Table of Contents
About Beauty Bay
Beauty Bay is a UK-based online retailer of all things beauty, wellness, and skincare. Their collection of hard-to-find and popular makeup and personal care products includes over 200 brands along with their very own signature label.
Being around for over 20 years is surely the sign of a successful company, but the 1.9M Instagram followers and 1.4M Facebook followers also tell us people really dig this British beauty brand.
This Beauty Bay review will uncover information about the company, their best-sellers, cover customer opinions, fill you in on the latest promotions, answer important FAQs, and more to help you shop with confidence.
Overview of Beauty Bay
Officially launched in 1999 by brothers Arron and Daniel Abbie, Beauty Bay was originally called Fragrance Bay but made the shift quickly after discovering a world of exciting beauty products waiting to be made.
The brand is on a mission “to share our beauty obsessions with the world.” Part of that means sourcing hard-to-find or unique beauty companies and introducing them to the internet.
With over 7,000 products and 200+ brands, Beauty Bay is one of Britain’s leading beauty brands, yet they operate completely online. Their headquarters and warehouse are located in Manchester, UK, but the brand ships worldwide.
Before we get into their exciting product lineup, this Beauty Bay review will take a look at the brand’s pros and cons:
Pros
- Over 7,000 products from 200+ brands, including makeup, skincare, bath & body, vitamins, and so much more
- The brand has their own signature line of affordable, quality items
- Great customer service
- TRIBE rewards program helps you unlock free products
- Subscribe to the mailing list to get a Beauty Bay coupon code
- Sale section
- Free tracked shipping on orders over $50
- Ships internationally
Cons
- Shoppers will need to pay for return shipping
- Small selection compared to other big beauty stores like Sephora and Ulta
Beauty Bay is where you go when you want modern variety. Allowing you to pick and choose between the roster of brands, along with their signature line, you’ll be able to create a customized look that’s uniquely you.
In the next section of this Beauty Bay review, we’ll outline a selection of the brand’s high-quality palettes, makeup, skincare, and vitamins to give you an idea of the kind of items, quality, and prices you’ll find on the site.
Beauty Bay Palettes Review
Palettes are themed, grouping similar and perfectly contrasting shades to make a fun, expressive collection. We’ll explore two of the brand’s best-selling eyeshadow palettes below.
Beauty Bay Blood Lust Palette Review
When it comes to beauty, a girl needs options. The Blood Lust Palette, fortunately, has 18 artistically varied shades. Think of it as a glittery, bright paint palette and your face as the canvas.
Dig in and experiment — this Beauty Bay palette is your oyster.
Featuring a collection of matte, metallics, foil-finish, and wet-look shades, these eyeshadows cover a spectrum of pinks and purples with some funky contrasts like Vile Serpent, a reptilian green, and Bleeding Heart, a violent red.
You’ll also find neutrals for highlighting and sparkly gold for a touch of glam.
If you’re a lover of the recently discontinued Beauty Bay Laura Lee Violet Voss Palette, this one is a great substitute if you want to throw some color into your look!
Be advised that due to popularity, each customer is limited to one palette.
Get creative with the Blood Lust Palette for $54.
Beauty Bay Alien Palette Review
Makeup is about exploration and what screams exploration more than UFOs? This moody palette of 18 shadows is wrapped up in a fun, alien face-shaped box.
We love that Beauty Bay throws in a few themed stamped shadows, like alien faces and UFOs, along with the classic stars. Perfectly themed names like Space Cowboy and Abduction are also part of what makes this palette so thrilling.
You’ll get to probe a selection of funky greens and purples, shimmery, dusty hues, and sparkling highlights in this out-of-this-world palette. A collection of matte and metallic finishes, Jeffree Star recommends this palette for those with grey or light eyes.
Explore the unknown with the Alien Palette for $54.
Beauty Bay Makeup Review
When it comes to makeup, it’s always the staples that sell out first. Items like mascara and lipstick will forever be crowd favorites, but they need to deliver eye-opening results to be approved by the masses.
We’ll run through TikTok’s favorite mascara and a lipstick that just won’t quit to help you understand what all the fuss is about.
