How to receive cosmetics for testing. How I use expensive cosmetics for free. What do we have to do
Is it possible to get cosmetics for free without having your own blog on YouTube or Instagram? There are at least ten ways to receive products for testing or as a gift, and today I will tell you about them.
How it all started
Like many girls, while on maternity leave I began to limit myself in purchasing cosmetics, and there were three reasons for this:
- While at home, I did not feel the need to apply a large amount of products (I only used mascara, pencil, eye shadow, and concealer).
- I didn't have any spare money for cosmetic products.
- Product consumption was lower than inventory levels, and expiration dates were gradually expiring.
At the same time, cosmetics remained my hobby, and the desire to try new things did not disappear.
I began to look for an opportunity to get the desired products for free, and for four years now I have been sent products for testing or as a gift from brands such as L'Oreal, MAC, Urban Decay, Vichy, Biotherm and many others. I got the opportunity not only to use shadows and creams at a cost higher than what I can safely afford for the family budget, but not even to buy household goods and textiles.
If you are interested in how to get free cosmetics or something else, I suggest you read my review-instructions.
Cosmetics for reviews
Register on the website Otzovik, Airekommend, Kosmetista or ReviewsPro, collect your review database and receive products as a gift for reviews. Of course, company managers won’t immediately ask you to test eye shadows and shampoos.
Your account should become interesting, gain views and positive responses from readers. Difficult?
No, it’s much easier than starting an Instagram page and spending money on its promotion. According to users of review sites, they were given products for free testing a couple of months after registering on the site.
I received this opportunity a year after registering on irecommend, but because I simply did not know about such bonuses for authors.
What do we have to do?
When you realize that you are ready to cooperate, write a letter to managers of cosmetic brands.
Hello! My name is Anna Ivanova, I am a blogger on the Otzovik website (link to page). I would like to offer you mutually beneficial cooperation on a barter basis: in exchange for the products provided, I will write an honest review with beautiful photographs and videos (optional). Sincerely.
How to find a manager?
You can write through the feedback form on the online store’s page or find its email on VKontakte or Facebook. As a rule, bloggers’ letters are answered (with polite refusal or agreement).
Discuss all the little things in advance, be honest with yourself and the reader, do not agree to take what you initially do not like.
Offers from companies
Fans of new products should follow the pages of major brands on Instagram or other social networks. From time to time, large companies organize competitions where you are required to indicate your skin type, wishes for the product and any page where you post photos, for example, on VKontakte.
Managers select lucky ones and send them new products in exchange for a short review.
Also useful in this regard is the website makeup\ru, where in the competitions section you can apply to participate in any testing of a new product or a hit from a cosmetic company.
Free Sample Sites
There are many freebie resources, and their goal is to spread information about cosmetics or other products. For example, they give a small sample of the cream, and if the buyer likes the product, he will buy the full-size version.
Such sites include:
- cosmobrand;
- probenick;
- probnicki;
- lookup;
- proberry and others.
Their idea is simple: you select products from the list, and they send it to you for free (shipping is paid by the user).
But, in my experience, you have to wait for cosmetics, fish for them, search for them, which ultimately takes a lot of time.
Blogger competitions
In order to increase the audience on Instagram or YouTube, bloggers hold competitions (Giveaways) where they give away cosmetics or other useful things.
All you need to do is subscribe to the blog and follow a few simple steps:
Winning a competition is not difficult if you follow a few rules:
- take part in giveaways from bloggers with a small audience - there is less competition;
- be active on his blog;
- write as many comments as possible under the competition posts.
It is unlikely that this method will suit many people, but if you have a lot of free time, why not?
Gifts with purchase
Most major online stores reward purchases with gifts.
To find such stores, enter the treasured phrases in a search engine:
- promotional code for a gift;
- gift for purchase;
- birthday gift for order.
Generous in this regard Yves Rocher, Dr Pierre Ricaud, Korean and mineral cosmetics stores.
For example, in the winter of 2018, I ordered cream from Pierre Rico, and received perfume, lipstick and jewelry as a gift.
Of course, I get the most products for the review site, but other ways help fill my makeup bag. Do you receive cosmetics for free for testing?
“You need to buy care products only after trying them,” experts tell us. Is it easy to follow their advice? We sent our journalist Alexandra Akhmadullina shopping for samples.
From the editor: Thanks to a happy coincidence, Sasha checked not only the capital’s networks. Once in Krasnodar, the first thing she did was to inspect local stores. After all, we all understand that Moscow can differ greatly in the quality of service and attitude towards clients, so it was interesting to compare the approach.
