Indian brands — there seem to be some cool ones out there, but I feel like they’re harder to get. There are a lot of European, UK, Asian, and Australian brands of interest, but there are ways for me to get them.
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Pretty much everywhere! As a Canadian, it’s expensive to have things shipped here (even from the US). Even the Canadian Sephora website doesn’t have a lot of the stuff the US website does since they ship from different warehouses now. It’s a bummer because there’s usually way more stuff on sale, and a bigger brand range.
This! Canadian buyers always seem to get the short end of the stick. 🙁
Have you considered Amazon.com? They carry a lot of name-brand cosmetics and maybe they ship to Canada without a problem?
Amazon can be VERY expensive. I live in Canada and firstly, it’s difficult to find things that even ship to Canada at all (depending on the brand), and each item is usually at least 50% extra to ship. So a $30 item will be $45 with shipping.
I get free shipping – I was just trying to help.
I totally agree.
Regarding Amazon, while it seems like a viable solution, shipping rates are usually atrocious. Yay Canada!
Just trying to help — I get free shipping.
Not to mention Canada Post are evil and do things like deliberately damage your packages or constantly lose your mail, making it kind of hard to trust any shipping.
Australia, from what I’ve stumbled upon over the Internet, seems to have some top-notch “natural” cosmetics, particularly base products, I would love to try. I can technically get them, but I don’t care for ordering online, especially when finding base shades…
Yes, we do have some great products like Nude by Nature and Natio. Lots of natural, plant based products that are reasonably priced.
I live in New Zealand, so I actually wish I had access to all the products in the USA!
Lorac, Urban Decay, NYX, Kat von D and sooo many more I can’t get access to in stores over here.
We only have some of the high end brands, and many “drugstore” brands such as Maybelline, Loreal, Revlon etc.
Of course we can order some of them online, but shipping prices are sky high! I ordered the Lorac unzipped palette online and it came to $110 NZD!
What I would love to see is more of an international ease of access to beauty products for EVERYONE! There are some super interesting products sold in various places that I would love to try, but it’s not an easy feat, to be sure. Japan, Korea, Germany, Canada, come to mind, to name a few. But between currency exchange issues and international shipping, it would probably be a headache!
Ah, I love that you said that!
India has a lot of great beauty & skincare products to offer, especially along the bio and herbal line. The main problem is the shade selection. For a country like India, ironically the darkest shade for foundation is probably one darker than your complexion.
I know right! We are so beautiful and diverse within our race but people still look down upon darker skin tones! We’re being racist to our own kind. And what darker skin tones dont need foundation or concealer? its really frustrating sorryy
Korean and Japanese brands at a price close to what they’re sold for in these countries would be great. I also discovered a brand called Spa Ceylon when I went to Sri Lanka and I really enjoyed it, they have bath and body products inspired by Ayurveda. It is available online but the shipping cost is prohibitive.
If by Indian brands you mean Forest Essentials then yes you folks are missing out! 🙂 I’d love to have access to more Australian beauty as well they do some great natural products and the ones I have tried have been really really good!
Well, I would say South Korea but I’m able to get products from that country online. I like a lot of their skincare as well as makeup. 🙂
More skincare from S. Korea – heard they have the best and most cutting edge products, and at very affordable prices. Cosmetics from Japan -the packaging is ridiculously cute (kawaii), my wallet would be empty!!
Definitely, Katherine, I would be over the moon to have whole lines of S. Korean and Japanese brands sold right here! I am all over that, especially S.Korean skincare, though, because it’s the BEST!
I’ve only tried a few Korean skincare products ( Hada Labo Tokyo sunscreen, Belif True Moisturizing Bomb), but so far, I’ve been pretty impressed. And I keep reading glowing reviews by bloggers. I want to buy more, but a lot of the stuff is sold online, so you can’t try anything, ingredient lists aren’t in English, and either no returns allowed or returns would be a hassle. But that’s slowly changing as Sephora and Ulta carries more stuff. I also got the Soko to Tokyo kit and will be trying it this weekend. Are there any products you like or recommend?
