The Best Makeup Stores

Wednesday, March 22nd

2023 Makeup Store Reviews

Sephora

• "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
• Thousands of product reviews
• Over 2,800 makeup products
• Free shipping on orders over $50
• Returns allowed up to 60 days after purchase

Sephora is the queen of makeup stores. They are a prestigious beauty retailer that operates over 2,700 stores in 35 countries worldwide and nearly 500 more are underway. Their first US store opened in New York's SoHo neighborhood in 1998 and has been an industry leader ever since. The company is owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world's leading luxury goods group. A lot can be said about this company with its huge selection of beauty products and its commitment to quality, diversity, inclusion, and customer service.

Huge selection, easy to narrow down

You can easily make Sephora your one-stop shop for all your beauty essentials. Everything here is top-of-the-line quality with thousands of unfiltered customer reviews on nearly every item. There are 2,800 results for makeup, so luckily Sephora has a professional, user-friendly website that makes it easy to find what you need fast. You can either search for a particular product - they probably have it - or sort by sale, brand, rating, concern, ingredient preferences, skin type, formulation, size, finish, benefits, coverage, color family, type, age range, price range, sun protectants, and more. You can get really picky with what you're looking for here.

Not the cheap stuff

If you like cheap makeup, Sephora isn't really in the game for that. Their brands include Dior, NARS, Estee Lauder, Armani Beauty, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, bareMinerals, Smashbox, and more. These are high quality brands that often have clean ingredients and are good for sensitive skin types. You'll be paying prices that reflect that, so go into your Sephora shopping experience with expectations that you'll be getting really good products.

Save with the Sephora credit card

If you're a makeup lover and realize that Sephora is probably the most reliable place to get everything you need, you might be interested in their credit card rewards program. When you open an account you'll get 25% off your total purchase, which is a great savings. After that you'll earn 4% back ($5 in rewards for every $125 spent) whenever you use your card at Sephora. For purchases outside of the store, you'll get 1% back and you can earn $20 if you spend $500 with the card in the first 90 days of approval. There is no annual fee for the card, so as long as you stay on top of payments, this is a great way to earn a little extra money back when buying makeup.

30- to 60-day return policy

If you spend over $50 at Sephora (which you easily will), you'll get free standard shipping. In the event that you need to return any of the items you purchase (whether new or gently used), Sephora has a 30-day return policy if you're wanting a full refund via the original payment method. If you are okay with a store credit to Sephora's online store, you can return your makeup within 60 days instead. You can either send your items back to Sephora by mail with their prepaid shipping label or make any returns for free at one of their stores if you happen to live close by. To initiate a return, there is a link on Sephora's website that will give you directions.

No hesitations

Sephora has an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau. One of the most helpful things to consider if you're on the fence about shopping here are their product reviews. Since this is such a popular store, you'll get the full range of honest critical feedback about the quality, price, and condition of items purchased online. Sephora is a legitimate and reliable company that sells high quality makeup and has an impressive selection, so we have no hesitation giving them our highest recommendation.

Strawberry Net

• Genuine product guarantee
• Tens of thousands of positive customer reviews
• 30-day return policy
• Orders over $65 ship free

Strawberrynet is a Hong Kong based company with 20 years in the beauty business. They are an industry-leading e-commerce retailer that prides itself on selling fresh, authentic items. They call themselves the "Fresh Beauty Company" because their deals are "irresistibly sweet" just like a strawberry. Strawberrynet has hundreds of thousands of customers in over 190 countries worldwide.

Unbeatable inventory

Strawberrynet could definitely use a website update, but their product selection is nothing short of impressive. They have the biggest inventory of makeup out of all retailers in our review. There are over 11,700 types of makeup for sale here, so in addition to finding the staple items you use day-to-day, you're sure to discover a lot of other great choices as well. You can shop by brand, makeup type, or refine by special deals.

