Why I Love MakeupAlley.com

When I accidentally stumbled upon MakeupAlley.com one day, little did I know what a treasure I had found. I don't really remember when or what the circumstances were that led me to MakeupAlley.com, but I'm so glad I found it. If you love makeup and beauty products like I do, chances are you'll love MakeupAlley.com. It is a website that's a wonderland of reviews, message boards, and even product swap opportunities. I'm a big fan of buying beauty products from the drugstore, as you may already know if you've seen my hub Top Ten 10 Best Drugstore Beauty and Hair Products. I think that many of the products are just as good as the pricey high-end ones. MakeupAlley.com helps me separate the what from the chaff and find those that really work. On the other hand, if I'm going on splurge on a pricey beauty product, I don't want to blindly blow big bucks on it only to regret it later. MakeupAlley.com lets me read about what people who've already tried the product think of it, before I buy it.

Of all the reasons to love MakeupAlley.com, the product reviews are numero uno for me. If I'm interested in purchasing a beauty product, I always visit MakeupAlley.com first to find out what regular people who have already used the product think about it. I'm not talking a half-dozen reviews about a dozen products. There are currently almost 2 million reviews of over 115,000 beauty products! Don't let the numbers intimidate you. All the reviews and products are carefully sorted and organized so you can easily find what you're looking for.

I love the way MakeupAlley.com lets me sort the reviews. If I want to research a specific product, I can call it up by name, of course. But I can also sort by product type and rating. So if I'm looking for a new foundation, I can retrieve a list of all foundations, with the top-rated ones listed first, so I don't have to waste time wading through all of the poorly rated products. Genius!

If you just can't seem to find the information you're looking for in the product reviews, take your question to the message boards. MakeupAlley.com has a multitude of message boards with subjects ranging from makeup to skincare to haircare, fragrance and fashion, even plastic surgery, pets and parenting.

I've yet to try this feature, but I think it could be a brilliant idea under the right circumstances. If you've purchased makeup or a skincare product, tried it and don't really like it but are unable to return it, you can swap it at MakeupAlley.com for something else from someone in a similar situation. While I really don't care to get someone's used lipstick (eeeewwww) I can see how a swap might work out for items such as spray fragrance or nail polish. A quick check of the items up for swap showed many which were new and in a sealed box. I could definitely live with a new product in a sealed box.

With all the great information MakeupAlley.com has to offer, the fun atmosphere is a bonus. I love the way the products are rated with little lipstick icons, called "lippies." This is a makeup site, after all. Why give something four boring stars when you can give it four fun lippies? I love the MakeupAlley.com jargon as well. If you see someone writing that a certain blusher is their "HG" blusher, it means this is their all-time favorite, perfect blusher, as HG stands for "Holy Grail." A Lola is a Lovely Latina, an AAB is an Amazing Asian Beauty, and a DDD is a Darling Dark Diva. If you've found a great nude lipstick, you can describe it as MLBB, or "my lips but better." Beauty buffs from all over the globe are members, and I find it highly interesting and enjoyable to make friends from around the world and learn about the beauty products they use and love

After stumbling upon it that day, once I realized what a great website MakeupAlley.com is, I joined it, naturally. I am happy to say that the site is spam-free. They email me a reminder about once a month to let me know that a new "Beauty Bulletin" has been published, but other than that, they are not sending me any junk mail or advertisements. They have not sold my email address either, and the site seems to be pop-up free as well. There are small on-page advertisements where you can click through to purchase products, but they are relevant and unobtrusive. No, believe it or not, I do not own or work for MakeupAlley.com. I just think it is a terrific and useful website and I want to spread the word. If you love beauty products, you'll love MakeupAlley.com.