Today, I'd like to chat with you about Sephora's new Web site design. I'm not particularly fond of it, and I've been wondering what you think. Prior to the redesign, I had perfected my trips to the site, knowing how to navigate quickly to the items and brands that interest me, and easily skipping the fluff. Now, I feel like I'm bombarded with fluff. I'm not impressed with "the new face of Sephora.com."
The home page is a good example. I don't really care about "Editor's Picks." I've always suspected they were a snapshot of products that were being promoted for many reasons (financial?) aside from their greatness. Of course, Sephora's own brand is "over-represented" in the Editor's Picks, but so are products that leave me wondering, "How could this be the best of the best?"
I also don't care about products deemed best sellers. For one reason, to be a best seller, a product can't be new, my normal interest. I already know that I'm not a "typical" Sephora customer. I've never been interested by the category. I also have suspicions about the commercial purpose of this category.
Fortunately, I can still get to a page view of "What's New" in makeup. I don't love the sliding right to left views. I want to see everything on one page. Being forced to click continuously is annoying.
The sample selection window is beyond weird. It was apparently designed for teens who can see teeny tiny print without reading glasses. I can click to enlarge it, but why? What did shrinking it accomplish?
When I saw the new "three-day shipping guarantee," I shuddered. Sephora already slowed its shipping a year or so ago. Would that "new feature" mean that my two-day receipt would lengthen to three? So far, the jury is out on that.
Web site redesigns are supposed to improve the user experience - and with a little luck and skill, they can improve sales. I don't think Sephora succeeded with this one. Perhaps I'm alone in my view. What do you think? Has the new site enhanced your online shopping experience at Sephora?
It's time for the Friday Forum, our open chat. You saw it here first! What new products did you discover this week? Did you find any deals you couldn't resist? Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? What's new in your life? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By early the next week, most (not all) readers will have moved on.
It took me hours to address all the By Kilian envelopes - and custom forms - for last week's giveaway contest. The prize winners live in the United States and Canada and far-flung lands, such as Croatia and Romania. I had to mail them at the Post Office, so they couldn't go out until yesterday. I hope they all make it to their destinations.
This week's giveaway contest is for Bobbi Brown's wonderful Shimmer Brick for Body. The deadline for entries is Saturday, May 19, at midnight (tomorrow). Make sure to enter if you'd like a chance to win it.
Photo by Best Things in Beauty
I totally agree, CG! Too much fluff which bogs the site down! I used to surf happily there (purchasing far too much in the process!) but now my trips to .com are purely for ordering specific items rather than browsing. Don't think we are in the minority - hopefully TPTB will see a decrease in web sales and revert back to a more user-friendly interface. And I, too, chuckled at new speedy shipping promise - as if! A rework of VIB perks is sadly needed! Have a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to trying the by Kilians and thank you for all your hard work!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been shopping at all lately. I simply cannot! I HAVE, however, gotten my hands on those exclusive Guerlains available only to the Middle East....or so they say. They're always up to something sneaky at Guerlain! Anyway, I really look forward to trying the incense and the rose. I'll leave the leathery woods alone. Not my bag at all.
I hope you're feeling well and the sunshine is restorative, for mood anyway, if not for skin :-)
Hi Charlestongirl!
ReplyDeleteI have only been to the new Sephora site two or three times, but I wasn't overly impressed with the layout. I am not sure what exactly they were hoping to achieve with the revamp, but it seems largely the same. I don't think I am the typical Sephora customer either. I usually just go to the website (and the store for that matter) for specific items. I do think the reviews on the site can be helpful (though not always), but those were part of the "old" version of the website. So, any of the perks of the redesign were lost on me.
Well, I thought I was going to have a makeup hiatus, but that didn't work out so well. First off, I purchased the new Chanel Summer 2012 bronzer/highlighter in Sable Beige. I absolutely love it. After deliberating over this one and the Burberry Sheer Summer Glow, I opted for Chanel, since I have a Chanel counter reasonably close to me, and I could see the product in person. I purchased the LAST ONE. That never happens!! I was so excited that I didn't miss it. The Chanel SA said that the eyeshadow duos were gone in 3 days. Anyway, Sable Beige is very flattering, finely-milled and all the other adjectives that accompany a Chanel powder. I like the color, which is a peachy-brown color. It is very natural looking and provides a nice sun-kissed look.
