Chemist Direct for all your beauty and healthcare needs (review)

When Chemist Direct got in touch and asked if I'd like to review their services, I scuttled off to have a look at what kinds of product lines they have available and was very impressed, not just by what they have on sale in their online store but by also the healthcare services that they can provide.

According to their website, ChemistDirect is the UK’s largest online healthcare and pharmacy business, providing quick and affordable delivery of tens of thousands of health and beauty products, and a suite of wellbeing services including confidential consultations with in-house GPs and advice from its team of fully qualified pharmacists. That last part is very important - as they are supervised by fully qualified pharmacists, they can discuss symptoms and issues about medical problems in a confidential environment through email or telephone and oversee all medicinal purchases, thereby checking the suitability of a medicine for a particular patient and ensuring its safe delivery. (They will refuse your order if they think you've bought dangerous quantities of a certain medication, for example.)

There was no potential risk in my order though, as I gaily worked my way through their beauty department ! I was gifted a £50 voucher and I was very impressed at quite how many lovely goodies I could order for that amount. 

Herbal Essences Smooth & Soft Shampoo 200ml £1.84 (RRP £2.49 You save £0.65)

Palmers Coconut Oil Repairing Conditioner 250ml £3.59 (RRP £3.99 You save £0.40)

Aussie Miracle Shine Conditioner 250ml £3.79 (RRP £4.49 You save £0.70)

Aussie Miracle Shine Shampoo 300ml £3.99 (RRP £4.49 You save £0.50)

Regener8 Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner 250ml £3.00 (RRP £5.99 You save £2.99)

Regener8 Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo 250ml £3.00 (RRP £5.99 You save £2.99)

Unique Argan Plus Conditioner 236ml £6.99 (RRP £7.99 You save £1.00)

Rimmel Rita Ora 60 Seconds Nail Polish Do Not Disturb £3.49 (RRP £3.69 You save £0.20)

China Glaze Goldie But Goodie Nail Lacquer 14ml £3.48 (RRP £6.95 You save £3.47)

OPI Diamond Dust Reflection Nail Lacquer 15ml £8.50 (RRP £16.99 You save £8.49)

OPI Muppets Most Wanted Miss Piggys Big Number Nail Lacquer 15ml £5.75 (RRP £11.50 You save £5.75)

Barry M Textured Nail Effects Pink £2.99 (RRP £3.99 You save £1.00)

Original Source Lime Shower Gel 250ml £2.29 (RRP £2.49 You save £0.20)

Slim Fast Chocolate Milkshake 325ml £1.59 (RRP £1.69 You save £0.10)

Slim Fast Strawberry Milkshake 325ml £1.59 (RRP £1.69 You save £0.10)

As you can see, the prices are often significantly lower than the RRPs - my fairly random order came in at £28.54 below the RRPs which is not bad at all for a £50 order. You can also use extra codes to get free delivery (it's free anyway for orders over £35) or money off (look at the very top of the webpage or check on Facebook for current deals).

I don't usually spend much on myself for make-up or perfume but I do have a bit of a thing for haircare products, as you can see from my shopping list ! Herbal Essences and Aussie Miracle are brands that I already know and love, with consistently high quality products.I love the idea of Coconut Oil conditioner - I'm hoping it smells as lovely as I'm imagining - and Palmers is another brand I always trust. The other hair care brands are new ones to me but I absolutely love argan oil, since discovering it in the little women's cooperatives in Agadir, Morocco, when we were on holiday. (If you haven't seen my post about the amazing tree-climbing goats munching their way through the argan nuts, you have to look - it's quite mindblowing ! You'll also get to see Juliette trying her hand at extracting argan oil by hand in the traditional way.)

The nail varnishes are a little gift for Sophie, who changes the colour of her nails several times a week ! The SlimFast ready-to-drink shakes won me over on the SlimFast January Challenge and Original Source is my ultimate go-to shower gel for banishing the winter blues.

Customer service was great too. It was all delivered very quickly with regular emails to keep me updated about how my order was progressing. I really can't fault them so if you fancy stocking up on your beauty essentials, it may well be worth your while checking out their prices to see how they compare to your usual high street retailers. If you're pondering buying healthcare for slightly embarrassing conditions and just don't fancy throwing extra value bumper packs of condoms, weight loss aids, headlice shampoo or Fifty Shades of Grey-themed massage oil (I kid you not !) in your shopping trolley, the absolute anonymity of online shopping is another non-negligeable advantage !

Disclosure : I received a shopping voucher in order to try out the service and write an honest review.