On the Internet, you can't try out a new lip color, swatch a foundation on the back of your hand, or crack open a shampoo to see if it smells like medicine, or like heaven. You can't even trust the colors you see on your screen. But all 38 of the sites listed below—whether they're single-brand or multi-brand, indie or luxury or literally Drugstore.com—offer exemplary beauty shopping experiences. Read on for our guide to the most user-friendly, expertly-curated, gorgeously-designed, and all-around best beauty sites online.
The Aesop display inside Parisian boutique Merci
Aesop
There's something undeniably cool about Australian-born brand Aesop. Maybe it's the chic packaging, maybe it's that everything smells amazing (plant-derived ingredients are a focus), maybe it's that the stuff actually works.
Beauty Bar
This straightforward site stocks everything from makeup to fragrance to men's products to natural lines from about 100 brands, and each order comes with three free samples. In partnership with Allure magazine, the site offers what it's calling a "Sample Society," a monthly membership program that delivers luxury, travel-friendly samples along with expert advice. They also have beauty experts on hand 24/7 to answer any questions, along with free returns, and they get your products to you in just two days or faster.
Beauty.com
With thousands of products and an incentive (10% off) to auto-reorder, this beauty domain challenges Sephora in its reach and ease-of-use. Free shipping (over $35), free returns, and loads of free samples sweeten the deal even further, and coupons with purchase make it easy to become a repeat shopper.
Beautycounter
This Los Angeles upstart was founded on the idea of transparency, and vows that its beauty products are safe and free of dangerous chemicals. The collection started as simply skincare, grew into makeup, hair care, bath and body, and even children's, and continues to expand. The site features a "Never List" full of scary yet common compounds that consumers should avoid.
Beauty Sage
This site has a three-step vetting process for each and every product sold. Beauty editors choose the products, chemists test the claims, and then "real women" test it and report back. The result is super user-friendly and a great source of trustworthy, organic products and reviews.
Photo: Birchbox
Benefit
Benefit's site will not only assist you with buying a slew of new beauty products—it'll also put you in a really good mood. Its cheeky packaging and extensive use of puns puts the fun back in shopping for makeup (or at least distract you from how much you're spending.)
B-Glowing
Edits from beauty insiders make this site's absolutely massive selection of men's, women's, hair care, bath and body and makeup digestible. B-Glowing's expertly curated collection of your current favorites, luxe must-haves, and products that are almost impossible to find anywhere else on the internet make it a beauty enthusiast's dream come true.
Birchbox
While the $10 to $20 a month subscription club has been around for some time, it's still a viable method for sifting through all the stuff that's offered in the beauty world for men and women. The samples—sent through the mail—come with info on each product, how-tos and even exclusives to the service. Head here if you're looking to enter the beauty game or break out of a rut.
Bloomingdale's
The beauty department over at Bloomingdale's carries the largest selection of high-end brands available from any department store website. Some of our favorites include Chantecaille, La Mer, Sisley-Paris, Dior, and SK-II.
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics
Bobbi Brown's website is as gorgeous as her products. The legendary makeup artist is known for her natural-yet-polished look, and on her webshop, there are products and step-by-step guides for achieving that flawless complexion at home. It's one of the only beauty websites where each product is actually swatched and photographed instead of just rendered through Photoshop, so you'll know exactly what you're buying when you shop online.
Byredo's Flowerhead perfume
Boots.com
This is the online extension of the iconic UK drugstore. The US site is slightly more limited, but it can be one of the only places to find popular-in-Great-Britain goods.
Butter London
Butter is one of the best nail polish sites out there, in part because they include actual photos of each nail color, instead of just illustrations. They also have a rapidly expanding beauty collection which includes mascara, eye shadow, and lip color, making the site very much worth bookmarking.
Byredo
Founded in 2006, this company's scents are already a favorite of beauty editors and fragrance collectors alike. Whether you're attracted to fresh, floral, wet, sensual, or avant garde fragrances, there is definitely one you'll love in Byredo's collection. Their site makes it easy to understand the composition of each fragrance—but hard to resist clicking "Buy this item."
Chanel
Chanel doesn't really need any sort of explanation as to why it made the list, because, well, it's Chanel. If you need one, how about the online exclusives, the expert skincare advice (sunscreen, people!), or the limited-edition nail polishes?
Clinique
The Clinique website makes shopping online for beauty and skincare products a cinch. All of your purchases are stored automatically, so there's no more guessing if you bought that last eyeliner in black or black/brown. There's also a "Skin Diagnostic" tool, and an area where you can sign up for auto-replenishment of your favorite items.
Photo: Diptyque
ColourPop
ColourPop brings us lipsticks, liners, blushes, eye shadows, and pigments in every color imaginable (and we really do mean every color. Turquoise lips, anyone?) for a just a few bucks apiece. With lipsticks and shadows for $5 and blushes for $8, you can have a new lip color for less than you'd pay for a latté. This is a great way to experiment with new colors without breaking the bank.
Dior
Fashion insiders swear by the French brand's lightweight foundations, hydrating serums and high-impact Diorshow mascaras. The site is optimized for shopping online, with tools like the "compare shade" feature for foundations and illustrations of the different end results you'll get from each mascara.
Diptyque
Diptyque has moved beyond its coveted candles into skin and body care that's just as chicly packaged. The website is as appealing as the products; we particularly love the travel section, which is chock full of mini candles, fragrances and balms to make any trip a little more glamorous.
