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What’s Your Favorite Place to Buy Makeup?

October 19th, 2008 by Karen 41 Comments

Do you have a favorite store or website for makeup? Are you a Nordstrom or Sephora gal, or do you prefer beautycrunch.com?

I like Nordstrom and Sephora for in-store browsing because they have great return policies, but I like beautycrunch for bargain basement deals.

What Is Your Favorite Place to Buy Makeup?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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What’s Your Favorite Place to Buy Makeup? / Originally published October 19th, 2008

There are 41 comments on this post. Leave yours.

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Comments

  1. Almira says

    October 19th, 2008 at 10:37 am

    For me, it’s not really the items they carry or even the price. Sure, I’ll hunt online for stuff I can’t find anywhere else, but for me, nothing beats going into a store to be greeted by friendly staff that love to make women beautiful =3

    Almira´s last blog post..BOO! You’ve Been Boo’d!

    Reply
  2. Fie says

    October 19th, 2008 at 11:31 am

    Lol. 😛 Totally random, but the picture you used in this post is a shopping mall in Malaysia called The Curve.

    T_T I miss home now. I used to hang out there alot cos my boyfriend’s house in just across the street from there.

    Reply
  3. sarahPUFFY! says

    October 19th, 2008 at 12:07 pm

    Walgreens has a bitchin return and exchange policy for cosmetics. It surprised even me. As long as you have a reciept, there will be no questions asked. 🙂

    sarahPUFFY!´s last blog post..Why hay there….

    Reply
  4. Georgia says

    October 19th, 2008 at 12:28 pm

    I usually go to this small Korean brand called Missha because of how cheap the prices are but how good they are. Also the foundations, concealers, powders, etc are all made for asian skin tones so I can actually find something that I can use. But I’m on a makeup ban for a year so….-shrug-

    Reply
  5. Karen B says

    October 19th, 2008 at 12:44 pm

    Ici Paris XL. They have all the high end brands (Chanel, YSL, etc.) and since recently Smashbox. There are like three here in Ghent but I prefer the smallest one as the staff is really nice 🙂
    I just bought Blush 4 Eclats from Guerlain in Rosée du printemps last week. The MUA let me try all the pink blushes they had… lol

    Karen B´s last blog post..Top 200 my ass

    Reply
  6. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 1:18 pm

    Hi Almira,

    Yeah, I feel ya. I really enjoy going into the stores and talking to the sales people and makeup artists, especially when they are helpful and friendly.

    Hope you’re having a lovely Sunday!

    Reply
  7. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 1:19 pm

    Hi Fie,

    Good eye! If I ever end up visiting Malaysia you’ll have to tell me where all the good shops are in that mall. 😉

    How are you faring in your new digs? Are you enjoying life in the UK? I hope school is going well for you!

    Reply
  8. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    Hi SarahPUFFY,

    That’s true! When I worked in downtown SF I went to Walgreens every day, and that’s the only place I’d buy drugstore makeup because the excellent return policy. 🙂

    Reply
  9. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    Hi Karen B.,

    OH!!! Your blush sounds *beautiful*!

    I’m like you — I’ll shop at a smaller store if the staff is helpful and nice.

    Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! How is school/work/life going for you? The last few days were rough for me, but I’m looking forward to a new week…

    Reply
  10. NurseExec says

    October 19th, 2008 at 1:32 pm

    I *prefer* buying at Sephora, but the closest one to me is an hour away, so by necessity I do my *actual* buying mostly at drugstores. I’ve been known to hit Sephora online, but it’s not nearly as much fun as actually eyeballing the products for real.

    NurseExec´s last blog post..Awwwww

    Reply
  11. Heidi says

    October 19th, 2008 at 1:49 pm

    i go to sephora for benefit products. i usually go to target because they have everything i need and want. i haven’t bought new makeup in months!!

    Reply
  12. Glosslizard says

    October 19th, 2008 at 2:18 pm

    I love them all! 🙂

    If I have to choose, though, I love Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus for super-friendly counter people! I also especially love saving up for a beauty splurge at seasonal events where I can score super high-end gift bags at places like Neimans, Saks or Barneys! Yay GWPs! 😀

    Reply
  13. Fie says

    October 19th, 2008 at 2:44 pm

    Hey Karen!

    Haha if you end up in Malaysia, I won’t take you to The Curve to go shopping. 😀 I’ll take you to The Gardens or KLCC! We only go to The Curve to eat. Shopping’s not that great there.

    I’m doing okay. It’s really cold here. So much different from home. I’m enjoying it 😀 but since I’m a direct entrant to Final Year I have to work harder x3!