The Hada Labo Gel Cream moisturizer has become HG for me as my night cream. It has a TON of hylauronic acids in it, doesn’t break me out, and plays nicely with my other products I use at bedtime. Makes my face look more plumped up, less dry, but doesn’t feel greasy.
Thanks for the tip, will check it out !
I totally agree. I’m all over the Korean skincare. On that note- the Sulwhasoo moisture -aid moisturizer that I ordered didn’t work out for me. It was a gel cream. It reminded me of that Belif one that Sephora sent samples of and that came in the Soko to Tokyo kit. Not enough moisture for me. I broke down and just got the La Mer cream. It’s working actually. So, I guess- it may be worth it for me. Maybe before the jar is empty I can find a less expensive alternative. But, hopefully the $189 jar will get me through winter! Ther is no counter for that brand near me. Otherwise, I probable would have tried one of their heavier creams. The smell was really herbally- like Belif’s as well- but much more expensive.
If you know of any Korean brand creams for dry skin for me to check out, please lmk.
Hey, I was scouting out the T3 hairdryers. Their are a few different ones at varying prices. Do you recommend a certain one? I know nothing about hair dryers.
If I don’t talk to you before, Happy Halloween! 🙂
Oh, sorry to hear the Suhlwasoo gel cream didn’t work for you. They have a counter in my city, so next time I’m there, I will see if there are other creams that might work for us. I have the Belif Aqua Cream ( blue gel ) and it’s too light for me, but their True Moisturizing Bomb (white cream) is really nice –it’s much more moisturizing and my go-to night cream now. Glad to hear La Mer is working great for you. I have a small jar, and it’s soothing when my skin is irritated. I think I have the T3 Featherweight 2. I’ve had it for 2 years now, and I really like it as it doesn’t fry my hair, dry my face out, and dries my hair fast, but I live in fear of it conking out on me too soon. There are terrible reviews on Sephora about the QC issues, so hope you don’t get a dud. I got it heavily discounted (sephora sale plus VIB Rouge $25 cash coupon), but it’s still pricey, so I want it to last like 10 yrs. And some people are having problems returning it to Sephora and T3. If you buy, I suggest buying through Nordstroms, as they will take all kinds of returns back, with no questions asked and no time limit. And you might be able to use Nordstroms cash or points. And talk to your friend/hair stylist — he might give some insights on the T3, or get you a big discount, or more generous return/warranty policy since he’s a pro. Anyways, let me know how it goes
That’s great that you have a Sulwhasoo ( or however it’s spelled) counter! I think I would like some of the thicker creams. I’m a huge fan of Amore Pacific and they are the parent company of Sulwhasoo. But, the 2 lines at Sephora don’t hold enough moisture for me now. Before I was on medication, I loved the cream in the pink tinted tubs at Sephora, I think it’s Time Response. They are really nice.The richer line is super expensive and not available to be sampled.I’d have to order it from Neimans. The medication has just dehydrated my skin so much. I hate it. But, it’s a necessary evil for me.
Good idea on the dryer as far as buying it at Nordstrom! I was may be going to get it At the Sephora sale coming up. But , those are investment pieces and I don’t want to worry about it a year down the road. I asked my hair dresser about it. He said he does not recommend T3 and they are a waste! He said most hair dryers on the market these days should not dry the skin . But, he’s a male and doesn’t get it. He has short hair. He got me a professional dryer. But, it blows hot air and its drying. I rarely blow dry my hair for that reason and to save time and prevent heat damage. But, it looks better blow dried and sometimes I just want my hair blown out. Thanks for your help!
