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The Best Makeup Stores

Where is the Best Place to Buy Makeup Online?

For many women, buying makeup is one of the most important and common purchases you make month after month, year after year. Maybe you're into a full face of makeup with layers of foundation, eye shadow, blush, and lipstick, or you just like a little powder to freshen up your look. Either way, you'll want to be picky about the makeup you use to ensure it matches your skin tone, accentuates your features, and makes your face feel clean.

There are many things to consider when choosing the makeup you use every day. You can find a seemingly infinite amount of shades of every type of makeup. Some go on as liquid, others as powder. Want a little glitter to up your glam? There are hundreds of options. The type of makeup you wear is a way to express yourself and display your style. If you have sensitive skin or are concerned about certain ingredients in your products, those are important factors you'll be considering when you purchase makeup.

Tuesday, March 19th

2024 Makeup Store Reviews

Sephora Review Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award 5 Star Rating

Sephora

5 Star Rating Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award

Sephora is a reputable and popular beauty store with thousands of locations around the world - which makes for convenient in-store pickup or returns after you've shopped online. They have thousands of reviews on almost all of their products, and everything you find will be high quality with transparent information about ingredients, brand, skin concerns, and other relevant details. You'll be paying the price for the huge selection and top-of-the-line makeup sold here, but if you want the best for your skin you'll find that Sephora is a great place to shop online.

Strawberry Net Review 4.5 Star Rating

Strawberry Net

4.5 Star Rating

Strawberrynet is a company with an overwhelmingly extensive inventory of haircare, skin care, perfume, and makeup. They have over 11,700 choices when it comes to buying makeup from name brands and lesser-known brands as well. Customers rave about the prices, delivery, customer service, and quality of makeup here, making it one of the best places to shop online. You can't go wrong with the amazing selection at Strawberrynet.

Nordstrom Review 4.5 Star Rating

Nordstrom

4.5 Star Rating

Nordstrom is a go-to place for all things beauty, fashion, and even home decor. Their selection of makeup includes over 3,000 products, all of which are reasonably priced and fall under a price-match guarantee. They offer comprehensive product descriptions and unfiltered customer reviews to help in the buying process. Nordstrom has 3 simple return options to make life easier for customers and provides free shipping on all purchases. No doubt this is a fantastic place to buy makeup online.

Beauty Store Depot Review 4.5 Star Rating

Beauty Store Depot

4.5 Star Rating

Beauty Store Depot is a growing company that continues to add more products to their beauty line. They have over 21 categories of makeup and offer a 120% price match guarantee on all their products. There aren't hundreds of makeup items in each category here, but they offer a basic and solid selection that comes with unfiltered customer reviews to reassure you about your purchase. Beauty Store Depot has fantastic customer reviews from people who say they have amazing customer service, low prices, and reliable and fast delivery. This is a great place to look for makeup.

Ulta Review 4 Star Rating

Ulta

4 Star Rating

Ulta is a popular beauty retailer that sells a huge assortment of makeup and other products. They have a very user-friendly website that allows you to easily find what you're looking for, read unfiltered product reviews, and get plenty of information on each item to make sure you're finding the best match for your skin. Ulta allows customers to return new or used makeup items within 60 days, which is very generous. They have an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau but have some issues with delivery when it comes to online orders, so we recommend doing in-store pickup when shopping online with Ulta.

Bluemercury Review 4 Star Rating

Bluemercury

4 Star Rating

Bluemercury is a makeup, skincare, and spa store owned by Macy's. They have thousands of makeup products that are reasonably priced, have unfiltered customer reviews, and come in plenty of name-brand options. Bluemercury offers free returns on orders, which is generous. They've suffered some criticism about slow delivery and order fulfillment, which is unfortunate, but we still believe this is a fantastic place to look for makeup online and are confident in the reputation and legitimacy of the business.

Safe and Chic Review 4 Star Rating

Safe and Chic

4 Star Rating

Safe and Chic is a beauty and clothing site dedicated to providing paraben-free, cruelty-free makeup. All their products are free of harsh chemicals that are found in many mainstream beauty items. Pricing is reflective of high quality makeup and customers get free shipping if they spend over $75. You can return your makeup if you try it out within 30 days and aren't satisfied or just decide to send it back unused. Safe and Chic is not rated by the Better Business Bureau but has great reviews from customers and allows unfiltered reviews on all their products. This is an awesome resource for people looking for gentle makeup products.

