"Cosmetics Now" is an international etailer with offices in the USA, Australia and the UK that sells male and female cosmetics, make-up, and fragrances. The Company is very similar to StrawberryNet and OzCosmetics, but I consider "Cosmetics Now" an upgraded version regarding the looks of the site, and the number of beauty and perfume houses available in the site. Prices are very similar to the other two etailers, but they have regular discounted specials.
Let's take one example:
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion pump 125 ml
> Retail Price in Australia: $74
> Cosmetics Now: $46 ($42 on special)
> OzCosmetics: $46
> StrawberryNet: $48
What makes "Cosmetics Now" a stand-out for me is the fact that they have niche perfumes for sale.
Niche perfumes! They are not cheap, but certainly cheaper than at your local perfumery, even with the extra fee you pay for shipping. Some of them are not available for sale in Australia and/or in Perth. The good thing is not only the good prices, is that you won't have to stand the rudeness of any shop assistants, as it happened to me last time I decided to visit my local perfumery. Some of the niche perfume houses available are: Comptoir Sud Pacifique, Amouge, Robert
Piguet, E. Coudray, Etro, L'Artisan Perfumeur, Il Profumo, Maitre Perfumeur et Gantier, and many others. Not all of these houses' perfumes are available, and the ones on offer sell fast; if the one you are seeking is available, you will save a bunch of dollars.
Placing your order and checking out is extremely easy and no-fuss. You can pay with your credit card and Paypal. Shipping is free for
all products, except for the perfumes -this is a difference with the
other two etailers- and you will be charged a $10 fee.
Their email Customer service is very friendly, but a bit slow, and misinformed at times. I asked about a niche perfume I was interested in; I was told that the product was not available in their warehouse and it would not be back on sale. I was surprised at hearing such a bold statement. About three weeks later, the perfume was back in stock! In case of need, call their 1300 number in Australia or the company number in your country of residence.
Registering as a member is always convenient. "Cosmetics Now" has a Wish List, which always comes handy. They state in their website that they will email you when any out-of-stock item in the list is back for sale; however, I did not receive any email. They also have a reward points system (expenditure pro-rated), which you can exchange for discounts at your next check-out.
My product was dispatched the day after I placed my order, and two tracking links (International and Australia Post's) were provided right away. I got it at home four days later! If you aren't at home they will take it to your nearest Post Office.
I have read some reviews on damaged packaging and odd things regarding the products received. I can only say that this was my first experience shopping with "Cosmetics Now", that the product I received was genuine, arrived in perfect conditions in record time, and it is something I could not get in Perth and Australia at all. There you have it!
UPDATE JANUARY 2015
I have to correct some of the info provided above.
> Since this review was written I have been emailed regularly bout items in my wish list being back in stock, which did not happen when I first reviewerd this place. > Also, they regularly send you updates of your point rewards system, usually monthly.
> Their service has always been excellent, and I cannot recommend them enough.
SilverBeauty Is a family home-based business settled in NSW that commercialises a few lines of Natural, organic and Arjuvedic beauty and body products (men, women, and babies) that are fabulous in quality but low and mid-priced: Reniu (Fiji), Shahnaz Hussain (India), and DesertPea Australian Native Skin Care (Australia).
RENIU is what brought me to them. Reniu's body and hair products are produced in Fiji and use as a base organic virgin coconut oil that is then infused with natural fragrances of Tiare, Frangipani, Watermelon, Pineapple, White Gingerlily, Passion Flower, Star Fruit and Coconut. David Jones used to sell Reniu, until they decided to discontinue the line to the dismal of a large group of devotees, me among them. Reniu smells of what they package says it is, and the scents are fresh, natural and noticeable; if you don't like any of these scents, the brand might not be for you. If you like them, you'll be in heaven. Still, the coconut scent is wonderful, and the most subtle and neutral of the lot. The pineapple and watermelon scents are great for shampoo/conditioner and natural soaps and if you want to use the products on children. I have used all their products in the past, and my number one, without a doubt, is their coconut sugar body scrub, which is fantastic and leaves your skin like the one of a newly-born baby. The whole range of products is great.