Drugstore.com
There's nothing fancy about Drugstore.com, but that's what makes it genius. They take the convenience of a drugstore and make it shoppable from your apartment. The selection also beats what you'd find in any Duane Reade. They stock each and every shade, scent, and formula of all of even the hardest-to-find products.
Floss Gloss
Buying nail polish online is harder than it should be because the colors on screen don't always match the colors you'll be putting on your nails. Floss Gloss is one of the only nail companies to swatch and photograph their actual lacquer on actual people, and make sure the color you fall in love with on your laptop (or phone) is exactly what you're going to get. That, and they've got the most creative collection of colors and the best glitters in the industry.
Photo: Floss Gloss
Fresh
You probably already own some sort of Fresh beauty product. If you forget the name of it, no worries—it'll most likely be on the "Fresh Favorites" page, which highlights everything from its Sugar Lip Treatment to the Sugar Body Polish. They throw in three samples per order, so you'll always be able to find more products to obsess over.
Gloss48
There are so many indie beauty brands out there that searching out the best of the best can be a daunting task. Gloss48 has done all the legwork for you. They bring together the best niche beauty brands to take the guesswork out of shopping, so all you have to do is choose which one will be your new favorite.
Jo Malone
Jo Malone fragrances are made for each other, literally: Each scent is made to be layered over another. Fragrance combining is a tricky thing to master, so it's a good thing the Jo Malone website has an entire section dedicated to helping you through amateur hour. Plus, they offer a ton of special offers and freebies to keep your fragrance collection growing.
Laura Mercier
In addition to stocking products we're in love with (even the most beauty-averse can appreciate her tinted moisturizer, right?), the Laura Mercier website is also quite educational. On it, you can watch video tutorials or play with the "Virtual Makeup Artist Tool" to figure out exactly what products are best for your complexion.
L'Occitane en Provence
There's always a ton of stuff happening on the L'Occitane website, so try not to get overwhelmed with the sensory overload. In addition to e-commerce, the site also features tons of helpful beauty tidbits, like information on why almonds are so good for you, and a YouTube video on how to pronounce the brand's name.
Jo Malone's Orange Blossom Cologne
Lucky Scent
Lucky Scent is THE place to discover, explore, and purchase fragrances on the internet. They source the most luxurious, hard-to-find scents from around the world and bring them all to you with clear, easy to understand descriptions. They also offer small sample vials for around $4 if you want to see how the fragrance wears IRL before investing.
LUSH Cosmetics
If natural products are your thing, LUSH should already be your favorite place to shop. All of their products are made from fresh, ethically sourced, organic ingredients (or safe synthetics when necessary), they never test on animals, and they're always trying to minimize waste. Their products are as good to your skin as they are to the environment, and they've got your entire beauty routine covered from start to finish. Have you tried their body washes? Once you do, you'll never use anything else again.
MAC Cosmetics
Visually, the MAC Cosmetics site is just as great as its products. (When the landing page is a model done up in an extra bold neon purple lid, it's hard not to be tempted to experiment with your own eye shadow..) Bonus: The "My MAC" tab lets you customize your profile and select your favorite products for easy shopping.Oh, and there's free shipping on every order.
Nars
Nars is a standout because the colors, swatches, and finishes pictured on their site translate perfectly to how they look on your face. Pair that with the clear product description which detail shades and undertones, and NARS makes sure you always know exactly what you're getting.
Net-A-Porter
Ever so quietly, this luxury retailer has been beefing up its beauty selection. Now, they're stocked with loads of pricey must-haves like Rodin oils, By Terry foundations and Eve Lom creams. As with its clothing and accessories, the edit is precise and exacting; there's no scrolling through endless options. Everything here is of high quality.
Photo: Seed to Serum
Nordstrom
Nordstrom's online beauty department offers up a ton of beauty values, like sets from Lancôme and Bvlgari. But one of the site's biggest non-financial values, aside from its ease of use, is its active community of commenters who weigh in on every product.
Shu Uemura
Shu Uemura's website makes the list because Shu Uemura's website is the only place in the U.S. you can currently buy Shu Uemura. The "Last Chance" tab might feel like salt in the wound, but for every product that the company no longer sells, they'll recommended another one that's just as obsession-worthy.
Space.NK
Space.NK was revolutionary when it launched in the US because it brought a ton of cool, under-the-radar brands to our shores. The high-end selection includes SACHAJUAN haircare, Sai Sei bath products and and Sunday Riley serums.
Seed To Serum
A thoughtfully curated collection of skincare and beauty products with a focus on unique ingredients and actual results. All products are natural and cruelty-free. Go here for small batch, artisanal beauty and skincare that you're not going to find anywhere else on the internet.
Sephora
What would a beauty shopping guide be without Sephora, the mega-chain that has set the standard for shopping for makeup? Like its brick-and-morter locations, the web shop boasts a simple, clean layout and a wider selection of in-demand brands such as YSL, Living Proof and Fresh. Browse your favorite products, or peruse categories like "Free Samples" (bingo), "Our Favorites," and "Just Arrived."
Shiseido
Shiseido dates to 1872, making it one of the oldest cosmetic companies in the world. Customers rave about the brand's ultra-lush lipsticks and silky foundations.
SleekHair
Sleek Hair is your one-stop online shop for hair care. When it comes to selection, no one has them beat. From your favorite drugstore hair masque to the salon conditioner you can't live without, it's all here.
Urban Decay
Urban Decay drops must-have products every season, and they're still the place to go for so many of our essential, ride-or-die products. The site is highly interactive, with how-to videos, feedback from beauty bloggers, and an active comment section.
Additional reporting by Tynan Sinks.