I also purchased the new Burberry Lip Mist in Nude Honey. It is very pale tan beige. It is not too grey or dead-looking. It has some warmth to it. And it feels comfortable on the lips. It is my first Lip Mist, and I am very happy with it.
I also got two MAC lipsticks in Angel and Saint Germain. Angel is a soft nude pink, and apparently a best seller. Saint Germain is a very bright, cool pink with lilac undertones. Not the easiest color to wear, but I sort of blot it on the lips, instead of swiping it. It is a nice pop of color, and my natural lip color tones it down a bit.
Finally, I snagged a Lancome 5 color eyeshadow palette (it has a fancier name that I can't remember) in Golden Frenzy, which was a limited-edition color. Again, I got the last one at the Lancome counter. So far, the jury is still out. I know this palette was featured on this blog, and I thought the colors were lovely. And for the most part, they are. However, I used the darkest liner color in my outer v, and it creased horribly. I have never had that happen. I even use an eyeshadow base regularly. I have the other shades on today. They are beautiful, but I am hoping they don't crease like the liner shade. Still, I am happy to score this limited-edition palette.
On the horizon, I ordered a YSL cream eyeshadow in Golden Sand #5. I have been on a huge gold kick lately (hence Golden Frenzy), so I am eagerly awaiting this gold cream eyeshadow.
Hi Eileen,
I am happy to report that after a week of backing off on my Tretinoin and Clarisonic usage, as well as upping my moisturizer usage, my skin looks and feels better. The dry patches are gone, and my skin looks more moisturized. I think I am going to give the SkinCeuticals eye balm a go, as well as trying out their CE Ferulic serum. I think you are right about the Vivite antioxidant serum - it would be too much for my skin right now. Thanks again for all your great advice!
Have a lovely weekend, ladies! Oh and Charlestongirl, I hope things with your mother have been improving and that she is doing better!
Kate
For a bad website redesign look to Nordstroms. It is so very difficult to shop in the beauty department - way too many steps/clicks are required to get to your brand. I think it is ridiculous - but they have not modified the design.
ReplyDeleteAh, Sephora! The one everyone loves to hate :-) Sephora always puts me in mind of Longfellow's little poem about the girl with the curl, " . . . When she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid." :-P The new web design isn't really all that bad, it is just so needlessly cumbersome. It's easy to get bogged down in all their promos. As for the click to scroll left and right, sites have been using that device for ages so that doesn't really bother me. It's an easy way to narrow selections to the specific ones that are currently being promoted. I usually just skip them and go the product lists.
ReplyDeleteDuring the past two weeks I've gone to four different makeup events--Chanel, Guerlain, Chantecaille, and LMdB--and gotten a strikingly similar look from all of them: dramatic and somewhat theatrical. Even the color palettes the MA's chose were similar and featured shades of silvery pink, soft rose, and berry with nary a bronzer in sight. Shimmery highlighters, yes. Bronzers, no. And the MA's all mentioned that I looked like a dancer. There must have been something in the kool aid! LOL After one of the makeup applications, I looked like I was ready to audition for the Bolshoi! I did have a lot of fun, though, and all four applications were beautifully done, just not what one would expect with all the summer collections hitting the counters.
Speaking of summer collections, my local Chanel counter had an event to tie in with the arrival of the summer collection and everything--everything--sold out in two days. I was happy that I had pre-ordered my selections (Sable Émouvant, Delight, and Pêche Cuivre) and that they were safely tucked away awaiting me. It is a lovely, albeit very neutral, collection. I guess a lot of women were ready for a lighter, softer take on summer's golden glow.
Today promises to be another glorious spring day so I plan on getting out to enjoy it. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.
I just did a redesign and the learning curve and getting back rolling is tough. Most redesigns come from issues with a website that we as customers do not even know sometimes. BUT they do get too busy sometimes and companys just need to leave some stuff off!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the best things in beauty!
For the best things in spa visit me anytime to say helloo!