Plenty of name brands

All the name-brand makeup items people love can be found at Strawberrynet. They have brands like Benefit, Burberry, Clinique, Covergirl, Dermablend, Gucci, Lancome, NARS, and other recognizable products. In addition, there are some lesser-known brands that will be slightly less expensive.

Read product details and reviews

Each makeup item comes in a range of colors to match any skin tone. You'll also be able to read any important details about the makeup and see product reviews from customers who have purchased it in the past. The only thing that seems to be missing is an ingredient list for all of their products to give shoppers an idea of how it might affect sensitive skin.

Reasonable prices and frequent sales

The prices on makeup at Strawberrynet are going to vary based on the type of makeup you're buying and the brand. You can score some good deals here, but nothing is so cheap that you question if they are actually selling authentic items. At the time of this review, Strawberrynet was offering an extra 8% off of all their products, making things even more affordable than they already are.

30-day returns

If you spend over $65 at Strawberrynet, your order will ship free. Any orders less than $65 cost just $6 to ship, which isn't bad. Strawberrynet offers a 30-day return policy if you aren't 100% satisfied with products you receive - as long as you haven't used it. You'll need to email customer service to get authorization before sending back your unused and unopened makeup.

One of the best

Unfortunately the Better Business Bureau doesn't have a rating for Strawberrynet, but they do have over 25,000 customer reviews online that attest to the legitimacy and reliability of this company. People are thrilled with their shopping experience and highly recommend this store to others. People say you can find everything you need here at great prices and that customer service is easy to work with. People who have been buying here for many years say they've never had a problem, which is fantastic. This is definitely one of the best places to buy makeup online.

Nordstrom

• "A" rating from the Better Business Bureau
• Over 3,000 makeup products
• Free standard shipping

Whether you want clothing, jewelry, handbags, shoes, home decor, kitchen accessories, electronics, perfume, or anything in-between, Nordstrom has it. They are a luxury department store chain founded in 1901. The company began as a shoe store and has grown into a full-line retailer with over 460 brick-and-mortar stores around the world and a booming online store that offers convenience as well as a huge selection.

Thousands of options

There are nearly 3,000 makeup products to shop from at Nordstrom. Of course this includes hundreds of name brands like BareMinerals, Burberry, Clinique, Gucci, MAC, NARS, Tom Ford, and more. Besides sorting by brand you can also choose the category, color, and price of the makeup you're looking for. Not only does Nordstrom carry nearly every type of makeup you might go looking for, but most products come in a long list of shades to make sure you find the perfect match.

Detailed makeup descriptions

We appreciate that Nordstrom allows customers to review all their items. If you're questioning a purchase, it helps if you can read through the hundreds of reviews that most products have. On each product page you can also choose the bottle size and shade as well as read a detailed description of the makeup with its full ingredient list, gift options, and delivery options.

Comparable prices

It's hard to summarize the cost of makeup at Nordstrom since there are so many types, brands, and sizes of makeup. In general, the prices are comparable to what you'd pay for the same makeup at another reputable store. You can choose to use Afterpay here, which means if you are spending a lot on makeup but don't want to pay for it all at once, you can set up interest-free installments to pay it off over time. Also, if you find an item you bought from Nordstrom at a lower price through a competitor, you can submit a price adjustment form on their website to get the lower price within 14 days of your shipment date. Regardless of how much you spend at Nordstrom, they offer free standard shipping.

3 convenient return options

If you need to make a return to Nordstrom, they make the process hassle-free. You can either take your items to the nearest Nordstrom store, drop it off curbside after starting your return online, or send it back by mail with one of Nordstrom's prepaid shipping labels that they'll email you. Nordstrom doesn't specify whether or not you can return makeup for a refund if it has been opened or used, but to ensure you get a refund, we would err on the safe side and say that items need to be returned in new, unused condition.

Feel confident shopping here

Nordstrom is a fantastic place to shop regardless of what you're looking for - and when it comes to their huge inventory of thousands of makeup items, you can't go wrong. We like that they have so many options for people of different skin tones and their big selection will help you stay within a budget as well. It's nice that you always get free shipping, have a price match guarantee to rely on, and can read honest customer reviews about everything. Nordstrom has an "A" rating from the Better Business Bureau and a longstanding reputation as a high quality store, so you can feel confident buying makeup here. They've earned one of our highest ratings.