"Ile de Beaute"
This network is famous among customers for the abundance of miniatures given out upon purchase, so there was hope for a reasonable approach to testing. In the Moscow store, we had a very informative conversation with the consultant, discussed new products and seasonal limited editions, and at the end of the conversation, I decided to find out what I came for: is it possible to get trial samples of cosmetics without purchasing? My interlocutor’s answer was tactful and correct: she explained that the store’s policy prohibits giving away samples just like that; each “gift” received is included in the receipt. True, she clarified that sometimes Ile de Beaute hosts events during which it is easier to experience beauty. For example, recently, as part of a Chanel promotion, all store discount card holders received a letter that could be printed and exchanged for a trio of miniatures of the new Hydra Beauty line.
In Krasnodar I came across an even more attentive girl consultant. She said that Ile de Beaute is currently hosting the “French Kiss” competition, to participate in which you need to post a photo with bright spring lip makeup on the store’s website and wait for the results to be announced. And if I want to get something for free, then I can participate. But with samples the situation is approximately the same as in Moscow - nothing.
Total: 0
"Rive Gauche"
This is one of my favorite stores, so I had high hopes for it. In Moscow, I attended a client day for one of the brands, so the store was sold out: free makeup and consultations with specialists, it turns out, are of interest to many. It’s difficult to find a free consultant on such a day, but I still managed: the girl was tired and exhausted, with rumpled hair and red eyes, but she answered my questions without dissatisfaction.
When she learned that I wanted to get samples without making a purchase, she was surprised. She asked how I even came up with such an idea and explained that it was impossible. Rive Gauche has never done anything like this. And they also have all the samples stamped on the receipt under the code word “Thank you.” She recommended that I make any purchase and receive my rightful gratitude from the store in the form of a sample.
The Krasnodar Rive Gauche was deserted: no customers, no consultants. After walking several circles, I finally saw the hall employee: it was a girl consultant for the Clinique brand. After listening to my question, she smiled and said that she would love to give me a couple of samples, but this cannot be done: there are cameras hanging around us, and the management can punish her for such liberty. Alas, we cross out “Rive Gauche”.
Total: 0
"L'Etoile"
Personally, I only buy cosmetics at L'Etoile that are not presented anywhere else, so this time I specifically went to the store that has rare brands. And I decided that at the same time I would buy lipstick, which I had been planning for a long time, that is, I would definitely be lucky here. But I asked the consultant if it was possible to get samples without purchasing: the standard answer is no. Proudly she headed to the cash register to spend her honestly earned thousand rubles and try at least something. But it was not there. The cashier, whom I asked about the sample I was entitled to, rudely replied: “Girl, you just bought lipstick. Do you really want to get a sample for this?!” and looked extremely reproachful.
What will they answer me in Krasnodar? There I ended up in the largest store in the city. I left, as you might guess, without any samples, but at least the consultant girl was very polite to me.
Total: 0 and spoiled mood
"L'Occitane"
When I came to the brand’s Moscow store and asked about free samples, I heard the following answer: “Unfortunately, we don’t give them without a purchase. But now we are running a promotion: with any purchase we will give out a set of three creams in a convenient package.” Surely, customers will be pleased to receive such a gift, but, alas, they will not be able to try cosmetics on themselves without purchasing them.
There is only one L’Occitane in Krasnodar, but it is in the very heart of the city - on Krasnaya Street. And there are a lot of customers there - who talked about the crisis? I asked with an interested look about the samples, but they again told me about the promotion. This time about “-25% on one product” and about “a set of miniatures at a bargain price.” But what about the high risks of allergies to natural ingredients? Does the brand really not take this fact into account?
Total: still 0
Kiehl's
The brand's generous sampling system was invented back in 1970, and since then it has become a Kiehl's calling card. I wondered if this tradition extended to Russian customers, and I headed to the store closest to me. A girl consultant in a white coat warmly asked me if I was familiar with their cosmetics, and immediately offered me two samples of any products. I was even surprised at such a quick and generous offer! Of course, I chose the products based on the needs of my skin: my skin is very dry. I took two creams: day and night. "LUSH"
There is a large influx of customers in the Moscow corner, and consultants are torn to pieces, trying to have time to serve everyone. Therefore, I decided not to waste time and asked the girl directly: “Can I get samples without purchasing?” She answered also briefly and clearly: “No,” and ran about her business.
At Krasnodar Lush they finally gave me the long-awaited sample! The consultant took out a small plastic box with moisturizing cream from the bins and handed it to me with a generous smile. Victory!
Total: +1
From the editor: We received very polite and extremely correct comments from store representatives. But, unfortunately, they all say that any sampling in the trading system existing in our country is extremely costly and not very profitable. How their colleagues from the United States, for example, are coping with the situation is inexplicable. How to buy an expensive product and be sure that it will suit you and who will be responsible for the negative consequences that this or that component may cause? So far, with rare exceptions, all such risks fall on the shoulders of buyers, but I would like to believe that the situation will begin to change.
