Retailer Review: All Cosmetics Wholesale (ACW.com)

Order from http://allcosmeticswholesale.com/

UPDATE 7/21/2014

Since this is a very popular post on my blog, I felt obligated to tell you guys new information I have discovered. On various forums I have read complaints that numerous consumers have received fake cosmetics from the ACW website. Now I don't know if this is true but I encourage everyone to double check their batch numbers received (this is a code that must be printed on all cosmetics either via a label or stamp) by using this website: http://checkcosmetic.net/. Your safety is more important than any deal, even if you got something on massive discount, if it was not manufactured and stamped/labeled properly then it is a liability and unsafe to use. Cosmetics expire, if you use them past their expiry date they can have adverse effects on your skin and eyes.

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ORIGINAL POST 2/26/2014

About a month or so ago I placed an order with All Cosmetics Wholesale (or http://allcosmeticswholesale.com/) and the order total was $23. The breakdown is that all of these products were on discount for a total of $15 but then shipping was a whopping $7 and the rest was taxes. I also used the coupon code SALE30 for 30% off all sale items.

I had some issues with my order because the United States Postal Service did not forward it to my new address and it got re-sent to ACW. Unfortunately, since they're an online-only company they have strict policies and no customer support help line. So my only other option was to pay the shipping fee AGAIN (which this time ended up being $7.50 EXTRA) or to pay a re-stocking fee to get *some* of my money refunded. Long story short, my whole order was definitely over $30 with having to pay shipping twice. The customer service was kind of a nightmare.

That being said, I went to this website because I wanted to get the limited edition, discontinued Maybelline Color Tattoos from Summer 2013 (I got Lavish Lavender and Seashore Frosts) and this was the only place I found them at a reasonable cost (I believe they were $3.49 each). These showed up sealed and they were creamy and in perfect condition - they did not look tampered with at all.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Seashore Frosts and Lavish Lavender

 I also purchased the Pixi Energy Blush in Pretty Petal #1 - this showed up without the brush it's supposed to arrive with in the pull out drawer underneath and it also wasn't sealed. It did not appear swatched but on the bottom it is clearly labelled to be a tester (so if you're buying from this website to give items as presents, beware that items are not listed as testers on the website but what you are receiving may actually be a tester). I was disappointed with how powdery and cakey this product from Pixi was and I was sure glad I didn't pay more than a dollar or two for this - it really can only be used as a highlighter as it is very poorly pigmented (the swatches on my hand were about a dozen passes through). This is a discontinued item.

Pixi Energy Blush in Pretty Petal #1

 I've never really given L'Oreal products a try since I was never drawn to them but I decided to give them a shot by purchasing this L'Oreal Blush Delice All Over Glow Illuminateur in Shimmer of Hope. I really liked the color payoff on this quad and it can be used as a blush, contour and highlight so it really is an all-in-one product. This product has been discontinued for at least a couple of seasons and is not part of their regular product line.

I also purchased this  L'Oreal Illuminating Blush in Luminous Peach and this is definitely not the softest or most buttery product. These colors are nice and easy to work with, especially on a lighter complexion but they do require some building up and some warming up with your brush.  I think this one had much worse color payoff than the Shimmer of Hope quad. Similarly, it is also discontinued.

The Stila Eye Shadow Duo in Fandango was on sale for $0.99 and 30% off so this was a great deal. It's the real product and it came packaged well. The color payoff is what you would expect from Stila and I have others of these so I can definitely confirm these were legitimate but again, they are a discontinued product that you can no longer find on Stila's website.

Stila Eye Shadow Duo in Fandango

If you're looking for powder products and you live in the US, I would give this website a shot but I would never spend a large sum of money here. I can guarantee that the items *I received* were authentic but I assume they get their products from eBay lots and wherever else they may find them on extreme sale. I have more courage purchasing items from eBay as, if something goes wrong with your order, you can always get your money back, but I have found that other websites do not have this star quality customer service. You should also expect that these items will most likely be testers and all will probably be discontinued. It's a good way to try out products you wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on, but I really do think the shipping costs were excessive, even though it arrived in 2 days and was well packed.