Beauty Store Depot

• Fantastic customer reviews
• Free shipping on orders over $45
• 120% low price guarantee
• 60-day return policy

Beauty Store Depot began in 2005 out of Austin, Texas. They are a destination for beauty, hair, body care, skincare, and kids' and men's products. The company started out representing just 6 brands but now sells over 75 across all their categories. Beauty Store Depot aims to have superior customer service with a personalized approach, avoid waste, and offer the lowest possible prices on all their products.

All the basics found here

At first glance, Beauty Store Depot doesn't look like anything special. We'll be the first to admit that many of their competitors have one-upped them in the website appeal game. But don't let this deter you. There are 21 categories of makeup products you can browse from brands like Dermablend, PUR, Glo, Revitalash, and Osmosis. Although these aren't necessarily considered "name brand" products and they don't have pages and pages of inventory for each category, you can find all the basics here. Customers can leave unfiltered reviews on items to help give you confidence about making a purchase.

120% price match guarantee

If you find something through Beauty Store Depot that's sold at a lower price elsewhere, Beauty Store Depot will beat it by 120%. To get this deal, you have to buy the product through Beauty Store Depot's website and then contact their customer service team. In addition, all products ship for free if you spend over $45 here. At the time of this review, you could also get 20% off your overall purchase price if you spent over $75. We're confident that Beauty Store Depot is committed to providing affordable makeup to their customers.

3 return options

Beauty Store Depot is proud of their 60-day no-hassle return policy and we understand why. If you choose to send back makeup you purchased through them (at least ¾ full or unused), you can get a prepaid return shipping label for a refund via store credit. If instead you want a refund back to your original form of payment, you'll need to pay the $5.99 return shipping fee and your makeup must be unused and unopened. The third option is to do an exchange and get a new product right away. In this case, you can send back makeup that is at least ¾ unused.

Well-loved company

Beauty Store Depot is unrated by the Better Business Bureau. However, they have thousands of amazing reviews from customers that include comments about how outstanding their skin care products are, the reliable and fast delivery, excellent service, carefully packaged items, and so much more. This is clearly a well-loved store that provides a fantastic experience for customers. Although their selection of each category isn't as vast as what you'll find through their competitors, this is a trustworthy company that will ensure you get the best prices and have a smooth customer service experience.

Ulta

• Free shipping on orders over $35
• "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
• 60-day returns on new or used products
• Over 5,000 types of makeup

Ulta Beauty was formerly known as Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc, and Ulta3 before the year 2000. They are an American chain of beauty stores selling makeup, hair care, skincare, fragrance, brushes and tools, and bath and body products. They are headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois, with over 1,260 stores in all 50 states as well as an impressive online store where customers have easy access to all their products and discounts.

Clearly a popular retailer

There are over 5,000 types of makeup for sale at Ulta. You can tell this is a popular retailer by how many product reviews are posted on each individual product. It's not uncommon to find some foundation, blush, or another product with over 13,000 reviews from customers. This is more than enough information to make a buying decision and feel confident in the quality, wear, and value of any product.

Fits every style and budget

At Ulta you can find makeup at any price point. If you're wanting a name-brand product and don't mind paying for it, you'll definitely have tons of options here. If you want a cheaper kind of makeup from a lesser-known brand, you can get that at Ulta as well. They pride themselves on offering a range of prices and types of makeup to fit every style and budget.

All important details provided

In addition to shopping by category to narrow down the makeup options you find online at Ulta, you can shop by preference (clean ingredients, vegan, fragrance-free, mineral, and more), brand, special offer, and price. If you know exactly the type of makeup you want, just type it into the search bar and you'll likely get a hit on it. You can read details about all the makeup, its benefits, features, how to use it, the ingredients, and sometimes even watch a little video about the brand and see what the formula looks like on someone's face. Ulta makes it so you can easily shop confidently when buying makeup online.

