Company Overview! Beauty Bohemia, the one-stop Australian shop

By Unknown

Nothing to Disclose

Today I've got something very exciting to show you, in particular for any Australian readers! Beauty Bohemia is an Australian retailer stocking several indie brands, including Shiro, SweetPea & Fay, and Detrivore.
   

Packaging: 

When I received my order, I was a little bit surprised that it was in a regular, large paper envelope. However the contents inside the envelope felt secure, and I was relieved when I saw all my products were safe inside of a black fabric cosmetics bag with a layer of foam padding. I had no idea I would be getting a free bag with my purchase so that was a pleasant surprise.

The products themselves were fine in transit, however the jars from Detrivore and Shiro did not have plastic shrink-wrap seals on them and the lids felt loose. Luckily there was a clear sticker covering the sifter holes and there were no spills.

Selection:  

Since Beauty Bohemia stocks so many products, they carry almost every type of colour cosmetic available. Listed on their Collections page are AFK Cosmetics, BeautyBarBaby, Concrete Minerals, Detrivore Cosmetics, Espionage Cosmetics, Geek Chic, Glamour Doll Eyes, Hello Waffle, Masquerade Cosmetics, Medusa's Makeup, MeNow, Portland Black Lipstick Company, Shiro Cosmetics, SweetPea & Fay, and Victorian Disco. Definitely check back often to see if there are any new brands; since I've placed my order, there are at least 3 news brands that I'd like to try!       
     

Some products that Beauty Bohemia carry, including: Detrivore Cosmetics blush, eyeshadow, and lip balm; Shiro eyeshadow and tinted lip balm, Glamour Doll Eyes eyeshadow, Espionage Cosmetics eyeshadow, and SweetPea & Fay liquid lipsticks.

Samples: 

Beauty Bohemia does not offer any samples, I imagine because they are not creators of the products and are a distributor.

Quality: 

Quality is not something I feel I can comment on since various brands are stocked and I have not tried all the brands they offer.

Cost: 

Pricing on the Beauty Bohemia is similar to the pricing from the suppliers (I assume; I did not cross-check the price of every product on the site).

For example, full-sized Shrio eyeshadow jars cost $6-7AUD, vs $6USD on Shiro's site. As of today (October 8, 2014), $6AUD = $5.27USD and $7AUD = $6.15USD. Detrivore blushes cost $9AUD, vs $8USD on Shiro's site. $9AUD = $7.90USD.

Even on days that the exchange rate is not as favourable for Australians, I think that Beauty Bohemia do have competitive pricing and I would definitely be willing to pay more for the convenience of buying multiple brands from one place.

Customer Service: 

All of the email exchanges I've had with Omega, the owner, were pleasant and I received responses within 24 hours.

L-R: Espionage Cosmetics' Josephine Baker; Shiro Cosmetics' Master Sword and Shinigami. Swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion, photographed in direct sunlight.

TAT: 

On the website it is stated that orders are shipped within 3-5 working days.

I didn't notice that there was this note in the description of the products - "This will be rush shipped from the supplier the moment you order, expect it at your doorstep in approximately 14 business days." However this note appears to be on all products, and I was unaware that I had ordered some products that were not in stock. I had to wait a bit longer to receive my order, even though Omega kindly emailed me to ask me if I wanted to swap them for other products in stock so that I could receive my order sooner. I decided to wait for all the products I had originally ordered and did not look for any replacements. My package was shipped 20 business days after I ordered it, and I received an email notice when it was shipped.

Shipping: 

For Australian shipping, Beauty Bohemia's Shipping & Returns page states that orders should arrive in 3-5 working days. For orders within Australia, there is a flat rate shipping cost of $10 or free for orders above $25.

International (non-Australian) orders are sent through Australia Post and should arrive withint 3-10 working days. Shipping costs $22AUD for packages up to 500g, and $53AUD for packages between 500g and 2kg. Free shipping is available to New Zealand or the US for orders over $50. 

I live in Western Australia (abbreviated WA and jokingly referred to as the "Wait Awhile" state) so I thought that 3-5 days was a bit optimistic since I have little faith in Australia Post. My order however did arrive in Western Australia 5 working days later, but unfortunately there was a mistake on the address label so it was sent back to the post office. Luckily I received another package 8 business days later, and the people at the post office recognised my name and the correct part of my address and gave me my Beauty Bohemia package. If my address was correct, I would've received my package within the 5 day period instead of 13 days. This is a small error that anybody could have made so I'm not upset, and I'm very grateful that the people at the address written on the package brought my package back to the post office.        

Personal Thoughts: 

I have been buying indie makeup for almost 2 years now, and I'm absolutely ecstatic that a one-stop shop stocking many brands like Beauty Bohemia exists. That being said, a first-time indie buyer might be a bit overwhelmed by the range of brands and products stocked.

Recently it has come to light that some photos on the Beauty Bohemia site were used without permission. I personally believe it was not done in malice, and Omega, the owner, seems genuinely apologetic, has removed the photos, and is making amends. You can make your own decision by reading more over at /r/indiemakeupandmore here - http://www.reddit.com/r/Indiemakeupandmore/comments/2iik7j/psa_beauty_bohemia_shop_using_stolenunauthorized/

Have you tried Beauty Bohemia?

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