Fantastic find- a godsend for Christmas! (perfumeplusdirect.co.uk)

Member Name: Princess Pea

Product:	perfumeplusdirect.co.uk
Date:	12/12/08 (273 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing prices, professional and easy to use site, great product range, speedy delivery

Disadvantages: Gift wrapping would be nice

Ok, so it's very nearly Christmas- has the panic kicked in yet? Don't know what to get your dad? What about your sister?! ARGH! Well, have I got news for you! How about an online shop that sells all the same brands as Boots and Debenhams- both Christmas shopping staples- but for a much, much, MUCH (in some cases!) lower price? Interested? Thought so! Even if you're one of those annoying people who completed your Christmas shopping months ago (grr...), read on- with this website, you'll fix many a birthday gift dilemma and probably even find a few goodies for yourself.

Enough already! What's the website?

The site in question is www.perfumeplusdirect.co.uk, and I actually stumbled upon it by accident. A few weeks ago, an idea for a Christmas present was suggested to me- Armani Code perfume, which retails at a whopping £45.00 for the 50ml bottle in Boots. Now, I pride myself on being a bit of a bargain hunter and thought I'd have a scout round to see if I could find it cheaper elsewhere. The Perfume Shop? £43.05. Hmm... House of Fraser? £47.95 (whoa!). How about Fragrance Direct (online only), which specialises in discounted beauty lines? £37.99. Ok, not bad. As a last-ditch attempt to satisfy my bargaining needs, I Googled 'cheap Armani Code' and at the top of the results was Perfume Plus Direct (here forth referred to as PPD), which I hadn't heard of before. Intrigued, I clicked to enter the site...

First impressions?

Aesthetically- nice. Fresh and neat with a predominantly white background, it is accented with hot pink and grey. A large, colourful banner reminds us to order in time for Christmas. Practicability- also good. There are seven tabs across the top of the page:

About Us

- There are some interesting revelations here, for example, the site was only launched in September 2008. Also, they aim for same-day dispatch and they offer international shipping. Impressive!
- An explanation of the low prices is offered (no pricey advertising; no actual shop) plus a rather promising statement, "Excellent customer service is extremely important to us and we are very pleased to offer you a safe, secure and straightforward shopping experience." There is a friendly, welcoming tone throughout and they even bid us "Happy shopping!" at the end.

News

The stories here are current and relevant. Alongside practical information about the recent VAT reduction and last posting dates for Christmas, there is a step-by-step guide to festive make-up. This piece is helpfully studded with direct links to the products they suggest, meaning you don't have to trawl through the site to find them.

Products

This is simply a giant list of all the items sold on the site- good if you fancy a general browse. The list is sorted alphabetically by brand and is 99 (!) pages long.

FAQs

- Formatted as a question/answer session, this is really easy to follow. There are some interesting findings- for instance, it is not mandatory to have an account before placing an order. While this would save a bit of hassle, there's a promise of discounts and special offers if you do sign up!
- They sell quite a few fragrance testers on the site, which are described here as full-sized products without the fancy packaging. Having had a look at some, a small sticker usually indicates that they are a tester and they often come in a plain white box.
- There is a thorough and fair cancellations/returns policy, which complies with legal requirements.

Contact Us

Aside from smoke signal or carrier pigeon, they've got it covered- there are phone/fax numbers, an email address and an enquiry form.

Checkout

Anything you have added to your basket will be shown here, plus delivery options and order total.

Beneath the tabs is a Quick Search function, where you can search by product type and/or brand. There is also an empty field to enter keywords and below there are direct links to particular sections. A series of images sit below- there are four categories to click through: featured, best sellers, new arrivals and special offers. Featured products seem to be extra-special offers- the rest are pretty much self-explanatory. Having visited the site quite a few times of late (ahem!), I know that all four sections are updated frequently. In particular, the new arrivals are definitely refreshed at least every few days- perhaps even daily. This collection of images serves to give an idea of the brands offered, which are top names like Jean Paul Gaultier and Hugo Boss. To the right is an introductory paragraph to the site and across the bottom of the page are links to the Terms and Conditions, About Us, and Contact Us, the latter two appearing for a second time, as they are also featured in the tabs at the top. It's reassuring to know that information about the company and how to reach them is so easy to find. At the very top of the page is a ProTX logo- again, this is a reassuring sign, as ProTX is a secure and reliable payment gateway. There is also a login/register account facility and quick links to the delivery charges section and shopping basket.

Let's talk prices!