Free shipping or in-store pickup

If you spend over $35 at Ulta, you'll automatically qualify for free standard shipping. When it comes to buying makeup, this isn't a hard benchmark to reach. You can either wait for your products to arrive at your home or order online and do a free in-store pickup if you conveniently live near one of their locations.

60-day returns new or used

If you decide to return any makeup to Ulta, you can either mail it back or take it to one of their stores within 60 days. This will ensure you receive a full refund via your original payment method as long as you return the makeup with all of its original components and receipt. This means even if the makeup has been used, the store will still take it back if you were unsatisfied.

Try in-store pickup

Ulta Beauty has an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau, but their customer reviews are somewhat surprising. There are many facets of Ulta's company, so some negative reviews are about their salon or an in-store experience with an associate, but it appears that in recent months there have been some issues with shipping and delivery as well. Working with customer service doesn't seem to be as easy as it should be and it has left a lot of people unhappy. We are fans of Ulta's selection, policies, and know that they are a reputable company. If you decide to order makeup here, it will probably be in your best interest to do an in-store pickup if you happen to live near one of their stores - to avoid delayed shipping or mistakes with your order. Since this is a good option for a lot of people, Ulta has still earned one of our highest ratings.

Bluemercury

• Unfiltered reviews on products
• Thousands of makeup products
• Free shipping on orders over $100
• Free returns

Bluemercury began in 1999 in Washington DC with the mission to create a welcoming space where everyone could share in the power of beauty. The company has grown to include over 175 brick-and-mortar stores across the country and was acquired by Macy's in 2015. The company's product categories include skincare, makeup, hair care, bath and body, tools, and wellness.

Professional, easy-to-navigate website

There are thousands of makeup essentials at Bluemercury. Some helpful features when browsing include the ability to hide out-of-stock products and filtering by brand, finish, benefit, concern, ingredient preference, formulation, bristle type, color family, SPF, size, and price. The website is professional and makes it easy to shop for the name-brand, high-quality makeup items you're looking for.

Helpful, unfiltered product reviews

Something we always like to see is the ability for customers to leave unfiltered reviews on products at a store. At Bluemercury, there are quite a few products that have tens or hundreds of reviews that educate potential buyers about how long the makeup lasts, if it's heavy, if it causes breakouts, how the color looks, if it comes highly recommended, and other relevant details. There's almost nothing more helpful when it comes to shopping online than these types of reviews.

Reasonable prices

The prices at Bluemercury are very reasonable. They're what we would expect to pay for high quality, name-brand items. If you spend over $100, you'll qualify for free ground shipping. But if you spend under $100, you'll only pay $7 for shipping which isn't bad. Orders placed by 3 pm Eastern time process the same business day and orders placed on holidays and weekends are processed the next business day.

Free returns

If you need to make a return for any reason, Bluemercury provides free returns on online orders. You can either return your makeup to any Bluemercury store if you happen to live near one, or you can reach out to customer service for a prepaid shipping label and send your order back by mail. In order to get a full refund, you'll need to return your items within 30 days of purchase.

Possible delivery delays

Bluemercury has a "B+" rating from the Better Business Bureau, but the reason for the rating is the company's failure to resolve one single complaint. We can let this slide and not lose faith in the company, but we wish there were also slightly better customer reviews. They aren't terrible, but it's not uncommon to read that people's orders are delayed, they don't always receive everything they purchase, and order fulfillment is extremely slow. Customer service doesn't seem to be exceptionally helpful when it comes to rectifying these issues, and we would hate for people to excitedly buy makeup that takes weeks or months to arrive.

See what they have to offer

Overall, we like the selection at Bluemercury and know that it would meet the needs of many people looking for high-quality makeup. It's not outrageously expensive and despite just-average reviews, Bluemercury is a legitimate company with a long history in the retail world. Their policies are generous and they make shopping online easy. We definitely recommend giving this company a chance and checking out what they have to offer.

