Estee Lauder Multi-Action Cleansing Gelee Review

I am guessing you may have read my Estee Lauder Gifts with Purchase featured here a little while ago. If not, pop over here for a quick read. I took these pictures ages ago because the cleanser is almost finished now..sad times!! I have never tried any skincare from Estee Lauder and I bought it because there was a lovely Gift With Purchase which I really wanted. One thing though: Why does Estee Lauder insist on having "jaw-breaking-longest-name-ever" for many of their products? Like really, whatever happened to concise and brief names..I'd never know!!

Packaging

It's not the most glamorous or luxurious packaging but it is functional. It has the tiniest tip ever to let out the right amount of product which is ever so useful because you only need a little and you really don't want to waste an expensive product such as this. The tube is a squeezy one so you can be sure to get all the product out when it is almost finished.

Formula

It contains very tiny almost-not-there micro beads suspended in a gel which aids in exfoliating your skin. You can barely feel it when rubbed between your fingers but when it is worked into the skin on the face, you feel it ever so slightly and the good things is it's not abrasive at all. It has some fragrance which is pleasant and I can't really place it but I like it. However, if you have skin sensitive to fragrance or you just hate it, you may want to steer clear of this baby but honestly, it's not overpowering.

How I Use it

Very basic and simple. I remove my makeup with wipes, cleansing oil or a micellar water. I dampen my face a little and dispense a pea sized amount and gently work it in with circular motions across my face. I really enjoy doing this as it feels like a massage and very therapeutic especially at the end of a stressful day. I work it in for one minute or so and rinse off. It applies easily and washes off easily. No stripping, no residue.

Results

Although, it's not particularly targeted at acne or blemish prone skin, I think it has really contributed to making my skin quite clear. My skin feels less congested, soft and fresh. It's just one of those products that you may not be instantly wowed on first application but with constant use, you just fall in love...very hard!!

Cost

It ain't cheap guys. It costs £22 which is the most I think I have ever paid for a cleanser (I am a cheapskate sometimes) but most times, I just buy cleansers which are drug store or Midpoint high end like Nip + Fab and SK:N products. However, I bought this because it had a lovely gift with purchase at the time and I don't regret it at all. In fact, I am seriously considering re-purchasing it because I really like it. If you are thinking of buying this, I'd advice you wait till the Department stores like Debenhams, House of Fraser, Selfridges, Sephora, John Lewis, etc have a 10% discount which they often do. Or better still, purchase it when they have gifts with purchases or ask for samples. I hope you have enjoyed this quick review and see you in my next post.xx

The Best Facial Cleansers Edit

So, I was trying to rearrange my bathroom and took a look at my cleanser sections and I thought it would be helpful to do a mini round up of all of them especially for the sake of the ones that never had a review of their own. Most of them already have full reviews on this blog anyway and I will attach links to them so you can have a read if you want a full in-depth review.  I know what you are thinking; "why on earth does she have 6 cleansers?". Two are empty, one is going to be binned this weekend and I am left with three cleansers which is not too bad IMO. Let's dive in, shall we?

Estee Lauder Multi Action Gelee Cleanser

This is one of the recent ones  I purchased and i really like it. To be honest, this is the first High End cleanser I have purchased and I love it (review will be up soon). It has combined cleanser and exfoliating properties which endears it to my heart. It feels like a scrub but you can only subtly feel the minute particles , in fact, you can't really but you know they are there and it smells wonderful and luxurious. In terms of its cleansing action, it takes off your makeup and cleanses your skin effectively while gently exfoliating. It's not abrasive and does not leave your skin tight after use. It's a real winner with the exception of its cost.

Lancome Gel Eclat Clarifying Cleanser

I have already reviewed this here and I loved it then and I still do although I reserve it for weekends or when I need to pamper my skin. It has a thick consistency and hugs your skin while working on it. It rinses off really well and I remember saying it does not make your skin tight after use in my previous review but I think it may just ever so slightly  tighten and dry your skin out a little . I realised this after I tested other cleansers and I was able to compare. I got this for free when I purchased some nail polishes from Lancome. I know, I know, Lancome is always so bloody generous.

Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Foam Cleanser

This has already been reviewed here and I believe Foam cleansers are not particularly suited to my skin type. I bought it because its Salicylic Acid content was very good for the acne I had at the time but now that there are under control, I don't really use it as much but it's almost finished anyway.

SK:N Vitamin Rich Cleanser for Oily Skin (£11)

This is not particularly high end and it's not drug store either but it sits comfortably between both ends. I have reviewed this here already but I love it. I think it has to be my favourite cleanser because it ticks all the boxes for me. Its active ingredient is Glycolic Acid which helps with exfoliating the skin and clearing dark blemishes especially from Post Inflammatory Hyper Pigmentation (PIH) as I have.

Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser (£4.99)
I have just recently reviewed this on here so I would just link it here. I really like this cleanser but I find it hard to completely classify it as a very good cleanser. It removes my makeup effectively and using the muslin cloth (run under hot water) opens up my pores and really feels good. I think it can be used both as a makeup remover and a cleanser afterwards due to its Vitamin E content. I mainly use it as makeup remover but I guess a few others use it as a cleanser which is why it is making an appearance here.  I really like it and it is very affordable. 

Garnier Pure Active Cleansing Gel with Saliycylic Acid (£3.99)

This must have been one of the first cleansers purchased because I wanted something with Salicylic Acid for my acne ridden face (gross I know!!). I think it must have menthol as one of its ingredient because it has that painful cooling effect which is not very pleasant. Being a gel form makes it really easy to use and I quite like the packaging which has a pump. However, I think this product has reached its full life span and is ready to be binned. I actually think I may have purchased this more than once and I think it is a good drug store cleansing gel sans the menthol effect. Hope you enjoyed this little round up and see you in my next post..x

The Luxury/High End Mascara Minis

I have a little confession: The only mascara I have bought is the Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara which I purchased because I had heard many good things about it and I think that's about the only Drug Store Mascara I have ever owned. The rest are high end brands but I did not purchase them ..not even 1. I got them all as free beauty samples from counters in Debenhams, Boots, House of Fraser, John Lewis and from friends. The majority of them came as gifts with purchase where I purchased an item from one of these high end brands and the mascara was given as sample for me to try which is why I have quite a few. Some are already finished but I decided to do a little/mini review on how I got on with them...so here goes...

Clinique High Impact Mascara: This came included in a gift with purchase when I bought the Clinique Anti-Blemish System Solution (reviewed here). I was very pleased because I had tried it a little while ago. From the name alone you can easily deduce that it would gives the lashes very good length and volume. It "grips"  and captures even the tiniest lashes with a few sweeps and makes your lashes look much longer and fuller with minimal clumping which endears it to my heart (and eyes too!).

YSL Baby Doll Mascara: This mascara had a very successful launch and campaign and I was really keen to try it but I was not willing to splurge without testing it. This sample came with a free gift with purchase from John Lewis which they were offering during Christmas last year if you bought any two products from either Lancome, Giorgio Armani and YSL. I was a little sceptical about using it because the brushes seems to be designed for volumising and I was not after that but I was so wrong. It is indeed a volumising mascara but with a difference because you get both a good length and volume. The bristles are designed in a way to get right to the bottom of your lashes to ensure that the right amount of mascara coat gets on your lashes without any smudges or clumping. I love this.

Estee Lauder Lash Multiplying Mascara: I have no idea why Estee Lauder love really long names for their products..it's a bit tiresome for my lazy fingers to type..lol. I got this along with a free gift with purchase recently which I featured here when I bought the Estee Lauder High Coverage Concealer (reviewed here). I really like the wand of this mascara because it is different from others; it is like a cone shape with its end tapering in a nice way. This design means the tiny lashes can be emphasised along with the normal ones. It is a volumising mascara but it really lengthens the lashes as well.

Chanel Sublime De Chanel Mascara: I got this free when I purchased my Chanel Les Beiges Powder (reviewed here). The wand is a little similar to the YSL one but the bristles are more closely placed. This is a very good all rounder. It gives volume, length and separates the lashes so no case of clumping. The shade is deep black so it is really dark which is nice especially if you are going for the smoky look although it is such a pain to remove. I love it still and it is one of my favourites.

