No, because I spend enough and rarely return, so I think that a few returns over time are worth it to keep me feeling comfortable and confident about purchasing from a brand/retailer.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
A little bit, but keep in mind that these cosmetics companies are raking in millions/billions of dollars in revenues, and the profit margin on a product is ridiculous, and they factor in the cost of returns into the price. I bet that +95% of disappointing products don’t get returned. And 95% of my returned products are shadows that don’t fare well on my oily lids, but before I return, I will try to do everything possible to make them work (different primers, bases, brushes, fingers, etc) so they still don’t work, then I don’t feel so bad about returning, especially if something is very pricey.
I do, simply because I hate the thought of wasting things, even though I get my $ back. Do I feel bad for the brand? Not so much. They have margins for this.
This is way I started swapping items. I don’t want to waste a good product if it doesn’t work for me on a personal level.
If the product is just plan bad then yes it will go back.
I am with you on not wasting products. I have a feeling though if you return something opened/used to Sephora for example, they sanitize and use it as a demo.. It’s just my impression though, or possibly something i tell myself to make myself feel better on the rare occasion something so thoroughly doesn’t work for me that I return it opened!
No! I really try to research products (or get samples) before buying. I don’t return often so when I do I think it’s fine. I also don’t return products half used. It’s clearly I used it 2-4 times and it didn’t work out! <3
No, not usually. And certainly not when a product is not performing up to snuff or expectations. Or if the SA accidentally gives me the wrong shade or product by accident.
I sometimes do feel uncomfortable returning something that despite my pickiness about choosing only shades or finishes that I’m sure will work on me, it doesn’t at all.
I don’t feel bad when I return purchases. I tend to read reviews beforehand so I feel comfortable with the purchase I’m making. I rarely return unless the product absolutely doesn’t work for me or gives me a bad reaction.
No, for the same reasons. I spend a lot of money on beaury products and expect products to be are wearable. I made a return last year because the brand’s customer service was unresponsive to its custoners. and I didn’t care to spend my money there.
I certainly don’t. I feel that I should get a product that I really like for the money I pay for it.
I guess I do in way. Unless something arrives damaged, I do not return things. I either find someone who wants it, toss it, or keep it and rarely or never use it again. Who knows? Maybe I will start returning things at some point.
no i don’t feel bad about returning to sephora. it’s their policy, and i live 2 1/2 hours from a sephora store. i’m bound to buy a few things i don’t like online.
Agreed. I feel far less guilty about returning something if it was a purchase I made online. Not being able to swatch something in person, or see how it works with your skin tone is bound to result in some mistakes.
No. I only return products if they are broken or seriously defective. I don’t buy anything expensive without researching first. The stores don’t lose any money, as they charge it back to the brands. The brands most likely get some kind of a tax break for returns, I’m guessing. Not to mention actual cost to manufacture is well below retail price. If the brands do lose money , well…they should have made better products.
I do not return things if I just don’t like the color as much as I thought. I don’t buy three highlighting palettes or whatever for the intention of testing them out and returning the two I like the least. I don’t buys something expensive to wear on a special occasion, and then return it. I try to make products work in some way instead of returning them. So I don’t feel bad on the rare occasions I do return something.
You are the best customer and a really good person too. You actually have some thought and consideration in what you do. I worked in retail before and Ive experienced all kinds of crap from people, but it’s people like you that made me have faith in humanity again. Thanks 🙂
Rene, that is very sweet of you to say. I’ve worked retail in the past, so I know the kind of crap you’re talking about.
The return policy in Germany is horrendous, there is barely any possibility, so I am extra careful when buying stuff.
I don’t care if I can’t return it, I’m still springing for En Taupe. Go Zoeva.de! Getting brushes, too. Psyched!
I used to feel comfortable (i.e. color or formula didn’t work or was mis-represented) but now with the whole Sephora flap I avoid going there all together. because returns were treated like I had committed treason or something. I will not be shopping there again, except for Bite lippies!(Bite please make a website…!) I used to feel like you, Christine, that bc I was a good customer, returns shouldn’t be an issue in the bigger scheme. However, because you’re a “good customer” is not considered. Obviously, you purchase way more stuff:)
Now, I buy from product’s websites, Nordstroms, or Beautylish. I know this sounds funny, but Nordstroms and Beautylish have such kind customer service that I feel like I don’t have to return bc they answer questions well about products, and I don’t feel as if I need to return etc. And when I buy from the actual website, I feel like I am probably giving them more of a “cut” from them than selling to a retailer, and I can get more LE stuff earlier.