Safe and Chic

• All products are paraben- and cruelty-free
• 15% off by providing phone number
• Honest customer product reviews
• Free shipping on orders over $75
• 30-day return policy

Safe and Chic might be considered a baby in the beauty industry world since they've only been around since 2015. Their commitment is to clean and cruelty-free beauty products. All their items are run through the Think Dirty and EWG Skin Deep database to ensure their commitment to quality. Safe and Chic carries over 2,000 products and 160 brands. In addition to makeup, skincare, hair care, and bath and body products, you can also buy clothing at Safe and Chic.

You're covered in all categories

There are over 550 makeup products from Safe and Chic. To avoid having to scroll page by page and view everything there is to see, you can use the top navigation bar to choose the category of makeup you are looking for (face, foundations, eyes and brows, lips, and brushes). They carry an extensive list of items, so if you're dedicated to clean beauty, Safe and Chic has something for you in every category and in plenty of shades.

Detailed product descriptions

Every makeup product at Safe and Chic includes a description of what shades are best for what skin concerns, the size of the bottle, how to use the makeup, the ingredients, a brand bio, and a founder Q & A to give you more insight into the product and brand. You can also read customer reviews on the products if there are any. They all appear to be honest, unfiltered reviews, so it's helpful when deciding whether or not to make a purchase.

Prices reflect high quality

The prices of makeup from Safe and Chic are not outrageous, but they reflect name-brand, high quality products. You won't find a cheap $7 concealer or $11 foundation. You'll probably be spending around $25 on any given product, which is to be expected when buying cleaner makeup that doesn't use harsh chemicals. At the time of this review, Safe and Chic was offering 20% off of your total purchase with a discount code. You could also provide your cell phone number to receive marketing texts from Safe and Chic to get 15% off your order.

Free shipping over $75

If you spend over $75 on your Safe and Chic order, you'll get free shipping. Anything under $75 comes with a flat shipping fee of $7. Standard shipping takes about 2-5 days to arrive via USPS.

30 days to return opened or unopened products

If you need to initiate a return of your makeup products, it is recommended you start by emailing the Safe and Chic customer service team for authorization and instructions. Unopened items can be returned for a full refund within 30 days of purchase. If you've opened or used some of the makeup you bought, you can still return it, but you'll only be eligible for a store credit within 30 days. This is quite generous since many companies don't allow the return of used products at all.

Good place for clean makeup

Although they don't have hundreds of reviews, the customer feedback about Safe and Chic is positive overall. Customers say that it's nice to have a store where they can shop online to get all their daily makeup items in one place and know they'll have fast and reliable delivery. The Better Business Bureau does not have a rating for Safe and Chic, but we feel confident recommending them to customers as a high quality and reliable alternative for clean beauty products.

Luminess

• "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
• 30-day trial
• Free shipping over $55
• 30-day return policy

Luminess is not your average makeup store. Rather than typical makeup you apply with a brush or your hand, Luminess specializes in airbrushing. Over 25 years ago, the company's founder realized that there was a need in the beauty industry for portable, easy-to-use, professional-quality airbrushing systems for women wanting a flawless look from their makeup. Eventually, Luminess was born. This is an "As Seen on TV" product that has been featured by Vogue, Vanity Fair, Today, People, Allure, Good Morning America, and other popular media outlets.

Airbrush and non-airbrush makeup items

Although Luminess' main product is a handheld makeup airbrush, you can also find basic makeup on their website as well. This includes blush, mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipstick, and other skincare items. However, most people come here to shop for their airbrush foundations, primers, concealers, and blush. You can purchase all your replacement bottles here from anywhere between $20 and $44 per bottle. If you spend over $55 on your purchase, you'll qualify for free shipping.

Honest customer feedback

Every product on Luminess' website has a lot of product reviews, which shows that the company is not only popular, but confident enough in their product to let buyers give honest feedback. People will provide tips about different types of makeup and airbrushes, let you know what the quality is like, and how it all wears. Most products have hundreds of reviews to read.

