Favorite International Online Cosmetic Shops

I have Odesk to thank for having been able to shop online from international sites. Odesk was my source of income when I resigned from my hospital work way back in early 2009. I earned triple of what I used to get paid for in my previous work as a nurse. It is basically an online platform for freelancers and outsourcing employers.

click to go directly to Odesk

I used to be a web content copywriter for different clients from all over the world (US, Australia, UK, Middle East). To be able to withdraw your earnings from Odesk, you need to have a Paypal account. To cut the long story short, I got my Paypal account (via Unionbank Eon Service) and the start of my international online shopping was history as they say.

Paypal is the preferred payment method of online shopping sites including Ebay (US). Throughout the whole history of my online shopping, I used Paypal to pay for items from Ebay sellers from US, UK, Hong Kong, and Korea. But aside from Ebay, there are two particular sites that I purchase from. These are Strawberrynet.com and Cosme-de.com.

Screenshot of Cosme-de.com

What I like about Cosme-de.com:
(1) Offers FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING.
(2) Paypal is not required for payment (Credit Cards are accepted).
(3) Offers a $5 rebate for new customers (one time use).
(4) Has a loyalty discount program (which is not so customer-friendly since you have to buy so much just to get a discount on your next purchase).
(5) Super fast shipping (6-7 days). They ship from Hong Kong.
(6) Reliable customer service.
(7) Purchased items comes in well-packed boxes complete with bubble wraps and other shock-proof stuff (LOL).

screenshot of Strawberrynet.com

What I like about Strawberrynet.com:
(1) Offers FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING (However, they require an additional 10% charge from the total purchase when buying fragrances).
(2) Paypal is not required for payment (Credit Cards are accepted).
(3) Gives out an automatic 5% discount on your total purchase each time you buy 3 or more items in one transaction.
(4) Customer Loyalty Discount scheme is very reasonable (click here for details).
(5) Offers free stuffs for new customers (and/or other promos with freebies). In my case, I got a free Stila eyeshadow for my first purchase.
(6) Shipping is fast (shortest delivery time was 6 days, longest was 2 weeks). Just like Cosme-de, they ship from Hong Kong.

(7) Well packed items (wrapped as a present in shiny gift wrap) with small kidney bean-shaped styro.
(8) Always has special offers on sub-categories (i.e. Fragrance Super Specials 30-60% off, Bonus Pack Specials up to 75% off)

By the way, both sites not only offer cosmetics but skincare, haircare, and fragrances as well. If you would ask me, Strawberrynet has cheaper prices. However, there are some stuffs that are cheaper and are only available on Cosme-de. Overall, I really like these 2 sites and what they offer. All of my high-end cosmetics are purchased from these sites (mainly because they are cheaper and are not available in the Philippines or anywhere near my place).