Thanks for the tip on Amore Pacific, I will check it out! I’ve been eyeing their kits for a while. I wash and blow dry my hair everyday, styling the ends with round brush, then color at home every 6 weeks and I have to leave the dye on extra long to cover my roots, but my hair still looks pretty healthy, and I’m no spring chicken either (46 yrs), so I think the T3 has really helped me out. And I checked, it is a T3 Featherweight 2. But I’m going to be pissed if it conks out on me, but so far, so good. Yeah, my hubby uses a cheapie hairdryer that’s horrible and loud, but he only has like 1 inch of hair to dry! Guys have it so easy (sigh)
Haha..they do. Not fair. Thanks for checking on that for me. Looks like Nordstrom has a sale Nov. 5-15. Maybe they will put some T3’s on sale. Plus I was told I have some 10 point days coming up. So, I need to look into that! My mom just called and asked what I wanted. I said nothing. of course. But, mentioned I had been looking into a new hair dryer and rain boots.Have a good one! 🙂
Japan. Where else for me?
America
US Brands! we don’t have laroc or kat von or marc jacobs here in the UK but we have just got NYX at boots which is exciting!
I didn’t know Boots have got NYX!
Yes online only at the moment though
Right now, I can only say…
• the Japanese brand, Kanebo Cosmetics; especially, their Lunasol Cosmetics line. Lunasol makes exquisite, high-end, luxurious makeup, but you can’t get it here in the USA. It’s only available in northeastern, southeast, and southwest Asia. Every year, since 1991, Kanebo launches their “Milano Collection” where they sell a breathtaking, deluxe, collectors’ item, powder & compact. Think Estée Lauder limited edition compacts, with a Guerlain Météorites Pearls collectibility, sprinkled with an ulra girly-girl, angelic theme; but it retails for $100+…and you have to make a reservation (a.k.a. pre-order) to have one. It’s so beautiful, though!
…and…
• an Italian-based company named Neve Cosmetics. Their duochrome eyeshadows are stunning, and worth getting your hands on. However, they can only ship to places in the “European Community”. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I know Switzerland, Norway, and Turkey isn’t in the community. The UK, on the other hand, does have access. So jealous.
…and…
• a UK department store — Marks and Spencer — beauty line, named Autograph. Gosh, what I would give to have their cosmetic items be sold in the USA! It’s great quality, and it’s affordable.They seem to make amazing dupes of popular mid and high-end makeup products. Autograph’s Pure Luxe Powder Highlighter is to die for! The [Golden Rose] highlighter is known as the dupe for ELIPG’s in Modern Mercury.
It’s times like these when you need an international makeup pen pal. ????
I feel like it’s kind of a cop out/traditional, but for me it would probably be stuff available in the UK. Health-wise I’m not going to be traveling any time soon so it’s not like I can just stop over and pick stuff up during a trip like some people do, and I know enough about the products and the brands to know about the ingredients, ethics, etc of the companies. Plus right now there are a ton of amazing beauty advent calendars in the UK and only a handful in the US and I’d love to get my hands on the UK ones like the Selfridges, Liberty or Lush ones. I also miss Bourjois since moving back to the states from Canada and would love to restock on some of their items.
I’m from Europe, so for me US brands: Kat von D, Bite, Tarte, Lorac, Colourpop.. To name a few.
I can get some on Sephora.com but customs + shipping is expensive. So in the end I never order because I don’t think the high price is worth it.
Have you considered Amazon.com?
The US, obviously!
US Brands like Kat Von D, Tarte, Colourpop. Sephora.com doesn’t ship to Belgium and Colourpop not even in Europe. Thank God my mom lives in the US most of the time so I can get my orders through her. But I don’t want to annoy her with to many order tho :p
American! I would love a Sephora over here in the UK!
I’m curious which Indian brands you’re referring to, Christine.
Because I’ve lived in India for 12 yrs & all the ‘Indian’ brands I’ve tried aren’t very good quality (Lakme, Lotus, VLCC, Shahnaz Husain, Biotique, Forest Essentials, Jovees, Coloressence).