Ok, ok, I'll get down to the good stuff. As I mentioned earlier, I was seeking Armani Code perfume at a suitably bargainous price. Did I get my wish? Drum roll please!

Drums...

More drums...

Hang on- £29.35? For 50ml?! That can't be right... Wow, and what is this? A gift set with the perfume AND body lotion for £31.20? How can this be?! To say I was shocked is an understatement. To say I was thrilled is an even bigger one. At this point I went to check out Boots again- nope, it was still £45.00, my eyes weren't deceiving me. Now the body lotion had been thrown into the fray, I had to see how much Boots were charging for that too- £24.00! It is a large one at 200ml but I could get it with the perfume for just over £30.00. Needless to say, I snapped that gift set right up! Not before having a look for more potential gift purchases though, which is when I came across Issey Miyake L'Eau D'Issey perfume- 75ml, no less- for £29.95. In Boots (poor Boots), it is £46.49. Add to basket? Yes please! At this point I got the hell out of there before I bankrupted myself- there are far too many good deals to be had. It's worth pointing out that both fragrances I bought are eau de parfum, which is more concentrated and lasts longer than the more commonly found eau de toilette.

For the most part, PPD sells fragrances. However, they also sell cosmetics and skincare, as well as various accessories such as make-up brushes, etc. I have conducted a price comparison experiment against Boots (who else?!) on selected cosmetics and skincare lines, to discover if the savings are as good as those found on the fragrances:

Everyday make-up

- Rimmel Sun Shimmer bronzing compact: PPD- £2.93, Boots- £4.93

- Max Factor Colour Adapt make-up: PPD- £5.82-£6.84 (dependent on shade), Boots- £11.70

Premium make-up

- Lancôme mascaras (L'Extrême and Hypnôse): PPD- £9.78, Boots- £19.50

- Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish mousse make-up (melba): PPD- £8.80, Boots- £19.58

Skincare

- RoC Renewex Micro-Dermabrasion Expert Kit: PPD- £9.78, Boots- £39.14

- Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Purifying Toner: PPD- £1.95, Boots- £19.58

I'm sure you will agree that they are awesome savings! All the products above are current and the majority are probably cheaper simply because of overstock or good wholesale deals- more often than not, the products on PPD are exactly the same as those sold in high street shops or on Boots' and other retailers' sites. In the case of the toner, however, it looks like Elizabeth Arden updated their packaging and there is surplus stock of the one seen on PPD- hence why it is so cheap. For the sake of a slightly prettier bottle, I would guess that most people would go for the £17.63 saving instead! Generally, there are better deals to be had with the premium brands. PPD also features discontinued lines and brands that are no longer available to buy in the UK, such as Almay and Cover Girl- this is great if you used to be a fan.

So how was the service?

Did my purchases arrive safely or was it all too good to be true?! Well, everything was very efficient- after double-checking my order and entering my personal details, I was taken to ProTX, which I have encountered before. If you haven't, it's a straightforward method of payment. They accept the usual card types (Visa, MasterCard, Solo and Maestro). Once I had completed the transaction, I received a confirmation email from PPD within a few minutes. Speedy! I'm pleased to report that not only did my package arrive very well packed with no damage to either of the boxes, it was delivered the day after I placed the order! I paid for the standard 1st Class delivery, which is just £1.95, no matter how many items you order (there are no additional charges with any of the delivery options). Next Day delivery costs £6.95, which sounds like a lot. However, it's guaranteed to arrive the next day, so it would be the most sensible option if you need your item/s urgently. Here is a rundown of the delivery charges:

UK

1st Class- £1.95
Tracked- £4.95
Next Day- £6.95

Europe:

Airmail- £3.95
Tracked- £11.95

World:

Airmail- £7.95
Tracked- £11.95

Just an idea- if you have relatives or friends abroad, perhaps send their gifts directly to them- the international charges are very reasonable, especially when you consider that you can order as many items as you want without there being any extra charges. The only problem here would be the lack of gift wrapping- this is not a service PPD currently offer but I may drop them a line to suggest it.

To conclude, I had a very pleasant shopping experience! The site is easy to navigate, product descriptions are sound, the images are clear and it generally looks neat, tidy and professional. When you bear in mind that the site has only been up for a few months, they're running a pretty slick operation. And the prices- wow! I think that other fragrance/cosmetics retailers really need to pull their socks up as PPD is shaping up to be real competition.

I really believe I've found a little gem of a site here, which is why I wanted to share it with you- as PPD themselves say, happy shopping!

Summary: An excellent option when buying fragrance and other beauty products; I'm very glad I came across it!