3 Favorite Budget Makeup Shopping Sites (Jul 2011)

This is a quick and dirty run-down of some of the web-stores I tend to get my budget stash from when I'm shopping online. I assess stores based on not just the product range and price, but also the overall service, and the cost of shipping.

1. Beautyjoint

Product range: Makeup, nail color, a little skincare

Makeup brands: NYX, Milani, Jordana, L.A. Girl
PROS:

• They have some of the best prices for brands like NYX, Jordana, Milani, etc. The range of brands is not huge, but I don't shop elsewhere for these brands because you can seldom beat the price (unless there's some special sale going on elsewhere).
• International Shipping by way of USPS is cheaper than most other sellers although I can't vouch for Domestic. I've bought a lot less items on other sites often for about double the freight cost quoted by Beautyjoint.
  I'm also pleased to say they pack your items very well. I've bought so many items from them in the past few months, and I haven't had a single item that was defective or damaged during the shipping. 

CONS:

• Not that many brands. But this is a minor issue if it's a company philosophy to stock only the brands they can give good prices for.

2. Nonpareil Boutique

Product range: Makeup, bath, skincare, basic tools, hair and fragrance

Makeup brands: NYX, Milani, Wet n Wild, ELF, L.A. Color Cosmetics

PROS:

• They ship Wet n Wild internationally, at good prices. That's good enough for me!
• Packaging is done very well. I've had nary a chipped shadow from them, which is no mean feat.  
• Good shade range (I daresay you'll find just about all available shades for the brands they carry)
• Cheaper than retail.

CONS:

• Their NYX and Milani are cheaper than retail but not cheaper than Beautyjoint.
• The overall site layout and product categorization is a little messy, which is a minus.
• I would consider their International Shipping cost to be moderate. When you are buying sub-$5 items, a $15-20 shipping charge can kill any savings.
• I did get one defective Coloricon palette (Petal Pusher) from them, which had a duplicate crease shade. So I ended up with 7 shades instead of 8. But it could have just been Wet n Wild's fault, and I did not want to bother with exchange as it wouldn't have been worth the shipping cost.

3. Coastal Scents:

Products: Makeup, D.I.Y. makeup and bath ingredients and containers, makeup tools, lashes
Brands: private label (Do note a lot of their products are manufactured in China so if you have any objection to that, you might want to take note. Then again, so is NYX and a whole lot of brands today.)

PROS:

• The hot pots are a pro in and of themselves. Most of them are very good quality. If you can get them during occasional 30% sales, they are extremely worth the money. 
• Shipping is fast and International rates are good.
• Huge range of color products.
• Really cheap brushes.
• Great to be able to buy raw ingredients. I have bought silicones, oils, allantoin and zinc oxide from them, aside from makeup and brushes. 
• Site allows for customer reviews, so you can make a more informed decision.

CONS:

• I've had a hot pot arrive shattered previously
• Their palettes are a little more expensive than ebay sources, but do note that you could get faster shipping if you are in US/EU, and more secure payment as well.
• Quality of products can vary because they are not made and QC-ed by the same manufacturer. Coastal Scents is a reseller and their products are sourced from a range of manufacturers. So their foundations, concealers, blushes, brushes and lashes are not going to all be a similar quality. This is not a criticism actually. Just manage your expectations, do your research, and be an informed buyer, and you'll be all the happier for it.

Happy shopping!