Bobbi Brown Smoky Eye Mascara: Dear Bobbi Brown, I love all your products and they are easy to use but this smoky eye mascara requires too much effort. I really liked this mascara which I got from a lovely colleague at work. It's designed for the smoky eye look as the name implies which is a look I don't really go for often because I have not quite mastered it (someday soon I will). If you love the smoky eye look then I strongly recommend it but I find that it clumps a little which may be my fault; maybe I am not using it the right way. The clumping leads me to rub my eyes (a huge no no especially if  you wear contacts) which results in me having huge black "panda" eyes. I love how much volume this mascara gives but it requires careful application from me so it's not one of the ones I reach for easily.

Lancome Hypnose Mascara (Volume): I have quite a few of these because Lancome always give it out even if you ask at the counter and they are always included in the Gifts with purchases that they always generously offer. I am on the fence with this one because I feel it is strictly volumising which it indicates on the packaging but the other mascaras listed above also give length as well. I am not saying this does not give you some length but compared to the others, it's not a very good contender. If you have a good length already and you are after volume, welcome to your new BFF as it's worth a try. One thing to note is that this mascara has the tendency to cause clumps and spidery lashes which makes it even more difficult to take off at night....it's not very flattering so you have to know how to work it to get the best use. I just don't have the time to be messing around in the morning with a mascara so we don't get on really well which is sad as Lancome is one of my favourite high end brand.



I hope you have enjoyed this little round up. I realise I have done a similar post to this sometime last year which you can check here but as I had a few new ones I thought it another round up was due. If I were to buy any full size mascara from this lot it would have to be the YSL Baby Doll Mascara or the Chanel Sublime Mascara because both of them blew me away but then their prices equally blow me farther away so I would keep using my samples although I am quite curious if mascara full size are better than the samples because sample sizes are so small and would grip the lashes better. What do you think? see you in my next post...x

Estee Lauder Stay-In-Place High Cover Concealer (5N Deep) Review

I am slowly beginning to fall in love with Estee Lauder as a brand. For some reason, I just think it’s for older women and I am not sure where that came from. My Holy Grail MAC Studio Finish Concealer finished and I was in dire need for a new one but there are no MAC Counters very close to my work place or even at home. I went into Debenhams and I saw their lovely Gifts With Purchase enticingly displayed and I decided to try the Estee Lauder Double Wear  Stay-in Place High Coverage Concealer which I had heard good things about.

Packaging

I really like how sleek and compact the packaging looks and I think the characteristic Estee Lauder  Navy Blue colour works really well with this packaging. Once you open it, you also have a small mirror which is a really good touch especially if you want to touch up on the go.

Shade

I am in the shade 5N Deep (Neutral) and I know it looks unnaturally dark in this picture and even in real life but it’s actually the best shade for me when I apply it and blend it in. I and the Sales lady were pretty sure it won’t match but when we tried the shade above this it was too light and we tried this and lo and behold! It was a perfect match.

Application

Applying concealer depends on your preference. I use concealers to hide my dark blemishes from previous acne and spots. I usually apply my concealer after my foundation because I prefer it this way and I know a lot of people apply it the other way round. I feel applying it after foundation saves more time for me especially when I am rushing off to work. I use my fingers sometimes and other times I use a concealer brush to apply and blend it in.

Coverage

As the name implies, it is full coverage which means it really hides any pesky blemishes and it actually stays in place especially when you set it with a powder. I find that it can be a little drying when applied which is fine for me but if you have dry skin you may want to moisten your concealer brush before application. I would say the wear time is between 6-8 hours which I think is fair. Depending on how you much expertise you have, you may not need to touch up before the day ends but I do occasionally and other times, I can’t be bothered.

Cost
It costs £21 which is not the most expensive concealer out there but it is quite pricey and if they did not have a free Gift With Purchase (already reviewed here) and a 10% discount, I highly doubt I would have bought it. The packaging is so pretty though with a small mirror so I am guessing that's where the extra cost went to.

