Do find yourself shopping more online or in-store for your beauty products? What’s your preference?
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I tend to shop in-store, even though I often drool over things online!
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I shop more on-line for the high-end brands, it’s way cheaper 🙂
I buy almost everything online, as the selection here in Norway is rather scarce. And it’s so much cheaper online!
Same in Finland, aaargh and lol 😀
I prefer to buy in store because shopping make up online can be terribly deceiving when you haven’t seen colors in real life or swatches on your skin. Sometimes you get an idea of a product based on pictures and it’s completely different in real life because of the screen, because of the camara settings, because the girl who took the pics doesn’t have the same skin tone as you… Plus, a color you haven’t notice on line can totally seduce you in store. So in general, that’ll be the store unless I re-order an item I already know. That said, I before I go to the store, I love to make some research online (I had to tame mac online because I was feeling overhelmed in front of so much choice at the beginning!).
I buy a lot more on line, just because not everything is available in Australia and the on-line purchase from US works out cheaper. It is really bad for my credit card though 🙂 I do shop in-store too, when I need to swatch stuff or advise from the artist, but I tend to buy more than I need, because I let them talk me into buying things.
Preliminary shop online – figure out what I’m interested in, and what I’m not, and get an idea of what the reviews are like and such. Then make a list of what I want to see, and do the actual shop in person.
Things I buy online are either things that I’m pretty sure about, or things that aren’t particularly expensive. When I deviate from that and buy something online that’s pricey, when I’m not 100% sure, I sort of hold my breath until it arrives, worried that I won’t like it after all.
I buy most things online. I may check color, texture etc. and drool in stores, but I typically will buy online.
most of my shopping is in stores. I shopped online in the past and came back with things that just do not look right on my skin tone.
I prefer real shopping, when you can examine and test the product you wish to buy.
I prefer shop in-store, it’s easier to test colors, textures, etc. I’m lucky because I live in Paris and we have many Sephora’s shops, MAC’s shops, Le Printemps et les Galeries Lafayette (it’s like Harrods in Britain and Macy’s in US)very beautiful places.
Quand on habite à Paris il n’y a aucune raison de pas s’offrir le plaisir de faire son shopping en magasin. Ce serait tellement dommage d’acheter en ligne alors qu’on peut aller aux Galeries Lafayette!
Christina, I too thoroughly enjoy drooling online. But I can’t really commit to anything until I can sample in-store.
if i order online it’s because i have seen pictures/reviews that i trust enough; but normally have to go in store to make sure. hair products and nail polishes in normally good online; but ive seen swatches of eyeliners that ive been satisfied with and ordered online and still loved. skin care i know what works so its just a matter of when i run out and where its cheaper. lipglosses and lipstick is equally online and in store; but ive normally done a swatch test. mascara is a good mix of both. but recently i had 4 mail orders come in during a week i went out once to buy in person.
I buy mostly MAC and I’ve been shopping almost entirery on-line or by order, excluding a couple of times in a MAC Shop, but this might change in the future because I learned last week that we are going to get a very own MAC Counter in my town next month. SUPER YEAH!!!
always in shop. Two reasons for that : I don’t have a credit card, being only 17. And well, I prefer swatching in shop, trying things on and seeing the product “for real”.
I shop more online lately because we can’t get most of the stuff in Australia or their either a lot slower here or more expensive. So it works out better online although there’s the high shipping and currency charge.
Although online is more convenient, I find that most swatches at online stores are not accurate. I honestly rely more on your site to find reliable swatches. I try to get certain things in-store because I have made costly errors in the past when I purchased expensive non-returnable makeup :/
If it’s a brand available near me in-store, then I’ll check it out there. However, if it’s a brand that isn’t carried anywhere near me, like Guerlain, then I’ll buy it online.
I do my product research on-line (thanks to your blog) and buy products that are not available in store. However, I prefer to buy in store and check out the testers.
I never buy makeup online. I like being able to see and test products out in person. It has saved me from buying some products that I thought I would love and didnt liked in the end 🙂
I check out most of the collections on-line and then go swatch at the stores. I did, however, get a huge haul from the MAC friends and family sale on-line — and I absolutely loved everything!
I tend to do most of my beauty shopping online. But of course the negative side of that is that it may not be what you thought it was.
if i order online it’s because i have seen pictures/reviews that i trust enough. i tend to buy my mac online 75% of the time, because my store (counter is in the same mall too), is 45 minutes away and i cant even drive yet, so thats not the mall we usually go to. but if i do go to the store i write a list before i go, and make sure i swatch and test out all products id be too nervous to order online (lustre eyeshadows, frost lipsticks, foundations, msf natural, msfs because i like to pick out the one i like) and with collections i have no idea what i want
I rarely buy stuff in stores, everything seems more cheap when I convert my currency into $$$ ^_^
But everything is actually very expensive here, so online shopping is the best, even if costumes snags my packages sometimes..
