Sample Vs. Full-size Products

I love samples. I will gather them up as quick as I can find them and it's not just beauty samples. Cleaning products, toothpaste, noodles, FLOR tiles (which I paid for and if you've never heard of them, check them out. Right now.)  Since I started receiving Birchbox and Ipsy each month, my yearning for them has turned into a bit of an obsession.

Samples have come a long way since you were getting a smear of lotion out of a magazine, noting the small print explaining that what you are currently rubbing into your hands is a product "similar" to what you can buy at the store. Not only was this a little disturbing, but you could never get a feel for what the product was supposed to do. Lucky for us, companies have seemed to wise up to this issue. Deluxe samples, as some companies call them, are rapidly becoming the norm.

I know these samples are supposed to lead to buying the full size product, but more often than not, I will use up a sample and be so infatuated with something new I have received that I'll pretty much forget about the other. That's not to say that I never purchase the full size after trying a sample, there are several items that I've bought.

My number one sample turned purchase has to be The Balm Stainiac. I received this sample in my very first Birchbox and I am now working on my second (purchased) tube and have two more that I have bought on backup. Stainiac is a lip/cheek stain that comes in three different colors. I originally received Beauty Queen, a berry red stain but bought Prom Queen, a pinker stain. I also have purchased Homecoming Queen which is a pinky-peach stain, but Prom Queen is my favorite. I love the natural flush that it gives and the fact that it last all day. Seriously, all day long.

Samples have certainly changed my beauty life. Sometimes beauty life can get a little repetitive and I love having the ability to change things up, sometimes daily, without spending tons of money. I have a few friends that also receive beauty boxes and love samples and that makes everything that much better. If I get something I don't like, I know I can just take it to a friend and trade for something I do like. Everyone is happy!


Most people probably don't think as in depth about samples as I do, but now that it has been brought up, what is everyone's feelings on the matter? Does your beauty routine include a ridiculous amount of samples like mine?