Ava Roxanne - Spa Travel Gal
Truth be told, I have never been a regular at Sephora. The customer service is hit and miss. I don't like sales associates hovering, but a simple greeting is appropriate. The location I would visit from time to time would frequently be out of the item I was looking for or testers for the colour I wanted weren't available. The BI card was also unappealing, as Sephora would offer samples of products I didn't care to use. Their web service was only ever so-so. I believe all products I ordered were shipped from Maryland, which is probably good for you, Charlestongirl, but not for me, living as I do on the West Coast. It always took about 5-7 business days for parcels to arrive. Bottom line: if I could get the product elsewhere, I would. That said, at least with Sephora online, I never run the risk of encountering unfriendly sales staff!
ReplyDeleteI wish you luck with your order! I agree that I don't know if this new web site will spawn sales. I like that one can check the store inventories of nearby locations, but (surprise, surprise), none of the stores had the products I was seeking! As always, I hope other people have a better customer experience than I. Happy Friday!
Hi CG, I'm not a big fan of the Sephora redesign but I don't spend a lot of time there anyway. I do like to look at the new arrivals. If you click on the little text that says "see more" you can view all the new arrivals on one page.
ReplyDeleteThis week I got the new Tom Ford bronzer in Terra. I was afraid it would be too dark after seeing some pictures but it is a light tan shade that looks great on my fair skin. Very subtle, not overpowering. It is a BIG compact though. Not something I'd want to lug around in my bag.
I also have on my way to me a Chantecaille cheek cream in Shy and a YSL nail polish in Gray deco (or something like that). I saw them on the new arrivals on the Nordstrom website. Another website design that doesn't agree with me. Speaking of Nordstrom
everyone might like to know that on May 26 they are having their buy two mascaras get one free event. I believe it will be online as well as in stores so this is a good time to stock up on mascara.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Hope everything is working out with your mom and she's recovering from her fall CG.
I have to agree as well, CG. I really don't like the new site--I just don't see the use for all that "stuff". It was fine before and now I just find a lot of the things unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteThis week was my last week of school (I am taking an art history class). I did well on my final paper (worth 25% of my grade) and think I did well on the final. Fingers crossed! And so glad that the semester is over. I am, however, quite upset because I have learned that the all the colleges in my area have cut summer school because of the continued budget cuts. It's beyond ridiculous and insane to me. Of ALL the things you could possibly thnk to cut budgets on, it's SCHOOL and PUBLIC LIBRARIES??? Are they TRYING to produce a nation of dummies?? Words cannot express how upset and disappointed I am with this decision.
To Eileen-I forgot to update with my experience of the Burberry Sheer Summer Glow--it's AMAZING!!! I absolutely, positively love it and have been wearing it every single day since receiving it. It gives my light-to-medium skin the perfect amount of subtle color and glow, making me looking healthy and radiant without being overtly shimmery. It's fantastic, and I highly recommend it!!! I'm even thinking of purchasing a back-up (which is unheard of for me!)
Purchases to come in the next week or so: Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush in Cameo, Burberry Lip Cover Soft Satin Lipstick in Cameo, and Chanel's Sable Rose (yes, I've finally decided to get it after swatching it in stores and falling in love!!).
Have an amazing weekend, all!!
Not a fan of Sephora's website redesign. Swatches are horrific. I liked how the colors used to display down the page. Now, I have to hover over a box to find the name/color. I agree feels like too much Sephora product pushed to truly be editor picks. Too much bouncing around & agree with another poster that said it takes too many clicks to get to what you were searching for. When I click back it doesn't return me to the previous page. Uggh.
ReplyDeleteMind you I don't do change well & know that tempers my response. : )
On the makeup front - finally ordered NARS Mandchourie - have been mooning over this since it came out. Decided if I had been wanting it for this long - it truly was a good purchase! Also going to try Nuxe Reve de miel. This spring my lips are increasinly dry. Nothing I've used so far is helping. Have read very good things abt this balm.
