The Truth About Buying Makeup Online

Unless you are a complete makeup junkie (like myself) I always advise people against buying makeup online for a few reasons:

1) Unless you are buying from a trusted authorized seller or the company itself there is no way to prove you are not getting counterfeit merchandise.  If the price sounds too good to be true most likely it is.  EBay is the place most people get burned.  The only exception to this rule is NYX because it is so hard to find in stores.  I do buy that on ebay but only from one seller.

2) The color often is not what it appears on the screen.  If you wear almost every part of the rainbow and don't so much care if a color is off from what you thought you can skip this reason.  Many however stick only to the colors they are comfortable working with so any slight change totally ruins their makeup routine.

3) Sizes of products actually appear different in real life.  Lets get real the average person does not know what .17 oz of product looks like compared to .37.  Get my drift..

4) Never buy MAC from anywhere but the store itself, their website www.maccosmetics.com, or the high end department store counters & website.  9/10 it will be fake from anywhere else.

If none of these rules apply to you, by all means go and save those few dollars by ordering online.  Some of the best places ( and really the only places I shop) are:

HauteLook which is an invite member only daily sale network. They usually have deals you could NEVER beat anywhere.  Join here for free: http://www.hautelook.com/invite/NSci154 . You always know that the items are fresh, authentic, & order will come correct.  The downside is the shipping time (usually no less than 2wks) and the sales only last usually 2days and then its new products & they tend to sell out very, very fast (there is a method to HauteLook that I have perfected that I will share in another post, stay tuned this week)

Ulta- It is just like Sephora however the only difference is they sell both prestige cosmetics and drugstore brands so you get the most out of your shipping cost.  Also, they ALWAYS have good sales...and samples with every order..YAY!!

Sephora- Speaks for itself.  Authentic, great customer service, fast shipping, and pretty decent deals....lets not forget the samples

MAC- some people love and worship MAC.  Yes, the products are great but they almost NEVER have sales...so unless its the holidays or they have a new product I must have, its usually a deal-breaker for me.  I have found dupes to most of their items so I'm happy. 

Lip Gloss vs Lip Stains

Ever had a lip gloss that was perfect color but you just couldn't get it to stay.  After a hour of having that lip gloss "poppin" there was no color left and you were forced to reapply.  What a bummer.  Next time try a lip stain.  Its just like a lip gloss but it just stays a bit longer & you have better staying powder than even a lipstick provides.

Pros
-Good staying power
-glossy finish
-more color payoff

Cons
- not the best for short time wear
-sometimes has a weird smell (kind of like a subtle paint)
-depending on the brand can have weird taste (ok, so sephora lip stain does not taste horrible its TERRIBLE)

I have tried everything from Loreal to the higher end brands and I must say the drugstore brands are better to me.  Less of a weird smell and taste.  The best one I have had is Loreal Color Stay and the worst is Sephora.  Its up to matter of opinion, but I love the concept of lip stains.  My favorite lip gloss is Lancome Juicy Tubes.  It gives you the glossy but not sticky and tacky feeling that I get with MAC lipglass.