At the store, especially for skin care products. I like to get samples and test it out rather than buy it online & find out it not what I thought it would be and deal w/the hassle of returning it. The only time I might buy online is if I have used the product in the past. In general, if I know it works I just go to the store & get it. I get it the same day instead of waiting days for it!
In-store if there is a store and if not then online, but I always seem to wake up and finding myself standing in a Sephora or a MAC store / counter most of the time. *blinky blink blink* I gotta fix this sleep walking problem. lol
I love to check out products online first and then go see them in the stores. Sometimes I just can’t wait one week to get my products so online doesn’t work. When online shopping does work for me is when there is a sale (like MAC 25% off sale a while back) or when you need some products you know are a sure thing and you have a free sample code (like mascara or something) or if you can’t find the product in the stores.
I do most of my makeup shopping online. I like to see and swatch stuff in person, but that isn’t always practical. If it’s something I can get at Ulta, I buy it in-store because it’s close by. But I don’t have a Sephora near me, and the MAC store, while not a long drive, is not convenient to visit often (traffic, expensive parking). I go to the MAC counter at Macy’s sometimes, but they don’t have an awesome selection, so I do most of my MAC shopping online. I’m on the east coast, so my MAC orders (standard shipping) often arrive in two business days. 🙂
when i buy things online unless i see them in person i am usually very disappointed, online swatches are usually misleading.
I’ve been finding myself ordering more online since I save some money on taxes (assuming I can get free shipping as well), but I usually check the items out before in store.
I normally buy things in store, as I like to look at products and swatch them first. I do like looking at beauty products online, though, just to find out what new products are out and see what the reviews are like.
In store!! I need swatches.
I look for things online but always buy in store. I need to see the swatch on my skin because I know how deceiving they are on the web. I discovered I have a Sephora in Montreal’s area (one in my city is scheduled to open this fall) and I love going there, a lot less intimidating than the beauty counter at the Bay and way more selection than Shoppers Drug Mart.
I do most of my shopping online. I save money, because when I end up in the store I spend more money. Also, I can bypass the attitudes of sales representatives, as well as, the traffic.
I usually haul in store, but if I want something from PRO or an item that’s online & sold out in stores I’ll order online. I like to try to buy in store because I feel like I’m supporting my favourite MA’s, who are so nice to me.
I prefer to research online, but purchase in store.
I do all my shopping in store, but I’m constantly online cheking out stuff.
With MAC I shop mainly instore, but other products I usually order if it’s not in Sephora. The MAC counter I got to is a stones throw from the Sephora I go to, so if it’s not at these 2 locations…I order online. I do most of my research online
I definitely check out stuff online before I head on into stores. Online normally helps me set up a list for things to check out… But sometimes I just forget the list and splurge on whatever I think is pretty. Hahaha 😉
I prefer to shop in-stores although I do check out items online first before purchasing in a store.
I buy only in stores, but all my lemmings come from online
in store, because getting a refund/exchange for products i buy and do not like is a hassle. its better to try it/test it out in person that way you can minimize returns/exchanges.
but the illamasqua products on sephora.com is very tempting, i don’t think i would return any of the shadows, polish, glosses, lipsticks, and the liquid metals *drools* I’m trying to hold off until the sephora stores sell Illamasqua
I shop mainly in store because I like to see the colours and test the products before buying. I shop online when there are on line deals and if it is only available on line.
I shop mainly in stores nowadays and harldy buy things online anymore. I used to buy beauty and make-up online all the time until last year, but shipping and custums (from US to Europe) were getting so high, that I stopped doing that.
In store always! (With the exception of mac sales – in that case I buy only what I know I really like from having swatched it in the store!)
I purchase in-store for MAC, and on-line for other brands. I browse almost daily on-line, but if I am not sure about something, I’ll check it out in the store. Then, I order on-line so I can get some sort of great freebie with a code. Unfortunately, MAC never has any great freebies, but I ordered quite a bit when they had their last on-line friends and family.
Wouldn’t it be great if the sold MAC at Sephora and we could get freebies with our on-lin MAC order….oh, it makes my heart thump!
in store. its more exciting in store as well!. i do buy abit online though if i cant make it to a store. but not lipsticks, lip glosses or foundations ,etc because they might get ruined in the post or i cant try it on myself
I shop in store more because I want to see the real color, texture, pigmentation etc. So many times I’ll see a product that looked gorgeous online but was less than impressed in person. I also like that I can buy one item and not have to pay a lot for shipping and wait a week or so to get it. Many times I don’t need $60 or so worth of items. I only buy items online that I have seen in person or have used before, usually when they are cheaper or hard to find in stores.
In stores. the fact of actually going there helps me selecting products, and prevent me from buying a thing that I do not like that much. Also, I like to test out the product and see how it renders on my skin. 🙂
I shop online more than I do in stores since most of the time I don’t ever get to see the products IRL. Most of the time, I buy MAC online and it’s rare that I go to the MAC store to purchase what I want and see a lot of products in person. I think now I need to shop in stores more often.
I am a online shopper, but I get most of my ideas to buy after watching YT hauls and reviews