The prices for luxury cosmetics scare me. One part of me understands that good products cannot be cheap, but the other screams: “Five thousand for a tiny tube, are you out of your mind?”
Ekaterina Orlova
donates empty cans to Lash
In addition, for this money you can get a pig in a poke, because in the store it is difficult to understand what the foundation will look like in daylight. And it’s even more impossible to predict how a new sulfate-free shampoo will act.
I’ll tell you how I solved the problem with expensive cosmetics and what to do to get them for free or almost free.
Search for promotions
Many cosmetics stores hold promotions: for example, the online store of the La Roche Posay brand gives free skin care kits if you fill out a form on the website. Along with the kit, they offer a free visit to a dermatologist, but this promotion is not valid in all cities. In order not to miss it, you need to follow the updates on the site or subscribe to the newsletter.
Nivea has an Expert Club: you need to fill out a form on the website and they will send you a free sample. If you leave a review on social networks and review sites, your chance of getting a new product is higher.
Follow promotions of your favorite brands on websites, subscribe to their pages on social networks and newsletters - this way you will definitely be able to get something, if not for free, then at a big discount.
Don't be shy to ask for samples
Samples are given out in almost all cosmetics stores, including online stores. There are especially many of them during holidays and sales. For example, on Black Friday, Rive Gauche not only gave away samples, but also free face masks.
You can ask for samples from sellers and brand representatives. If you are interested in a product, but it is not yet clear how it will work with your skin, do not hesitate to explain this to your consultant. For example, like this:
“I really like this foundation, it looks good on my hand, but, unfortunately, this is not enough. I would like to check its shade in daylight and understand whether the product will fit well on my skin, and for this it needs to be prepared - at least moisturized. I don’t have the opportunity to do this in the store, but I also can’t blindly buy a product for 5 thousand. You would help me out a lot if you shared a sample.”
If the consultant really has a sample, he will not refuse. Be polite, smile, and success is guaranteed.
Bonus tip. It often happens that the consultant has run out of samples, but he is ready to give you some of the product with him, but there is nowhere to go. In such a case, carry a small jar-tablet with a volume of 5-10 ml in your bag and, if the consultant does not have a suitable container, ask to pour it there. Such jars are sold at Fix Price as part of travel kits; they cost around 100 rubles.
Trade in empty cosmetic bottles in exchange for new ones
Don't rush to throw away empty cosmetics jars - they may still come in handy. Some stores hold special promotions where you can return a certain number of empty bottles in exchange for new cosmetics.
Meet client days and hours
Many cosmetics stores have customer days and hours when some products can be purchased at a good discount.
Rive Gauche publishes a schedule of client days on its website. There you can find out when there will be promotions for a particular brand, how much you can save, and also the dates when you can easily get a customer gold card, which gives permanent discounts on almost the entire range of the store.
“Ile de Beaute” also has happy days; you can follow their schedule on the store’s website. There you can easily familiarize yourself with the program and sign up in advance for a free consultation with a specialist who will apply express makeup, talk about caring for your skin type and will not leave you without a gift. Discounts included.
Many cosmetics buyers are faced with a situation where the perfume or cream they bought for a lot of money turns out to be unsuitable. After using perfume, a headache with migraine may occur, and expensive cream will cause irritation. There is a simple and reasonable way out of such situations. What needs to be done to make shopping for cosmetics bring joy and benefit?
Sample industry
All lovers of beauty should know a little secret that has wide practical application. There are legal and easy ways to try out beauty or makeup products by simply asking for a sample. Such well-known world brands as Benefit, Soap & Glory and Estee Lauder, in addition to the main product, always release samples to the market. This part of the product is strictly limited, so you need to know where to find them.
There are several ways to easily obtain test samples of cosmetic products. Every person does not always have the opportunity to purchase large-format cosmetics or a complete set of skin care products. There is another type of product packaging called a “travel kit” or mini format. It is assumed that it was developed specifically for traveling, when it is inconvenient to take 500 ml of shampoo along with several types of skin creams, tonics, etc. on the road.
Experienced shopaholics recommend trying several options for receiving free cosmetic samples or travel kits. Strategies have already been developed for this and places where you can get something new for free are known.
In cosmetics departments
Not many customers are willing to ask for free cosmetics by looking the salesperson in the face. Most people experience understandable discomfort and expect, in their opinion, justified indignation and refusal. But manufacturers always send a batch of samples to specialized departments and cosmetics stores in addition to the main products.
A larger number of free test samples comes at a time when a brand is introducing new products to the market and is interested in getting as many customers as quickly as possible to agree to purchase the full version of a cream, perfume, eye shadow or mascara.