I wish we could get more of the less expensive French brands like Bourjois, Yves Rocher, Lollipops, Kiko, & Oriflame.
ELF would do well here in India too, I would think. Lush left India but Inglot has a few stores in Delhi also.
The Sephora in Delhi has Nyx, Stila, Estee Lauder, Benefit, Soap & Glory, Burts Bees & a few Korean brands- but mostly empty shelves.
Lakme and Forest Essentials are the ones I’ve heard most about!
There are lots of Forest Essentials on Amazon! I didn’t look for Lakme.
Thank you!
Yes, Lakme is there too!
Forest Essentials ships internationally 🙂
Kiko is actually italian. I too thought it was french until I went to the shop they have in London.
Kiko is finally available in the U.S., which is awesome! Moonshot from Korea is a new brand and I haven’t found a way of purchasing their products yet.
For me it used to be american makeup (the big palettes en le items) but the Netherlands is stepping up with the makeup atleased online. It had a big step back when sephora left the country now urban decay came back and benefit is being sold other brands are online though french/american sephora. Im missing swatching things myself so I realy on blogs but its getting there :).
Why did Sephora leave the Netherlands? I’d NEVER leave the Netherlands. And then I could have a Smoushond! I google them on google.nl all the time.
Kiko for sure!!!!
Sleek I wish they made it easier for me to order. Sagepay hates chip cards. >_<
aaaah so that’s the problem. i’ve been having problems paying for lush uk since they changed their payment system to sage pay, yep my card is chip-based! the infuriating thing is, their customer service is unaware and just ask me to try again. after trying tens of times, i just gave up and have never ordered again. so sad.
india is part of asia babe! but yeah brands like Lakme are hard to get outside of India
Wow! did not expect that answer- I’m curious about which Indian brands are you interested in Christine? Thanks in advance!
Lakme and Forest Essentials are the ones I’ve heard most about personally, but I am sure there are others!
Thank you for replying, Christine. I’m born and raised in India. I’ve lived in India for the majority of my life. I can assure you that you are not missing out. Lakme is overpriced with cheap quality, it was a brand that was born in a closed Indian market with zero competition and enjoyed a virtual monopoly , and continues to enjoy better brand awareness and recall compared to the foreign brands in India. After 1991, when the Indian government relaxed FDI in India, Lakme tried to up their game but I would not put them in the same league as even ELF. Lakme used to have a sister brand called Orchid which was for the export market and therefore better quality, but I think they have discontinued it. I am also vary of trying beauty brands that specialize in auyrveda because these brands are very poorly regulated and there have been cases where they have found heavy and toxic metals in the products.
Thank you for the insight, Sonia! I appreciate it!
You are welcome, Christine! 🙂
I’m going to India in February and hadn’t even thought about looking for makeup while I’m there (we’re going for a wedding and will be with lots of friends, so limited shopping time). I better start figuring out what I might want and where to buy it!
i would not mind one bit helping you out with shopping suggestion.
You can contact me at rohinisharma20@gmail.com
I wish I had better access to American based companies. for me I feel like in Canada we have access to them just shipping and duty can make the cost really high so I avoid it. But if I were in USA I would definitely love to try makeupgeek, color pop and morphe.
I found it interesting that not a single person mentioned wanting access to Canadian brands and yet we have a few (very few) GREAT ones. Lise Watier’s cream eyeshadows are even better than Chanel, IMO. Vasanti’s exfoliator – far better than Kate Somerville and at a fraction of the price and even though I’ve had a few fails with them, both Annabelle and Joe Fresh have amazing products at really reasonable prices.
And you’re right – with our dollar in the dumpster, even a cross border shopping trip is becoming insanely expensive and shipping and duty if you order from a US company (assuming they will deliver here) makes the price of a lot of items almost unaffordable.