Cons

1.       It may be a little drying if you have dry skin which can also make it difficult to blend.

2.       It is quite an expensive concealer but you get a good amount of product and a little goes a long way.

3.       There are not a wide range of colours unlike the other Estee Lauder Concealers.

Personal Thoughts

I really like this concealer and I aim to finish it. It looks classy, compact and does the job really well. I am not sure I would repurchase only because I feel the MAC Studio Finish Concealer is better suited to my skin and more blendable than this but seeing that Estee Lauder owns MAC I guess the formulation may be the same. But MAC is cheaper than this so it’s a total winner...

Estee Lauder Gift With Purchase (Debenhams)

A few weeks ago, I was browsing around in Debenhams after work. I needed to buy my backup of the Clinique Anti-Blemish Foundation (review here) and I spied the Estee Lauder counter with this lovely Gift With Purchase. Normally, I never buy from them because they always have an attractive offer but you have to buy two products from their range and one has to be skin care which is never affordable. It was the same thing this time around. I had recently run out of my cleanser SK:N Vitamin Rich Cleanser (already reviewed here) so I thought "Oh well" I may as well give it a go seeing that they also had 10% discount. I ended up buying the Estee Lauder Multi-Action Gelee Cleanser and the Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer which I would be reviewing soon and I was quite happy with the discount I got and of course this Gift With Purchase (GWP). I have been using them for a little while now and I really like the range of products included so I thought a little review/first impression was due...

Packaging

As always, I really like how much effort these high end brands put in their sample sizes. It just makes a difference and you feel like you are using the full size which is exactly the feeling a sample size should evoke just so the customer can end up buying the full size if they had a good experience. I particularly love the Makeup bag and the Eyeshadow quad.

Contents

Can we just appreciate how colorful and spring-y the makeup bag looks? I love it. It is actually made of plastic/rubber and for some reason, I thought it would be cotton/canvas or whatever material normal makeup bags have. I have to say the names of their products are so looooooooooooong and I wonder whatever happened to having shorter names that actually stick better in a customer's memory. Long names aside, they were pretty generous with the range of products included inside. You are even allowed to choose what Eyeshadow Quad shade you wanted and the Lipstick shade as well which I think is commendable. Inside this beautiful bag, I received the following:

Estee Lauder Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme SPF 15 (what a mouthful!)

This is now my go-to moisturiser because it is so easily absorbed and it does not leave an annoying greasiness on my face. It applies really well and keeps my skin hydrated and with the added SPF 15, it's a winner for Spring.

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream

I already tried their Advanced Time Wise Eye cream and I loved it but I love this one even more. The texture feels rich but light when applied; it's really hard to explain. Once it hits under the eyes, it's also readily absorbed and I am slowly becoming a fan of eye creams because the two Estee Lauder ones I have tried are lovely.

Estee Lauder Stress Relief Eye Mask

I am saving this for when I go on holiday so I can use it on the plane because my eyes would definitely be needing it as my flight will be a long one. I am quite excited to try it because I don't think I have tried an eye mask before so I hope this is really good and I would report back after I have tried it.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Eye Shadow Quad

You beautiful Quad....how I love you so! I was excited about this because its packaging is just beautiful and attractive. Inside the eye shadows are really tiny. Seriously, if you have big fingers and you forget your brush, you won't be able to apply this. At first, I thought the shades would look dodgy on me but they are actually good and the color pay off is fantastic but not as good as my beloved MAC. The shades are Ivory Slipper, Enchanted Forest, Nude Fresco  and Hot Cinnamon. If you are dark skinned or olive skinned, this would look pretty on you and you can get a few looks from this quad. 