If you don’t mind me asking, what happened with Sephora?
Ditto. I do not return much. When I do, I expect the return to be a straight forward and relatively painless process. Sephora could use some big improvements in this area IMO. Speaking to a telephone representative rarely yields complete satisfaction on my part and I end up having to call Sephora multiple times for a single issue. Telephone reps seem to have no real authority. I really like the system with Shopbop online (a good example of easy returns). I purchase my items with the free returns option: my packages arrive with a return label included. The label has an area where you indicate the reason for the return.. slap that label on a bag or box and tracking is included on the package as well. Done. It’s brilliant!
I wish returning make up products was possible where I live. Although I think I would feel a little bit guilty returning products I already used..
In Spain we can’t return any product after it’s open so… No way of feeling guilty for returning them, but for purchasing products that don’t worth the money. Does it count?
I don’t like returning, but I will do so if I truly can’t use the product. I buy a *lot* of makeup and can probably count my returns on my hands – a primer that broke me out, a foundation with a bad pump (that was actually an exchange), that sort of thing.
I do! First of all, I really don’t want to admit how old I actually was when I learned that places like Sephora and Ulta took returns. For the longest time I just thought with makeup once you bought it, it was yours. But, I feel guilty returning something. I feel like I’m getting judged no matter what it is. Right now, as a matter of fact, I’m sitting on two Nyx glitter liners because I accidentally bought a copy and I don’t want to return it to Ulta. I do return though. I bought Vice4 when it first came out and when I opened it, it had a giant hair pressed into one of the shadows. That I was ok with taking back.
Nope. Never. I return to the drugstore more than to Sephora. Mostly due to color matching issues and not being able to try products before purchasing them. When I purchase something from Sephora like a foundation or skin care, 9 times out of 10, I already tried it from a sample that I requested or got in my order.
I do feel guilty. I believe that I should keep it unless it is defective. However, I do return things when they are truly horrible and I feel like I was wronged when accepting the product claims that do not work. For example, yesterday I returned a Marc Jacobs blue Highliner pencil to Sephora. It was five months old. I was never wearing it because it is much drier than my other colors. I suspect it was a bad batch and I heard that there were many bad ones last summer. So, I went and got my $25 back!
Yes, mainly because the sales associates make me feel like I’m practically making the store go bankrupt. I research products pretty thoroughly before purchasing, but sometimes they still don’t work for me.
Not at all. I do it so rarely, and I spend so much money at the beauty retailers (specifically Sephora and Ulta), that I do not feel any guilt. If I return something, it’s justified and for a good reason.
Sephora is NEVER a problem ( I am VIB Rouge), but Ulta is so unhelfpul (and I am Platinum) that after my last awful experience returning something in store, I made a point of letting them know just how much better Sephora is.
Do you buy regularly at Ulta, or only items not sold at Sephora? Due to geographic ease, I used to shop Ulta most of the time. I finally got fed up with their “reward system”. Sephora is so much more sensible. I didn’t understand how they think a selection of low end items and store-brand hair appliances was a good reward for my spending $500 on high end products. They used to have a quarterly 20% off coupon one could use on most high end items. All of a sudden, it became 10% for high end brands. That is when I checked out. Any more, if it is sold at Sephora, i buy there. If I need any IT products or want to test nail polish, I will go there.
Not unless it’s something I should have known better than to purchase in the first place, and I’ve gotten much better at not making those kinds of purchases. The fact is that I’d be too afraid to buy makeup if I couldn’t return the products that don’t work for me — I’d be so afraid of wasting my money that they wouldn’t have me as a customer at all, and I definitely spend enough $$ at Sephora, ULTA, Nordstrom, and Target to make it worth their while to have me as a customer. The SAs at Macys are more uptight about returns, so I always try to make it an exchange there, then they’re much happier. I don’t usually buy makeup at CVS/other drugstores, preferring to purchase drugstore makeup at ULTA when I have a coupon, or at Target, where prices are better and I don’t have to keep track of coupons.
no, I don’t return products that often but if I do,most all of the products I returning usually is $30 or more and they’re have to be really suck that I can’t stand to see them on my vanity any longer.when I paid for somethings that pricey I want it to be great!
