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    How skin care product guarantees work

    Not every company offers a money back guarantee for their products but if your brand does you should take advantage of it, if needed. Changing skin types and surprise skin problems make a company guarantee worth it. After all, some of our favorite products are a bit pricey. Who can afford to have two or three foundation products sitting on their vanity? That's many swirling down the drain!

    Over the years, I have purposefully migrated toward companies that have the guts to stand by their goodies. To back up my commitment to smart, skin care my bottom vanity drawer is full of product receipts. If you don't have one, you can forget getting a guarantee.

    Here's how two companies run their skin care guarantees.

    Mary Kay: This mega-makeup company offers a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee on their products. If you don't like your skin care or makeup for whatever reason, you are supposed to be able to return it for a full refund. That's great except you can't buy Mary Kay's Timewise products in a store. You have to make your return through the representative. If she won't return your call or honor your request you can go directly to the company. Visit the Mary Kay website, scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the "Satisfaction Guarantee" link. Click and follow the prompts for a product return.

    Sephora: Makeup super-company, Sephora offers a simple refund or exchange program to their customers. You have 60 days from purchase to contact the company and return your item via mail. If the return is past 60 days, you have to return the item to the store, not through the mail. If you want an exchange, you'll have to go to the store too but it's still a good guarantee.

    Before making an expensive investment, (because many skin care sets are well over $100) request samples. Companies like Votre Vu offer samples to customer on request via their brand ambassadors. Suave and St. Ives occasionally offer samples of their new products. Give your skin up to two weeks to develop allergies. If no problems arise, your good to go.

    If you suspect that your skin care or makeup is giving your skin problems, return it. Always keep your receipts and double check the guarantee process before buying anything.

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