Airbrush trial period

If you're unsure about stepping into the airbrushing world, Luminess lets you do a 30-day trial period from the comfort of your home. First, you select your foundation tones, then for $19.95 (and free shipping) you'll receive:

• Airbrush system
• 2 silk foundation shades
• Airbrush blush
• Airbrush glove
• Mascara free gift
• Lip and eye palette free gift
• Instructional DVD

If you decide you aren't a fan of the system, no problem. Just contact customer service and send it back before your 30 days are up. If you choose to keep everything in the Luminess kit, you'll be billed 4 monthly installments of $39.99 ($159.96 total).

Transparent ingredient lists

Luminess is transparent about all the ingredients in their products. Regardless of what makeup item you're interested in, you can read a full ingredient list to ensure it meets your standards.

30-day return policy

To initiate a return to Luminess, you'll need to contact customer service for a return authorization number within 30 days of purchase. They'll send you a return shipping label that you can use to send back your package via USPS. Within 9-12 business days, your return will be processed and a refund will go back on your original form of payment.

Revolutionary makeup alternative

The Better Business Bureau gives Luminess an "A+" rating. We are very intrigued with this product and like the idea of having an alternative, flawless way to apply makeup. We highly recommend taking advantage of the 30-day trial here if you're even slightly interested in getting into airbrushing. We imagine it takes some getting used to, so they've provided multiple instruction videos and tutorials to help. This is a unique and revolutionary alternative to traditional makeup application, and we recommend giving it a shot.

Planet Beauty

• 15% off your next purchase with email subscription
• Free shipping on orders over $49
• "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
• Free 30-day returns

Planet Beauty is a privately owned retailer that was founded in 1992 out of Newport Beach, California. They offer over 20,000 professional beauty products in haircare, makeup, skincare, styling tools, bath, and fragrance. You'll find brands such as Kiehls, Smashbox, Obaji, Rene Furter, Epicuren, and many others. In addition to their huge online store, Planet Beauty has over 40 brick-and-mortar locations across California.

Over 390 products

There are 390 makeup products available from Planet Beauty. However, if you also counted the different shades that each item comes in, there would be a lot more. This still isn't as big of a selection as some higher-rated retailers carry, but it might be enough to get the job done. You can narrow down the online inventory by brand, concerns (acne, blemishes, anti-aging, redness, dark spots, and so on), ingredient preferences, purpose, skin type, sun protection, and price. We do wish that you could sort the products by type so you could separate eye, lip, and face products, but it's not the end of the world.

We'd like to see more product details

Navigating the buying process at Planet Beauty is pretty straightforward. You can view any item you're interested in and see all the different shades available as well as a description of the product, how best to use it, and shipping and return information. What we wish they included is product reviews from customers and also ingredient lists for all the makeup (some items have this, some don't). People are often interested in knowing whether their makeup is non-comedogenic, paraben-free, vegan, fragrance-free, or other specifications that could affect sensitive skin.

Reasonable prices with chances for discounts

To save a couple bucks, you could subscribe to Planet Beauty's email list and get 15% off your next order. If you spend over $49 you'll also qualify for free shipping. The prices on the makeup in general are very reasonable and are similar to what you'd buy the same products for at a competing store.

Free 30-day returns

If you need to return makeup to Planet Beauty, you have 30 days to initiate it. The first step is emailing customer service so they can confirm that your items are eligible for a return. You'll receive a free mailing label from them and will be instructed to send your items back in their original packaging with your receipt.

You won't regret shopping here

The Better Business Bureau gives Planet Beauty an "A+" rating. They also have fantastic customer reviews, which is very reassuring. Thousands of customers agree that it's easy to shop online, shipping is fast, there is abundant product availability, and customer service is great. People are satisfied with the quality of the products and are happy when they catch a great sale to get their order at a discounted cost. In short, you won't regret buying makeup here. Even though they don't have as comprehensive of a website and as big of a selection as you might find elsewhere, Planet Beauty is a good place to shop if they have what you need.

