Makeup can be quite pricey, but if you can score free makeup samples, you’d be able to try out products and see if they’re perfect for your skin or routine before you buy the full-sized product.
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As with free perfume for women and free cologne samples for men, free makeup samples are usually trial size. Consider yourself lucky if you get to receive free full-sized cosmetics samples from a generous brand.
Today, you’ll learn all about where to get free samples of cosmetics, such as foundation, lipstick, eyeshadow, brow products, lipsticks, and many more.
15 Ways to Get Free Makeup Samples
Some companies will allow you to request samples right from home, others will give out freebies when you visit them in-store.
Either way, it’s free!
1. Visit Sephora
Take advantage of Sephora’s generosity. The company not only gives away free makeup per checkout, but you can also get 1 product under skincare and 1 for fragrance.
Free makeup samples are available online, but if you visit Sephora’s brick-and-mortar stores, their employees will be offering you samples.
2. Join Consumer Testing Panels
Consumer testing panels invite individuals to participate in the hopes of getting feedback that would help them improve the product and understand the needs of their target markets.
Note that legitimate consumer panels would never ask participants to pay to join.
Here are some consumer testing panels that are regularly looking for participants:
- L’oreal Consumer Participation Panel
- thePinkPanel
- Marie Claire Velvet Rope Club
- Vogue Insiders
- Allure Beauty Enthusiast
- The Inner Circle Group: Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire
- InStyle Trendsetter
3. Become an Influencer
Some companies were built exactly for testing panel purposes. They partner with brands, then turn ordinary people into influencers. Good examples of this include CrowdTap, Octoly, and BzzAgent.
As a member of these sites, you are sent free makeup samples and other products in exchange for your honest feedback. Most of the time, the “influencers” receive full-sized products for their reviews.
There is no money involved, but you’ll get a chance to test a lot of free products if you join these sites.
4. Go to Makeup Brands’ Official Websites and Request Samples
A number of brands give away free makeup samples and all you have to do is ask nicely.
Admittedly, the success rate of this approach is spotty, at best. Plus, it takes a lot of work to write all these companies individually.
But if you already have a blog or a social media with a large following, that would increase your chances. They may even send you an entire line of products if your followers are in the thousands.
5. Visit the Nearest Department Store
Go to your local Macy’s, Dillard’s, or Nordstrom and ask if they have free makeup samples available.
More often than not, you’ll receive items from high-end brands such as Lancome, The Body Shop, or others even without buying anything.
Of course, they’ll be more willing to give you free makeup if you buy something.
6. Hunt for Beauty Subscription Boxes
Beauty boxes are made up of several branded items for makeup, skincare, hygiene products, grooming, and more. When a customer pays for a subscription box, he/she will be receiving a beauty box each month in exchange for a monthly fee.
If you begin a subscription to most of the beauty subscription boxes below, you could get the first box free if you’re lucky:
7. Order Makeup Online to Receive Free Makeup Samples
Some stores do not advertise that they do this, but beauty stores like Macy’s, ULTA, L’Occitane, Smashbox, and Sephora have been doing this for years.
It's a giant box of free samples and it comes right to your door at no cost.
Click here and get yours.
You’ll find a small message at the checkout asking if you want to receive promotional items, freebies, newsletters, or any other giveaways.
If you tick this box, it often means you’ll be one of the lucky people to be sent free makeup samples by mail whenever new freebies are available.
Most of these stores also have loyalty or rewards programs. Joining them makes you eligible to get free makeup samples, which sometimes aren’t even on the market yet.
Here are other makeup stores that give out freebies and special offers.
8. Go to your local Drugstore
It seems unlikely that drugstores would have free makeup, but if you’re all about couponing, you probably know by now that drugstores are a perfect place to score beauty products.
Drugstores like Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid are stores that always have reward programs and accept coupons all year-round.
Take advantage of Target and Walmart coupons as well – this is the easiest way to get makeup and other cosmetics for free (or just pennies!).
9. Follow Makeup Brands Everywhere and Join Contests
This isn’t guaranteed, but if you’re always on social media anyway, follow all the makeup brands you like and wait for contests, giveaways, and promos.
You can score free makeup samples and other freebies this way. You just need a little patience and some luck.
Follow celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Nicki Minaj, and other famous people with their own line of cosmetics on social media as well. These influencers are regularly hosting giveaways for promotion, so be on the lookout.
Even YouTubers who specialize in makeup tutorials could host contests and giveaways, so if you’re always on YouTube, follow popular names like Michelle Phan or Chloe Morello.
