The Face Shop

My daughter purchased some foundation on Boxing Day 2014 at the West Edmonton Mall location. Prior to purchasing the tube of foundation she inquired about the return/​exchange policy. She did this because she has extremely sensitive skin, and wanted to make sure that if she had a reaction, it was returnable, or she was able to exchange it for an in-​store credit, or another product. This came from the manager of the WEM location. My daughter also asked if she could return it to another location because there was one very close to our home. She was assured her that there would not be any problem at all, as long as she had her receipt, and it was returned within 15 days of purchase for a refund, or 30 days for an exchange or in-​store credit.
After using it a few times she broke out in a rash and her face swelled up. Off we went to the Kingsway Mall location on January 20^th to purchase a few more items, but forgot to bring the foundation. We spoke with two of the staff members at the Kingsway location this time and explained what had happened. They both immediately said absolutely, bring it back and we will exchange it. We made another special trip two days later with the receipt and tube of foundation.
We were greeted with a very angry person. We were both taken back by the angry manner in which she spoke to us. I’m not sure if she was just having a bad day, or why we got such an attitude. My daughter proceeded to explain to her that she had a reaction with the foundation and she wanted to exchange it, since it was within the 30 day exchange policy. This was clearly stated on the receipt. The staff member started to raise her voice at my daughter in front of me. She was asking her why she was returning it now! She then proceeded to lecture and intimidate her. We explained to her that both her staff members and the manager at the WEM location said there would be not be any problem; she said no! You cannot return it.
We left and looked at the bill again. She was clearly able to exchange it so my daughter went back again. She greeted her with, Oh, you again! My daughter again tried to explain that she should be able to exchange because the manager at the West Edmonton Mall location told her she could do so at any of the locations in the city, and they were the same company, so why not? The manager told her that «her store» had no connection to any of the other stores in Edmonton. My daughter then asked her to scan it, and showed her the exact same product on the shelf. Finally, she started to do a gift card. She opened up the bag, and said, oh, no box, I’m not going to do anything for you, go back to the store you bought it at. My daughter explained to her that it was very far away and that’s why she came here. She was told that’s your problem not mine.
As my daughter was leaving she told her that she would never shop at that location again because of the way she was treated. The managers response was, good! Get out of my store! I was absolutely shocked! If this is the way she is treating customers I can only imagine how she treats other staff members. Get yourself a hammer and take that chip off your shoulder princess, shame on you. They must have been really desperate to hire such a negative person. She could take some lessons from two young girls that we spoke to a couple of days before. And yes, a formal complaint has been filed.

I found out about this place about two months ago, but for the longest while stuck to their $ 7 gel like polishes and their $ 3 regular polishes. I always thought my skin care routine was okay, but about a month ago I had a really bad break out and none of my usual products were able to help with the healing. I had heard that konjac sponges and a regular face wash do a lot of good to get rid of acne without the pain of heavy creams, and washes with beads that can make skin red. I decided to go with the simple Herb Day 365 and the regular konjac sponge. Both items cost me just $ 10 for the two. Okay, now the real test begins… Within about 2 or 3 days, I noticed a significant difference in my skin. My acne was clearing up quickly and nicely. I was hooked from that moment on! I have tried out a variety of their face masks (go with the sparkling apple one if you like a good refresher!), gel patches, make up, and also this amazing hand crème. I have no problems with how amazing and effective the products have been so far. Yes, my routine does take a bit longer now, but what’s a half hour when you can’t help but feel good with how your skin looks! As a student, I usually like something cheap, something good, and something effective. The Face Shop covers all 3 criteria. While I’m writing a paper, I’ll take a quick break in between pages to go wash my face and put on a mask before continuing. I really can’t believe how wonderful products (and the service) is here. I definitely go in about once a week now to make sure I’m always stocked up with their latest products.

I’m disappointed that the majority of their products contain parabens and other substances that I don’t actually want in my face care, but that their pricing, their polite/​friendly employees and the store design did convince me that their store was worth a look. I like the wide variety of products, designs, scents, and etc. at different price points originally from Korea. Very cute and very intriguing, though I am unlikely to buy much here due to the use of ingredients that I am avoiding in general and the fact that I have very strong brand loyalty with makeup to another brand (this isn’t the case with skin care however).

I am not going to lie, I never used to be concerned with skincare. Wake up, and out the door giving little to no thought of how to protect my face.
I started to become conscious of the health and longevity of this mug and began to explore some options. L’Occitane was a good choice but I found their products a little on the expensive side and wasn’t long lasting. It seemed my face needed to be reapplied throughout the day. I tried the Jack Black line from Luxe and realized not only was it even more expensive but my the moisturizer was actually drying out my skin and the beardlube (yes, that’s what they call it. It’s like a clear shaving lotion) reacted with my lips making me the next Asian LL Cool J.
After viewing some Korean variety and noticing how good their skin looks, I heard about a new cosmetic store at West Edmonton Mall opened that only carried Korean products. My girlfriend noted that Korean products were pretty hard to come by especially face care so this store was a blessing as it saved me a trip to Calgary or ordering online.
After speaking the well informed staff, I switched face washes: gentle and those beady scrub one and I personally feel they actually add some moisturizer back. The gentle face was was a piddly six dollars which is unheard of and the scrub was twelve. Walk into Sephora or L’Occitane or Luxe and it would be impossible to find anything that would cost remotely close to this. I also purchased one of their higher end moisturizers and it blew my socks off. It almost gave your skin a glow (from what people have noticed) and kept my skin supple and soft for the majority of the day. This one rang up to about thirty six dollars. They also have a nice range of toners, whiteners, and anti-​aging creams.
My girlfriend also noted that the female products were also excellent and easy on the wallet. The selection for women was far more substantial than the mens.
I have successfully switched over and actually look forward to washing my face.
Pro Tip: The spokesperson for the Face Shop is none other than Suzy from the group Miss-​A. To people who are unfamiliar, Suzy is like the Katy Perry of Korea. So that giant face you see plastered on the wall isn’t a random Asian model: P

I will admit at first glance this is not a place I would have gone into on my own. I am not big on beauty stores but after my cousin dragged me in for my initial first visit I have kept going back ever since. The staff are super nice and do a great job of keeping customers informed about the sales as well as getting a basket for you if your purchases are starting to become an arm full but there is absolutely no pressure to buy here.
The nail polishes are very impressive. They are inexpensive (2 – 8 dollars a bottle) and come in a wide range of beautiful colors. I am not sure what is all in the formula but I found even the ones with glitter in them came off afterwards with only half the effort that glitter polish from other places require. Also while we are on the subject of nail polish remover I highly encourage you to try their brand… it is only a dollar and actually leaves behind a pleasant berry smell.
I also picked up their herb day 365 facial cleanse and was pretty blown away. It only costs about ten dollars and both smells and works fabulously without drying out the skin. I had a breakout on my neck I had almost lost all hope of getting under control until discovering this stuff.
For beauty on a budget check this place out! They have almost everything you could want or need in this tiny little store without breaking even the most frugal of budgets!