Sephora's new website design is just bad. Don't know what they were trying to accomplish but I see no improvement over the old format. The new one is harder to navigate. There are so many things I hate about it but won't drone on about it, you and the other commenters captured it well. BEWARE!! of the 3 day shipping. I've done it twice; what a waste of money. I thought the first time was a fluke so I gave them another chance. Fail. Maybe it's because I live out west but don't for a minute think you are going to order and then actually get your stuff 3 days later. Will. Not. Happen. The problem is in the processing time. Takes them forever to fill my orders. The 3 day shipping is accurate in that once they ship it, you will get it in 3 days. But that's after they take their sweet time filling the order.
ReplyDeleteHi Poddygirl,
ReplyDeleteThere's another great point. The VIB perks are not exciting. Naturally, with the amount I spend, I think there ought to be VIB++++++ perks. :)
Hi Lovethescents,
ReplyDeleteI fear those new Guerlains are going to be very spicy. Not my style. Doesn't someone in one of our groups have a split underway?
It was a beautiful day here. Now, as the day is winding down, I'm thinking about a good sleep with the windows open.
Happy weekend!
Thank you, Kate. She is physically better. She went to the ENT this week, and he gave her an antibiotic and said, "Well, it could have been a lot worse." :) She looks better, but is still goofy. Told me this morning she was in a hotel in another town. Weird. She morphs her dreams into real life.
ReplyDeleteI love gold too! I also love that Chanel bronzer. It is subtle and looks really good on fair skin.
Does your Burberry Lip Mist have a heavy fragrance?
I agree, Anonymous. Nordstrom has inexplicable navigation. I want to see everything in one line/brand, go there, and then click on lips (or something) and get all the other brands. Weird!
ReplyDeleteHi Eileen,
ReplyDeleteI guess your coloring dictated what they did to you. Only a guess. I've turned down most of the recent promo appearances. I'm "artisted out."
I wanted to buy the Pêche Cuivre, but resisted. There are just too many wonderful products these days, and the wallet is groaning.
I have so many eyeliners I don't use - even though I love them. In the morning when I'm in a rush, that's the one thing I skip in a NY minute.
I'm really surprised the duo sold out so quickly. It was pretty, but not amazing. It did coordinate well with the rest of the collection, though. :)
Hi Ava,
ReplyDeleteI was envisioning the Web designer conversation with the decision maker. I heard a lot of hooey.
Walls, I can't handle the stores. I have almost always shopped online. I guess that's one reason I'm bummed about the changes. They took my routine and trashed it.
ReplyDeleteI should have received a Sephora package today - would have in the old days. It didn't arrive. I ordered on Tuesday. That will discourage me from spending as much. I can buy from a local store a lot faster now.
Jo, I absolutely ADORE Shy. Hope you love it too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads-up on Sephora's mascara day. It's such a great deal!
Good luck with that grade, yesplease!
ReplyDeleteTHEY have already produced a nation of dummies. It will only get worse. Don't get me going.
You guys are going to make my buy Sheer Summer Glow! I don't need it...I don't need it...
It's not working.
Hi Lov2read!
ReplyDeleteYou must tell us about Nuxe Reve de Miel! As a lip conditioner junkie, I would love to know what you think.
I just got two new lip balms from Beautyhabit. Hope to report on them this coming week. So far, so good!
So, Deb, I think our opinions are universal. Don't you wonder if they did focus groups? With whom?
ReplyDeleteYou are totally correct. Their processing has slowed. The shipping is not any slower. I am dead sure that's the case. My products used to ship on the same weekday I ordered.
Glad your mom's doing better, CG. Mine just left after a week-long stay. I gave her Red Door facial and mani/pedi, which she always enjoys. I got a facial too, plus a glycolic acid peel, which did wonders for my complexion. I'm embarrassed to say that I had not had a facial for...years.
ReplyDeleteI'm giving Chanel's Le Blanc products a test run. I like them so far - Chanel's foaming cleansers are the best. We'll see if they lighten a few hyperpigmented spots I have.
I dislike Nordstrom's beauty site the most. Too many clicks, as others have said.
Hi, CG! I got your lovely package today! I can't wait to try the fragrances; I'm holding off for the weekend, when I'll have a little downtime to actually devote to fully enjoying them. Hopefully my package wasn't too difficult to address. ;)
ReplyDeleteI actually don't feel very passionately, one way or the other, about the Sephora website redesign. It's sleeker-looking than before, although it's a pain that you have to view it in landscape mode on the iPad. They lose functionality points for that.