Beauty Bay Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara Review
An adventurous eyeshadow look is made complete with a few coats of lengthening mascara. Even if you’re into more subtle looks, long and lovely lashes are worth their weight in gold.
The Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara is made by Mabelline and uses a flexible brush that will bend to the natural shape of your lashes. This unique system allows for more mascara to coat each lash, adding length in the right places.
Promising never to flake or smudge, this mascara gives a natural look, so you don’t have to worry about your lashes looking clumpy or spidery.
Ophthalmologist and allergy tested, boost any look with Maybelline’s TikTok-approved mascara for $11.
Beauty Bay Shine Loud High Shine Lip Colour Review
In the words of Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, “It takes two to make a thing go right, it takes two to make it out of sight.” Loud High Shine Lip Color is a dual-ended lipstick. One with highly pigmented color and the other, a dazzling gloss.
Choose from 24 colors that take your look on a journey through sunkissed peach to rich, terracotta red and deep mauve brown. NYX includes a few curveballs in their color lineup, including a reptile-like green and royal blue.
The formula creates a finish with a diamond’s worth of shine and concentrated color that stays for up to 16 hours. This shiny and vegan formula isn’t sticky and won’t become tacky when you part your lips.
Get creative with it for $13.
Beauty Bay Skincare Review
Flawless skin creates a smooth base for fun makeup looks, but it’s something that doesn’t always come naturally.
This Beauty Bay review will feature the brand’s customer favorites when it comes to skincare. Below, you’ll find products that even skin tone and diminish acne for a flawless look with or without makeup.
Beauty Bay Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% Review
Often, we use concealer and foundation to cover up our flaws. But what if you found a product that got rid of the things you want to hide?
Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% uses a powerful antioxidant to brighten and correct skin tone. It also fades away acne scars and red marks caused by blemishes, creating soft, flawless skin that you may just want to show off to the world.
This product is a light cream-gel mix that works by exfoliating skin and preventing blocked pores. Reveal luminous, even-looking skin with 1 oz of the Adelaide Acid Suspension 10% for $7.
Beauty Bay Drying Lotion Review
Some acne products work, but they can be so harsh on sensitive skin. The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion does things a little differently, stopping acne in its tracks without the nasty side effects.
Keeping it simple with a small ingredient list, the Drying Lotion uses calamine and salicylic acid to dry out pimples as you sleep while ensuring the rest of your skin stays calm and irritation-free.
Get a 1 oz bottle for $18.
P.S. you can get this item for free through the TRIBE point system.
Beauty Bay Vitamins Review
Beauty starts from within. Though topical skincare is super important for exfoliation, cleansing, and tightening, some issues that are better resolved from the inside.
We’ll now walk you through some of the brand’s potent vitamins for skin and hair, whose benefits don’t just stop there.
Beauty Bay Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies Review
Fermentation 101: some bacteria are good.
Apple cider has a ton of benefits by way of antioxidants. The Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies also contain the “mother”. If you’re a stranger to what a “mother” is, it’s basically the main source of helpful bacteria within a fermented consumable.
Simply put, you want the “mother” and these Goli gummies have got you covered.
Each bottle contains 60 gummies and the recommended dose is 1-2 gummies up to 3 times per day. This bottle could last you 2 months, but it could last you 10 days as well, so it’s up to you on how many you’d like to consume.
If you’re worried about the vinegar taste, don’t be. You’ll only get delicious apple flavor here.
Potential health benefits include improved digestion, easier weight loss, a boost to your immune system, and so much more.
Made with natural, vegan ingredients, these kosher, gluten-free, and non-GMO gummies are $22.
Beauty Bay Advanced Formula Hair Vitamins Review
Long, thick, and shiny hair is a sign of good health. Hair depends on certain vitamins and minerals to thrive, but our diets don’t always meet those needs.
The Advanced Formula Hair Vitamins contain real food ingredients like turmeric, cayenne, and black pepper along with isolated vitamins like A, C, and the range of Bs.
Hair stars biotin and pantothenic acid also came to the party, working alongside the others to bring you longer and thicker hair.
Get a 30-pack of vegetarian capsules for $25.
Who Is Beauty Bay For?