SHAHNAZ HUSSAIN'S herbal Arjuvedic cosmetics are renowned in India. Her cosmetics creams are emollient, very rich, well priced (for Westerners, at least) and luxuriously packaged. However, their rose scent is markedly pungent, not my liking, and can put off anybody with a delicate nose. If you decide to try them, use them as night creams, as the scent won't bother you as much.
I have never tried the Aussie brand.
THE SILVERBEAUTY'S WEBSITE is very simple in design, but very effective. It looks a bit amateur, but it is very practical and easy to browse and shop from. This is a home-operated business, so I don't expect their website to be as professional, good-looking or well designed as those of a big business.
SHOPPING ONLINE from SilverBeauty is very easy, and you can check-out as a guest or as a registered customer, and pay using your credit/debit card or PayPal. Even if you check out as a guest, SilverBeauty will open an account for you and let you know, just in case you decide to use it; it comes handy for checking your order status and having a wish list.
An order confirmation email is sent right after you make your purchase. They dispatch your order very fast using Australia Post as a carrier, and you will get your parcel in four or five working days. They claim an average of 72 hours, and this was the case with my order.
The shipping and handling fees are quite low, but they are not clearly stated in the website, and you will find them while checking out. Ordering a bunch of products instead of individual ones always pays off, always. You can return your order and get a refund if you send them within seven days and the products are unopened.
SiverBeauty's customer service is very friendly and prompt to reply any query. I always have queries!
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
> The welcome page in the website should be revamped, so it looks more professional and appealing.
> They should include more details about shipping and handling in the Shipping area. It does not cost much explaining ways of shipping, costs of shipping, and that sort of thing.
> They should make sure that once orders are dispatched, customers receive an email confirming that this is the case, and also that "your order" status is updated in Your Account area.
> Their privacy policy sounds a bit dodgy.
MIND
/ They only sell to Australia. If you live in Australia, this is kinda of great :)
/ The body oil and body scrub by Reniu have a high concentration in coconut oil, natural one. This means that in winter the product tends to solidify and in winter is liquid. A bit of a bother, but you know this is how natural oils naturally react to temperature changes, and you buy the products because they are natural, right?
MooGoo is an Australian company that specialises in natural hypo-allergenic low-in-chemicals cosmetics and body care products. The brand started with an adaptation of an cow udder cream to the treatment of eczema and psoriasis, and has become a successful ever-growing cosmetic brand. At present, they sell, skin, scalp, hair and body products, and special creams for eczema, psoriasis, acne, sensitive skin, and much more. The
pricing is very good, more or less the same price you would pay for any
commercial moisturiser or cosmetic product, but way better, way safer, way more natural and it is Australian made and operated.
The success of the brand is due to mouth to mouth advice, which says a lot about the company and the quality of its products. In fact, I myself learnt about it thanks to Jenny B., who mentioned the brand in one of our Yelp outings. I have been told that this is the case with other people, too.
I have tried many of their products and they are all great.
MooGoo products can be purchased from different pharmacies and natural remedies shops throughout Perth. However, my experience is that none of them has the full range of MooGoo products, at least the four places I have visited so far. This makes MooGoo's Internet site perfect for shopping everything you want in one transaction.
MooGoo's website is easy to navigate, informative, colourful, bright and fun. A cow is looking at you no matter where you go, always. Shopping from the website is no fuss. You have all the products listed, and its ingredients and virtues clearly displayed and commented about.
You can check out as a guest or as registered customer. They accept payment by credit card, Paypal and Internet direct deposit, and orders over $50 are traceable. Many of the products have similar prices, or slightly cheaper, as the prices they are sold in the Perth stockists I visit. There is flat rate of 6.90 Dollars for any Australian shipping order, which is not bad if you order many things at once. International orders have the shipping fee waved, unless their heavy shampoo and conditioner bottles are in your cart.