I used to. But, now I just tell myself that is my right as a consumer. Plus, when the SA sees my purchase history they typically make a comment comment about being a great customer or something. Even if I didn’t buy as much a I do, if it your return is withing the stores return policy, I don’t think there is any reason to feel bad. If they didn’t want people to try stuff then they wouldn’t have the return policy.
No, not at all. I am surprised at the # of women who don’t think they can return cosmetics. I will say having worked for a high-end brand, it would bother me when women would return our most popular products. Loosing the commission would not bother me, as I really tried to not over-sell to a client. i would rather suggest 1-2 products and ask the customer to come back for future purchases. As a consumer, I really try and feel confident about my purchase, if I am buying a line’s popular product.
Here in Belgium we can’t return beauty products to drugstores or beauty counters 🙁 not sure why… One of the pharmacies in my town has a 2 weeks return policy on selected skincare products though.
Sometimes I do especially if I planned the purchase and it wasn’t impulsive…if it was impulsive I tend to have no issue with returning though
I’m the exact opposite – if it’s an impulse buy and I return it, I am embarrassed and feel pretty sheepish. If it was a planned buy and it didn’t work, I don’t feel badly at all and I’m actually quite proud that I can be so informative when the SA asks why or what was wrong. Those impulse buys get me every now and again, though!
No, if I return something it is with good reason.
I never feel bad returning items. If I spend the money to try a new product, and it just doesn’t work out, it’s just as simple as that. I only return something if I absolutely don’t like it after trying it and don’t feel like it works for me, which would be the same for appliances, clothes, shoes, etc. Now those who abuse return policies are another story, but if something genuinely doesn’t work for you, I don’t see anything wrong with returning it.
No. I do a lot of research before purchasing anything. Sometimes a product is just not-as-advertised, defective, or a complete mismatch with my coloring, and that’s what the return policies are for.
I little bit. If its a product I could have gotten samples of an tried out then yeah, I feel guilty about the waste I created. If it’s a brand or item that I can’t sample first then no, I do not feel guilty about returning it.
No, simply because you can’t return make-up and beauty products here. Sadly stores follow the ‘dont-like-it-well-too-bad’ philosophy here.
Nope. If a product does not live up to the expectations or the claims back it goes. I recently returned a mascara ( absolutely awful and did nothing) , and a MUFE eyeliner that was empty when I opened the package. I try to be a discerning consumer but sometimes that doesn’t work out. I do try to minimize my returns though
Not any more, used to. If it’s my goof, I own it. But if it’s theirs, like sending me the newer shade of FAB Triple Duty…. And who knew there were two? Even the SA/register staff had not been informed. She said, yeah, those were radically different colors, checked the stock, and switched it out for the right one. Have not had any issues with either big S or big U. Ulta got at least 2 removers back. I know my allergies and check ingredients assiduously. Those were simply ineffective. (Got the Garnier micellar/waterproof remover and it’s great for me. No aloe, no chem sunscreen, etc. Takes off everything, and I plastered every formula all over my face, to test.). If it’s a color thing, I usually keep it or give it away, and note that the color online or in store is not representative, in the reviews. Ulta’s pseudo-swatches are often VERY off. And many products have no testers, but do not run true to pan. I personally think that returned items are up for grabs by staff, maybe even if it’s against policy. I saw a customer return a Lipstick Queen bundle, and the register person put it in her pants pocket. I got an LQ Xmas bundle, not realizing it contained dupes. My bad. Kept it, and will gift the gloss and lip liner. I guess my return policy depends on whose fault I think it was.
I do a lot of research so rarely dislike something I’ve bought. I have returned due to reaction, and have no qualms returning something bought online if it didn’t work. I am limited to a drug store with some higher end products, or online so sometimes things just aren’t what i thought they would be like. I use reviews and swatches here extensively because I find the colours pretty true to real life.