My biggest "gripe", though, is that they still didn't implement one feature that I would have loved to have seen, which is the ability to search ingredients. Granted, half the time the ingredients aren't listed or they're missing the active ingredients (which just perplexes me ... why would you list the inactive ones but not the active ones?), but it's still a good start.
The ability to search ingredients is really crucial to me because I'm allergic to chemical sunscreens yet I'm big on sun protection, so I can only use SPF products that contain physical sunscreens. This is perhaps the only instance in which I will ever prefer shopping at an in-store Sephora rather than online, because at least in-store I can pick up a box, turn to the back, and quickly scan the ingredients.
Charleston girl, I wish they did focus groups. Maybe the whole experience would be better. And they seriously need to upgrade their sample selection and the VIB perks. I keep two shopping lists going now; one for Sephora and one for Nordstrom. My Nordstrom list is becoming my most used because of Sephora service....or lack thereof. The Nordstrom service is so much better and I get my orders much faster. I only order from Sephora anymore if I have to have something and Nordstrom doesn't carry it.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about the new Sephora site, I prefer the old one. Plus I hate the new font and the excess of white space, they annoy me more than the layout. And it's harder to navigate I prefer to shop online than in the store, I've never had a good experience. For me their shipping is really fast, maybe it's because I live near their warehouse in MD. The sales peeps need serious attitude lessons, I have personally complained about their their service, but it has made no difference.
ReplyDeleteThis week I found that my Chanel Bronze Universal makes a great eyeshadow base, as it doesn't really work as a bronzer on my skin tone. Colors vibrant and almost no creasing after 10hrs especially since I had to spend two hours sweating in the mouse room today. So I'm super happy it held up :)
Also I just ordered a bottle of Tokyomilk's Let Them Eat Cake but what I want more is a bottle of Jo Malone's Plum Blossom (I can't stop obsessing about it after reading your post).
Have a great weekend :)
Deb, I was just wondering what I was going to do with my Chanel Universal Bronzer! I'm going to try it as a eye shadow base tomorrow. I swiped a bit on my jaw line and realized that it's the perfect color for me to wear as foundation now before I acquire more color. (I originally bought it to wear as foundation.) Thanks for helping me shop from my stash!
ReplyDeleteHi May,
ReplyDeleteI second your desire to have ingredient lists for on-line purchases. I have rosacea which is well controlled, but it does require special care. I read labels religiously. I never buy anything that is going to come in direct contact with my skin without seeing the ingredient list first. For some reason, though, sites like Sephora and those of the department stores make no effort to provide that information online. It can obviously be done, witness all the outstanding cosmeceutical oriented sites that not only list the ingredients but also let you search by ingredient.
You do have my sympathies, Charlestongirl. I, too, tend to avoid stores when possible. I hate driving in California traffic and parking can be a nightmare. The only time I rely on going to stores is when I am uncertain about colours. I know you've been avoiding Nordstrom, but they used to have free two-day expedited shipping for higher level customers, which was the only real perk that I enjoyed. Have you attempted to contact Sephora's customer service to give them feedback regarding the changes to the company's site?
ReplyDeleteI wish you well. I hope your mother is faring better, too!
It still feels like Friday since I couldn't fall to sleep. Didn't have much time on the computer since we switched ISPs and bundled our cable, internet and phone. The techs were busy navigating wires throughout my house today. It was worth it. My internet connection is so much faster and the bundle package is saving us a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Sephora's new website. I find their emails to be cluttered with too many products I'm not interested in purchasing. I usually only shop on their website when there's a specific item I want to purchase. I prefer to browse at the store or on blogs.
Darn limited editions! I purchased Chanel's summer bronzer in Sable Beige. Three of my friends liked that one swatched on my skin compared to the rose colored one. Honestly, I think the fact that it was limited edition was the main reason I bought it. In the summer, I darken up quite a lot. Maybe it will work as a highlighter then. I'm a NC 25 now.
Speaking of bronzers... Lately, I've been loving a combo of Clinique's Sunkissed bronzer, Laura Mercier's Innocent Peach cream cheek color, and Guerlain's Cruel Gardenia meteorites as a highlighter. The combo is so pretty. It shows up as a soft, youthful glow that whispers spring. I love it!
