Since moving to NYC, I have found that I get A LOT of free stuff all of the time. If I’m shopping…free stuff with purchase. If I’m at a party…free stuff for attending the party. Then there’s the good ole’ Shecky’s events where we get a bag full of goodies.
With all of this free stuff coming out my ears, it’s hard to sample everything. So I’ve taken up a few tricks from a few de-cluttering your home books and realized that I can actually use every single one of these samples when I need them the most.
For instance, those samples you can tear out of magazines (everything from lotion to make-up), drop them in your purse and carry it with you. It’s much lighter to carry then the real thing, plus it gives you the opportunity to have the right moment to try something new. Just recently, I dropped samples of Jergens body lotion that I found in a magazine. I ended up using it much quicker then if I had left it at home and said, “Some day I’ll try it.” Some day never comes because I have (like most women) about 20 different kinds of lotions at home that serve x, y and/or z purposes. Trying a sample size will never come. So I now consider these samples: ON THE GO samples.
They also come perfect during times of travel. Since I travel internationally a lot, it’s cheaper and easier to just throw in index card sized samples into my cosmetics bag. It’s better then running all over town to find travel sized versions of shampoo/conditioner, etc. PLUS, it makes it easier to get through airport security.
Most recently, I received a whole bag filled with samples from The Body Shop. I’m not a huge fan of The Body Shop, but my friend is, so I decided to get a few things for her there for her birthday. Along with my purchase (and the great customer service from the staff at the Times Square store), they filled up my bag with numerous samples to try out for myself. I didn’t think I would like anything, because their products seem to be too greasy for my liking, but I found several items that have now become part of my beauty regimine.
ALOE SOOTHING DAY CREAM and ALOE SOOTHING NIGHT CREAM: 
Perhaps it’s because the dry skin days of the year are here, but these two products are amazing for the cold months. My face was starting to go through the normal dry, cold season and the new organics moisturizer I had bought wasn’t cutting it. I gave the Day Cream/Night Cream a try and was amazed at how quickly it worked. The next day my face wasn’t dry or itchy. It had completely repaired the dryness factor. I’ve never worked with a product with such a quick recovery time. In one try, the product kicked every single moisturizer I’ve ever used to the curb! The Day Cream retails at $16 and the Night Cream at $20.
Hi-Shine Lip Treatment: To be honest, as many lipsticks, glosses and balms that I try, none of them have ever gotten the immediate reaction of “Oh, I really like this!” and be completely truthful about it. There’s usually the shrug that says, “I guess it’s ok. It’s nice.” But not one single lipwear item in my box (and I have a ton of them) has gotten the response as the Hi-Shine Lip Treatment got from The Body Shop. I received so many compliments throughout the day. This coming from someone who loves ELF and Chanel…The Body Shop has redefined my new loves. And all it took were a bunch of free samples to win me over. The Hi-Shine Lip Treatment retails at $13.