    Reply
  14. Daya says

    October 19th, 2008 at 3:56 pm

    My new favorite will be Sephora since we are finally getting a store in the spring! Most times though, I’m either going to the MAC counter or Target. 🙂

    Btw, the Stila palettes that you posted rock! I want all of them! 🙂

    Reply
  15. Tami says

    October 19th, 2008 at 4:34 pm

    Hey Ms. Karen,

    I love them all! I go to Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, Macy’s, etc. It doesn’t matter as long as the people I encounter are friendly and helpful. I actually made my first of perhaps many purchases at beautycrunch.com this past Thursday. They had the Pop Smokey Rose palette I passed on foolishly during the summer. But now it’s on the way at very substantial savings. Yay!! You did however list a few other sites that I will check out. As always, you are very helpful. Well tata for now, the hubby and I are waiting in line to see a play.

    Happy Sunday!

    Reply
  16. Marisol says

    October 19th, 2008 at 4:38 pm

    I prefer to go to the actual store. I like shopping at Sephora and going to the MAC stores if possible.

    Marisol´s last blog post..Damn, that muther chucker!

    Reply
  17. Angel says

    October 19th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

    I love Sephora to death, but the closest one is over an hour away! Also, I like seeing products before I buy them (samples are the exception), so I end up doing almost all of my non-mineral makeup shopping at drugstores.

    Angel´s last blog post..

    Reply
  18. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 6:00 pm

    Hi NurseExec,

    Yeah, I hear ya. It’s much more satisfying to actually see, touch and smell the product. Plus, sometimes I want instant gratification, rather than waiting on stuff to be shipped.

    Reply
  19. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 6:01 pm

    Hi Heidi,

    Target has a fab beauty section. I was just there yesterday. El Hub had to practically drag me out. 🙂

    Reply
  20. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 6:02 pm

    Hi Glosslizard,

    GWPs are the best, especially if it’s for stuff you like. I always get sucked in by Clinique ones. I can’t tell you how many tubes of Bamboo Pink lipstick I have from those GWPs!

    Reply
  21. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 6:02 pm

    Hi Fie,

    I am *totally down* with eating mall food! 🙂

    Yeah, I would have a hard time adjusting to the weather, too. Overcast and cold is not my thing. I’m sure you’re super busy with school! Even though you’re working hard I hope that you like it, and that you’re making friends and enjoying it.

    Reply
  22. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 6:03 pm

    Hi Daya,

    Nice! Is it going to be close by?

    I highly recommend those Stila palettes; you can get ’em for a total steal on Beauty Crunch!

    Reply
  23. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 6:03 pm

    Hi Tami,

    I saw that on the site, too! I was really tempted, but I just got a few Stila palettes from there. 🙂

    What play did you guys watch?

    Reply
  24. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 6:03 pm

    Hi Marisol,

    Yeah, me too. Although online I won’t hesitate if I can get a better price and if I’ve previously tried it before.

    Reply
  25. Karen says

    October 19th, 2008 at 6:04 pm

    Hi Angel,

    Yeah, the closest Sephora to me is about a half hour away. It’s just enough distance to keep me at bay, LOL. If it were closer then I’d be in big trubs!

    Reply
  26. Indian Girl says

    October 19th, 2008 at 6:26 pm

    If I could, I would love to go to Sephora but its very very far from where I live. So my next best choice would be Ulta. I love CVS for my drugstore makeup cravings 🙂

    Indian Girl´s last blog post..Awesome Nude Lip Look from the Drugstore

    Reply
  27. Indian Girl says

    October 19th, 2008 at 6:32 pm

    The staff at my nearest Macy’s ( 10 mins from home) are terrible. I could hang around and have said Excuse me a hundred times, but they will finish their chatter and only then attend to you. And even when they do, they have almost no clue when it comes to new products and collections 🙁 Almost always I know much more than they, so I never go there…

    Indian Girl´s last blog post..Awesome Nude Lip Look from the Drugstore

    Reply
  28. Justine says

    October 19th, 2008 at 7:39 pm

    Okay, so my favourite place to buy makeup actually IS a drug store in Canada. But, Shoppers Drug Mart is awesome, and they carry a lot of high-end brands like Dior, Guerlain, Benefit, Smashbox, Clinique, and Lancome. They over lots of points programs, so usually I can build up 150$ worth of free merchandise – which I spend on makeup! If I can find something at Shoppers, I am way more likely to get it from there as opposed to Sephora, solely because of the rewards program!

    Justine´s last blog post..Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog

    Reply
  29. Erica says

    October 19th, 2008 at 8:32 pm

    I like Sephora, but I have just recently become obsessed with shopping for stuff online. Then I can shop for the cheapest, and can usually find everything I want. The only problem is that I dont know if the colors really are exactly what will look good on me.