Hope the new caretaker continues to be a ray of sunshine compared to the last one. Your mom has been in my thoughts. Wishing you all well!
Okay, I must sleep! I just deleted my post because I thought I posted a potty mouth word for darn. The r and n are blurring together with my eyes half open. lol Sweet dreams!
I hate it and I have written to them on numerous occasions about it. I spend a fortune at Sephora but that's going to change. It used to be that sephora had the best return policy but no more. The best store to purchase cosmetics and skincare, who has all the brands that I love like chantecaille, something sephora doesn't have, has a great return policy, never gives you a hard time, is Nordstroms. What bothers me also about sephora is they never return your emails or phone calls, give you a had time about everything and makes shopping there aggravating and time consuming. Their new website makes no sense, can't enlarge the product pictures, can't read the write ups about the products,which I find incomplete and written by people knowing little about beauty or cosmetics, giving little information about the product. Simply stated, the write ups are horrible and complete uninformative. The products they put on the front pages products they are highlighting as the best of the week, are targeted toward teens, a really stupid policy since teens can't afford the prices they charge for these items. I don't know if there has been a change in the executive positions at sepora but they are moving in the wrong direction. Companies will start pulling out of the store because it won't benefit them anymore to sell their products there.. Shop at Nordstroms. Trust me, you'll be much happier. One last thing, in the last few orders, I received the wrong items in my box. Since I've been very ill with severe stomach problems, and almost bedridden for the past 8-10 weeks, sometimes I don't inspect, no less open the packages for weeks. When I finally felt well enough to open the boxes, sometimes a few weeks after receiving them, I immediately informed sephora that the wrong items were sent and asked for either a refund or exchange. One of the lipsticks looked used. Although this was their mistake not mine, I repeatedly called and emailed them, never receiving a return response. When I finally did speak with someone, they gave me a hard time either exchanging the item for the one I had actually ordered or a full refund since I had the receipt and the items were never touched, opened, sampled or swiped. This was such an aggravating situation that I was back in bed again in pain. I think we should all boycott sephora until they start listening to their valued customers, especially tho bloggers or those who read these blogs incessantly, like me, who are hardcore beauty junkies as well as VIBS. I f we stop.purchasing from them, maybe they will start listening to us. For the most part, we can get the same beauty products for the same or better prices elsewhere. It used to be we could get great deals there. Not so much anymore. So we don't lose any benefits by shopping elsewhere. However, they do. Maybe that will get them to start listening to their customers/ How does everyone else feel?
ReplyDeleteHi Eileen!
ReplyDeleteCan you please point me to some of these websites that let you search by ingredients?
I used to like the DermStore.com search engine, because not only would it let you search for products containing certain ingredients, it would also let you specify ingredients that you did NOT want the products to include.
For example, this is one search that I would frequently utilize: "Zinc Oxide -Octinoxate". Zinc oxide is a physical sunscreen (good!), octinoxate is a chemical sunscreen (bad!). The minus sign, in search engine language (you can also do this with, say, Google), specifies that you want to throw out all results that include the term "octinoxate".
However, it seems they recently made some changes to their site (just like Sephora ...) and now that search term no longer works, in that the minus sign is no longer functional, so instead, the same search term actually returns results containing both zinc oxide AND octinoxate - NOT what I want.
I think I should go complain, but what're the chances of that actually changing anything for the better? :P
A little late with this but...
ReplyDelete1. Thinking of you and your mom, CharlestonGirl. What a kind and thoughtful woman you are - this comes through in your writing on your blog and I just want you to know how much your readers appreciate all you do!
2. The mascara event at Nordstrom is known as "Mascara Madness" and happens twice a year, usually May and November. Buy 2, get 1 free - I always stock up on my beloved Trish McEvoy lash curling mascara. As Jo said, it is 5/26.
3. I agree with most of the commenters - loathe the new Sephora site! I like to browse store sites much as I do blogs and I haven't been able to do that anymore with Sephora. It is weird because the re-design seems to target a younger demographic, yet a lot of the new lines they have taken on (Edward Bess, Omorovizca, Chanel) are quite expensive and seem to skew "older." Hmmmm??
