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3/25/14

The FLOPS! Beauty & Online Stores



So that movie Queen seems to be a super hit, huh? Saw several FB statuses about it:

 "QUEEN! Loved it!" 
 "Queen was awesome!!!"

 I didn't know what it was about at first. My first guess was some epic-type movie about some English queen.....or a drag queen transformation movie. It was only until "Kangana rocked in Queen!" that I realized it's a Bollywood movie. Now I can't not watch it, but only until it comes out on DVD where there'll be English subtitles.


Okay, now we talk about the very opposite of Bollywood superhits.....

The most recent FLOPS in the beauty & internet world:

Sunsilk Radiant Shine Shampoo & Conditioner, Rs.56 each

I got the 80ml bottles of both to try out. I made sure to try out 3 other types of shampoos/conditioners to be 100%  sure this is the twosome that lathered my hair to dullsville. After every wash, it felt drier, but got greasy faster. Maybe the 5 oils in it (Argan, Jojoba, Camelia, Almond & Olive) cause too much buildup. No Radiant Shine, amigo!


L'Oreal Kajal Magique, Rs.245

From the first time I used it, I knew I didn't like it, but I wanted to be sure. So, I used it everyday for over a month. Then one day, I took a break from it, and I used my other trusted black kajals/kohls. I saw how much it fell short. It's not soft enough, it's not black enough, and it doesn't last on the waterline.


Avon Mega Effects Mascara, Rs.1020 (from UK)

I tried & I tried some more to love this, but the fancy brush exhausted me! I was doing all the work. From every angle - horizontal, vertical, upside down.... and then always having to clean up after it when it leaves untidy smudges my lids. I wouldn't have minded the effort needed had the results been outstanding, but both length & volume were unimpressive on my thin lashes. Note: It might work better on longer & thicker lashes.
(Photos here)


Healthkart.com

The worst online store I've ever shopped from so far. They will send a wrong product, you inform them, they'll tell you to click a photo of the wrong product, pack it properly, hand it over to their pick-up man, delay replacement because the wrong product they sent has to be checked by QC first (What if I'd used/tampered with a random product I didn't want?!), two weeks later they'll inform you the product you actually ordered is not in stock so they won't be able to send it- without an mention of a refund. And all this drama will go on for over 3 weeks. You sent a wrong product by mistake, that's fine. Just fix it ASAP & don't make the unforgivable mistake of making the customer run after you! *I think they wouldn't have refunded the money themselves if we hadn't called them up multiple times.


ASOS

It's not a flop online store, just flop International Shipping. I ordered a pair of shoes that costs around Rs.2000, and I received an email from ASOS saying I need to pay customs fee of around Rs.700. The standard duty fee on footwear in India is 10% (I'd even pay 20%.), but they're charging 35%! What I found odd was, I should have been contacted by our local customs office about the charges when the package had been inspected, but the email came from ASOS not long after I placed the order. Which probably means they're the ones charging, not customs. Simply put, it's their courier fee. Perhaps they should remove their "Free Shipping Worldwide" slogan. I was really depending on it for New Look shoes when I left UK, so it's painful to find out I can no longer order from it....well, unless I get desperate maybe. After several angry emails, they refunded my money.


Now all these are just my personal flops, and they might work better on/for you =D

So what are your Flops this month?





On my 2nd blog, CZloves:

To read, click on the pic or HERE





34 comments:

  1. Thanks for the heads up CZ!
    Flops for me this month were products from Bliss. I got their oxygen face moisturizer and facewash, its supposed to be a gentle 'spa-like' brand.. and it broke me out :'(

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    Replies
    1. Oww =( Now I'll never try this Bliss brand!

      ♥xx♥

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  2. Hi, I have been paying customs basis the email sent by asos. Thanks for the headsup. Next time, I will check on the duties on a product and then pay. But I still love shopping on their site.

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  3. Ooh..kajal magique is a dissapointment..which are your trusted khols?? Sun silk I never liked..either..

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    Replies
    1. I like Lakme Kohl Ultimate & Maybelline Colossal

      ♥xx♥

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  4. Thank God Cynthia, I was planning to order few products from healthkart.com.. U saved me.. these online sites dont know the power of beauty bloggers.. They can create both positive & negative impressions..

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  5. Loreal Kajal Magique is a complete disaster!! :( Had high expectations!!

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  6. I use healthkart just to see substitute products nothing more ! My list of flops would be park avenue beer shampoo , schwarzkopf bonacure colour freeze shampoo n conditioner ( I am using them to soak my feet !!!) Lakme eyeconic in brown is also useless !

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  7. very nice post i will share it , thanks again .

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  8. Kajal Magique was such a dissappointment for me as well, Cynthia & I'm not too fond of the White eyeconic kajal either - I find it's cons really outweigh its pros.

    www.stylefile.in

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  9. I love your blog, but I feel the need to clear the air about ASOS. It is India that is increasing the customs duty - it is no way ASOS, I contacted both my local customs office, as well as ASOS about it. Its all India - since we're trying to discourage "imports" the tax is increasing anywhere between 14-40% based on the weight of the package, so its really not the fault of ASOS.

    Just thought you should know. They really do offer free shipping, its Indian customs that sucks.

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    Replies
    1. That could be the case, but I'm wondering how come there has never been customs charge on other stuff from other UK/US companies - like my hubby's video games, that cost more (up to Rs.5000) most of the time. I've also had packages come from US that cost a lot more, but not once have I had to pay duty on them.

