Ladies I don’t know about you but I LOVE getting free stuff! I love free makeup and beauty samples, free clothes, whatever I can get my hands on!
First of all, if you’re looking to update your wardrobe the easiest and cheapest way of getting some new clothes is to have a “Clothing Swap”. Get your friends together, who have similar tastes and are similar to your size, and choose a date and location for the swap (ideally your apartment). Next make a list of rules for the swap, such as #1 – All items must be in New or Gently Used condition (no stains, tears, or fading), #2 – All “used” items must be CLEAN (washed, dry cleaned, or polished right before the event). If you want you can limit the swap to a specific type of item or designer, for example a “Shoe” swap or a “Prada” swap. You can turn the “swap” event into a fun ‘Girls’ Night’ by offering some cocktails and appetizers. Everyone has items in their closet that they never got to wear, only wore once, or doesn’t fit anymore. I suggest targeting your shop-a-holic friends who are guaranteed to have some brand new items they never used. At the end of the swap event you are guaranteed to get some new, free stuff for the season!
Another tip for getting tons of free stuff is going to beauty-specific events in your area. I suggest subscribing to websites such as www.prettycity.com, www.freebeautyevents.com, www.sheckys.com, www.dailycandy.com, among others, to get alerts on events in your area where they give samples and goodie bags. Some events may charge a small fee, so I suggest reading the reviews on the events to find out if it’s worth it to pay. I also suggest following your favorite beauty brands on Twitter, Facebook, or subscribing to their newsletters, for alerts on coupons, contests or free samples.
I also want to mention that many department stores (and small businesses as well) host events to promote a new product or line. You can learn about these events on any of the aforementioned websites or going to the company’s website directly for events in your area. They always give away a limited amount of free stuff at these events so you want to make sure to get there early. And by the way, if you ever shop at a department store or a specialty store like Sephora, you can receive a free sample with your purchase, you just have to ask the cashier for a free sample.
Finally there are tons of websites with access to free and/or deeply discounted beauty treatments and products such as: www.vitaljuice.com, www.livingsocial.com, www.lifebooker.com, and www.buywithme.com. My motto is to never pay regular price for ANYTHING, and after following these steps I'm sure this will become your motto as well.