Beauty Encounter

• Join the email list for 10% off
• 100% authentic product guarantee
• Free shipping on orders over $60
• 30-day return policy

Beauty Encounter originally started out as an online fragrance store in 1999. An array of beauty products has continually been added to their product line such as hair care and skincare. Customers can find over 40,000 products across all beauty categories at Beauty Encounter from over 1,000 brands including name-brands and niche brands.

Lots of products, few reviews

The categories of makeup at Beauty Encounter include face makeup with over 440 products, eye makeup with over 620 products, lip care with over 330 products, brushes and tools, and nail care. You can sort all the makeup options by type, brand, and price. All the items show that they have a 5-star rating, but if you dig deeper you'll see that there are almost no actual customer reviews on the items, so don't be fooled by this. Most products have a few photos to show the ingredient list and you can read an overview of the product and its specifications.

A range of discounts

A lot of the makeup you see from Beauty Encounter appears to be on sale or on clearance. However, even a 4% discount is sometimes considered clearance here, so you probably won't always find huge savings. But on the flipside, we found some shimmer powders, foundation, and blush up to 79% off, which means they only cost a couple bucks. If you spend over $60 at Beauty Encounter, you'll get free domestic shipping and most items say they are ready to ship within a day.

Questionable authenticity guarantee

Beauty Encounter has a 100% authentic product guarantee which means they purchase directly from manufacturers and promise that you won't buy anything here that's been watered down or substituted for the real thing. They boast that they inspect every product for quality and authenticity and have a strict policy against counterfeit goods. However, we read quite a few customer reviews that claimed they purchased name-brand products (mostly perfumes) at full price from Beauty Encounter and found them to be fakes. As concerning and upsetting as this is, it's usually slightly less of a problem when you're buying makeup: if you are doing business with Beauty Encounter, maybe steer clear of buying perfume and stick to makeup essentials.

Refunds mean restocking fees

If you do make a purchase from Beauty Encounter and have regrets about it, you can usually return it within 30 days for a refund as long as you request an RMA number from the company. All items have to be returned in their original packaging and cannot be opened. If you opt for a refund, you'll have to pay a restocking fee of 15%, which is a bummer. But if you decide to go for a store credit, you'll get the full purchase price worth of credit and avoid the 15% fee. Either way, making a return isn't ideal here.

Not the best or the worst

Initially it was shocking to see that Beauty Encounter has an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau. This is never a good sign, but we were less concerned about the rating when we realized it was due to their lack of responses to only two customer complaints. There aren't hundreds of customer reviews about Beauty Encounter like we've found with their competitors, so it's hard to truly gauge how reliable this company is or how popular they are. This is definitely not our top choice or a company we are super comfortable with, but we also don't feel like they should be avoided like the plague either. If you find makeup here that you like and can't get elsewhere, it's not a bad option. However, we wouldn't rely on Beauty Encounter to be the best place to get all the makeup you need.

Beauty Brands

• 100% satisfaction guarantee
• Hundreds of skincare brands
• Chances for free shipping and minor discounts

Beauty Brands was founded in 1995 to save customers time and money when buying products to make them feel beautiful. In addition to makeup, they have a big inventory of hair products, nail polishes and tools, bath and body treatments, and kids' products like brushes, styling aids, shampoo, conditioner, and more. There are hundreds of brands including bareMinerals, Dermablend, essie, NYX, Smashbox, and more.

Basic selection

You'll have the option to look for makeup in the categories of face, eye, lip, brushes and tools, body and camouflage makeup, makeup remover, and sets. If you have a brand you like, you can view all the products they sell through Beauty Brands as well. There are less than 100 products in each category, which is a slightly smaller selection than what you might find through some of Beauty Brands' competitors.

