Free Makeup!!! The good stuff from department stores!

I was telling one of my students last week that I try never to pay full retail price for anything. I can pretty much manage a way to get a discount on everything I buy and sometimes I can get things for free.

One student, suspicious of my abilities, asked, "What about makeup? Not like Wal-mart makeup, but good makeup, from the mall?" I then told her about my recent trip to the mall where I came out with free makeup without making a single purchase. Here is how I did it...
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The ad at the right came in my mail, it's for a free 10-day sample of Lancome's new foundation.

Around the same time I found an Estee Lauder advertisement in a magazine. It included a tear out postcard that was good for a 10-day sample of foundation.

I brought both cards into Macy's, stopped at the Lancome and Estee Lauder counters and came home with  two sample containers. The first one lasted me almost three weeks.

My free foundation samples from Estee Lauder & Lancome.

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If I'm in need of new makeup I usually wait to make my purchase until there is a free gift offer. I'm not a loyal follower of any particular brand of makeup, so I'll buy from any brand offering a free gift with purchase offer.

Lancome, Clinique, Estee Lauder often host Free Gift with Purchase events a few times a year. All have a minimum purchase requirement and most allow a choice of free items. These events are a great time to stock up on the basics such as mascara and moisturizer.

A mailer for Lancome's latest free gift with purchase offer available from 5/10-5/31/12.

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By ordering online through the brand's website, often there will be a choice of samples that can be added to the order. I quickly browsed Clinique's site and have a $13 moisturizer in my cart and I'm lined up to receive three complimentary minis, and free shipping.

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Sephora inside JCPenney has a loyalty club, The Beauty Insider, that offers rewards and coupons.

I recently received a mailer that offers a free compact mirror for signing up. A perk of the club is a free duo of lipstick during the member's birthday month, and the ability to accumulate points with every purchase.

Sephora is also generous with samples.  If you would like to try a product but aren't ready to make a commitment, the consultants will happily fill a sample jar for you.

 

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