I'm back, nothing new to add as yet, but it won't be too long before I'm back on form. xxx
I'm back, nothing new to add as yet, but it won't be too long before I'm back on form. xxx
Member since:11.04.2005
Reviews:52
Members who trust:14
*** How I discovered the site *** I have been meaning to revamp my makeup collection for a while and have finally started the process, what with the sun coming out and melting the heavy products I wear at the moment. I haven't been a memeber of ciao for long but I was directed to this site by a regular user and reviewer of make-up products (I'm sure you know who you are and I am most grateful for it). Anyways, on hearing that the site offered a lot of BOGOF offers as well as 2 for 1deals, I would have been mad not to check it out. I mean, I need a whole collection!!!
*** The Sign-up process *** To join the site is pretty easy enough. You provide your name, title, address, email, and phone numbers (this can get tricky because they insist on a landline number, which I don't have and wouldn't want to be contacted at work, therefore poor lil brother will have to act
as my consultant!).
*** Purchasing *** You can start shopping before you sign-up but on reaching the checkout, you are required to become a fully fledged member. There are several ways you can look for products, which are:
BY KEYWORDS: if you are after a particular product you can type the name in and hope for the best
BY CATEGORIES: There are various categorical searches. From the Home page you can select what type of product you are searching for e.g. 'Eyes - make up', 'Eyes - skincare', 'Hand & Nails', 'Self tan', 'Lips - make up' 'Giftsets' (There are a total of 17 links in this region of the site). You can also search by brand name, by clicking on the drop down menu under the categories I have just detailed. Brands include Adidas, Burberry, Ghost, Gillette, Veet, Clarins, Dior, Versace, Elizabeth Arden, Lancome, Cerrutti, Gucci, Ultra Glow. (There are too many to count but I'm sure you get the idea and at least they appear alphabetically). Finally, you can use the right hand tool bar/ red menu to take you to CLEARANCE, BUY 1 GET 1 FREE, 3 FOR 2 and NEW PRODUCTS sections, oh but wait...there are still more search features. There is a section on the homepage called gifts and therefore you also have the option to look within a certain budget for products, which I found really handy and helpful.
*** The Checkout *** Getting to the checkout is quite simple as the link appears in grey everytime you add to your shopping bag. Whilst you are there you can calculate thetotal cost of your order before listing the card you would like to pay for it by. I think the best part about the checkout though is probably the fact that you can opt for free shipping (expect to wait 5-20 days as stated on the site) or you can opt for the £4.99 express delivery which they claim usually comes the next working day if you order before noon. I can wait and the cost of this shipping was more expensive than my purchase so wasn't going to dive in and click this option. What's a few extra days?
*** Layout ,Design, Navigation and Updates *** The layout is rather basic. It uses a white background and has decent sized pictures of every item available for purchase, on selecting items that have a colour choice, you are presented with a pallette and the colours appear realistic enough to give you a good idea. despite all that however, it is easy to navigate because everything is listed or displayed in a logical, coherent way. Clicking on links doesn't give you an extremely fast result but it's far from being slow either so I doubt anyone will find it tedious and the updated stock levels give you an indications as to whether you need to spend your pennies now or can afford to wait for further discounts, clearances, offers, etc.
*** Range of Services, Quality *** There are some top name brands included here and so you can't complain too much about the quality and content. there is a little bit of everything on offer so yes you may find there is no Lancome anti ageing cream but you'll find some from a couple of other companies instead.
*** Everything Else ( see bottom criterias) *** I have only placed one order and therefore don't feel in a position to rate their services and things on a non-biased basis. If however I buy more, which is very, very, very likely, I'll update this section.
*** My Conclusion *** I loved using this site. Yes I found it really boring to look at but I bought one BOGOF Mascara, some of that sticky tape stuff to keep you in your skimpy clothes (now as young and pert as I am, I don't really need this really, but I bought it cause it was in the clearance section and thought that with some of my ris-kay tops I could opt for the better safe than sorry option). However I thought my greatest purchase was the Versace wet lipgloss I bought for £3.00 even though it's RRP is £14.99). There is no way I'm going back to shopping for named brands at the beauty counter. I'm quite happy to suggest items to the Buycosmetics team and see if they can offer me a better deal.
The checking up of your account can be a but tempramental but you do get emailed acknowledgements of your order which helps you keep tabs on your buys.
This is a site definitely worth checking out if you buy a lot, experiment a lot, or are watching the pennies. With Versace goods at that price, you can't go wrong and you certainly won't be pulled over by the fashion police.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Cheap quality products, free postage, free make up bag for orders over £25 Disadvantages: inaccurate stock details on the site, lack of communication, not very professional, wrong item sent
Lola_G 19.12.2005 (19.12.2005)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of BuyCosmetics.com
Jun 16th, 2006
very helpful by (100%):
