It’s arrived! My Sephora haul is here. I think I live in a postal area known as the dead zone where things don’t arrive at all or everything arrives at once, so I was really pleased that this came by DHL yesterday. Frustratingly, I didn’ t have time to even open it until about half an hour ago – about 24 hours since it arrived!
This is just a preliminary post really to say that there was NO customs charge. So, the flat £10 rate (if I’d worked out how to use it) wouldn’t involve any further charges. Just check my YouTube HERE on the details of that. I am thrilled with my goodies – in particular the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee.
I knew I’d love this cheek tint but the added extra is the formula which feels a bit like you’re dabbing cool water on your cheeks. It’s really something. The colour, Getaway Red, is very, very diluted so gives a perfect wash – it blends beautifully but if you like a stronger shade rather than a hint, you’ll need to build it up.
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I have to confess that this is a rubbish pic – it’s really hard to swatch because of the tint nature but you’ll just have to trust me that it looks and feels very natural on the cheek.
Just a quick peek for now at the Sephora Spring In Soho Palette. I’ll get it swatched up over the weekend and review it properly on Sunday. But, mainly, no customs charges!!
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All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.
27 comments
They don’t accept debit cards for UK delivery has to be credit card. So unfortunately that will be me out of ordering.
Oooo exciting! I’ve managed to restrain myself thus far but how much longer that’ll last I’m not sure!
Sarah 🙂
Saloca in Wonderland
I missed my delivery today. Fingers crossed DHL let me pick it up over the weekend. I can’t wait!
To the comment above, really?! I’m not exactly going to get a credit card just so I can order from Sephora, that’s really annoying! The palette does look really pretty though.
Rebecca-Louise | Autumn Leaves – UK Beauty Blog
I don’t have a credit card.. I have a visa debit.. and my order was ok.
I watched your video where you mentioned how much you paid for this lot.. Really not worth £90 IMO. Especially for a sephora brand palette, makeup wipes and a gel blush :/ I feel you could get much more prestige things over here for the same price or less. I love mac wipes.. estee lauder did those gel blushes, I’m sure.. and then there’s the palette, ysl, mac and dior all churn out at least 4 palettes a year :/ It just doesn’t seem that special to me. I feel that you got ripped off? idk. Don’t want this to come off as sarcy or anything, just my opinion.
Well, I agree with you a little bit – it’s a lot of money but the bulk of it went on those wipes from a brand I haven’t used before so I felt it was a worthwhile investment to have something different to blog about. I think you are thinking of the Cello blushes from Lauder but the Josie Maran is very different in terms of the cool feeling – I really haven’t come across that before. I don’t feel ripped off at all, but I agree it is an expensive way to shop and I don’t know if I’d place another order.
I wouldn’t hold my breath about the customs charges, DHL pay them and a month later you get a bill…. Fingers crossed it doesn’t.
The cheek tint looks lush!
Woohoo! No customs charge! Must admit – I’m tempted!!
Really!!!!! Good to know Jane. As I went to the terms and conditions bit and it said Credit Cards only for UK,Japan etc. So if you order went through okay with debit card yeah!!!!! PayPal would be better.
I just received my order too and while there is no customs charge, they did whack a hefty 20% duty and tax on at check-out which is kind of the same thing, isn’t it?
Having said that, I am now the proud owner of a very lovely Marc Jacobs eye shadow palette which I may have slept while nursing last night …
http://www.pascalemakeup.squarespace.com
Er, why no customs charge? I thought everything over 13 quid or so had a charge? Could you explain? Pretty please? As if there’s a way round it I would def order from overseas!
If you go above £90 Sephora adds Duty charges. The only reason there wasn’t any because the order was below minimum value to charges to be applied be UK borders.
Ok, it’s my understanding that charges are paid at the US end – you do get a bit of a shock when they whack on the duties to the top of the bill. Your initial order needs to be £75 – pounds, not dollars, in order to qualify for the $10 flat shipping rate. I didn’t get any customs charge and they’re using a company called BorderFree that specialises in international shipping and customs, so the lack of any customs charge at this end makes me believe that it is paid at the US end and therefore not eligible for any further charges at the UK end. It’s also my understanding that US companies using BorderFree to ship to the UK tax at their end and not ours.
There’s a lot of confusion around this – all I can say is that I wasn’t charged any extra at this end, as promised.
love your purchases. The cheek tint looks gorgeous.
Thanks so much for the rapid answers! x
I really want to order I mean REALLY but they don’t ship Kate Somerville and they don’t deliver to Ireland so we have to use Parcel Motel…
what about the FrenchSephora website? i think they deliver to IReland??
Great items! I’m very tempted to place an order.
Remember Americans pay (sales) tax at the checkout on top of product prices too – for example, sales tax in the state of Florida is ~6%. UK tax is 20%, but that’s usually included in the item price (eg. anyone who’s ever eaten at Nando’s wil see that your bill is broken down into item price and tax). So if a Floridian buys a $20 blush from Sephora, their total at the checkout will be $21.20 when tax is added, and anyone from the UK will be spending $24 on that same blush via Sephora online, before shipping is added. This is why buying online from the US can sometimes seem deceptive for us. I hope this makes more sense, and that shoppers know this is not customs/import duties, which, according to Sephora, we will not be charged, and I’m sure if we did receive a charge they would have some explaining to do.
Remember Sephora is a seller of premium brands – like if you bought 4 or 5 items from the beauty hall in Debenhams you’d be spending a similar amount too.
I’m still to place an order – my mum couldn’t decide what she wanted, then our internet service has been down the last few days!
I find sephora overpriced sometimes.
Your haul looks pretty sweet – I’m green with envy.
The taxes make up for the customs charge surely? I don’t get why all these beauty bloggers are making out like it’s some kind of bargain. It’s bloody expensive for what you get especially when you look at the variety of brands we already get in the UK often with great offers. Save Sephora for a treat on holidays. I could no longer bring myself to pay over the odds for something I haven’t tried in the store.
It is expensive.. but I guess it’s the novelty of being able to do it. I’m not sure I’d do it again.
Just give a list next time a friend goes over, that’s what I’d do.
Your clarification will allay fears Jane. Thankfully, Sephora now accepts international credit cards, which was always a barrier when wanting to order beauty gifts from the UK to be sent within the US.
Thank you Jane, this has given me the confidence to place an order. I have found a small company which sells such hard to get make up but at a ridiculous price. From my wish list I can save up to £60 from getting items from Sephora as opposed to them. That is a huge difference. Many thanks
I’m from the US and i love the Josie Maran gel blush and if you also like a very natural look this is a great blush. I agree with someone about the price (tax is 8% where i live), i ordered three things from sephora and it was around $90, sometimes it feels like a rip off but the moment i go to drugstore brands my skin freaks out (burning sensations followed by a super sensitive rash and then hideous pimples or hives maybe welts)i remember it is worth the high price of skincare and makeup since it doesn’t freak my skin out