    Reply
  30. Jannie says

    October 19th, 2008 at 8:44 pm

    Walgreens. Revlon foundation, Maybelline mascara and eyeliner. Silver City Pink lipstick, Revlon too.

    Yep, been using those same things for like, 15 years.

    Hey, Why mess wit a gud ting!

    Jannie´s last blog post..Unsubscribed, Baby!

    Reply
  31. Holly says

    October 20th, 2008 at 12:19 am

    When im in America I love visiting Sephora but at home my all tie fave place to beauty shop has to be Boots! I love how it has such a wide range of brands from things like Natural Collection and Barry M which have products for like $4 all the way to Chanel and YSL!
    They also have a great rewards points card which gives you points for every pound you spend which can be redeemed for producs in the future! It is a little frightening how many points I seem to add up though – i bought all my clarins stuff on it a couple of weeks ago!- it shows that I spend far too much there!!!

    Reply
  32. Ellery says

    October 20th, 2008 at 6:51 am

    In my town, they only sell drugstore make up, so I either go with Bourjois which is available from both (yeah, there’s only two. I’m so deprived) stores, or I buy online from the brand website or hqhair.com, or asos.com.

    I can’t believe I haven’t been on your blog for like a whole week, but I just got better yesterday. I hope you had a good week.

    Reply
  33. Megan says

    October 20th, 2008 at 7:11 am

    I went with Ulta…but it was a tough decision. Bloomingdales is probably my second fave because they have great GWP’s and typically better service than Nordstrom…at least by me. But Nordstrom and Sephora are faves too…

    I see Blue Mercury has 0 votes. They don’t really have enough make up brands etc. to be to my liking. I know they are supposed to be high end etc. but to me they need more brands to even come close to competing in this question.

    Reply
  34. lexi says

    October 20th, 2008 at 7:47 am

    coincidentally i was at Sephora on Saturday and yes bought Nars lipstick and gloss – well actually it’s not a coincidence – i’m there at least twice a month! i made my girlfriend drop even more money – she needed blush, lipstick and my advice. She bought all Nars stuff and said, “i spent more than my shoes!” Yeah didn’t help that we hit the Macy’s shoe sale prior to this visit…good thing I’m going back to work in 2 wks! =(

    Reply
  35. Karen B says

    October 20th, 2008 at 8:14 am

    It is *gorgeous*, like for real.
    Life’s a bit sucky these days. Yesterday was the first anniversary of my great-aunt’s death so I’m rather emotional.
    And then my classmates have been giving me hell last Tuesday and this morning they voted of the song I wanted to do for musical project.
    I bawled like a baby, can you imagine? Made my Crayon Kohl run all over my face (not in class of course, I waited until I got home). Not a pretty sight. Ah well.

    Karen B´s last blog post..Top 200 my ass

    Reply
  36. p. potter says

    October 20th, 2008 at 9:52 am

    I have to say that Sephora is my #1. Mostly because they don’t have pushy sales people trying to sell you this-or-that, when you’ve already got it in five other colors! I’m such a pushover with sales people, so I almost always regret going to a counter/MAC store. I spend way too much! (For a while my Sephora even carried Chanel, and it was nice to be able to browse among $50 eyeshadow pallets without feeling pressured to purchase them!)

    Ulta is pretty good too, because their high-end makeup is laid out much like Sephora–only their selection isn’t as wide.

    p. potter´s last blog post..If I were a rich man

    Reply
  37. Sarah says

    October 20th, 2008 at 1:36 pm

    I love Sephora, but I wish it was closer. I mostly buy my makeup at Target, just because it’s about two blocks from my place.

    Sarah´s last blog post..Dear Alexander,

    Reply
  38. Tami says

    October 20th, 2008 at 1:37 pm

    Hi Karen,

    We went to see The Marriage Counselor, a Tyler Perry play. It was very funny and entertaining.

    Reply
  39. Tiffany says

    October 21st, 2008 at 6:18 am

    For me, it was a tough choice between Sephora and MAC, but I choose Sephora, since they have so many different brands and products there.

    Reply
  40. Music_Is_Freedom says

    October 21st, 2008 at 7:32 am

    Because they haven’t opened up a Sephora near where I live yet, I’d say MAC. (I’d have probably said that anyway.) But the drugstores here have some pretty good makeup lines. They’ve just imported a Danish brand called GOSH that looks pretty good, and the colours are gorgeous!

    Reply
  41. AppleDiva says

    October 21st, 2008 at 9:06 pm

    Hey K,

    I love the CCO for makeup purchases. I feel like I am saving money, even though I am spending lol.

    AppleDiva´s last blog post..Pink Eye Shadow Swatches

    Reply

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