| Product: |
LOOK fantastic.com |
| Date: |
03/10/05 (1817 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Huge selection of products not available in the shops, extremely fast delivery, discounted prices
Disadvantages: Postage may hike the prices up slightly
I've only recently discovered this 'fantastic' website and am kicking myself for not finding it sooner.
I have thick hair and have tried all manner of products to get it straight, and for it to stay straight. I recently went to the hairdressers and they used a serum on my hair which made my it dry quicker and go fantastically straight, with the additional aid of straighteners, of course. The hairdresser advised that they stock the item, and that I could buy it for £12.00. I didn't have the extra money on me at the time and so said I would go back to buy the product (I'm not going to go into the details of the product as I feel it deserves a separate review).
However, I know that if you have a good look around the internet, you will always find things cheaper than in the shops, which is when I stumbled upon lookfantastic.com. Not only were their prices cheaper, I also discovered additional items that complement the hair serum I wished to purchase.
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About lookfantastic.com
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I simply discovered this website by typing in the product I wished to purchase in Google. Lookfantastic was one of the first links to appear, and showed the price at wish they were offering the product, beside the link. At this point, I had never heard of them before, and was unaware as to what other products they offer.
Declaring themselves as 'The Internet's Number One for Hair and Beauty', it soon becomes quite clear when viewing the home page, that Lookfantastic offer a huge range of products, and that they are solely dedicated to supplying hair and beauty products.
Typical products offered include professional hair care ranges, including GHD (famous for their fantastic hair straighteners), Kerastese and Paul Mitchell, accessories and electrical products, such as hair dryers and straighteners and cosmetics and make up.
A good thing to bear in mind about this website is that they most probably stock the items available at your local hairdressers, at cheaper prices - if your hairdresser suggests a product for your hair, make a note of the name and have a look to see how much it is on this website - in many cases, you will make a saving, even including postage.
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The Website
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This is one of those websites that is extremely easy to navigate. The home page is clear and concise and provides links to most of the products they sell.
On the left hand side of the home page, you are able to view hair products organised by 'Name'. For instance, you can view the products in the 'L'Oreal Professional' range.
Beauty products, such as make up and Nail care are again organised name, as are the Accessories, such as Straighteners.
Alternatively, on the right hand side of the home page, you can view all products in the Face & Body care range, Shampoos, Conditioners, Cosmetics and even men's products. This is a useful feature if you know you want something specific for your hair or face, but don't know who makes it.
Special offers are also available in this section, such as spend so much and receive something free. For example, one of the 'October offers' is a free pink vanity bag when you purchase any three products from the L'Oreal range. There are always a good few offers on, so it's always good to have a look prior to ordering.
For those of you who have no idea what products would be good for your hair, you can choose by 'Hair type'. For example, if you have curly or wavy hair, Lookfantastic will show a range of products most suitable for your hair. There are around 16 different Hair types catered to by Lookfantastic, which means they should definitely have a product to suit everyone. What's more, each product has a short but informative description, advising what results the product should provide and what hair type it is best suited to. This means there is less chance of you buying a product that isn't suited to your hair.
Along the top of the home page, there are a number of tabs available to click on. They are as follows:
New products - A range of products 'just in' - a chance to get the products before even your local hairdresser does!
Search - A useful tool if you know exactly what you want. Here you are able to search by either keyword, i.e. Skinny Hair Serum, or Manufacturer, such as Paul Mitchell. All available results will then be returned.
Salon - This provides a link to Crowns Hair Group - Hairdressers with Salons in Brighton, Bognor Regis, Chichester, Haywards Heath, Horsham, Hove, Rustington and Worthing. All of these Salons seem to be 'down South' but I had a good look at their website anyway, which provided information about the Salons. Links to Lookfantastic products were also on their Website - I presume they have 'partnered' up, especially since the Head office of Lookfantastic is also in Hove, where one of the Crown Salons is based.
Help - We all need a little help now and again, and Lookfantastics help section is almost as good as their products! For example, there is information for new visitors, Order status and details for existing customers, How to order, how to pay, search tips and even 'How to' Guides on shaving and shampooing to name but a few - definitely worth a read - I have learned loads from this website, and their advice has proven invaluable.