That’s actually a good point personally I love annabelle, their eyeliner, brow liners and lipliners can do no wrong but I guess since Canada is a smaller market nothing canadian has really been made known internationally yet. But thanks for the heads up I’ll definitely have to check out the Vasanti exfoliator if it really is that good!
But yes! I don’t remember our dollar ever being so poor that it would be cheaper to just buy MAC and other high end brands than to order from MUG and other less expensive american based brands.
Honestly, buy some Makeup Geek shadows. They are totally worth the exchange and shipping. I didn’t have to pay any extra duty/customs fees though.
That’s what I keep hearing from people so I may just have to bite the bullet and do it!
I wish I had access to UK brands and some Italian brands. I watch a YTuber out of England weekly and she uses a lot of products easily accessible over there but not so much in Canada. But thanks to her I did discover amazing eye brushes from Blank Canvas Cosmetics (they do ship worldwide and are affordable).
USA! You have so many cool brands: Tarte, Lorac, It cosmetics, Becca, Shu uemura, Kevin Aucoin, Chantecaille, Sonia Kashuk and even Neutrogrena makeup line! Also South Korea, love Etude House products. Here in Mexico we have many brands but those I would love to get those more easily 🙂
canadian brands for me, e.g. lise watier, vasanti, annabel, marcel, etc. i have access to regular sprees for us and european products, and korean stuff abound, but canadian sprees are very rare. 🙁
in jakarta, canadian brands for me, e.g. lise watier, vasanti, annabelle (sp?), marcel (sp?).
i have access to regular sprees to us and european brands, and korean brands abound here in asia, but canadian sprees are rare.
That answer was least expected but am . grinning with joy …
I double checked as I was confused with Indie and Indian …
anyways …
you are absolutely right on forest essentials part
lakme is beyond pathetic … Their kohls are good if not great
for me
US brands anyyyyydayyyyyy
nars
urban decay
Charlotte Tilbury
bite beauty
kvd
hourglass
I’m in the US, so I have access to a lot via online ordering. Overseas shipping is expensive and takes a really, really long time, though. I’d love to have in-store access to more UK brands such as Sleek, Freedom Makeup London, the full line of Makeup Revolution, Make Up Academy, and Stargazer.
Yeah, Ulta could increase both Catrice and MUR. The Catrice German site is unreal!
Having been to 2 Kiko stores when I was in Italy, I’d love to have access to that brand here. And I’d seriously love access to UK products – what used to be Max Factor and then became Collection 2000, I think, as well as Sleek cosmetics. But I’d also dearly love it if some brands that used to be available in Canada – Lorac comes to mind – would be again. Sephora used to carry Lorac but, alas, no more. It’d be great to be able to purchase Makeup Geek, Morphe, Colour Pop and Sigma in stores too, so I could sample or at least SEE what it is I’m thinking of getting.
pretty much everything, it’s so hard to get anything except from common drugstore, mac or typical high end brands like dior, lancome, clarins, clinique but even those the stock of things is very limited. some products aren’t brought here. i’ve ordered some things at us sephora and then delivered to my country but shipping fees are something and i can’t do it very often.
but apart from that i’d really want to try korean stuff and british brands, like sleek, make up revolution etc. also these australian brands: makeup store and faces of australia
Definitely Japan and Korea.
USA!
We would love to pay what you do for make up! I remember reading a comment about MAC being a “high end” in the US because its $14……we pay $35A for one pot and around $40A for a lipstick.
Plus we cant always get the smaller better brands (though apparently Australia is getting a Sephora) and shipping costs a fortune!
That’s tough, there are a ton of EU/UK and far east brands I want to have access to in the USA!
None really – I am happy as can be with American brands : )
Living in Australia (and it is probably the same for NZ), you feel like a lot of brands just don’t bother with our country. I would love easy access to the US brands because combined with international shipping costs, taxes and our poor dollar – we end up paying more than double for most international items.
I would love Kiko from Italy to be here too.
