Friday 7 September 2012

How To: Make the most of a sample

It would be lovely if all product samples came in easy to use pots or tubes but sadly they don't and I'm sure I'm not the only beauty addict out there who has been harboring a stash of sachets. It's frustrating because the sachets often contain enough product for two or three uses (even more if it's an eye cream) but they're so fiddly that most of them end up in the bin after one use. No one wants an open sachet of foundation lying around, do they?


I was at an Estee Lauder counter one day when the assistant asked me if I wanted to try their new BB cream. I said that I'd love to and was presented with twenty sachets of the stuff and an apologetic "sorry, we're out of sample pots." Whilst I did want to try the product, the faff of using all those little sachets was putting me off. One day I finished up a face cream (a sample, actually!) and had a tiny brainwave. So, I sat down with my twenty sachets of BB cream and squeezed them into the pot. It was so much more convenient to use from a pot and since still have plenty of the BB cream left (it's a bit too light for me in summer), I look forward to using up the rest at my leisure. 



The moral of the story is that if you want to make the most of your sample sachets you should decant them into a pot. It works best if you have a couple of sachets of the same product or if you have an eye cream sample. Bear in mind that there's no point using this method if the sachets you have only contain one use.

What you'll need:
Sachet(s) of product
A clean pot - big enough to hold the amount of product in the sachets
Scissors

What you won't need: 
A nosy cat who tries to pinch everything...


Here I'm putting a 1ml sample of L'Oreal True Match foundation into a 7ml Clinique eye cream sample pot. I actually already have this foundation (and quite like it) so I reckon I'll get about three uses from this sample. This is probably not the best example for me to use but it was just what I had to hand.


I really recommend using this technique with eye creams; I had a 2ml sample of one from Comfort Zone and when it was in a pot I got about three weeks' use out of it. Always remember to keep the little pots for new samples, too!

I hope this was useful for some of you. If you have any tips on how to make the most of samples, leave them in the comments.

Stace xx

18 comments:

  1. This is such a good idea, I'm always wasting little samples! Need to keep this in mind next time!
    xx

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  2. Really great tip :) I always save my jars/pots for some reason, but never find a use for them. This will work :)

    http://abundanceoferica.blogspot.ca

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    1. Haha, I know, I had a drawer dedicated to empty 'travel' sized bottles and pots...just in case. I actually use them now!xx

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  3. I've been doing the same thing. To get everything out of the sachet, I put it flat on a table and scrape a ruler along it - it's amazing how much more comes out!

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  4. I have been doing this too! I have to say, you get so much more use out of it and also it saves money. And you get a clearer view if you like the product or not

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    1. I was going to say 'it saves money' in the post but then realised that if I use a product sample quite a few times and like it I'm more likely to buy it so using them like this probably doesn't save me any money but I guess it does mean that I make slightly more sensible purchases!xx

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  5. Such a good idea!! i always just leave the sachets open and propped up, but it looks so icky!!
    xxx

    www.TheBeautyBelle.co.uk

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    1. Yeah, it gets really messy that way and the air gets to the product inside!xx

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  6. This is such a fantastic tip! I don't like using samples because it requires effort but I will definitely try this out and discover new product loves! :D

    xx

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  7. Great post. I do the same thing with my products. I buy little jars from Bed Bath & Beyond or The Container Store for like 99 cents and use those. Then I'll label what they are. I sometimes can get a ton of use from eye products. Like weeks worth which is crazy. I do it for cleansers and toners too.

    Meredith
    nycmakeuplover1.blogspot.com

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    1. If we had shops like The Container Store here everything I own would be in little jars...haha! I'm with you on the eye creams.xx

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  8. Great post. I am a sachet thrower awayer (hmm, new word there) once I've tried it, despite knowing I can probably get another use out of it!xx

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    1. Thanks :) if it's something you think you'll get a few uses out of and something you really want to try definitely put it in a little jar!xx

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  9. This is such a useful post! Brilliant idea as I normally just throw them away as I can't be bothered to try and store the open sachet. Not anymore! x

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  10. I have tons of little washed out pots that get no use until my sister comes and decants my foundations, concealers etc to pinch I'm so gonna do this! I love Montagne Jeunesse masks too and there's always enough for abt 3 masks but I chuck the surplus away I'm going to start doing this with them too! I love these little informative type posts you do Stace, after your points cards one I've sorted out my purse so I know where they are and use them all the time, there was £22 on my Boots card I had no idea :S x

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