Luminess Review 3.5 Star Rating

Luminess

3.5 Star Rating

Fay Feder and Amy FriedmanLuminess specializes in handheld airbrush systems to change the way you apply makeup. You can buy basic makeup products here as well as replacement bottles for your airbrush foundation, concealer, toner, and blush. Customers who are apprehensive about airbrushing can take advantage of their 30-day trial for $19.95 and try out the system from home. Luminess has been featured by many prominent beauty media outlets and receives an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau. This is a unique and brilliant way to apply makeup if it caters to your lifestyle, so we recommend giving Luminess a try. opened the doors to Kiss and Makeup over thirty-two years ago. They have a solid reputation for providing exceptional service combined with excellent products. While the company does not offer a rewards program, the company proves that quality can be more important than quantity.

Planet Beauty Review 3.5 Star Rating

Planet Beauty

3.5 Star Rating

Planet Beauty is a California-based store that sells all things hair care, skincare, makeup, bath, fragrance, and styling tools. They are a well-liked store with high reviews from customers about quality, price, delivery, and customer service. Their selection isn't as vast as what you might find from some other retailers, but they carry name-brand items and have all the essentials. If you find what you need here, this is a fantastic option for buying makeup.

Beauty Encounter Review 2.5 Star Rating

Beauty Encounter

2.5 Star Rating

Beauty Encounter has over 1,000 brands of skincare, hair care, fragrance, and bath products for sale through their online store. They have a lot of makeup options, many of which are at slightly discounted prices. However, there aren't any customer reviews on their products, and feedback from buyers online makes us leery of the authenticity of what is sold through Beauty Encounter. This doesn't seem like a very popular or reliable place to shop and it's not a top choice of ours, but it may be worth looking into if you're trying to find a specific brand of makeup.

Beauty Brands Review 2 Star Rating

Beauty Brands

2 Star Rating

Beauty Brands has a lot of product categories for people wanting hair care, skincare, beauty tools, kids' products, and more. However, their selection of makeup is just decent and doesn't include as many different types of makeup as we've seen through other retailers. Their prices aren't lower than you'll find anywhere else and their customer reviews are disappointing. Beauty Brands isn't anything special when it comes to finding a wide variety of makeup, so we would try buying from a higher-rated site instead.

BH Cosmetics Review 1.5 Star Rating

BH Cosmetics

1.5 Star Rating

BH Cosmetics has a small inventory of cheap, colorful, vibrant products for eye, lip, and face. You won't find name-brand items here and you shouldn't expect to get super high quality makeup for the low prices you'll pay. BH Cosmetics doesn't allow returns on any of their products and our real concern is that they're under investigation by the Better Business Bureau for shady business practices. Customers have complained they pay for orders they don't receive and it's difficult to reach customer service. This doesn't leave us a lot of reasons to recommend BH Cosmetics... so we don't.

Compare the Best Reviews

Continued from above...

Buying makeup online allows you to have easy access to all the best brands and compare prices among retailers. It's helpful to read reviews from other customers about the quality of the makeup, how well it wears, if it smells strong, if it comes in a bottle that is easy to use, and other relevant details. Sometimes you'll even have access to beauty experts who can help match you with the best products for your skin tone, features, and skin type.

There are many companies that sell makeup, so we have provided important information for you to consider when deciding who to buy from:

  • Selection: Are there plenty of color options to choose from, to ensure you'll be able to find colors that match your skin tone? Does the company sell top brands that are known for being high quality and having clean ingredients?
  • Cost: How does the cost of makeup at one company compare to another? Does the retailer frequently run sales or offer discount codes? Some stores offer rewards programs for customers who make frequent purchases and provide free shipping, which is a nice perk.
  • Return policy: If you try out your makeup and realize it isn't what you hoped for, does the company allow you to send it back for a refund? Keep your eyes out for a retailer that has a satisfaction guarantee. This way you won't lose out on money when going through the trial and error process of finding the right makeup.

TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best places to purchase makeup online. We hope this information helps you find the right products to help your skin feel fresh and beautiful.

The Best Makeup Stores Compare Makeup Stores Compare Makeup Store Reviews What are the best Makeup Stores Best Makeup Store Reviews

