WE love going to physical stores to shop, but we can’t deny the convenience afforded by e-commerce. Sites like Lazada, Zalora and Shopee have enabled us to shop for everything and anything, from Christmas trees to makeup, without leaving our homes.
The discounts, deals and freebies are pretty amazing, too. Last year, I asked for a set consisting of a mini lipstick and a face mist from MAC Cosmetics in the office exchange gift. The set came with a freebie of a phone ring with a lipstick charm.
Beauty is one sector that has expanded its online presence. Some of the biggest brands now have stores on the online shopping platforms.
This year’s 12.12 beauty deals, coming on the heels of the successful 11.11 e-commerce campaigns, are very exciting and timely for the holidays.
From Lazada (www.lazada.com.ph), you can get up to three gifts from MAC Cosmetics, including a small Prep + Prime Fix+ and a gold star keychain on December 12. Other freebies would depend on what time you order. From 12 am to 2 am, you get a free mini Lip Glass for every checkout. From 11 am to 1 pm, it will be a free 6ml Strobe Cream sample, and from 6 to 11:59 pm, a free Studio Fix bag. For instance, you can get a Prep + Prime Lip and a Velvet Teddy Lipstick, and receive the Fix+ face mist.
Estee Lauder has some good deals on Lazada, too. You can get a complimentary full-size lipstick for every checkout worth P1,400. I am very interested in the skin-care sets (12.12 exclusives).
A skin-care set—called Repair + Revitalize Bundle 30ML—consisting of four products is priced at P4,200 from the original value of P6,787. It includes a 30ml bottle of the Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II, Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix Synchronized Recovery 5ml, Micro Essence Skin Activating Treatment Lotion 15ml and Revitalizing Supreme + Global Anti-Aging Power Soft Crème 5ml.
With Clinique, you can get up to five free gifts. For the Mini Hydration Heroes Set that includes Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly 30ml, Moisture Surge 72 Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator 15ml, Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ 30ml (priced at P1,450), you get free skin-care gifts. You can get gifts for every checkout and an extra three for purchases P2,500.
At Origins, you get a free Mega-Mushroom Duo (Origins’s most popular line) with every purchase.
At Shiseido, one of the most exciting things is the Mystery Box aptly priced at P1,212 (the real value is P6,000). You get two full-sized Shiseido products along with samples. Also very interesting are the Travel Beauty Sets curated by Shiseido Philippines Brand Ambassador KC Concepcion. There are four Travel Beauty Sets, each priced at P2,450. Each set is inspired by Concepcion’s favorite cities, such as Manila, Paris, New York and Tokyo. Also available are the brand’s holiday sets.
Bobbi Brown also gives up to two gifts per order. You get a mini lipstick for a purchase and an additional one (a full-size lip and cheek color) for orders above P3,000.
What I like about gifts that come with a purchase, especially during the holidays, is that you can regift the freebies. No one will say no to a Bobbi Brown lipstick or Shiseido skin-care samples.
But the best thing about online shopping is that you don’t need to deal with traffic and/or long lines at the cash register. Once in a while, it’s great to go to a physical store to shop but for now, we’re good with online shopping.