how to enter, I usually have my mom or boyfriend read it and ask them "if you were entering, would you know what to do after reading that?". If they say yes, typically I know I'm good to go on that end.

SD: Any exciting plans for the near future? Swaps, projects, new products?

K: I have had such a great response with the blog that it blows my mind everyday. I just got a huge package from a company the other day asking me to review things for them. Basically, I'm doing what I've always wanted to do - which is writing - and combining it with something that I've loved forever - which is makeup. I'm looking forward to branching out and having the site grow over the years!

Awesome, Kelli! Great job hosting a unique swap and keep up the good work!