Beauty Bay offers beauty products for everyone, regardless of skin color, condition, or makeup preference. In terms of makeup selection, the brand caters to the modern woman who’s not afraid to play around with her look.
Themed collections like Neon, Pastel, and Y2K Revival sit nestled among No Makeup Makeup and Glow Up.
The brand certainly has a younger feel to it, so we’d suggest it for teens, 20-year olds, and maybe even 30-year-olds. But you do you, this brand offers so many options there’ll definitely be something that catches your eye (and maybe even highlights it).
Comparison: Beauty Bay vs. Ulta
It’s so convenient to purchase all of your fav looks in one place. That’s the reason stores like Beauty Bay, Ulta, and Sephora exist. They might carry similar brands, but no two stores are alike. They offer different product ranges, vibes, and maybe even policies.
This section of our Beauty Bay review is here to show you the difference between two of these stores so that you can decide for yourself which one is better suited to your needs. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Ulta Beauty has been around for over 30 years and in that time they’ve made quite the name for themselves. But, when landing on their homepage, the vibe is totally different from Beauty Bay’s website. It’s more mature, and to be honest, it’s quite a bit simpler.
Despite their vibe, their product lineup is extraordinary. Including makeup, nails, skincare, hair, tools, bath, fragrance, and even men’s products, Ulta is the place to come if you’re looking to get all of your personal care items — and your boyfriend’s — in one place.
Beauty Bay’s product lineup is smaller, but it’s anything but limited. Including makeup, makeup, skincare, bath & body, wellness, hair, tools, and accessories, our featured store has a younger vibe and includes a mix of popular drugstore and boutique makeup brands.
Other contrasts between the 2 include Ulta’s numerous physical store locations and beauty services. Beauty Bay is an online-only brand, so shoppers won’t be able to visit or come in for makeovers.
As for prices, NYX’s Epic Ink Eyeliner is $9 on Ulta and just under $11 on Beauty Bay. What’s the difference? Probably where the company is located. Ulta is a US-based brand while Beauty Bay is located in the UK.
At the end of the day, our competitor is a larger brand and may be able to secure lower prices. They have a broader product selection, but Beauty Bay has an edge, and frankly, their marketing is quite cool.
Beauty Bay Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
Even though a brand can look great thanks to successful marketing, the real importance lies in product quality and effectiveness, along with stellar customer service, reliable shipping, and no-fuss returns.
This Beauty Bay review will reveal what we discovered about the brand after a lengthy web search for only the most helpful customer reviews. We do it because we love you, and we want you to be informed when shopping online.
Let’s take a look at the brand’s website first to see how some of the products they stock are rated by shoppers. This will help us to see if customers enjoy their selection or if there’s room for improvement.
- NYX Epic Ink Liner – 4.8/5 stars, 96 ratings
- Beauty Bay Bright 42 Color Palette – 4.8/5 stars, 1,416 ratings
- Mario Badescu Drying Lotion – 4.2/5 stars, 1,406 ratings
- Jeffree Star Summer 2018 Collection Velour Liquid Lipstick – 4.8/5 stars, 105 ratings
- Hairtamin Advanced Formula Hair – 4.5/5 stars, 30 ratings
We wanted to take a closer look at Beauty Bay’s signature collection, so we chose the Bright 42 Color Palette to get a feel for quality. First of all, it’s $20, so in terms of value, so far so good. Here are a few of its important stats, below:
- 58% of buyers say it’s highly pigmented
- 76% of buyers think it’s easy to blend
- 49% of buyers found that it lasts all day and night
Customers say that in terms of matte shades, this palette knocks it out of the park. One Beauty Bay review read, “The mattes in here are to die for. They’re super pigmented, blendable, and REALLY long-wearing.”
Others believe it’s just a great way to get some color into your makeup regimen for an extremely decent price.
But though the mattes are fabulous, what about the other finishes? One customer said that the shimmers have a “very lacklustre satin finish that really don’t add much at all.”
Considering there are 17 shimmer shades in this palette, that’s just under 1/2 that customers often find they won’t use as much as the matte. Perhaps opt for the matte-only palette if you want truly pigmented color.