I never feel bad returning products to Sephora, because they have never questioned me about a return and in the long run they have gained way more business from me for it (also for very liberally giving samples.) I’m ashamed to admit the people in my local Sephora know me, so they also know when I ask for a sample I’m considering a purchase, and I return something maybe 1 of every 10 times I go in there to purchase. I don’t feel even slightly bad about this. So many cosmetic products, especially skincare, one really can’t judge without trying for a few weeks.
I am speaking as a customer and lover of makeup. The goal of the company should be to please the customer, keep the customer happy, but there is a limit. Every case of return should be handled separately because honestly, way too many people abuse the return system. If you bought something and it came with a defect, YES by all means return it as soon as possible. You have NO reason to feel bad. I had a NARS concealer that I used once and the lid broke, I returned it the next day, got a new one with great understandable service, A+ NARS. I don’t feel bad at all for returning it. You should not feel bad if you return a product because it caused a REAL allergic reaction, a REAL breakout. Don’t just say “yea it broke me out” and lie about it, these statistics go back to the companies. If the customer buys something, uses it halfway and returns it later because she/he didnt like it anymore(color,texture,etc)? That is NOT right and they SHOULD feel bad. And then probably throw the excuse “it broke me out/caused an allergy”, oh so you had a reaction and just kept using it? Get outa here. It sucks because there ARE people who have real reactions from certain products and then all these false statistics go back to companies. I think people should feel bad when buying a large quantities of makeup(especially expensive makeup) trying it at home, then returning it. Please test before you buy because that is WASTED product. Makeup CANNOT be resold again for hygienic purposes. For me it is the same as if a person buys many panties they didn’t try on, try them on at home, and returned them because they didn’t fit or were not pretty. Buying clothes, wearing it, then returning it. Shame on you! The only defense I have for simply returning products no matter what the reason is that the makeup companies are making a huge profit anyways. BUT the makeup is still product that is wasted. How wasteful.
I am American and lived in USA for the majority of my life and I know all about the lenient return system. I have been living in Europe the past couple of years and makeup returns do not fly so easily here and I completely understand them. Please people, test more before you buy, don’t impulse buy, and be more considerate.
I think you raise some excellent points about the people who abuse the return policies. There are a lot of people who purchase cosmetics with wild abandon and then return, return, return! And, as you pointed out, those products cannot be resold even if returned in unopened packages. I think the greedy, I can always return it attitude of the people who buy tons of stuff only to return it is, in part, what led Sephora to drastically cut back their F&F sale. I have a friend who manages a Sephora and she said after the sale, they get people coming in with bags of stuff they bought and want to return. Most of it is unopened, but everything has to be discarded anyway. Such a terrible waste!
I agree!
I totally get what your saying about the sales and people going crazy! Especially with sale stuff, people will impulse buy everything in sight. Afterwards, people try to return the products on sale AND used! People will bend the rules as far as they can.
I think unopened, untouched makeup is ok and should be allowed for returns. I don’t see a problem with it since it is still hygienic and can be resold again. That sucks it gets thrown away though, truly a waste 🙁
Bravo!
I agree with some of what you say but so much makeup is NOT sold at local stores for testing. I’d love it if Nordstrom’s or Sephora would allow people to order samples of stuff–I’d order up a storm of samples, and would have zero issues paying for them.
As it is, I attempt to find online swatches and reviews but many times, the product doesn’t look good on me at all. I return the item right away but I wish that I had been able to sample it first because I never would have bought it. I don’t use up half and then return it. But I probably have more returns than others because I do buy quite a bit of makeup without being able to test it first and return some of the bad ones.
So under your scenario, I’d buy hardly anything so store gets no returns but also no sales.
Agreed. I live in a rural area not close to any Sephora or Nordstrom so if there were no return policies, I just would not purchase period due to having extra sensitive acne-prone skin and the likelihood that many things cause a reaction. I also dislike using testers in store that have been used by many others: hygiene was mentioned, but there is simply no way trying on a pencil liner in store is in any way hygienic.
However, if sample/travel sizes are offered for purchase, I end up not returning anything, even when there is a decent return policy in place. For example, Paula’s Choice offers sample/travel sizes for purchase for almost every product they offer. As a result, I end up not returning ANYTHING despite the numerous times I have purchased. I buy a bunch of travel/sample sizes to try and then buy bigger sizes of stuff that work well for me. I also buy more sample sizes of tried-and-true favorites to save for traveling (I love that I don’t have to decant and expose active ingredients to the air, thereby causing those ingredients to denature). I have to say I love this. I love not having to think about standing in line for a return or at the post office for a receipt to ship something back.