Makeup Store FAQ

Depending on the customizability of the product, you need to know your skin type to manage your issues, understand what your skins undertone are, and the type of coverage you want. When choosing an undertone there are usually six to choose from including pink, peach, neutral, olive, yellow, and red/blue. Once you have an understanding of the correct undertone you can also define it more specifically and classify the color as warm or cool. Having this knowledge about your skin will help you find your perfect skin tone match. If you have doubts on which color, it is recommended to choose the lighter and shop from a company that allows returns.
The life span of the makeup depends entirely on the type of makeup. Mascara should be replaced every 3 months, and if the product has not had any exposure to water, eyeliner pencils and powder eyeshadows can last up to a year. Powder makeup, such as powder blushes, bronzers, and foundations, are safe to use for 9 months to a year if there is no water present within the product. Cream makeups on average can be used up to 9 months, but if you have acne problems or are exposing the product to your fingers it is recommended to replace more frequently. Lip gloss and lipstick should be replaced every 6 months especially if you have sensitive skin. In general, if you have an illness (cold sore, pink eye, cold or flu), that has directly contaminated your product, you should replace that item and clean your exposed brushes.
On average you should clean your brushes every 2-4 weeks with warm soapy water. Soaps such as shampoo are recommended to clean the brushes. When drying the brush, to avoid damage, blot the damp brush with a clean hand towel then blow dry the brush bristles gently.
Foam blending sponges should be replaced every 2 - 3 months after initial use. When using this product stop use immediately if there is bubbling under the foam surface because this is sign of mold and bacterial growth that could be exposed to your skin. When it comes to makeup brushes, brushes can be washed many times and only need to be discarded when the bristles begin falling out and disrupting your makeup.
Concealer is used to hide problematic areas that need more coverage such as under-eye circles, acne spots, and redness. It is suggested that you apply foundation first and then finish your makeup before using concealer. Waiting till your makeup is fully on allows for the concealer to clean up any loose eye shadow dust and prevent any build-up of the product.
On average the standard delivery takes 3 - 9 business days. Some companies offer different shipping methods that include next day delivery, 2nd day, and standard. Costs of shipping can range from free, with a minimum purchase, and up.
When refining the type of product that you prefer, most companies allow you to filter by product, and area of concern. For example, common skin concerns that can be refined is acne, aging, rosacea, dry skin, oiliness, etc. Some companies even allow the customer to search by skin undertones and types.
Of course, depending on the company, if you accidently purchase the wrong product you can return for a full refund if the item is unopened and unused. If you purchase a product that you are not 100% satisfied with after use, a refund is available within a 30-60-day return window from original shipment. Be sure and check the stores specific policies before you purchase.

Compare Makeup Stores

Select any 2 Makeup Stores to compare them head to head

best-makeup-stores
  • Sephora
  • Strawberry Net
  • Nordstrom
  • Beauty Store Depot
  • Ulta
  • Bluemercury
  • Safe and Chic
  • Luminess
  • Planet Beauty
  • Beauty Encounter
  • Beauty Brands
  • BH Cosmetics
Sephora vs Strawberry Net Sephora vs Nordstrom Sephora vs Beauty Store Depot Sephora vs Ulta Sephora vs Bluemercury Sephora vs Safe and Chic Sephora vs Luminess Sephora vs Planet Beauty Sephora vs Beauty Encounter Sephora vs Beauty Brands Sephora vs BH Cosmetics Strawberry Net vs Nordstrom Strawberry Net vs Beauty Store Depot Strawberry Net vs Ulta Strawberry Net vs Bluemercury Strawberry Net vs Safe and Chic Strawberry Net vs Luminess Strawberry Net vs Planet Beauty Strawberry Net vs Beauty Encounter Strawberry Net vs Beauty Brands Strawberry Net vs BH Cosmetics Nordstrom vs Beauty Store Depot Nordstrom vs Ulta Nordstrom vs Bluemercury Nordstrom vs Safe and Chic Nordstrom vs Luminess Nordstrom vs Planet Beauty Nordstrom vs Beauty Encounter Nordstrom vs Beauty Brands Nordstrom vs BH Cosmetics Beauty Store Depot vs Ulta Beauty Store Depot vs Bluemercury Beauty Store Depot vs Safe and Chic Beauty Store Depot vs Luminess Beauty Store Depot vs Planet Beauty Beauty Store Depot vs Beauty Encounter Beauty Store Depot vs Beauty Brands Beauty Store Depot vs BH Cosmetics Ulta vs Bluemercury Ulta vs Safe and Chic Ulta vs Luminess Ulta vs Planet Beauty Ulta vs Beauty Encounter Ulta vs Beauty Brands Ulta vs BH Cosmetics Bluemercury vs Safe and Chic Bluemercury vs Luminess Bluemercury vs Planet Beauty Bluemercury vs Beauty Encounter Bluemercury vs Beauty Brands Bluemercury vs BH Cosmetics Safe and Chic vs Luminess Safe and Chic vs Planet Beauty Safe and Chic vs Beauty Encounter Safe and Chic vs Beauty Brands Safe and Chic vs BH Cosmetics Luminess vs Planet Beauty Luminess vs Beauty Encounter Luminess vs Beauty Brands Luminess vs BH Cosmetics Planet Beauty vs Beauty Encounter Planet Beauty vs Beauty Brands Planet Beauty vs BH Cosmetics Beauty Encounter vs Beauty Brands Beauty Encounter vs BH Cosmetics Beauty Brands vs BH Cosmetics
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