My Slow Embrace with Online Shopping

I was a seriously late bloomer when it came to online shopping. Even before being adopted by the masses I had a nagging hesitancy that began with an image of imaginary people inside my computer waiting to steal my information. Once I comfortably convinced myself it was safe I made my first online purchase which resulted in my first online return. My distain for doing things more than once helped further wain my enthusiasm for online shopping - not to mention the added benefits of printing return labels, packing boxes and visits to the post office. I happily returned to brick and mortar stores where I could touch, feel and thoroughly evaluate items before purchasing, once. Then a pandemic hit, my toilet paper ran out I was literally forced to reconsider the benefits of online shopping. Slowly but surely and one purchase at a time I became more comfortable shopping online and ultimately came to appreciate the conveniences. I am proud to say that I have come full circle within one year. Although I only order from large, well known websites and the list of things I will not order online is long, I can honestly say I am comfortable shopping online. Given my complicated history with online shopping the number of times social media has been powerful enough to sway my behavior or spark a purchase for something I did not need has been extremely rare.

Extremely rare in my case is exactly 3 times. Social media has swayed me on exactly 3 occasions to buy something I did not need. All three occasions were beauty product splurges where I also spent more money than usual. One of these splurge-worthy products was mascara and credit for this purchase goes to a targeted Facebook ad for the purchase.

The makeup in my cosmetic bag had been in a sad state for quite some time and a few key pieces desperately needed to be replaced. In preparation for my anticipated future purchase I asked google about "best rated makeup trends". I can only assume this triggered the targeted ads that began to flood my Facebook feed including recurring ads for Thrive Cosmetics. This was my first introduction to Thrive Cosmetics. I was drawn in after watching a short before/after demo featuring a woman applying their Liquid Lash Extension mascara. The results were so impressive I selected "learn more" and was transported to the Thrive Cosmetics website.

Based on the customer reviews and awards I quickly concluded I was late to the party. It was unanimous, Thrive Cosmetics are "AMAZING, LIFE CHANGING" and have a huge following. There were endless pages of happy customers that purchased the Liquid Lash Extension mascara and now have "long, lush lashes that go on for days". The prices were higher than what I normally spent on makeup but a rare purchase was easy enough to justify.

After browsing all the products on the website I made the decision to purchase the award winning Liquid Lash Extension Mascara for $24. It was a best seller and won several awards including:

• Winner of the Allure 2020 Best of Beauty Awards for Best Tubing Mascara.
• Winner of the Glamour Best Clean Beauty Products of 2020 Award for “The Best Mascara".

• Winner of the Prevention Beauty Awards for 2019 for Best Mascara.

• Over 275,000 5-star reviews on Ipsy as of April 2020!

The company is also dedicated to giving back in big ways. They number of causes they support and ways they give are too many to name, but all focus on supporting and uplift women in their communities. Knowing a portion of my $24 was going towards a bigger cause helped me justify the amount of my purchase.

After placing the order I waited for it to be delivered. I was blessed with relatively long eye lashes and was eager to see how this amazing mascara would accentuated them. My expectations were high for dramatic results.

As expected, the package arrived a few short days after purchasing. My initial impression regarding the look and feel of the product was very good. The tube was an attractive color combination somewhere between turquoise and green. The tube itself heavier than expected and seemed to made out of metal. The consistency of the mascara was very creamy. Before applying I removed the excess mascara from the wand. Starting at the root on the underside of my top lash I moved the wand from the root toward the tip in a sweeping motion. I repeat several times occasionally wiggling the wand to separate the lashes. I covered both sides of my top lashes. I then covered both bottom lashes using the same sweeping and wiggling motions. With only a few swipes my eye lashes were longer and full of volume. I was very pleased with the result. I could easily imagine my lashes being mistaken for false ones.

Based on this experience I will happily recommend this mascara and will not be surprised if Thrive Cosmetics gets added to the list of websites I order from frequently-I expect to try more of their products soon. I am also grateful for those targeted Facebook ads. In this instance, the ads helped me discover a company with a mission worth supporting that also happens to sell amazing products.