We scurried on over to Trustpilot to see if we could get an overall feel for the brand. First of all, let us just say that there are over 120K reviews for Beauty Bay on the popular review site — more than any brand we’ve seen before.
And yet with so many reviews, the brand still holds a respectable and commendable 4.2/5 stars rating.
Here’s the rating snapshot if you’d like to see how the overall score was calculated:
- Excellent: 76%
- Great 6%
- Average 3%
- Poor 3%
- Bad 12%
General positive comments include, “Delivery was so quick,” that “it was quick and easy to order,” and “the products were well packaged.” We appreciated that the brand takes the time to respond to every single comment on Trustpilot whether good or bad.
And speaking of the bad, 1-star rated experiences include things like long shipping times, wrong items, and no follow-through by customer service.
A Reddit thread that discusses the legitimacy of Beauty Bay includes user comments that both rave about the brand and reveal areas they can improve in.
One reads, “I’ve been ordering from Beauty Bay for years…close to 20 or so [orders]? Only once in that time have I received an order with an item missing.” That sounds like pretty good service to us.
There weren’t any big issues brought up in this thread, but one Beauty Bay review said that they no longer carry certain brands, while another said that shipping can take longer than other big beauty brands.
With everything considered, Beauty Bay sounds like a reliable brand that focuses on quality. There are no major complaints about customer service, shipping, or the products, just some minor, occasional issues that appear to have been resolved.
Is Beauty Bay Worth It?
Because of Beauty Bay’s selection, prices, and what we’ve read in customer feedback, we believe they are worth the buy. We didn’t come across any red flags, and the complaints that were made have received attention from customer service.
We like that they offer a TRIBE rewards program and perks for their customers, as well as the fact their signature line is vegan and cruelty-free.
Beauty Bay Promotions & Discounts
This Beauty Bay review is meant to help you buy with confidence. We know that shopping of any kind is better with deals, so we’ve rounded up all of the brand’s deals and compiled them into this handy little list below:
- Free tracked shipping for orders over $50
- Become part of the TRIBE to get exclusive perks and awards
- Check out the Sale Section for great products at discounted prices
- Subscribe to the mailing list to get access to any Beauty Bay promo code
Where To Buy Beauty Bay
You can only buy Beauty Bay directly from beautybay.com.
FAQ
Where is Beauty Bay located?
Beauty Bay is an online-only brand. Their headquarters are located in Manchester, UK.
Who owns Beauty Bay?
Founded by Arron and David Gabbie, it appears the two still own the brand.
Where is Beauty Bay made?
Beauty Bay sells a ton of different makeup, skincare, and haircare brands, and their products are made all around the world. Beauty Bay’s signature line doesn’t state exactly where it’s made.
Is Beauty Bay vegan and cruelty-free?
Not completely. While the brand’s signature line is vegan and cruelty-free, they do carry some products that do not have either of those qualities.
What is Beauty Bay’s Shipping Policy?
Beauty Bay ships all over the world. For US orders, shipping takes 4-8 business days and costs about $7. There is only one shipping option, but the brand does offer free tracked shipping on orders over $50.
What is Beauty Bay’s Return Policy?
If you are unhappy with anything about your order whatsoever, you can return it as long as you get in touch with customer service within 14 days after receipt. To make a return, follow these steps:
- Email [email protected] and let them know you’d like a refund
- Include your order number, name, and reason for return in the email
- Beauty Bay will email you your Returns Authorization Number
- Make sure your item(s) are in original condition and you have all of the packaging they came with
- Repackage it/them securely and include your receipt with RAN in your parcel
- Drop it off at the post office
This Beauty Bay review notes that the customer will be responsible for all return shipping costs.
How to Contact Beauty Bay
We hope that you found all that you came looking for and more in this Beauty Bay review. If you still have questions, feel free to get in touch with the brand by:
- Snail Mail: Beauty Bay Ltd., PO Box 518, M5 0BN, United Kingdom
- Contact Form
Beauty Bay’s customer service hours are Monday-Sunday 7 am – 9 pm GMT.
Didn’t see everything you are looking for in this review? Here are a few other cosmetic options to consider when building your makeup routine:
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