Shipping is fast, and it is express for Western Australia, Northern Territory and South Australia. If you are not at home, you can opt for delivery at the door -but no responsibility accepted if lost- or deliver through Post Office, which is great. My parcel contained a generous sample of one of their creams, which was a nice surprise. We all love freebies, don't we? Their packaging is great with straw fibres used as filling. So organic, environmentally conscious, and very "cowy" indeed.
Customer service is based in Australia (Monday to Friday) and the lady at the other end of the phone was extremely helpful and nice.Their answering machine has a cow's moo as introductory greeting, which is kind of funny.
MooGoo international expansion has started, with branch websites starting to operate in UK, Ireland, USA, and Malaysia, and stockists overseas starting to be found and listed.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
1/ Tracking device should be provided even if you are not a registered customer.
2/ I love cows and MooGoo's website, but I think they could improve a bit their packaging. What works for a website or a booklet is not that appealing for a cosmetic package. At the moment, the brand looks like a baby products brand. This is not a complaint, I like the Swiss-ish fresh looking of the brand, but other packaging would help the company to sell better. Their cleansers bottles are, however, an example of how to pack something in a very appealing way and catch the eye of customers who have never heard about the brand before.
3/ The Delivery Company that MooGoo uses should be advised to leave written notice of visit if nobody is at home when they visit. I had to call Customer Service because I did not know if the parcel had been sent, was lost or where had been taken.
Has StrawberryNET made wonders for your beauty case and your wallet in the past? If the answer is yes, you will receive OzCosmetics with open arms - an Australian version of the Hong Kong giant that sells a huge selection of 100% authentic reduced-prices cosmetics and perfumes to Australia and eighteen other countries.
The philosophy, products, customer service, brands and even the prices of the products sold by OzCosmetics are almost identical to those sold by StrawberryNET: free shipping, order tracking system, friendly customer service, money back guarantee if you are dissatisfied, and super-fast shipping from their warehouse in Honk Kong. I always check the same products on both sites to see which site offers better prices; sometimes the prices are the same, some others are cheaper in one of them. The same can be said of the availability of brands and products within a brand, which are sometimes available in one place but not in the other. Most times there are not noticeable differences.
Two main things made me prefer OzCosmetics to StrawberryNET.
Firstly, their website is very clean and tidy, less colourful and with less images and, therefore, less visually overwhelming and much more professional and contemporary. Perfect if you are just searching for specific brands and products and want to go to the point without browsing much.
Secondly, OzCosmetics shipes using express Post courier and Post Office, and the parcel goes to your nearest Post Office, which is always my fav system of transport, as commercial courier companies tend to deliver during working hours, when you are working, so you have the hassle of rescheduling. If you are a mum at home, this surely does not affect you, but for working professionals it is a nuisance.
It took my last parcel, containing some of my staple expensive cosmetics, three working days to be delivered and collected. Great! They are all authentic and as the ones I used to buy from Myers or David Jones minus 20-50% the price.
665 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9272 6867
Website
Facebook
Hours:
Mon-Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Sun 11:00 - 16:00
Mariposa is one of my favourite words in Spanish and indeed one of those shops that honours their beautiful name. They are one of the few perfumerys, a real one, in Australia, and have a huge range of male and female perfumes from exclusive world perfumiers, Creed, L'Artisan, and Amuage included. I could expend my whole
salary buying the many fanciful good-quality divine-smell soaps,
creams, candles, sprays, perfumes and make-up items they have. Everything is chic and exclusive. They don't sell
mass-produced corporate-owned fashion brands, but perfumes and perfume-related products that have a piece of history in the History of Perfume,
or that have been making perfumes in a very hand-crafty sort of way,
or are very innovative in the products they use. Mariposa is, indeed, a niche perfumery.