      ♥xx♥

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    2. Custom Duties have been hiked up recently and according to the new rules, unless we pay the tax the product won't be shipped to our address. We now have to pay tax to the courier service itself..Asos sends a mail to tell us to pay to the Customs to WNDirect, the international delivery service. Also, custom duties for different items differ. Some are charged highly and some might be excused

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  10. no flops for a while on the products front for me....but yes ASOS (their shipping partner to b exact) -I recently ordered a bag and some elemis products from them and received a mail from their shipping partner asking me to pay duties amounting to almost 1/3rd the order amount.Paying so much in excess did not make sense and also the possibility of incurring additional customs charges once the package reached India forced me to fight for a refund which I finally received after weeks of haggling with ASOS customer care.Such a disappointment that UK sites have changed their shipping policies for India......

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  11. Aw no! Healthkart sounds horrible, I have never tried them out.

    But I have ordered from Asos several times and I have never faced that issue. They take a month to deliver a product yes, but I still like them[you don't get those dresses in India]. Dunno if their rules have changed now, haven't bought anything from them for a while now.

    I haven't watched Queen either, but everyone are saying its awesome! need to watch soon. BTW, why you need English subtitles?

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    Replies
    1. Coz I don't understand much Hindi :D

      ♥xx♥

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  12. I love the Sunsilk Radiant Shine..worked great for me..ya kajal magique lacks in pigmentation department..

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  13. Sunsilk radiant shine has made my hair look champu ..:( no no repurchase at all ..
    Loreal magique is bakwaas ..it is hard and expensive for don't know what ..
    Am surprised abut Avon mascara ..but thankgod I don't have lashes ma big issue ..caz it is the priority in my wishlist ..but seems nowhere here ..and I am never a fan of online shopping ..I don't have that much patience :p

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  14. i wasn't swayed even a bit by the kajal magique.. when colossal and eyeconic are great for lesser bucks! havent tried any of the other products you mentioned but i'm going to stay away from them! and eeks healthkart! thats the worst behaviour possible from an online store :/

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  15. Hi Cynthia...I had the EXACT experience with asos.com and have even unsubscribed from their emails since. I ordered Bourjois happy light foundation which was £8.99 on the website. I thought it was a good deal given the free shipping until they asked for £7.99 as custom fees. Luckily, the gave me a refund.
    As for healthkart..the product reached me after 15-16 days. Now if you order from international sites like coastalscents or next (next delivers in 4 days) it might reach you mich becore healthkart. Never shopped again.

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  16. Ok..I would like to save many of us by adding one more flop - sleekmakeup.com
    I am not aware of any shipping time or quality etc but once you cancel an order, forget about your money. No matter how many times you write to them, or attach copies of debited amount..they hardly reply and everytime will say that amount has not reached them...until you finally let go of your money!!

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    1. That sucks! =[ I didn't have a prob with Sleek before when I ordered once, but this news is shocking. You should get your money back! Write on their Facebook wall publicly maybe.

      ♥xx♥

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  17. My list of flops would include a little known shopping site called 99labels.com. I shopped from that site only because the prices seemed too good to be true.. and I realised it was. First time I ordered a Marks & Spencer orange top (or so the image said) and when I received it, it turned out to be a really horrible cross between a kaftan and a grandma top- it wasn't even from Marks & Spencer. I didn't have the patience to go through the whole complain-return-refund process so I didn't take it up. Second time I ordered a Bwitch leopard print bra, and when I opened the parcel, it was a lame nonpadded grey bra in another size. These guys charge 100 per item, plus extra shipping charges, plus extra Cash On Delivery charges. Never ordering from them again!!!

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    Replies
    1. *they charge 100 extra for some handling charges.

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    2. Sounds terrible! =[ The grey bra....hahaha! :D

      ♥xx♥

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  18. You ought to check out Koovs. It is actually owned by the ex Asos chairman and they even stock New Look shoes

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    Replies
    1. Thanks a bunch Sherlynn! I checked it out & shopped there right after reading your comment :)

      ♥xx♥

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  19. Purplle.com tops my flops list for this month. I had ordered Vichy's sunscreen (which was out of stock on all other online shopping websites). I did not receive any tracking number from them for ~10 days. When I checked my order summary on their website, it said that the order had already been shipped. The detail summary said that the order has been delayed bcoz the product is out of stock. I finally decided to cancel my order after ~15 days. I got the confirmation for order cancellation. Now I haven't received my refund yet and they have shipped the product without even informing me. Customer care is not even answering my emails. Such a bad experience with this site. I am not ordering from them ever again and recommend all the ladies to stay away from it....

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  20. Online shopping has been a flop for me last month !

    just curious....why do you need English subtitles for the movie ...

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  21. purplle.com is the worst website...they never refunded me and instead blamed sbi!! and i too was not impressed with loreal kajal :(

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  23. The "Super-duper FLOP" Award goes to purplle.com
    I ordered-followed-up, received only HALF the order, no refund, no apologies..
    stuck with calling them time and again for a refund ...No replies - they have frustrated me like hell!!

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  24. Thanks all for sharing your flops. I will stay away from all of them :D

    ♥xx♥

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I ♥ finding little notes in my Vanity Case, so do drop one. I read all of them & I try my best to reply to each & every one of them [check back in 2-3 days =D] but most times it's physically impossible! Either way, I love to hear from you & really appreciate you taking the time out to share your thoughts <3

Thank you for reading! :)

♥xx♥