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Mascara

The former non-mascara applier (moi) has been slowly converted to a die-hard mascara fan with the constant application (and practice) using some new high end mascara samples I have been trying. When I saw the wand/brush, I knew we would get on really well. I prefer lengthening mascaras to volumising ones but sometimes, it does not really matter. Although this falls under the volumising category, it's actually lengthening too and gives a very flattering length and volume to my lashes no matter how tiny they are. The trick is in the application which should be done from root to top with a slight wiggle. That always works for me and prevents clumping which is my pet peeve.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Lipstick in Sugar Honey (83)

When I saw this shade, I thought it would be too dark but it's really flattering on my lips. It's like a nude with a hint of colour and lustre which would be suitable for olive and darker skinned ladies. I am not quite sure how flattering it would be on paler skin types but you never know. It is well pigmented and has a good lasting power on the lips sans eating/drinking. I have stuck this permanently in my makeup bag because it's the perfect nude for work.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Intense Kajal Eyeliner Duo

Last but not least is the Kajal Eyeliner Duo which is my least favourite/used product and it's not because it's not great but mainly because I am rubbish at applying eye liner. No really, I am really bad at it and I end up with really watery and sometimes, red eyes. It's pathetic and when I rub my eyes, I look like a weeping Panda so this has been staring up at me from my makeup drawer daring me to use it. I will prevail one of these days....

That's it folks and I hope you have enjoyed it. This post was meant to go up when the offer was still on but it's ended now which is a real shame but you never know if it would be up in your local Debenhams but if if you wanted to try out any of these products, I hope this has helped however little and I will see you in my next post...x

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum and Time Zone Eye Cream-Sample Testing

Hi My Lovelies,

I have a little confession to make..I have acquired quite a few samples and I have not been using them. A good amount has already been given out to family members and friends so I am left with a few to start using and I have decided to let you know if they are worth splurging out on the full size. If you are not familiar with how to get samples or freebies as they are commonly called, I suggest you head over to these posts here and here to learn how to get them. Samples/freebies are not reserved just for bloggers; anyone can get it as far as you are a beauty lover, that's all it takes. Ok, you also have to be charming and polite as well. Over the holidays and sales, I was able to get even more samples because most beauty counters and retailers were all in a jolly good mood. One of the sales ladies told me that March and September are when most beauty brands have their biggest freebies/gifts with purchase so keep your eyes peeled. I absolutely believe her because those were the months I saw many beauty brands advertising free gifts with purchase (and also during Christmas). The first offering is from  Estée Lauder and I have two samples from them...

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum aka ANR II

This has been raved and raved till the cows come home in the blogging and beauty world but I have just not been tempted to buy it because it is quite pricey. The full size costs about £45 for 30 ml. I actually got 3 samples of this which is more than half of the 30 ml. I gave one of the samples to my sister to try out although her skin is perfect. It says night repair on the packaging and I have only used it at night (which is rather silly of me because I think it can be used during the day if you prefer). It is easily absorbed to the skin and I use it right after cleansing. I am going to be honest, I did not really notice any wowing effect on my skin. It could be because this is just a tiny sample and/or the fact that it is more of a preventative and restorative serum as opposed to fast acting blemish/acne blasting which is what really tickles my fancy. However, I am in love with the packaging; I think it looks so cute and I like brands that take the pain to design pretty packaging for their samples rather than the annoying cheap sachets.

Estée Lauder Advanced Time Zone Eye Cream

Again, I chose this sample because it looks so pretty and I have to commend Estée Lauder for making one of the prettiest samples packaging rather than those awful sachets. I am not an eye cream person because I feel my eyes are really delicate and I don't want anything going near it. However, I was very stressed in December last year and I was going to bed really late which resulted in late nights and very limited sleeping hours. As a result, my under-eyes started looking a bit dodgy compared to the rest of my face. It was slightly darker and just looked tired. So, I thought it was the best time to whip this little luxury out. Of course, I had to start getting de-stressed by praying, meditating, eating better and sleeping well. What this eye cream did was facilitate the healing process of under my eyes and I am happy to say they are almost back to how they were in the past. I can't attribute all the success to it but I think it played a good part. It is also useful for wrinkles and ageing which, thankfully, I don't have any so I can't really comment on its efficacy. Although, it's a sample, it has a sizeable amount of product which I can see lasting for a while.

