Amazon is the Latest Online Beauty Destination

Amazon Beauty

Amazon Beauty

Much buzz was made about Net-a-Porter’s foray into beauty. After all, the site’s known for its tight edit, ahem, curation, of fashion’s biggest names, but beauty is a whole other beast. How would they set themselves apart from say, Sephora or even Space.NK? The answer was, in fact, the edit. Along with Mr. Porter, the site’s menswear division, grooming and beauty’s most sought-after names were brought together so that you could pick up some eye cream to go along with your Balmain or shaving cream to accompany your newest designer sneakers. But the sites aren’t alone: today, Amazon.com launched a new Luxury Beauty destination, giving shoppers one more place to snag high-end beauty without leaving the comfort of their homes (and, we’re assuming, pajamas or Lululemons). We break down the best, worst and more for the three sites.

Net-a-Porter beauty

Net-a-Porter beauty

The Standby: Net-a-Porter

A few months ago, Net-a-Porter launched their beauty division, which gave brands big and small a chance to play on the world stage. Net-a-Porter is known for its worldwide shipping, after all, so it let Brits try the best of American brands, such as NARS and Oribe, and us Yanks got to try out hard-to-snag brands from abroad such as Zelens and Natura Bisse. In addition to makeup and skincare, they’ve got a huge selection of designer makeup bag on offer from Miu Miu, Lanvin and even Alexander McQueen. New brands are being offered all the time, and while they may seem humdrum to us, Laura Mercier is pretty scarce off our shores.

The High: Sisley Paris Supremÿa At Night – The Supreme Anti-Aging Skin Care Serum, $775,  contains Phyto-Complex LC12 (found only in Sisley products) which claims to extend cell life and stimulate the skin’s self-repair mechanisms

The Low: Klorane Dry Shampoo, $8, a backstage favorite for freshening up hair or to give lift and volume

The Details: free ground shipping, free return shipping

Amazon Beauty

Amazon Beauty

The New Kid

Amazon’s Luxury Beauty portal is the newest addition to the retail giant’s offerings. Thanks to the new site, you can now browse 24 luxe labels, ranging from Butter London polishes to Burberry fragrance, all with the perks of Amazon’s Prime program (if you’re part of the club, that is). The site is unisex, offering guys and girls grooming, beauty and skincare. The straightforward looking site is easy to navigate until you stray away from the high-end products and end up in a swarm of Amazon Marketplace hawkers, where you’ll find outrageously priced items ($9,999 Givenchy face cream, anyone?) that look more suspicious than luxurious.

The High: Clarks Botanicals Cellular Lifting Serum, $355, which does not come from the fountain of youth, but does promise lifting, firming and wrinkle reduction thanks to Swiss apple stem cells

The Low: Japonesque Dual Sharpener, $6, a two-sided pencil sharpener that’ll keep your eyeliners sharp and even your most jumbo lip pencils in shape

The Details: fast shipping that’s characteristic of most Amazon purchases, free shipping with Prime, easy returns

Mr. Porter Grooming

Mr. Porter Grooming

The Boy’s Club

Last week, Mr. Porter debuted its grooming category,  rounding out the offerings on the Web site, which already includes everything from apparel and accessories to gifts, books and even luggage. The selection is small, but it does include big names such as Aesop and Dr. Perricone as well as niche labels D R Harris and Le Labo. As with all other aspects of Mr. Porter’s selection, the items feature beautiful, minimal packaging as well as clout within the industry. If a brand doesn’t seem familiar at first, a little exploring will unearth a heritage brand that’s long forgotten or a label on the cutting edge.

The High: Czech and Speake Chrome Shaving Mirror, $650, perhaps the most ludicrously priced mirror in existence.

The Low: Baxter of California Daily Protein Shampoo, $14, which includes ingredients such as coenzyme Q10 and more to wash away toxins and the male hormone DHT, which is known to damage hair’s growth cycle

The Details: free ground shipping, free returns, and signature Mr. Porter white boxes and personalized notes.

Images courtesy Mr. Porter, Net-a-Porter and Amazon

 

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Author:Christopher Luu for Fashion Trends Daily

Christopher Luu is a Fashion Trends Daily Senior Writer and Menswear Editor.