Free Samples

I love finding free samples as I think they are so useful and you can find them in a range of places. The easiest place to find them are inside magazines where they are quite often attached to advert pages for the products. These tend to be face moisturisers and body moisturisers, shampoos, conditioners and foundations.  I have often found these inside magazines that I have bought at car boot sales or charity shops and it suprises me that people don't take them out and use them themselves. I always take these out straight away before I read the magazine and put them into my bathroom cabinet. They are also really handy for using on weekends away or holidays and I will sometimes put these straight into my toiletry bag so that they are there ready when I am doing my packing. I did an "ask around" with my friends, work colleagues and even my hairdresser and many of them said they did not bother with the free samples which I think is such a shame.

Many of the samples I have are for products from expensive brands which I would not normally buy because I cannot justify the cost. However it is lovely to be able to use expensive brands and it is great to try different products out. You can see in the photo below that I have samples from Chanel, Lancôme, Estée Lauder, Clarins and L'Oreal. A lot of the samples are foundation as I save these up for the winter months. I tend to wear tinted moisturiser in the summer but change to foundation in the winter when my face becomes a little paler. The amount I have saved is probably enough for a couple of months as one sample usually does me for two days. 

Another way that I get samples is from dedicated websites such as Magic Freebies. Once I joined I started to get an email a day with the free samples that are available. The email takes you to links on the internet and you can apply for samples or enter competitions to win items. I have had so many items sent to me over the last six months or so since I joined that I have lost count. They have ranged from face serums, packets of tomato seeds or fabric conditioner to stock cubes and a gravy boat. This does not cost me any money in postage and packaging, and it is quite exciting seeing what will arrive in the post each week.

I also "like" pages on Facebook for products or brands that I genuinely do like and find that I have had information sent to me on my newsfeed about more samples or competitions to win items. I struck lucky using this Facebook method to get a full size product from Liz Earle. It was a Cleanse and Polish hot cloth cleanser complete with cloth. You will see from the link that this would have cost me £14.75 so not bad for a free item. I did have to collect this from a high street store but as I was going shopping anyway this was no problem.

Magazines quite often have free items attached to them or there will be a voucher inside to go to a cosmetics counter and ask for a free sample. I have no problem doing this and often the staff are so friendly that they will give you additional samples or even book you in for a consultation. I have never felt under any obligation to buy but maybe I am just a little hard nosed about this. Bare Minerals took a voucher I had from a magazine, matched my skin tone to the correct coloured foundation and gave me a large sample complete with cute little brush. I was given a free cosmetic make over which was great as I was going out for a meal that night and used my new look. Talking to the member of staff she told me that on Friday evenings they were packed with people getting their makeup done for free across the store at different counters for their Friday night out.

If I am going to spend some money on toiletries then I want to make sure I get any other offers that are available at the same time. I love L'Occitane products and in particular I like the fresh citrus smell of their Verbena eau de toilette. This is not a cheap product so I have joined to be a VIP which is free and I now get sent emails or postcards in the post for a free toiletry bag with samples inside when I spend over say £40. They always give you a selection of samples as well and if I go to their shop rather than buy on line they usually have free drinks and chocolates on offer too. 

Let me know if you have had some great free samples as I would love to know whether I am on my own on this topic.