Fall for 5 Beauty Stores with Fab Return Policies

We've all been there: you're in the drugstore and you happen upon a shade of eyeshadow that seems absolutely perfect. That is, of course, until you get home, try it on, and find that the particular color combined with your skin tone leaves you looking like a zombie.

You took a gamble on a beauty product and lost. But, don't worry! Many stores have improved their return policies and exchange services for makeup and beauty supplies.

Consumers have more pull than ever before if they are unsatisfied with their makeup purchases. In general, most stores are willing to chat if you still have your receipt (so, keep up with those little slips of paper!), but policies may change from store to store. If you're wavering on whether or not you should make a purchase, ask about the store's return policy before you plunk down your plastic.

Or, make it a habit of purchasing from these 5 stores that make life easier for the beauty obsessed:

1. Sephora

Sephora is known for stacks of shelves that contain every glam makeup product under the sun. (Oh, the beauty of so many sparkly products in one store!) But, did you know that they also have a very generous return policy? Typically Sephora will accept a product back even if it has been opened and the product has been used.

Sephora is also fantastic when it comes to samples. If you're debating how a product will look over time, ask to take home a small sample, which will cut back on makeup regrets. If you don't like the way it works for you when you get home, you're golden — no money lost and no return trip to the store needed.

2. CVS

The thing about drugstore beauty buys is that everything is wrapped in layers and layers of packaging, which makes testing the products before purchasing pretty impossible. Even though drugstores carry products at fantastic price points, shoppers can be hesitant to plunk down cash for, say, a mascara when they can't try it on.

Enter: the CVS money back guarantee on all beauty products! Take that fun shade of lip gloss home and see if it will actually work on you. If you're not completely in love with it you can return the product — even if it's been opened — and CVS will refund the full purchase price.

3. Rite Aid

Not to be done by CVS, Rite Aid has a risk-free cosmetics return policy. If you aren't 100% satisfied you can return your purchase to your neighborhood store for a full refund. No questions asked.

4. Victoria's Secret

Makeup may not come to mind when you think of Victoria's Secret, but their beauty product lines are girly and gorgeous. You can sample a plethora of products in-store, but if you go home and find that your purchase isn't working for you, have no fear. Most items can be returned within 90 days of purchase — even if they have been opened. Refunds typically will be returned in the same form as they were paid (so, if you put it on your credit card it will be credited back to you).

5. Kohl's

Over the past few years, Kohl's has become synonymous with fab lines from big-name designers including Vera Wang, Lauren Conrad, and Jennifer Lopez. But, did you know that they have a fab return policy on makeup products, too?

Kohl's hassle-free return and exchange guidelines mean that you can bring any product back for a full refund or exchange, even if the product has been opened and used.

Know other stores with fab return policies? Do tell! And, if you've ever returned a beauty product, how did it go?

Story: Copyright 2011, Shoestring Magazine/Kaarin Moore.
Image: Courtesy of Amy Chase/PunkyStyle.com