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When it comes to scoring great beauty products, there's nothing wrong or shameful about trying to get the most bang for your buck. Let's face it: makeup, perfume, and skincare products can get rather costly and there are few things as exhilarating as finding the blush, lipstick, or scent of your dreams and not having to then blow your entire budget in an effort to look and smell pretty.
With that said: if a bargain seems too good to be true, it usually is. These 6 beauty websites raised major red flags for selling customers makeup products that were either counterfeit, just plain shoddy, or were never delivered (long after their money was withdrawn from their bank accounts). Save yourself the hassle of being duped by always purchasing beauty products from trusted retailers.
Taobao
This Chinese online shopping site sells a slew of heavily discounted makeup products, but reviewers on Site Jabber say they ordered products, paid for them, and never received them and that their customer service is basically nonexistent, particularly if you are ordering products from the U.S.
Tophatter
Tophatter looks a lot like eBay — you can bid on makeup and find steals for just a few dollars. But buyer beware: more than 350 Site Jabber reviewers were extremely unhappy with their orders. One customer says she received an empty bottle of perfume, while countless others say they ordered products and never received them.
TwinkleDeals
With $5 facial cleansing brushes and $3 brand-name mascaras, you'll really, really want to love TwinkleDeals. But 380 reviewers on Site Jabber are here to warn you that your item may not be shipped to you for weeks, what you'll get isn't always what's promised on the site (one customer claims the wig she ordered didn't at all resemble the photo online), and that both their return policy and customer service are seriously lacking.
Aliexpress
Search for makeup on Aliexpress and you may find yourself tempted to buy a NARS makeup brush for less than $4. But this retailer, which has a D- rating from the Better Business Bureau (they managed to dig themselves out of the F-rating hole BBB gave them just one year ago), also has a reputation that it hasn't been able to yet shake as a site that sometimes sells counterfeit cosmetics. There seems to be have been a crackdown on the goods they sell and they have removed a number of their luxury brand makeup items, but it's too soon to trust that the makeup they do sell, many of which are Chinese brands, are healthy and worth your money.
Costco
In 2012, Costco was sued twice for selling counterfeit goods — one of which was a fake flat iron from Farouk Systems. Because Costco (and Wal-Mart) are not authorized retailers for many luxury-brand makeup items and they are sold through unauthorized or unofficial distributors, the mascara or lipstick you're getting may not be the real thing — or it could have dated packaging, which (when you're talking about products you put on your eyes and face) can be dangerous. Reselling products is not illegal, but you may want to think twice about the makeup brands you're purchasing from unauthorized retailers.
Amazon
Who doesn't love Amazon? As long as you're careful and purchasing cosmetics from an authorized seller or directly from the company, you should be A-Okay. But things can get dicey rather fast if you're trying to save a few dollars by buying super cheap makeup from an unauthorized seller — and you may end up with a counterfeit product that is made with ingredients you'd never, ever want to put anywhere near your skin.