There is a small caveat - in order to receive a sample, you must show sincere interest in the product. Salespeople and makeup artists, although they are people involved in the distribution of test materials, do not have the right to distribute samples to everyone. They must see the applicant as a potential buyer, after which a sample can be received.
Write and you will find!
Major brands send free product samples in exchange for reviews. In most cases, this requires registering on the site, answering the questionnaire and waiting a little - the new user is added to the register and included in the mailing list.
It is worth remembering that manufacturers will not send samples of all types of cosmetic products that they produce. Brands focus not on the desire to receive, but on the age of the consumer. For example, a 20-year-old girl will not be sent a cream intended for skin care for women 40-45 years old for testing or evaluation.
Most brands of decorative and caring cosmetics are constantly looking for testers and bloggers to get feedback from them before a line of new products goes on sale. Sometimes brands are asked to publish opinions about products on the pages of popular social networks. This practice is more like cooperation; if there is a desire to make detailed reviews, then the supply of samples and full versions of cosmetics will be carried out on an ongoing basis.
On an ongoing basis
Some specialized sites provide access to a stream of free samples. There are over 400 brands in the US that send consumers 2 to 5 samples per month. Among them are such giants as Clinique moisturizers, Charlotte tilbury Magic Foundation and Yves Saint Laurent perfumes.
The samples have a small volume, but enough to understand whether the cosmetics are suitable or not. The recipient pays postage for the delivery of samples; some manufacturers additionally send a gift certificate that compensates part of the cost of the full format of cosmetics when purchased in a retail network.
Today, there is a huge array of websites that have united cosmetics manufacturers on their pages, where brands give out limited samples for free.
Gift with purchase
The popular network Facebook is replete with advertising messages from cosmetic brands. Ads often offer a sample in exchange for posting your impressions of the product you used. Such promotions are fleeting and usually receive an almost immediate response from the audience, so it is important to reserve your place in time if this option is interesting.
Another surefire way to get a limited-edition new product is to purchase some cosmetics. For example, there are often promotions in which you are offered to buy lipstick and receive a sample or full-size version of a cream or mask. Websites and stores hold their own promotions and offer to purchase, say, perfume and get a sample or a full-fledged cosmetic product with it.
The cosmetics market is highly competitive, manufacturers and sellers are actively fighting for every buyer, trying to gain his loyalty. For those who want to enjoy all the benefits of the industry, access to free samples will be quite easy, because the manufacturer is waiting for everyone.
Found a violation?
Today I want to talk about such a burning topic as receiving cosmetics for review. We have already discussed whether this is good or bad, but this time we would like to discuss how exactly to get this cosmetics.
All new bloggers (and not only) want to get at least something for review. Not because it is free, but because it means that your work is appreciated, that you have achieved some success. But look at the situation soberly: if you were a representative of a company, would you send your products to a blogger who started a blog just yesterday? Naturally, if you have few views and subscribers, waiting for a flood of cooperation offers is not entirely reasonable. It takes some time for people to want to work with you. cook in this entire blogging environment, to find your own style and your readers, to be able to offer truly high-quality work.
But if you have been blogging for a long time, you have readers, your content is varied and useful, but there are still no offers for cooperation? The fact is that there are a lot of bloggers now, and representatives of the company with which you would like to collaborate simply do not know about your existence. Therefore they need help. Can write to the representative by email, politely explaining who you are and what you can do. It is quite possible that you will be able to convince the person that you are exactly the person they need.
Posted by ANNA GRAKHOVA SMM BEAUTY (@annagrakhova) Nov 26, 2016 at 8:15 PST
Another way to attract the attention of representatives is write a review about their products. For a brand to notice your post, you can tag the brand in a picture on Instagram or post a link in the brand’s official group on VKontakte. Some brands even have special topics for bloggers those wishing to test products:
Personally, I have never written to brand representatives directly. I like the second method better, when I write about a particular product and let the brand know that here I am, here is my blog, this is how I work. If I write and write and a brand ignores me, maybe I just don’t fit into their concept, or they need bloggers with a lot of views and subscribers.
Not the most effective, but also a way - participation in companies on https://toprussianbloggers.ru/campaign/ First you need to register on the site, and then look at what offers there are, and if you are interested in something, propose your candidacy. The downside is that there are very few brands there, mostly not the most famous, and most of the offers are aimed at bloggers from Moscow.
These are my tips. Honestly, I sometimes envy other girls when they manage to get a collaboration with a brand that I would like to work with, but they are not interested in me. I don’t get upset about this for a long time, because if this happens, it means I just need to work even harder. If I were a PR agent, I wouldn’t send myself anything at all) So I’m very grateful to those who still risked collaborating with me)