In contrast, I tend to return at least one item for every Sephora or Nordstrom transaction simply BC something about the product did not work for me. Whether it be an allergic reaction or a bad color or did not live up to claims.
Good idea with the samples, Di.
I am in a remote location and at least 75 miles away from any Sephora or major department store. I’ve been buying on-line forever. I’ve become very proficient with sizes all the way down to difference between denim labels and both my partner and I are easy to fit. It makes more sense for me to shop on-line.
Obviously all of us here at Temptalia do our homework when it comes to our makeup and beauty purchases. I do not feel bad about returning the odd item whatsoever. If you are selling on-line, it’s all about the convenience, isn’t it. That pretty much dictates people will buy items sight unseen and sometimes even spontaneously (we are human after all) and returns will be necessary. It’s up to the company to devise an appropriate return policy and to honour it.
Making small samples which could be purchased would be brilliant. Especially in the case of foundation. But companies don’t do that. Why? Because they hope even if it doesn’t work, you will keep the full sized item. I don’t buy into this thought that most consumers are evil. Yes, there are people who will always take advantage of any system. But isn’t it proof enough of how many here making comments treat returns with respect. I have a difficult time feeling sorry for the mega companies raking in the big bucks. Truly, I do.
Back in the day, cosmetics could never be returned so I learned early on to choose well and not to succumb to impulse purchases. Nowadays, I never return something simply because I don’t like it. To me, that is extremely wasteful. I only return a product if it doesn’t work for me after giving it a good try or if it causes a reaction of some sort. I hate it when an SA says to me, “Well, you can always return it if you don’t like it.” It’s nice to know I can return something, but I have a busy life which doesn’t include needless trips to the cosmetic counter to return products. If I’m not feeling confident about the product, I’ll give it a miss.
No because I return if I’ve found .. say a lipstick .. had been tampered with and I didn’t notice when purchasing or if a product causes me harm (boscia pore purifying black strips). Otherwise, if I’ve made a poor color selection, I just stuck it up.
Monica.
I rarely return but I feel guilty when I do. The nice girls at Sephora always tell me not to worry about it.
I never return products – I give them to people I know.
If they haven’t been used NO but if i used them then a little bit. I used to keep them & only late last year did i start returning things that just don’t work for me and that’s only after I’ve tried to make it work.
No, I’d feel worse keeping something I can’t use.
Yes, I feel like I am taking away from the salesperson’s commission or something.
Absolutely not. If something didn’t work for me (usually because I’m allergic to some ingredient that I didn’t know about before I got the product) and I’m definitely not going to use it and can’t afford to waste my money. My cosmetic budget is important to me!
Not at all. In fact, today when I went to Sephora and was a little reluctant to buy yet another eyebrow brush, the MUA said, “If you don’t like it, just bring it back.” They want you to try stuff, counting on the fact that you will keep it because you like it, or because you don’t want to bother to return it or feel guilty. Do Not Feel Guilty! The profit margin for cosmetic companies and Sephora is huge. Better to get the quality you want.
No – because I only do it when the product is faulty. It’s very hard to return used makeup here in Australia.
No, because I seldom do it, and I’m totally honest whenever I do returns. I have some money to spend, but I don’t like to waste it on products that don’t work for me. All they do is clutter up my drawers, and later, landfills.
Not at all, I spend a lot of money on products that I DON’T return. If a product doesn’t perform as described, I’m out!
I work retail and I used to work at a cosmetics store and returns can hold up a line and cause issues a lot of the time and I’ve had people basically scream at me because I wouldn’t return a completely used up item that was over three months old without a receipt. So I usually thoroughly research products before I purchase them and try to make it work if it’s not exactly what I wanted. I only return if there’s a serious issue with the product or there is no way I can use it and I never return an item that’s been heavily used. For example I ordered a lipstick online and it was advertised as a pink colour but it was more of a brown when it arrived so I exchanged it since it was nothing like I expected. I also make sure to be polite to the staff processing my return.
I don’t feel guilty for returning something that didn’t work. Sometimes, even if you check product reviews it will not work on you.
