I’ve made the discovery of the century! If you live in South Africa, then you know finding a local online store that stocks well-known international brands is like hitting the jackpot! To be honest, actually Leigh discovered this website – she mentioned where she purchased her Crest teeth whitening strips on Twitter a few months ago and I immediately hopped onto the website to check it out. I was ecstatic to see lots of international brands sold at reasonable prices.
Ladies (and a few gents), if you are looking for a trustworthy online store – check out BIOVEA (they have warehouses situated all over the world, one of which is in South Africa). I purchased my Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette on their website (by the way, have you entered to win your very own Chocolate Bar Palette?) and received my parcel within TWO DAYS. Here’s what I love about this website:
♥ They stock brands such as Too Faced, EOS, Real Techniques, Benefit, Macadamia, Sexy Hair, Milk_Shake, Burt’s Bees and Crest (plus many, many more brands) at relatively affordable prices. Now…when I say affordable I don’t mean super cheap, I mean they don’t add a markup of 70% or 100%. Some South African-based companies charge more than double the price of what one would pay in the US or UK and it drives me absolutely dotty. I totally understand they need to add a markup to cover their import costs (and still make a profit) but 100% to 120% markup? *shakes head*
♥ Courier delivery takes place within 1 to 3 working days after you have placed your order (thank goodness because I have just about reached my limit with SAPO).
♥ Delivery is FREE if you spend more than R 299,00 – which isn’t difficult since they stock products such as the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (R 83,00), Cover Girl Blush (R 79,00), Burt’s Bees Sensitive Facial Cleanser (R 126,00) and Real Techniques Blush Brush (R 119,00).
♥ They have a great returns policy – if you are dissatisfied with a product for any reason within the first 30 days of purchase, you may return it for an exchange or full refund.
♥ They are a proud sponsor of over 20 global charities, with a particular focus on underprivileged children. Other charities they support include: ASPCA, Red Cross, UNICEF and CanTeen.org (to name a few).
♥ They have a ‘Request A Product’ feature, so you can send them more information regarding a specific product you are looking for and they will see if they can order it for you.
Let’s take a look at what I bought this last time (I’ve ordered from them a couple of times already):
♥ Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Eyeshadow Palette – R 535,00
♥ Too Faced A La Mode Eyeshadow Palette – R 535,00
♥ Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Fig – R 316,00
♥ Burt’s Bees White Tea Extract Facial Towelettes – R 82,00
♥ Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme – R 115,00
♥ Real Techniques Blush Brush – R 119,00
♥ Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge – R 83,00
I know selected Foschini stores currently stock some of the Real Techniques makeup brushes but I’ve seen the list, and only a very select few stores stock RT brushes (like only 10 stores in the whole of South Africa). And from what I’ve seen so far, the Miracle Complexion Sponge is cheaper on BIOVEA – whoop!
P.S. You can bet your biffy I’ll be reviewing some of these products! Let me know if there are any specific ones you would like me to review first, I’m happy to oblige…
