Being one of our three Superheroes has some perks. The most enviable (other than the cape) has to be the chance to mystery shop a beauty counter, salon or shop. Oh yes, we give our Superheroes some spending money and send them undercover in the beauty industry.
Well this time around, we decided to do something a little different. Our members seem obsessed with online shopping, but can it really beat the instore experience? We're going to find out.
First up - the gorgeous Shana_Banana84. We asked her to find out if you could buy the perfect foundation without leaving your house. Shade, formula, finish. A lot can go wrong with literally the base of your makeup look!
My mission should I choose to accept (which of course I did, who wouldn't?) was to access the Mecca website and purchase a foundation of my choosing up to the value of $100. Picture my face smiling like a donut, my heart beating faster and my hands shaking at the thought of having a free reign over a high end website. To not only ogle all the goodies but to buy a foundation I could only ever adore from afar....until now! My eyes bulged at all the foundation beautifuls staring back at me all sparkly, with a 'come hither pick me' look about them.
The site was very easy to navigate, allowing me to go straight to the foundations with a couple of easy clicks of the mouse. It is all labelled clearly and makes it simple for people to know where they are wanting to go, without knowing too much about technology. The website is pleasing to the eye but yet I find it quite cluttered. It has alot of information in one place instead of concentrating on the few key attention grabbing things and putting the rest in the menu.
My mind and eyes gravitated toward two foundations out of the selection in there. There actually isn't alot of information about the foundations, besides what it promises to do. I found it quite helpful that there are reviews from people who have bought them before so this helped me confirm my decision further. The shade selection process was very stressful for me personally. The colours aren't very true to reality. I chatted to an online Mecca customer support person and she recommended a shade to me based on my usual foundation colour. It was the colour Sante Fe in Nars Sheer Glow and 50 Watts in the Stila Illuminating Foundation. From sight I could see that the foundation looked far too yellow for me. This is when I rang directly to Mecca and spoke to a lovely girl who sent me a shade above, and below the shades mentioned.
The samples are very, very generous. I got a full three faces out of all of them all. I was surprised but impressed with how generous they were and how they just send you samples without paying or anything. I love how thorough the girl was on the phone. She asked me at least ten questions about my skin and what I am wanting out of a foundation. Out of any person I have ever talked to about foundation, she would be the most helpful and knowing person. She made the process easy and pleasant. One thing that would have been useful is if they had an 0800 number instead of just the local Auckland number. It's no good for people who can't make toll calls.
When I made my decision on which foundation to purchase it was super easy to purchase. I clicked on add to my cart and chose the shade I wanted. It took me straight to the name and address page then finished with credit card details. I was sent a confirmation email to let me know what I ordered then another email to let me know it had been shipped. What impressed me further is that they sent me two free complimentary samples of my choosing. It was super nice for them to go the extra mile.
Three days later (lightening fast for rural!) my courier package arrived. I was ecstatic and felt like an over excited teenager again. Behold, the wonder that I had been waiting for was beautifully packaged and looking fab! It comes in a very expensive looking peach and gold paper bag with ribbon handles. The foundation is wrapped in their own branded tissue paper and the samples slipped in beside it. I had a hand written note from the customer service peron I spoke to on the phone thanking me for my call and wishing me well with the product.
Over all my experience with buying a foundation on Mecca was beyond expectation. It was everything a beauty loving gal like me could ever ask for! They go the extra mile to etch a good expeience on my mind, making sure that I feel like I can return without hesitation. I can most certainly say that will be back for more prettifuls soon! By the way my decision was the Nars Sheer Glow. This foundation has had my heart for, foreverness so it was only fitting that I gave in to my hearts desire and I was not disappointed. It is everything I thought it would be and more!!!
So there you have it - a perfect match and great customer service without leaving your house. The definition of WINNING!
The Nars Sheer Glow sounds amazing!