I’ve only returned a product once, but I did feel bad. Not because I feel bad for the company but because I know that product is going to waste when someone else could have enjoyed it. I need to find a swap group for any future products that do not work for me.
Yes, but not for the corporation. It reminds me that it’s just going to get thrown away and end up in landfills, so I feel guilty for laying more waste to the environment. It also reminds me that returning or not, this hobby for beauty is doing the environment no favors.
I do feel fun returning things at Ulta since I work there because once the product is returned it get destroyed and I’ve seen a lot of nice things go bye bye
I don’t feel bad at all. I know it’s going back to the manufacturer. It’s a quantifiable way for them to determine if a product needs to be repackaged, reformulated even just discontinued.
I don’t feel guilty, just extremely uncomfortable. The discomfort feel is ususally generated by the looks ans the attitude of the person doing my return. Seems like almost any place I shop, more and more I deal with sales associates who have NO idea about customer service. Unless I find someone who is working on commission and I am spending a large sum of money (which buys you sickeningly sweet service) I cannot get a smile, a fitting room, help with eyeshadow colors, someone to get my size in a shoe…nothing. Beware if you try to return any of those commission purchases!
When I was in college, I worked at a local, popular and rather prestigious women’s store. My first two weeks there, all the manager and assistant manager taught me was service, service, service and etiquette. They said the rest would come naturally as I became familiar with the inventory. I never saw anyone leave that store with anything but a pleasant expression on their face. We treated the browsers with the same courtesy as we did the women coming in to buy an $800.00 handbag. (that was a hummmer handbag price back in the day).
I’ve often wondered if superb customer service is taught any where at all any more.
Yeah, I do but I’m a wuss when it comes to that sort of thing. It mostly has to do with the hassle involved and well people. Some SA’s are very combative about why you are returning it.
I started feeling a bit bad when I was returning a product in Mac that I had bought online and, while talkong with the vendors at the store they mentioned that returned products are destroyed for higeene purposes. Although the product was untouched they told me that is it the company’s policy (because they do not lnow, also, under which weather conditiond you had it, etc). Many times when there is an exclusive collection and I know it will go out fast I buy it all and they try it at a counter and stay with what I liked, but now, after knowing this, I try to be a bit more responsible and only buy what I love.
I though do not have the sale guilt in sephora, i am a VIB rouge and buy a lot and there was atolladero nce when they did not wanted to do a price adjustment so I had to return the product and buy a new one (ridiculous!) so I realized that the company just didnt care…
I don’t normally feel guilty. Even with testing a color in store it’s hard to tell how it will look in normal lighting or if it will wear. I check store policies before buying. If they say I can return even if I don’t like the color, then I take then at their word. Now, after saying that, I do my research and normally only return for major color issues, which are rare, or for broken product. Generally, I will pass it on to someone else who wants it. Now that I think of it, I give away a lot of makeup!?
Here in the UK we can’t return makeup or other beauty products unless they’re faulty or they’ve been unopened or unused, and even then you’re unlikely to be successful. if something doesn’t suit me or I don’t like it, I have to suck it up and either throw it away or give it to someone else. Women’s refuges will accept new or lightly used beauty products so I’m thinking of doing that, I’ve put aside some such products to send off to such a charity (‘Give and MakeUp’) in the UK.
I absolutely do! I know these are mostly large scale places (like Sephora or Ulta), but i still do feel guilty. I work at a small family owned shop and see how much a return can sting… so I really try to be careful about it. 🙂
Oh my lord, yes! My friend tells me that it’s ridiculous, but I just wasn’t raised to return every little thing. She returns probably every 2 out of 3 beauty purchases though…
Apparently that’s how rich ppl stay rich, ha! They’re super tight all-around! Lol no offense meant to anyone! To each their own!
* the way I look at it—easy come, easy go 🙂
I don’t have a problem returning at a department store but for some odd reason if I buy something at Walgreen’s I feel guilty. Go figure.
Does anyone else start to type out an answer and then it’s like 3 hours later and you’ve deleted everything about 7 times?
