A few weeks ago we talked a bit about frugal beauty. If you wear cosmetics (or like to try nice skin care products) and you have a Sephora nearby, they have a birthday club. During the entire month of your birthday you can go into one of their stores and pick-up your birthday freebie. You usually get to choose between a cosmetic sampler or a skin care sampler. I usually choose the cosmetic one. It's totally free, and at least at the store near me, there is never, ever, any pressure to buy anything.
You simply go up to the cashier and give them your identifying information (phone number or email). They hand you a nicely packaged gift bag with tissue and wish you a happy birthday. You need to sign up, online or in the store, well in advance of your birthday, so that you are in their system. Then once you've signed up, your good to go for as long as Sephora continues this freebie.
In past years, I've received lip stick, lip balm, mascara, blush, lip pencil, and eye pencil. This year, the cosmetic option was a lip stick, lip pencil, and those two small pellet-looking things are a lip scrub and a lip balm.
Of course, they are hoping you will like the products enough to buy full-sized versions. And, yes, that did happen for me once. I really loved the mascara that came in one year's birthday gift, enough to ask for a Sephora gift card the following year for a Christmas present so I could buy more. So, with a gift card, I have purchased something in their store. In addition, I have also purchased gift cards to give to women in my family. I guess you could say they've made a customer out of me through this freebie.
It's always fun to get some new make-up for free!
