Getting makeup down 

For most of us this requires relying on resellers, who can be distrustful. It requires finding the right vendor with the right price and lowest waiting time. 

Solution: Skip the middlemen or look for UK/USA based sellers

Try to get your products down directly from their main website

You don’t have to worry about originality or dealing with amateur retailers. Times have gotten better, quite a selection of them now ship to Sri Lanka. There are also UK/USA based certified retailers that have a range of products from different brands and they are reliable. The biggest dilemma here is for those consumers who don’t own a debit/credit card as most vendors require a debit/credit card for payment. It’s pretty easy to attain a debit card from commercial bank, they provide an excellent scope for online shopping. For those of you, sceptical about providing your card info, Paypal is also an option.

Brands that Ship to Sri Lanka:

Anastasia Beverly Hills
Bh Cosmetics
Retail Techniques: They do not ship directly but their website provide recommendations. 
Colourpop Cosmetics

Verified resellers:
Cult beauty
Beauty Bay
Asos

High-profit margin

The fact that it requires selling a kidney in order to be able to get down some of these products can be aggravating. I mean some of these high-end products are already expensive now there’s the added cost that completely blows your budget off. 

Solution: Split the cost with a friend or wait until you have enough products to qualify for free shipping. 

Make sure you go for verified UK/USA sellers as they do not have to deal with getting the product down to Sri Lanka like most of these Instagram retailers instead it’s directly shipped to you. In fact, some of these brands are partnered with these sellers. For instance: Cult beauty sells all products available at Morphe. 

Swatching products

This happens to be a major problem faced by most of us. How can you possibly purchase a foundation without getting it tested on your skin, a lipstick shade that always looks different on every different skin tone or experience the odour of a certain product? 

Solution: Watch/read reviews on online

Technology has become a true hero, specifically YouTube. A large number of people are reaching out, particularly women of colour, making life for the rest of us easier. Subscribe to their channels or blogs, and keep up with their work. Try to find someone close to your skin tone in order to get reviews on products that work for you. Of course it’ll never be accurate but definitely a step better than going in blind. 

Waiting period    

They all have a waiting period of at least 2-4 weeks. This includes both Instagram retailers that work on pre-order basis or verified UK/USA sellers. Therefore, you can never truly get a product down urgently unless of course you are willing to pay the approximate 30 US dollar DHL shipping cost. 

Solution: Pre-plan your purchases

If you think you’re going to run out of your product in two-three month’s time, order it. By the time it gets to you it’ll be exactly when you need it. Forgot to pre-plan it but need a mascara in time for your cousin’s wedding? Try messaging Instagram/Facebook retailers to find out what they have in stock, you never know what you might find. 

Uncertainty despite all the research 

You put in a lot of time, effort and money yet this problem remains. In reality, there isn’t a solution to this, but with time you get use to and sometimes get better at ordering online. Most of all, let’s just keep hoping someone decides to bring down these outlets to make our lives easier.