Hi May,
ReplyDeleteSkinCareRX and SkinStore both let you search by ingredient and they have complete ingredient lists. Complete SkinCare also let's you search, but the ingredient lists are hit or miss. They all have good shipping and return policies, have an active customer service line you can call if the need arises, respond promptly to email and have periodic sales :-)
Since many people seem to dislike the revamp, I will point out the two things I do like in the new design: the ability to find an item in your city and an actual Canadian site (especially with the lower free shipping qualifying price).
ReplyDeleteI dislike them no longer having lists of the shades because that made it especially easy to check out colours by number and whether it was exclusive to Sephora or not. I also why the heck they removed the sort by new item on the drop box. How else can we find what is new for our favourite brands? I don't mind learning what is new for the other brands but not all brands are my go-to, you know?
Newest product buy is the 1-Couleur Eye Gloss from Dior in Sunset from a recommendation. I have an older Dior palette called Blue Croisette which is very similar to Swimming Pool minus two shades. It also suffers the same problem as Swimming Pool according to many reviews. However, when layered over the Eye Glosses, hello colour! It only took five years for Dior to come out with something that would make the eyeshadow finally work for me ^.^
Ava, you should get to know Michael. They were doing free LMdB facials at Mazza today. Same with Vicky at Sisley. She gives a wonderful facial - free.
ReplyDeleteGlad you could treat your Mom. Mine is having a tough time mentally. I'm "on the case," although I need a blood test first. I have a nurse coming to do that next week, hopefully early. I'm beginning to suspect she had some brain swelling.
May, it was a piece of cake, but I'm amazed the PO got it to you overnight. A unique gold star to them!
ReplyDeleteI also really want to see ingredients - for all products, not just some. I do suspect, since they are available to Sephora, that they don't always want us to see them. I have purchased from many locations with ingredients (Eileen named some below), so I know getting them and publishing them is not rocket science. There has to be a conscious Sephora decision to leave them off.
Hmm...wonder if an Editor's Pick might flop if everyone saw that a nasty petrochemical were the third ingredient.
Deb, I have to online shop at Nordies more often. I had been using Sephora because they shipped to me faster and I liked the samples. Now, I seldom get all three samples I requested, and the VIB stuff is usually not interesting to me. I think I have over 3,000 points built up and nothing to use them on.
ReplyDeleteBeauty and the Scientist,
ReplyDeleteIf you like fresh florals, you should love Plum Blossom. It doesn't last a long time, but most of Jo Malone's fragrances don't. It's easy, though, to get a travel spray to take it along for a mid-day refresh. Or ask for samples at the counter. They will usually give you plenty.
Wendy, I delete the dups when I see them. :)
ReplyDeleteYour combo of Clinique's Sunkissed bronzer, Laura Mercier's Innocent Peach cream cheek color, and Guerlain's Cruel Gardenia meteorites as a highlighter sounds divine. I'll bet that's beautiful.
We do like Mom's new caregiver. This weekend, there's a sub there so Mavis could get some rest and time off. I'm not impressed with the sub, but she is a sweet girl. Just a little "slow."
I hope you're getting some rest today. I just had a much-needed nap, with Charleston at my side. I love napping with my furry friend. Felt guilt, though; it's so pretty outside.
Hi Dlori!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea Sephora had tightened up on their return policy. As most of you know, I return almost nothing (maybe twice/year?). They have never hassled me.
Perricone sent me a wrong product recently. I didn't open the box for 10 days because I knew what it was, and I didn't need it yet (my new serum). When I did open it, I saw they had sent the cream, not the serum. After a short discussion with customer service, she sent out the serum and told me to keep the cream. I'm testing it now. Great service! She did ask me why it took so long to report the error. I told her the truth. I didn't open the box.
Hi Nina,
ReplyDeleteYes, it's kind of inexplicable. Bring in a more mature audience, but regress the site. I swear they didn't do focus groups. I got a request to look over the beta version before it went live, but I didn't have enough time to do it well. Sorry I didn't now.
Thank you!
Hi Anonymous!
ReplyDeleteYes, that's another good point! I want my lists of shades back!