10. Master the Art of Product-Testing Makeup
Some websites like Toluna and PINCHme connect companies that advertise by giving out freebies to consumers looking for them.
Note that these sites often require you to test and review the products in exchange for getting them for free, but they never ask to pay a fee for the samples.
11. Live and Breathe Rewards
Did you know that many beauty sites like Sephora, Ulta, and BareMinerals give their reward members birthday gifts? The amount, size, or brand is often a surprise, but I’m sure you’ll be more than happy to receive a gift on your birthday.
Aside from these beauty stores, you can also save up rewards from survey sites and cashback sites, such as Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, InboxDollars, and MyPoints (among many others). Once you receive enough points/rewards, you can then exchange them for gift cards that you can use to buy any makeup you like.
12. Join Communities
Sometimes, there is no catch to getting free makeup samples. You only need to know where to look.
Dabble by Popsugar, for example, is an awesome community where freebies are a norm. The maximum effort you need to do is to answer fun quizzes and build your profile, which helps in customizing the products that will be delivered to you at no cost.
13. Do Your Own Makeup on YouTube
Michelle PhanMNarlena Stell, Lauren Luke, and NikkeTutorials were some of the earliest YouTubers who began sharing makeup tutorials on the platform in 2007. Since then, thousands of people have followed suit, and tried their luck with YouTube.
Whenever these people get the YouTube community behind their back, brands go to these YouTubers directly and send free makeup samples (and other beauty products) to be featured, reviewed, tried, or promoted.
Aside from direct collaborations with beauty and makeup brands, YouTubers can also earn from AdSense (YouTube’s inhouse ads platform that lets YouTubers display ads on their videos).
Other possible income sources from a YouTube channel include:
- Affiliate marketing – YouTubers recommend a makeup, share the link on the YouTube video’s description, and earn a % as commission if anyone of their viewers buy from that link.
- Channel memberships – YouTubers can also open a members-only section, where exclusive content will be published. Fans pay a particular amount monthly to access these members-only videos. YouTubers also have an option to use a third-party membership platform like Patreon.
- Merchandise – YouTubers can also design and sell merchandise related to their channel, such as branded T-shirts, makeup bags, makeup brushes, or beauty accessories through platforms like Teespring.
- Online courses – YouTubers who want to share their expertise in makeup tutorials can also create and sell online courses via platforms like Udemy or Teachable.
14. Master Short-form Videos for TikTok, Facebook Reels, or YouTube Shorts
TikTok videos, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Reels are short-form videos that people today love to eat up.
If you’re not a fan of long YouTube videos, you can shorten your makeup tutorials, beauty product hauls, or makeup reviews and focusing your efforts on TikTok, Facebook or Shorts.
Once you get your name out there and earn followers from your short-form videos, brands will eventually notice you and send you free stuff like makeup, hair products, and other beauty items.
Depending on which platform you decide to use, you also have other options for generating income:
- Facebook Reels (ad-revenue sharing, virtual gifts/tipping and premium content subscriptions)
- TikTok videos (TikTok Creator Fund, Live or virtual gifts aka TikTok coins)
- YouTube Shorts (AdSense and other income sources similar to long-form YouTube videos)
All these platforms also support affiliate marketing, memberships, and promoting your own merchandise or online courses.
15. Blog about Makeup
Like YouTube channels and short-form videos, setting up a makeup blog takes time to gain followers and earn money.
However, even new makeup blogs receive free makeup samples from brands.
If you put in the time, your blog also has the potential to earn from ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, memberships, podcasting, and even donations.
Are there Free Makeup Samples by Mail?
If you’re only looking for companies that send out free makeup samples by mail, your best bet is to send requests to every cosmetics brand of your choosing. Make sure to include your name and address, so the products would be sent to the right place.
Sometimes, the company wouldn’t reply to you anymore and just send free stuff to your home.
The beauty subscription boxes aren’t really free.
You may need to pay for shipping or pay for an entire year to receive a free month’s worth of makeup. Always read the terms of the promo, so you won’t be surprised if your credit card has been charged.
The Bottom Line
Free makeup samples are everywhere – you just have to know where to look.
Some people don’t even pay for makeup anymore and rely on these freebies to pretty them up for months or years, so if you want to save money from cosmetics, I recommend giving this list a chance and hunt for free makeup.
If you’re interested in other beauty freebies, check out my post about lip balm freebies, free lipstick, free razor, free perfume samples, free hair samples, and free skincare samples.
