Tag Archives: try before you buy

Sample size

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Last week when Katherine wrote about the 5 'Try Before You Buy' tips, she urged you to try sample sizes first.

I love free samples.  It doesn't matter whether it's a sachet in a magazine, or a sample dropped into the letter box – I love them.  And I use them.  And I think all companies should use as many opportunities that they can to get their products into women's hands.
 
I have just had the most wonderful girl's week-end away at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, on the Gold Coast in Queensland.  It included two different cocktail functions on board two different boats on the Thursday night; Ladies on the Water lunch on Friday with Ita Buttrose as the guest speaker; and Ladies on the Water High Tea on the Saturday.
 
At the two Ladies on the Water functions we were presented with goody bags.  I love goody bags.  One of them even included Ita's latest book 'A Guide to Australian Etiquette'- For all occasions from weddings to work by Ita Buttrose. But enough about the book, what about the beauty products.  Palmer's gave us sachets of their great Cocoa Butter Formula and Alpha-H gave us samples of their two lovely products, Liquid Gold and Triple Action Cleanser. 
 
The Palmer's Coca Butter is so thick and creamy, smells great and contains Vitamin E.  I will definately buy this product based on the great sample, and the fact that the company went out of its way to let me try it.  Probably wouldn't work so well in our hot, humid summer here, as the product is so thick, but for our cold, dry winter, it is perfect. The combination of Vitamin E and 100 percent cocoa butter gives deep and long lasting moisture.
 
The Alpha-H Liquid Gold is a powerful night time resurfacing and firming lotion for the skin. The promotion says it jump-starts the skin’s metabolism, tightens enlarged pores, and delivers lighter, clearer and more even skin tone.  Teamed with the Triple Action Cleanser, it feels really great.  It's a non-foaming gel cleansing gel that works by removing with a damp cloth.  I use a micro-fibre cloth, and that works really well.  The product also sucessfully removes all traces of face & eye makeup.
 
And if all that wasn't enough, when I got home on Monday, Priceline had sent me a Nivea sample sachet set of Visage Vital Soy Anti-Age Day Cream (with SPF12), Night Cream and Eye Cream for Mature Skin plus a $5 off voucher.  Great marketing Priceline and Nivea – five stars to both companies!  I'll be trying these next week and will let you know what I think.
 
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5 ‘Try Before You Buy’ Tips

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I've definitely started becoming more adventurous this year with trying out beauty trends and experimenting with colour, but I have bought something on a whim to try it out, decided it doesn't suit me or is too out there for me, and never worn it again.

Sometimes, I find myself shying away from trying a new trend for this reason alone and lately I've found a way to try new things without the risk of not liking it and wasting money I could be spending on more Revlon Lip Butters! Some things you love straight away and know they are going to work with your current beauty regime and some things you need to put on trial before committing to loving them unconditionally.

I've got a few tips that I've put into action in the past couple of weeks and I wanted to share them with you:

You can skimp on some products – I would never go cheap on a moisturiser or serum but there are plenty of items you can skimp on and not have to worry about.  I recently bit the bullet and spent an entire $2.95 on a teal eye liner. This way I can try it out, see if I like it, and if I don't, I've sacrificed less than a cup of coffee to give it a go plus it's not an item I'm worried about my sensitive skin reacting to and if it doesn't last the whole day, it's not going to be a massive disaster.

Try a sample size or colour first – Being a big fan of pastel colours and the new yellow nail trend seen on Seal from The Voice and on the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week catwalks, I definitely wanted to check this colour out but was wary of how the yellow might look against my pale colouring. Instead of a $20 OPI or Essie nail polish I might normally buy, I decided to save my bucks until I was certain. I grabbed a polish for less than $5 at the chemist the other day and although I don't expect my yellow mani to last too long, it will be long enough for me to decide if I want to invest in a pricier brand.

Take advantage of free gifts or 2-4-1 specials – I have been interested in the ModelCo Fibre Lash product for a while now but just haven't been super keen to throw down $40+ on it without knowing if I like it or not. I picked up the May issue of Cleo magazine for less than $8 and got a free travel size Fibre Lash worth $38 for free!
 

Ask for a sample – Since Mum reviewed Clinique's Even Better, she has been insisting that I try it too. I just bought a brand new foundation and didn't want to buy another but I asked at the counter if I could try some and the gave me a small pot of Even Better in Alabaster for me to try out for a couple of days before i commit to buying. The ladies were so helpful and happy to let me try it out.
 

Share with friends -  Mum and I both wanted to try two perfumes that were exactly the same but we weren't sure how badly we wanted them. Instead of both of us splashing out a couple of hundred bucks each on perfumes we weren't sure we'd wear, we bought one each with the intention to swap after a few months. We ended up keeping our original purchases because we liked them so much, but it's a good tip if you don't have the budget or the overwhelming desire to part wtih the cash.

There are so many ways you can try out a new product or trend without getting too out of pocket before you're sure it's right for you. I'd love to hear if you have other ways of trying before you buy.

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