Love it when mistakes happen on shipping - got a sweet surprise!

Hello there!

I'm a big fan of Zolotoe Yabloko, a popular cosmetics store, and I'm not alone in that. I'll share what I love about them and what I usually buy.

Back in the day, when online stores weren't as trendy, I used to buy cosmetics offline. Zolotoe Yabloko was always my go-to choice - they had a huge selection of the brands I needed, the stores were always tidy and smelled nice, and the staff was friendly. In short, I often chose Zolotoe Yabloko over other stores.

Nowadays, I prefer buying cosmetics online, and it's a game-changer for an introverted homebody like me.

And, despite not being a fan of cluttered phone apps, I've got Zolotoe Yabloko installed on my phone.

I won't go into too much detail about the app's interface, as it's pretty well-known and user-friendly. What I love most about it is how easy it is to navigate - you can search for products by brand or just type in what you need.

The app's ease of use is a major plus for me - it's all very intuitive, and you can find exactly what you're looking for.

The app has an enormous selection of products, not just cosmetics - you can also find clothing, jewelry, home goods, and more!

And, of course, you can access your personal account, where you can view past purchases and receipts - some of which date back years.

I also appreciate that I receive order updates via email, and all the details are available in my account.

Let me tell you about my recent purchasesBack in the day, I used to buy a lot of decorative cosmetics, foundation, lip liners, and lipsticks.

But, recently, I decided to treat myself to a perfume from the European brand SIU. I fell in love with their mission and description, so I ordered it through the app.

The search function is straightforward and easy to use, and the checkout process is a breeze - you can see the entire order in your account as soon as you've paid.

I opted for home delivery, of course.

And then the surprises started - the day when I was supposed to receive my coveted fragrance finally arrived, and I spent the whole day waiting for the courier at home. The time slot was specified from 9.00-18.00, and it was already 6 pm, but I hadn't even received a call yet. What a blast!

I waited for another half hour, just in case the courier had any unexpected circumstances. Especially since I'm on maternity leave and I'm usually at home anyway. Although someone who's working might have specifically taken the day off for delivery, and here they just didn't show up and didn't even bother to let me know!

I wrote to customer support myself, briefly and calmly about the order that was supposed to arrive, but didn't.

In customer support, thank goodness, it wasn't a bot - I just can't deal with those, and it's always nice to talk to a real person! And somehow, I got a girl who quickly replied that she'd look into the situation.

While she was investigating the details, they suddenly offered a compensation in the form of a 1000-ruble voucher!

That was completely unexpected for me! And very pleasant!

Unfortunately, customer support didn't explain the reason for the delay and later sent me an SMS about the cancellation! And the amount was quite significant - I had to wait for the refund to my bank card.

Fortunately, everything worked out, and the money arrived on my account a few days later - only then did I try to place the order with the SIU Elan fragrance again. And I was left waiting for a new delivery date.

But at least I had a 1000-ruble voucher, which I immediately went to use to cover some of the costs!

I usually don't use vouchers until the last minute, they just sit there and look pretty But while they're offering them, I decided to use it right away!

The selection in the app is huge!

I really like that about Yandex.Market, unlike L'Etual, here the prices are reasonable! There's a huge selection of products at affordable prices, which is really important to me.

I ran through all the categories and eventually made my selection.

It's really handy that you can add items to your favorites and then add them to your cart and pay later.

I picked up the Spivak mineral blush, the Influence nude lipstick, which I've been wanting to try out for ages, and a black eyeliner. Plus, I chose an accessory I've been eyeing for a while.

And to top it all off, I got all of this for free! Thanks, Golden Apple!

And all of it for free! Great service!

I was really happy with the items I chose, which were gifted to me. And I loved that I received everything without any fuss or asking - I wrote to customer support calmly, without any complaints.

The quality of the cosmetics was exactly what I was expecting.

The necklace looks stylish, neatly arranged, the clasp is comfortable, and the accessory seems reliable.

I was expecting my perfume to arrive a day earlier than my perfume. I was wondering if the courier would come or call ahead of time.

In the end, I got an SMS saying the courier would arrive soon, so I was able to get ready to meet them (our building doesn't have a working intercom, so we have to meet the courier at the entrance of the building

Then the courier called me and said they'd be there in 10 minutes. Great service!

As a result, I didn't have to go down to meet them, and the courier came up to my apartment on their own.

My little gift arrived in a branded box.

Everything was carefully packed inside.

And the next day, there was another attempt to deliver my perfume. And yes, everything went smoothly again - I got an SMS beforehand, and then the courier called.

I finally got my precious SIU box in my hands.

I've got to say, I'm a fan of the packaging from Golden Apple - it's always that distinctive box.

I'm really liking Golden Apple overall:

A huge selection of productsCompetitive pricingThe app interface is super easy to useGreat customer supportFree promo codesDeliveries are handled wellQuality of packagingQuality of the products

I've got a lot of positives to share! I didn't find any major negatives - and even the time my order was delayed ended up being a bonus in the end I'm pretty chill about it, knowing how much can go wrong from production to customer delivery.

I still have a gift certificate from Golden Apple that I got three years ago! I've been holding onto it this whole time - I hope it's still active, since the receipt says it's good for three years, but the app claims it's valid indefinitely. I'll find out soon and update this review with my findings.

Golden Apple is still my go-to online and offline beauty store I've listed all the pros above - and I'll keep shopping here until I find some major cons.

Even that time my order was delayed turned out to be a bonus, thanks to the awesome customer support offering a moral compensation

Thanks for reading!