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Get makeup at no cost!
Are you tired of emptying your wallet to buy makeup? As someone that lives “bougie on a budget,” I will tell you my hacks on how to get free makeup. This includes brand names such as Estée Lauder, Chanel, and Lancôme. I love to to share the best hacks to save money, and this is just one. So take notes!
1. Ask for Samples
That’s right, just ask for it. Brands always want to expand their customer base. So, if that means giving you a free sample to try and hook you, they’ll do it.
Estée Lauder is good for this. In stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom, I prefer to get 10-day samples of my favorite foundation, Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation, absolutely free. It retails at $43 a bottle!
So, if I am running out of my current supply and don’t want to buy another bottle (especially in the summer when I get a tan and need a darker tone for only a few weeks), I go to Macy’s or Nordstrom and ask for a sample.
I let the person at the counter know I want to test one for a bit before I commit to buying a new bottle, and they kindly hand me over a sample of the one I want. Works like a charm!
This method works on most, if not all Estée Lauder products. I prefer the Double Wear because it gives better foundation coverage. So, use less, but cover more. Plus, if you have a good brush, you can make that sample last much longer than 10 days.
TIP: If you go to a larger mall and use this strategy, you can often hit more than one store. That way, you can get plenty in one day. I have had some people give me more than one sample at a time, too. Score!
2. Earn free Gift Cards (and cash)
One of the most overlooked ways to get free beauty products is by using free gift cards. Yes! There are many apps and websites that are willing to give free gift cards, and even cash for simple tasks such as doing surveys, watching videos, scanning receipts, and even more super easy ways!
One of my favorite options for this is Zap Surveys. They literally pay you to give your opinion. And they give you $5 to sign up for their free app! This app works in the US, Canada, France, Australia, and the United Kingdom!
In a recent YouTube video, I showed how I used Zap Surveys to get $6.25 in my first 5 minutes of using it! But this app is just one of the many ways I earn money to shop for free! Be sure to check out the other blog posts for lots of tips to get free gift cards and cash!
3. Shop During Promos
Tip #3 on how to get free makeup: Shop during beauty promotions. Often, stores or the brand themselves will run promotions to give free samples when customers make a minimum purchase.
For example, I recently bought my favorite, eyeliner, Lancôme Artliner Liquid Eyeliner. I also needed a primer for my foundation, so I also picked up my go-to, Laura Mercier Primer.
Here comes the freebie! Macy’s was running a promotion for a free Deluxe Hydrating Face Cream valued at $20. All shipped to me for free! So, I used that promo to stock up on my face cream at no additional cost.
Here’s the proof!
I needed these items anyway, so the free face cream was a nice perk. Don’t ya think?
I also recently got a bunch of free samples of makeup and perfume for feeding my lipstick addiction to Chanel Ultra Wear Lip Colour!
I use this strategy whenever I am running out of makeup. That way, I get what I need and more. Estée Lauder runs great promotions as well, whether it’s through a store like Macy’s or directly from Estee Lauder.
During the promos, I always get a bundle of samples including eye creams, skin creams, blush, lipstick and so much more. Estée Lauder’s bonuses usually have a value of at least $75. Not bad for making my usual $43 purchase.
4. Coupons
Another way tip of how to get free makeup is by using coupons! You’d be surprised at how much free makeup you can get with coupons. Especially at stores like CVS, Walgreen’s, Target, and Walmart.
These stores are known for putting items on sale or clearance. If you stack a coupon with that discounted price, it often makes the item free.
And don’t forget, coupons can be paper or digital. So, get the apps to these stores. The digital option makes clipping coupons so much easier.
Whether you’re shopping in-store or online, be sure to take advantage of CVS’s Extrabucks (store credit) offers. Many times, they will give you Extrabucks for buying certain items. It’s a way of getting money back. You can then apply those Extrabucks to a future purchase. That’s how I get loads of free makeup at CVS. Walgreen’s has a similar program with their Balance Rewards.
More tips on how to get free makeup…
Check out my CVS Post, to find out I get freebies at CVS… several times a month!
Check out the video I posted on my YouTube channel to learn more about saving on beauty products:
