How to Get Beauty Samples from Beauty Counters + Samples you can get this month

Hi My Lovelies,

It's a new month and I really am excited because September means we are well into the "ember months" which brings us closer to Christmas. That's me digressing again..tehehehe. A few people have asked me how I get beauty samples especially High end ones and I always refer them to my blog post on How to Get Beauty Freebies but it appears they required more tips so I decided to update this post on a few more tips. This is the most daunting way to get samples for many because people normally don't like asking for free stuff and they think the sales assistants are rude sometimes. Of course, they may be some truth in that but you should not generalize.  Many people even get invites to try out new samples but the task of having to ask the beauty sales assistants for a sample especially when you have not purchased any is a bit stressful. Well,there are many ways around that. 

Be Specific about what Sample you want
Firstly,you need to be specific and ask for a particular sample after you have done a little research. Asking for "any" sample does not quite make the cut as you would appear desperate. It's best to arm yourself with a little information and the correct name of the sample you want. 

Smile, Smile, Smile...
Secondly, you need to have a nice smile and appear bold even if you are not. Of course, it's really hard to resist a smile from anyone smiling at you except you are really weird. 90% of the time, you would get a smile back and a friendly sales assistant who would more than be willing to help you. A smile is the easiest way to disarm any grumpy sales assistant, trust me!!

Make some Conversation/Small Talk
Thirdly, you need to make some conversation of any sort which links closely to point 1. Think about it, if you just met someone for the first time and all they do is ask you for something with no smile and no small talk, there is a high chance you would say no even if you had gazillion of samples wasting away in the drawer. Small talk really isn't small talk as you need to think of what to say. You can start off by giving a compliment (I like your makeup), ask if they have used the product, ask them how their day has been, etc. If you make small conversation, you would definitely get more samples. If you are a blogger, you can tell them who you are and they would be even happier to give you some samples as they know you may write about the product or their service*evil laugh*

Avoid Counters at Busy/Peak Periods or Time

Lastly, go to the counter when they are less busy and I think this is most important if you want to get some good samples and advice as well. Days to avoid are Saturdays, Friday Evenings and sometimes Thursday Nights(in UK, there is late night shopping till 9pm on many cities like London and Manchester). If they are busy and there are some "buying/paying customers" behind you, there will most likely say "erm no we don't have any at the moment" because they are in a hurry to serve other  paying customers.

Additional Tips :-)))
Subscribe to their Newsletter

I know we all hate to get spam emails from anyone but I don't mind getting them from beauty brands because they are usually, more often than not, invites to try out samples or get free delivery. You don't need to have bought from them to be eligible to subscribe at all, you just need to be a fan of the brand. This is the easiest way I get emails saying a new product is out and many times they include an invite to trial and sample these new products. Lancome, Bobbi Brown and Estee Lauder are worth subscribing for their newsletter.

Like their Facebook Page

Again, they usually update and post news about new products and events on their Facebook page. They also let you know of any competition they may be holding in honour of a new product launch and any discounts. Estee Lauder and Yves Saint Laurent usually post competitions on their Facebook page and you usually receive an email inviting you to get a free sample after you have entered the competition. Lancome, Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, and Yves Saint Laurent.





Current Samples on Offer as of August/September 2013
With these tips, you can pick up the following samples: 
Bobbi Brown: Samples of Bobbi Brown's BB Cream,  Bobbi Brown's Hydrating Face Cream and Eye Cream; just smile and ask the beauty sales assistants (better to go armed with an email from their newsletter as some sales assistants may ask for it)
Lancome: They are my favourite brand and the Lancome Dream Tone Sample can be collected from any counter without any fuss. Just smile and ask, they would definitely give you one. I just love how the samples are packaged...so cute!!
Estee Lauder: It all depends on what store you go to but I find the Debenhams Sales Assistants are  the most friendly of the lot. There are currently giving out 7-day trial samples of the Advanced Night Repair Serum (II) but you may need an email confirmation which you can get when you enter this campaign called Beauty of Night which allows you share what your best night memory consists of and you get an email which entitles you to the 7-day free trial..Link to Beauty of Night Competition Here

 If all fails, then, i'm afraid the only option will be to buy a product from the beauty counter and request for as many samples as possible; they can't begrudge you that...lol. For me, trying out samples is the easiest form of advertising or making me buy a new product apart from recommendations from trusty bloggers. I have ended up purchasing quite a significant amount of high end products because I got a free sample, tested it out for a few days, fell in love and ran back to the store to buy the full size. I hope this was helpful and you get many samples with these tips. See you in my next post..toodles...