Most of the items available to us on the market are generally priced according to their niche, and beauty products are no different. Makeup is often advertised as a tool to increase social standing, a magic bullet to propel the user into a lifestyle they otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to experience, let alone belong to.
The exorbitant prices of these products reflect the task they’re advertised to accomplish, making them difficult to budget for. Fortunately, if you’re a savvy consumer, leveraging the availability of free makeup samples can reduce your spending considerably.
Read on to find out how to make the system work for you!
Free Makeup Samples
Much like the illicit substance trade, the beauty industry knows how to get its hooks into us, all while selling us products we don’t really need. First, they paint a picture of a world full of glitz, glamor, and romance. Then they bar the entry and hold out their hand for the ticket, which just so happens to be a face made up with the products they sell.
It’s a transparent scheme but if there’s ever a sure bet, it’s on the dependability of our fragile egos. Realizing this makes taking full advantage of every free lip-gloss and face moisturizer sachet a deeply satisfying riposte. If they can take advantage of our weakness for their advertising campaigns, we can take advantage of their ceaseless attempts to win our favor.
Once you start looking, you’ll realize how thickly inundated the world is with opportunities for free makeup. They want you to sample their wares, and there’s no difference between the contents of the magazine sample and the top-shelf bottle in the cosmetics store. All it takes is a little digging, and that’s where we come in!
Making the Most of Free Beauty Products
We’ve put together some of the most effective ways to get some free makeup, and they’re surprisingly simple. Once you’ve tried a few of our makeup sampling tips you’ll have a completely different view of the beauty industry and the value of the products it endlessly churns out.
Beauty Programs and Clubs
The beauty industry frames its products within a group-oriented mindset. The idea is that if a group of people seems interested in a particular product, an individual will feel much more inclined to consider purchasing it. If lots of people like it, then there must be some real value to it after all, right?
To this effect, beauty product manufacturers create platforms of perceived exclusivity, when, in reality, anyone can sign up. For example:
- Sephora Beauty Insider
Sephora has a “loyalty program” boasting birthday gifts, free samples, and a point system that encourages you to buy from them rather than others. Stick with their free samples and you’re already ahead.
- Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum Program
If you’re a serial makeup purchaser, Shoppers Drug Mart offers a similar point-based program. These points can be redeemed on a variety of products. Be wary of these programs if you’re not already a regular customer, however, as the more points you accumulate with a single vendor the more likely you are not to look elsewhere by design.
- MAC Cosmetics Back-to-MAC
MAC offers a neat deal when you return their empty product containers. If you’ve got at least six containers lying around, you can exchange them for free lipstick. If nothing else, this is a great opportunity to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Manufacturer Websites
If you go directly to the source, you might be surprised at the number of free samples your favorite beauty brands offer. Of course, you’ll have to part with some personal information to claim free samples, but in this day and age your information is likely out there already, so you may as well.
In exchange for your email and home address, you can sign up for any number of big brand newsletters. Taking five minutes to create an email specifically for this purpose is a good idea. Keeping everything makeup-sample-related separate from your personal address will help to keep you sane in the long run.
Beauty Subscription Boxes
Monthly or weekly beauty subscription box services are gaining traction, and their competition is driving them to one-upmanship. While they’re fighting amongst themselves, we’re free to take advantage of the fallout.
Companies like Topbox, Ipsy, and Birchbox offer a free first box of sample-sized cosmetics. Signing up to all three, including others that may offer the same, will net you a haul that’s hard to believe.
There’s something particularly rewarding about getting free stuff. Be careful not to catch the bug, it’s hard to shake once caught. We ought to know!
In-Store Freebies
If you’re the type to enjoy a stroll around your local department stores, try asking the staff if there are any free samples available. They’ll be well versed in all their brand’s various programs and goodies and will be more than happy to help you out. Staff are often trained to give out freebies at the drop of a hat should someone show interest, so it only makes sense to capitalize.
You also might bump into an event or pop-up stall, which is the holy grail if you’re looking for makeup sample offers.
Big brands pay people to go from department store to department store handing out fistfuls of free samples to anyone who’ll look in their direction. If you live near a sizable shopping center it’s worth having a wander around from time to time just on the off chance you’ll get lucky.
Free Makeup Samples With Canadian Free Stuff
Everyone loves a bargain, but free makeup samples are even better. We’ve saved Canadians millions of dollars over the last 20 years, and there’s no end in sight. When it comes to big savings, free samples, and all the best coupons and deals, we’re number one and have been since 1999!
Our team of zealous deal hunters is constantly searching high and low to deliver the best deals available to the Canadian public. If you’re looking for tips on how to claim some Canada beauty freebies or simply have a question or two, don’t hesitate to reach out! We’d love to hear from you.