Old customer reviews

All of the makeup products have a place for customers to leave reviews. Not all of them actually have any reviews, but some of them at least have a couple. They include a rating out of 5 stars, how long ago the review was created, comments about the makeup, and whether or not they would recommend it to a friend. We noticed that most reviews were left anywhere from 5-10 years ago, which isn't as helpful as if they were continually being updated.

Average prices

When you reach the Beauty Brands website, you can spin a virtual wheel and either get free shipping, $5 off your purchase, or 10% off a regular priced purchase. Not many of the products are on sale and if you don't qualify for free shipping, you'll pay $5.95 for standard shipping or $16.95 for next day shipping. Nothing seems like a screaming deal here, so you might get more bargains elsewhere.

Satisfaction guarantee

If you aren't entirely happy with your purchase, you can return it to Beauty Brands within 60 days for a return or exchange under their 100% satisfaction guarantee. It must be sent back in the original packaging and with its original components. It's not entirely clear whether or not the company will accept a return that was opened or used.

Disappointing ratings

Beauty Brands only has a "D-" rating from the Better Business Bureau, which is disappointing. The main reason for this is that there are a few unresolved customer complaints, but not many. However, Beauty Brands doesn't have as many customer reviews as some of their competitors, and from what we have seen, people aren't very happy with this company. Some say orders aren't fulfilled all the way or canceled, some name-brand products appear to be fakes, and customer service is hard to contact.

Not a top option

The selection of makeup at Beauty Brands isn't spectacular. There are retailers that have a bigger inventory and are more competitive. The less-than-positive customer reviews don't give us much reassurance, so we aren't giving Beauty Brands one of our highest ratings.

BH Cosmetics

• Get 10% off your order with email subscription
• Vegan and cruelty-free makeup
• Free shipping on orders over $40

BH Cosmetics stands for "Bada$$ with Heart" . They originated in Los Angeles, California and boast a big inventory of cruelty-free cosmetics. They aim to provide colorful and fun makeup for customers who want to show off their unique selves. BH Cosmetics' manifesto includes taglines like "Normal is boring" , "Life was made to be color-full" , and "Together let's break down walls" . This is definitely a lively company with a range of vibrant products.

Slim selection

Unlike some other companies in our review, BH Cosmetics is focused solely on selling makeup. You can shop for eye products, brushes and tools, face, and lip products. In addition to basics like blush, nail polish, and lipstick, you can get false eyelashes, makeup bags, and travel cases. Unfortunately, the inventory from BH Cosmetics is slim overall. There are only 5 products in the "face" category, 5 in the "lip" category, and 29 eyeshadow palettes. None of the brands were ones we recognized and based on the names of the products like, "Lookin Like a Snack" , "Party in Puerto Rico" , and "Do Not Disturb" , we weren't feeling confident about quality here.

Not the good kind of cheap

If you want to subscribe to emails from BH Cosmetics, you'll get a one-time discount code for 10% off your order. If you spend over $40 on makeup, you'll qualify for free shipping as well. All of the products from BH Cosmetics are surprisingly cheap. We're talking $5 for false lashes, $6 for a brow designer pen, $5 for finishing powder, and nothing that goes over $20. Rather than professional makeup, this seems more like the price range and appearance of play makeup that you give to little kids to make a mess with. As much as we love low prices, everything here seems a little too "cheap" .

10% off and free shipping

You probably don't really need it, but if you want to subscribe to emails from BH Cosmetics, you'll get a one-time discount code for 10% off your order. If you spend over $40 on makeup, you'll qualify for free shipping as well.

No returns allowed

Are we surprised that BH Cosmetics doesn't allow returns on any of their products? Not really. For starters, you're already paying such a low price that if you are unhappy with what you buy here, you should probably just eat the loss.

Under investigation

BH Cosmetics has a "C+" rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which was actually higher than we expected after reading some alerts for the business. The BBB has opened an investigation on BH Cosmetics due to a concerning amount of allegations from customers complaining that they never received purchases they paid for and it was nearly impossible to reach customer service about details on their order or getting a refund. Until this serious issue gets resolved, we've given BH Cosmetics a low rating.