Verdict

Although I have enjoyed using these samples,  I am quite happy to move on to others. I am not entirely sure I would repurchase any of them because I was not seriously impressed but if I am in a particularly spendy mood and I won some cash/lottery, I would splurge on the eye cream because I kinda like it and I feel it's efficacious. I hope you have enjoyed this post and I will see you in my next one..x

What's in my Travel Beauty Bag?- The Travel Beauty Essentials

Hi my Lovelies,
How have you all been? I have missed you all. I know, i know, i have been MIA. I have had a really busy week and weekend. I was away at a work conference in a beautiful town in Yorkshire and i had a lovely time. It was like a mini vacay although i was working but it was nice to be away and stay in a nice hotel. The room was really big and vintage and i loved it. I decided to put together a little post on my beauty essentials i packed for this trip. I was away for a couple of days- almost 4 days so i took quite a few beauty essentials. Speaking of samples, remember my posts on Beauty Samples where i talked about how easy and nice it is to get samples, well, this is the time to make use of all those lovely little samples. This is my take on travel/holiday/vacay beauty essentials which ensures your skin still looks supa dupa while you are away from home...shall we get started?








Cleansing
For me, cleansing my skin is very important especially when i am away because there is a high chance i may want to be lazy and there is no room for that. At All. I start with my Cleansing wipes from Primark which are not the most effective but they are adequate and cheap. I wipe all the excess makeup from my face with the wipe. Then I proceed with my Lancome Galateis Douceur Cleansing Fluid + Cotton pad which effectively takes off any makeup left especially around the eye and it is so gentle which is why i love it. Next, I splash some water on my face and use my Garnier Salicylic Face Wash (not in picture as it was chilling away somewhere) to give my face a good cleanse  and massage with my hands. I dry my face with my flannel from Sainsbury's.

Toning
While face is still damp, i use a fresh cotton pad and apply some Lancome Tonique Douceur Toner which is ever so gentle and  does not contain alcohol on my face. I recently learned it is very good to wipe your face in a uni directional way as opposed to a circular way as this removes dead skin cells effectively without damage. The Lancome Toner doubles as a toner and a gentle exfoliant for me.

Moisturising
It is very important to hydrate your skin at night as it rejuvenates and repairs itself when you are resting compared to when you are out and about. At night, I start off with the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair II which is an effective serum to use at night for revitalizing the skin. Once i feel the serum has been absorbed, i seal it with my Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream which does exactly what it says and i am ready to pop into bed. During the day, my moisturising routine is slightly different. For serum, I use the Lancome Dream Tone Serum in Dark(3) which is amazing and corrects any dark spots and uneven complexion and i moisturise with the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream. If i feel up to it, I may pop some Bobbi Brown Eye Cream around the skin surrounding my eyes to prevent any dark circles from late nights.



Hydration
I am not sure why but i find that sometimes my skin feels really dry when i am away from home. It could be the hotel air or new surroundings but i am not sure. In order to prevent this, I let my skin drink in as much moisture as possible overnight and the product which ticks all the boxes for me is the Lancome Hydra Intense Gel Mask (can you believe i got this as a freebie with a purchase from Lancome?) which is amazing. I pop this on after my night skin care routine and sleep with it and i always wake up to very hydrated and plump skin...no need for a spa at all...

Acne/Spot Skincare
I can never trust my skin when it comes to Acne and i know from experience, i tend to get a little breakout/spot/acne especially when i am more busy than normal which is why i am always ready. I always include in my little stash my Mary Kay Acne gel and Witch Hazel gel to zap any zits away and keep my face all prim and proper.

Beauty Tools
I try to keep my travel beauty bag very light so i don't want to be lugging around any random tools so i keep it real and simple. I just take some cleansing wipes, cotton pads and a couple of flannels because these are all very essential tools for all my skin care steps as i can't use my hands for everything. I also like to take a nice travel bag which is colorful and has loads of space so i can fit everything inside. I prefer bags that are easily collapsible as opposed to sturdy bags as i like to squeeze it in so everything fits into one suitcase. if you have many squeezy bottles or tubes, you may want to use a sturdy travel bag.



That's it folks. I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into my travel beauty essentials. I have a post on my travel makeup essentials so stay tuned to find out what products made the cut. Thanks a lot for all your support. i really appreciate every single one of you...x..toodles..see you in my next post...

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...