When I would impulse buy and then return, I would feel embarrassed or sheepish but not guilty because I’d always assumed that returns were sanitized and then made into testers. The embarrassment would come from the amount I would return and the sa knowing it was only an impulse buy, that I just bought for the fun or fomo of it. But a while back I returned a few new-in-box, unopened items and the sa put them in a bin instead of setting them aside like I’d seen before. I asked her why she put them in the bin and she said that all returns were damaged out. I told her that I hadn’t even opened them, much less used them and couldn’t they just re-sell them after verifying that, or make them into testers? Nope. Not ever, apparently. I haven’t fomo or impulse bought and returned since.
I have and will return products that don’t work out, though, and I feel no guilt about that at all. Now I plan my purchases/hauls and do research (and I also drag myself in-store for actual swatching), and I really do try to work with a product before returning it (the latest return was the Burberry cream eye colors. STILL BOTHERS ME because I LOVED the colors). I do my due diligence and when the sa asks what my reason for returning is, I’m able to be informative about why something didn’t work out.
Heck no I don’t feel guilty because I always think heavily about my purchases before I buy them. If something doesn’t work for my skin tone, general sensitivity, or whatever I will absolutely take it back and get something else that does. Life is too short to hoard products just because and I refuse to have crappy quality products taking up valuable space in my collection/life.
I have no trouble returning things but definitely don’t buy with the idea that I’m going to return it. I returned the big Marc Jacobs palette this year bc after multiple uses trying to make interesting looks, it was just way too boring for me. The colors were barely there and didn’t look good with my coloring either. $100 is too much to not like something. Same with the Lancome Audacity in Paris palette.
First, I rarely return. Second, if I do return I definitely don’t feel bad about it. When I return a makeup product it’s usually because it’s damaged or I’ve had an allergic reaction.
The option to return does not exist in the UK. If it’s been opened you cannot return unless it has an obviously manufacturing fault. And that applies to all goods btw. The idea that you could return something simply because you decide you don’t like it is totally alien to us. You guys have a privilege – use it wisely!
Guilty? No, of course not. If a product doesn’t work for you, I see no reason it shouldn’t be returned. The percentage of products I keep FAR outweighs the number I’ve returned. There are quite a few that haven’t worked for me that have been passed on to one of my daughters.
The Sephora near me doesn’t carry quite a few of the products I’m interested in, and they don’t carry a lot of foundations in my shade. Therefore, I can’t test everything before buying it. If stores didn’t allow returns, there are numerous products I would have never tried that I now love. I’ve also had a sample of a product work beautifully, then purchased the full-size and found it didn’t perform the same.
I will say that I don’t enjoy returning things. I wish every product I purchased turned out to be perfect for me… especially that Buxom eyeshadow palette and those Dior Addict Fluid Shadows!
I don’t feel guilty, but do sometimes feel uncomfortable. Sephora carries some exclusives that are favorites of mine. I don’t live near a store so the only way to try colors and new products is to order online. Sometimes I don’t have luck even though I do a lot of prior research. If I keep trying and I sometimes end up with returns or keeping things I don’t love and/or give up on finding the right one because I don’t want to risk return. That is unfortunate for both customer and company. Sites like this one help a lot especially when stores do not offer accurate swatches!! I adore Bite Matte Crème Crayon and have quite a few I bought thinking I could mix them into some better shade. Never did get to fully enjoy them until Bite came out with the color Pastille. LOVE! They got some returns from me but they also got sales I wish I’d held off on now! I think that if purchases are made with the right intentions, but the product turns out to be something you would not buy if you could have tried it prior, then returning shouldn’t bring on guilt.
I work retail so I’ve seen many people abuse return policies. If I do return I always swap it out for something else.
Nope. Never feel guilty. Because I have a really good reason if I am returning it. I HATE the inconvenience of returning a product !
Not usually, but I just returned some Laura Mercier primer. Everyone else seems to love it, but it was awful on me. I keep thinking I should love it, but it highlightedd every imperfection.
Sometimes yes, but I feel worse about keeping products around that I know don’t work or I don’t like.
Not really. Granted, I don’t return products that much because I do my research before buying a product, but other than that, but if I spent $20 on something and I’m not satisfied with it, I’ll return it.
Yes, unless it is defective. I don’t like that they are just throwing them away based on not liking a color or whatever. I rarely return though, so if I do, it has to be bad. Now, if a SA gives me a color match of foundation or something, and I go home and it doesn’t match or oxidizes, then I don’t feel bad about returning something like that.