20 Comments

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Martha Avatar

Definitely online the only con is that online you don’t get to try much you don’t get as many samples as if you visited a Macy’s beauty counter or any beauty brand representative that makes me try more and buy more

Lisa Avatar

I enjoy both, but I confess I sometimes get overwhelmed when I go to the store. Then again, the are brands that are only available on line and I would love to drop into Sephora’s or some other place near me to near me to purchase or see the product.

Jujubes Avatar

Me too! It is more time consuming to shop in person in so many ways, and I hate it when sales people follow me and act pushy. I like that I can browse products online, read up on reviews before purchasing at your own pace.

c. blossom Avatar

I love shopping online, but many things I need to swatch in store. Expensive things I rarely buy without trying in person.

I hate shopping in stores for makeup. It’s feast or famine. Department store makeup counters are a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland where no help exists. Or it’s a Sephora in the middle of some customer service directive prompting salespeople to hassle me every minute or two as I browse. I walk away from both experiences extremely annoyed—without purchasing.

Mariella Avatar

No doubt about it – in person all the way. I’m all about instant gratification; when I see something I like enough to buy it, I want it right away. Also, I spend a lot on cosmetics and skin care and I like to try/swath before I fork over my money.

Ana Maria Avatar

I prefer to shop online, I don’t have the pressure of buying products immediately, I can get cash back or search coupons more easily, I save time not going to stores.
But I still prefer to periodically visit the stores just from browsing… sometimes I really need to swatch a product to see if it’s what I really want.

Nancy T Avatar

When I lived across town in Old Town Scottsdale, I had access to a Neighborhood Trolley bus that connected me to both the Scottsdale Fashion Square, plus other neighborhood and Tempe Orbit Buses, and so I really enjoyed going out to the all the beauty (and clothing) stores in person!
Unfortunately, over here, all I have are the Valley Metro buses, and it takes two of those in order to get literally ANYWHERE now.
I would much rather go in person, but now that is just a big hassle, so now I do almost everything online out of necessity.

Genevieve Avatar

Generally, I do prefer to shop instore, but living here in Aus we don’t get either the brands I am after or only a limited collection from them, so I am forced to shop online for the products that have caught my attention. There is nothing like seeing something you’ve really liked here on this blog in the shop so you can swatch it yourself.

Helene Avatar

Before I moved from a city that had loads of makeup stores and department stores I would have said in store. I really loved going to any of the stores to browse, to swatch, to talk and more often than not going home with a little, and sometimes a huge bag filled with goodies.
Now the closest Sephora is about 150kilometers away, we have a very small local store only 45 km away but I’ve not been there since before covid came along. So these days it’s on line absolutely. Besides I now like so many indie brands and these I have to buy online anyway so. Online it is.

Moxie Avatar

I used to love shopping in store for things like lip products, but I can’t trust people to be vaccinated and not selfish and so I do it all online now. I have terrible social anxiety and was just starting to get over it, and I hate that that was taken away from me.

brendacr1 Avatar

When I was younger I could spend all day shopping. Now with a little bit of a back problem walking those tiled concrete floors has my back throbbing in no time. I love to swatch and actually see the products before I purchase but it’s more time efficient to shop online, I think I actually save money from not going into the stores, pretty things catch my eye and end up in my bag whereas that doesn’t happen online.

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