Special Offers - As mentioned previously, there are always special offers available on the website - it's always advisable to have a good look in here.
Luxury - I daren't look in this bit! No doubt it will contain all manner of things I can't have! Ahhh, go on then……!
This section contains, if you haven't already guessed, luxury items - shampoos, conditioners and other items made from 'the most exclusive ingredients and use the latest technologies to ensure the highest standards in luxury and professional healthcare'. There are only 3 manufacturers in this section - Alterna, Kerastese and HA Hair.
Hair Styles - One of my favourite sections of the website. If you have a picture of yourself on your hard drive, you can superimpose different hairstyles onto your face, to see which style suits you. I have had loads of fun with this - some of the hairstyles made me look awful!
As there are hundreds (possibly thousands!) of products on this website, I'm not going to bore you with facts and figures. However, I made a saving of around £2.15 even with postage - it's definitely worth comparing prices. Also, as well have having extremely competitive prices, they stock a multitude of items that just aren't available in the shops - many of the products they offer are only available to professional hairdressers.
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Ordering
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The order process is another easy to use feature of the website. When you see the item you want to order, there will be a lilac icon underneath which says 'Add to basket'. Once you have finished shopping, you can review and if necessary amend your order, such as quantities.
Unfortunately, this is one of those website which requires you to log in or register if you aren't already a member. However, this isn't all that bad - when you register, you are then entitled to a further 15% discount on most products, pushing the price down even more!
Registration is easy - they simply ask for your address, delivery and contact details. You can then choose a username and password for further visits. Once registered, you are able to view your past orders and expected delivery dates in the Help section, under 'Order Status'.
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Payments
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Payments can be made via a Credit or Debit card: Visa, MasterCard, Switch, Solo, JCB and American express cards. I paid with my Debit card and payment was processed immediately. Once the payment has been process, a confirmation is sent to the email address previously provided upon registration.
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Delivery
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It seems that delivery charges are based upon the weight of the item - there is no standard delivery charge, which is one of the let downs for this website. An example of the delivery charge is £2.10 for a 300ml bottle of shampoo. This where the website can become less competitive than the shops. Delivery is worldwide, so the products this website has to offer are available to everyone:
Within the UK - 2.10 plus 55p per Item. Shipping in 1-2 days
Europe - £2.20 plus £1.55 per Item. Shipping in 3-5 days
USA - £2.55 plus £2.20 per Item. Shipping in 5-10 days
Rest of the World - £3.10 plus £2.55 per item. Shipping in 14 days
Upon placing your order, Lookfantastic do ask that you provide an address where you will be in from 9am to 5.30pm - this is usually a work address. In case you won't be in, they also ask that you provide extra delivery information, such as 'Leave with neighbour at number 20'. This should ensure the parcel reaches you.
My first order was placed with Lookfantastic on Wednesday 28th September 2005, at around 11am. By 9am the next day, the item had arrived. That is one of the quickest deliveries I have ever had from any company.
My particular item was packed in a small white box, with plenty of padding which ensured the item (which wasn't cheap!) was well protected.
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Conclusion
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I am a huge fan of this website - everything I have purchased so far has been cheaper than my hairdresser's price, even with the added postage, although this may not always be the case.
I was able to monitor my order, although they didn't really give me much chance to track it, considering it was here so quick (I'm definitely not complaining though!).
Ordering is easy and delivery is fantastically quick. Incidentally, the product I ordered is just as I expected - excellent! I know exactly where to go when I want to place my next order. Therefore, I can thoroughly recommend this website, even if it's just to have a look around - and if you do, have a go on the 'Hair styles' tab and see what you'll look like with a Mohican!
Lookfantastic.com
Unit 1A Portland Business Park
Portland Road,
Hove,
East Sussex,
BN3 5RY
orders@lookfantastic.com
Tel: +44 (0)1273 425262
Fax: +44 (0)1273 425251
Summary: Great selection of products, but beware of postage
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Last comment:
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Richada - 09/10/05 Caught you Foo! Not your best picture that I'm afraid, but there's no hiding. No chasing dots here then - you're MILES ahead of me! Richard xxx |
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