The ambience of the shop is very clean and modern, with the wood shelves full of bottles of perfume for you to test, and their beautiful goods and packaging really shining. The shop is a bit small, but it is easy to browse around.
Mariposa stands out not only for the products they sell, but also for their customer service. Mariposa's shop attendants are really wonderful. They will spend their time with you, generously, if you show interest in any of the perfumes, even if you say you aren't going to buy anything at the moment. They know their gild, and are passionate about what they sell, and about providing you with a great experience as a shopper. All the girls are approachable, chatty and very knowledgeable. Truly, they deserve the salary they get. They are that sort of shop attendants who can actually hold a conversation on perfume, instead of the usual lorikeets selling designer perfumes at Myers or David Jones. When you leave the shop, you leave feeling like a Royal, convinced that this is one of those places that truly understands what good service is and how to win customers.
Mariposa has two main downsides. The first one is their simplistic website, with barely any information about the shop, brands they cater for, or even an online-shop or sample program, as other high-end perfumeries have overseas. This should be Mariposa's next step. Facebook, is a bit, how to put it?, too "popular" for such an exclusive shop.
The second downside is the fact that they rarely have samples. Or at least this has been my experience in the past. This is, actually, a big downside for a proper perfumery. You win people with samples, so you make sure that they the big perfume houses send you a big bunch of those.
MIND
The products they sell are fantastic, high quality and very exclusive. Therefore, the prices have to match that. Still, you know that you pay the right price for the product, and that the prices are not inflated by the corporate brand behind the designer. These are nor corporate brands products, thank Gosh. Still, you can buy a box of adorable French Anisette drops or a posh Marseilles hand-wash or soap, and I am sure you can afford that. Sometimes you
have to forget about the world and indulge yourself, because life it is
too short, and you are a chic girl after all. Be grateful for being
able to afford things like these, and enjoy your whimsical purchase at
Mariposa.
On the other hand, they hold special perfume events and personalised attention from invited perfumiers. The last one was a hit, held on 8 and and an encore on 10 May 2013, with the presence of of Libertine's mastermind in the shop!
Strawberry net is an online shop and awesome place to purchase genuine luxury brand cosmetics, make-up and perfumes at discounted prices. You don't have to register to order, which is always a bonus with me, and receive discounts for ordering more than one item, gifts if you are a first-time customer, and some promotional staff. You you get what you pay for and much more. Isn't that cool?
They only accept payments via Paypal, which is always my fav way of purchasing online, and the parcel is delivered to your place super-fast, at least in Australia's main cities. If you aren't at home they leave the parcel a central post office for you to pick it up.
When I ordered, I did so a bit hesitantly, as I had read customers' reviews saying that the products sold are fake. An acquaintance told me that hers were the real deal, and so are mine, really, the same packaging, quality, smell, colour, everything, as the original products that I buy here in Australia for double the price. The perfume I purchased was unboxed, but they pack it properly. I don't care about the original box as I always put them in the rubbish; however, the bottle and the smell and the quality of the perfume are the same.
The thought and care these guys put into packing your order is to be praised. They took the time to wrap every item, individually, with a wonderfully fuchsia gift wrap, and placed a purple ribbon around the parcel box. Moreover the foam thingies were there so the product wouldn't move much during transportation. Brilliant everything.
The products are sent to Australia from Hong-Kong, so it takes nothing for you receiving your order. They sell to many countries, so you visit http://www.strawberrynet.com and select your country, and voila, you will see the products in your currency. I will certainly order from them again as they supply the same products I buy here for a fraction of the price.
They sheep everywhere in the world for free!
MIND
If I was you, I wouldn't select at check-out normal Post shipping, as the parcel is not trackeable, and, if lost, you cannot claim anything as Post Australia is the only one to blame. If the order is lost using other methods, StrawberryNET will resend you the items you purchased.
