Tips for Online Makeup Shopping

Online shopping can always be a gamble due to the fact that you can't see the actual product you're planning to buy. Whenever you click on "Submit Order" when you're checking out, you're taking a big leap of faith, hoping that what you get in the mail a couple of weeks from now will be in good condition; will be exactly what you ordered; or will arrive at all.

Ordering makeup online is even scarier. Because everyone's computer monitors are calibrated differently, the colors you see on the websites could be spot on, or they could be light-years off. As such, the only benefit to ordering makeup online is for the convenience (not dealing with aggressive salespeople, or the possibility of making the trip only to find out what you want is sold out) and for the discounts. So, before you get yourself any more ahead in the checkout process online, I'd advise you to do the following:

• 1. Go to your nearest makeup counter to swatch/try out the products you want.
  Unfortunately, some online retailers do not allow you to return opened/used makeup. Going to the store is the only way you can try the products out beforehand.


• 2. I've said this time and time again here on this blog: Visit Ebates.com and Retailmenot.com for cash back deals and promo codes.
  Really, this is the only reason online shopping is more useful than going to your local store. Especially in today's economy, it's more important for you to make use of these discounts!


• 3. If you don't particularly feel like getting yourself to the nearest Sephora, Ulta, mall, etc., then at least make sure you check out any online forums for product reviews.
  Websites like Makeup Alley are filled with reviews and pictures by fellow members/users. If anything, you'll at least be able to make a better informed decision before you purchase.

Hopefully, these tips will help you in making an online cosmetics purchase that you'll be happy with. Happy shopping!

Five Reasons Why I Prefer to Shop Sephora Online

1. Opportunity for Ebates cash back.

2. Great promotional gifts and deals (check Retailmenot.com for current promo codes).

3. You get 3 free samples with every purchase.

4. You get free shipping with any purchase of $50 or more. Even if you do have to pay for shipping, what with the cost of gas and all (unless you've got a Sephora down the street), you'll pretty much break even anyway.

5. There's a larger selection of items online.


Be sure to take advantage of the Holiday Friends and Family Discount (20% off your entire purchase!) by entering FF2008 when you check out.

Sephora.com

I LOVE Ebates!!!

Hey everyone! Ebates just got better! Many of their affiliated online retailers doubled their cash back bonuses in time for holiday shopping. Sephora, for example, went from 4% cash back to 8% cash back! Log into your Ebates account or check out their website to see all of their deals!

Online Cosmetics Deals!

Here's a quick list of make-up deals online this week:

Prescriptives - 25% off + Free Shipping through Friday, 10/24.
Use promo code FRIEND8 at checkout.
Apparently, they make some of the best foundations around.
My tip: Connect through Ebates to get an additional 6% cash back.

MAC - Free Shipping all purchases through Saturday, 10/25.
No promo code necessary.
MAC's known for their lipsticks and eyeshadows. I personally find their lipsticks a little drying, but the colors are great. Just have your lipbalm handy.
No Ebates link here, although some department stores listed on Ebates also sell MAC.

Shu Uemura - Free Shipping on orders of $45+ through Sunday, 10/26.
Use promo code OCT08 at checkout.
If you haven't tried their cleansing oils, you don't know what you're missing! Also, their lipsticks are like butter... A sweet, berry-scented butter.
My tip: Connect through Ebates to get 5% cash back.

Deals & Steals Online!!!

With the economy down, we're starting to watch our spending. Although the best thing to do is to not buy anything at all, we all know that's impossible. We all have some material needs (and wants) in life that we cannot ignore.

Online shopping has become increasingly popular because of goods being priced lower than those offered at your local brick & mortar. On top of that, more online retailers are offering deals for free shipping, and sometimes you can even get away without paying sales tax. It's also a wonderful thing for semi-asocial people such as myself. No hassle of having to deal with aggressive salespeople, and no waiting in long lines to check out. Pure heaven. Now, let me tell you about a few online resources that can make your online shopping experience much more grand.

First off, there is my current favorite: Ebates.com. Join Ebates (for free), and you'll have access to getting cash back from hundreds of online retailers. How does it work? Log into your Ebates account, click on the link to the online retailer of your choice, and start shopping! Clicking on the link activates a sort of link between your purchase and your Ebates account. The money will be deposited to your Ebates account and will be sent to you directly or deposited into a PayPal account.

There are two minor snags: 1. You have to have earned a minimum of $5 in cash back before you can see any of that money; and 2. Checks are sent to you on a quarterly basis (once every 3 months). BUT I can assure you that this service works! I joined earlier this year, and have already received checks from them. Also, in my experience, dealing with customer service when a particular purchase hasn't posted to your account has been fairly easy. Of course, the burden of proof is on you, but it's as easy as sending them a copy of your invoice and evidence that you activated an Ebates ticket for that retailer at the time of purchase (which you can easily find in your Ebates account). They also have a "Daily Double" deal, where they'll choose one retailer and double the cash back percentage for the day (I'm still kicking myself for the day I missed Shu Uemura at 10% off, plus additional coupons!!!). If you're just signing up for Ebates, be sure to tell them I referred you (enter my email at hotmail.com)! ;-)

Second, there are those AAA discounts. Of course, you have to be a AAA member in order to take advantage of this, but deals like 10% off of any Target online purchase??? Save yourself the gas money, and order those funky linens online!!! AAA deals work a little like Ebates: you have to log into your account and activate the link in order for the discount to work, but it's taken off right when you check out (no waiting for any checks).

Next, there is Retailmenot.com. This one is pretty straightforward. Type in the web address for a particular online retailer, and the search engine will bring up a list of available coupons, along with a rating of whether or not it's working and comments from other users. No membership involved.

Then, we have sites like Shopping.com and BizRate.com. Enter the name of the item you want to buy in the search engine, and these sites will bring up a list of all the online retailers selling that particular item. The best part? They also indicate who's selling it the cheapest. Make sure you check out their seller's ratings, though.

Finally, register online to become a member of whatever clothing, electronics, makeup brand or retailer you have any interest in, and sign up for their email newsletters. Most of the time, they'll send you a bunch of junk advertising the latest whatever (it might be helpful to create another email address dedicated to this stuff). BUT, every once in a while, they will send you that ONE EMAIL... The one that has the line, really small in the corner, that says "25/50/75% off all purchases!" JACKPOT!