I would say immediate access or access in person…:
USA, UK, Korea, Germany
From Canada, I’d love to see Japanese and Korean brands be more easily accessible.
Also, since we luckily have Essence, I’d like to see Catrice make its way over here.
Europe.
France was the first to come to mind for me! J’adore Yon-Ka (Paris) Skincare brand as well as several other French brands.
Runner up currently is Canada–at least in French-Canadian areas…just into a (chain) drugstore there & prepare to be bowled over by the sheer amount of La Rosche-Posay products alone (a brand I am a big fan of). Then again, I just double checked & it DOES say ‘Made in France’ on the latest bottle of a La Rosche-Posay Serum I purchased. So full circle, I suppose it all goes back to France for moi! 😉
America! Its not too hard to get most things but only if you pay a HUGE shipping fee, though some things I have wanted have been impossible to source.
Also Japan and Korea, I feel like alot of their products would work really well with me and their beauty trends are similar to the aesthetics I prefer. But its harder to get hold of and research products and brands properly. Saying that there is a really nice cosmetics shop in China town, London, but I can’t read the packaging and they don’t let you try products!
If a country uses the ‘English’ alphabet, i go to google in that country & Google makeup or cosmetics. Sometimes I have to translate those words for the search engine. Next, I’m trying Brazil & Portugal. I look at the names I don’t recognize as brands. But it is remarkable the worldwide penetration of US cosmetics firms, at the DS end. I would love to go on an international cosmetics crawl. Clearly, there is a need for international cosmetics brokers!
Korean skincare and Japanese sunscreens. Shipping costs are horrendous!
Joining those who want to have a better access to Korean and Japanese (although the Japanese will be priced as luxury here, I’m sure) brands. Have not tried their Makeup yet, but quite happy with their skincare.
As an Indian I quite agree to your answer.We have a wonderful range of Beauty products both skincare and makeup. Brands like Lakme are definitely worth trying. Luzurious Ayurveda brands to affordable ones..we have it all 🙂
Must watch out for a brand called Just Herbs..extremely affordable brand with the quality thats comparable to any luxury skincare.
Woah ! I am surprised you said Indian brands. Our skincare products are good , but we have a huge deficit as far as affordable , good quality drugstore makeup goes. I would like nyx , elf , milani , w n w , makeup geek , colorpop ( basically every US brand ?) here. I can find some of these online in India , though they are way overpriced ( like elf setting spray is about 25$ ) here.
I found great products from Spain on Amazon.com and I think they are on ebay – Insolitus – there are 7 products – antiaging and I have really dry skin and they work great – the best part is they reinvest the profits from the sale to research in rare diseases in children – I really recommend them!!
I live in Brazil and we have very little choice of imported products here! Sephora doesn’t have a lot of stuff and never has the new releases. Ordering online is also difficult, it takes over a month to arrive and we’re lucky if we’re not taxed. So I’d love to have access to more American/English brands here.
I’d go with Korea… I like that there are sites where it’s pretty easy to purchase them for a decent price, BUT there is no swatching etc like there would be in person. I’d feel more confident if these products were in a store near me. I want a BB cushion so bad! I just hesitate on the shades…
American! Lol 🙂
I’d say Japan because they usually seem to have such fun and unique looking false lashes, especially small bottom lashes. I rarely wear false lashes, but I think I’d start if I had a bunch of fun ones that weren’t too expensive.
Italy, definitely!
Brazil makeup brands
USA. They have soo many brands, like Nars, Laura mercier, Tarte, Lorac and so on, we don’t have in the Netherlands. Ordering online isn’t always an option as well, because shipping costs can be very high and we have to pay really high import taxes, so it’s too expensive to do that.
AMERICA!!! 🙂
Any country that offers Catrice Cosmetics. Their lipsticks are my holy grail and I’m kicking myself for not stocking up when I had the chance.
Definitely the UK and The continent of Australia