Big beauty brands (think L’Oreal, Charlotte Tilbury, Maybelline, Rimmel and more) have a job to do to get your attention in a saturated market. That’s where free samples come in.

By sending freebies, like free makeup or free perfume samples, those companies get their new products into your makeup bag and, of course, they’re hoping that, if you like it, you’ll go on to buy the product and spread the word to your friends. It’s really that simple.

Free makeup samples are the most popular freebies going, often being snapped up within hours and with a few insider secrets, you could see those free beauty samples delivered direct to your door too.

Where to find the best free beauty samples?

OK, so maybe we’re a bit biased, but you should make the Magic Freebies homepage your first stop here to see all today’s free samples. We update every day with new freebies, including makeup, skincare and perfume, so why not let us do the hard work for you?

Free makeup samples on social media

Love it or hate it, the truth is social media is now one of the hottest places to be for freebie finding, with brands dropping huge giveaways via sponsored posts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok that target the demographics they are looking for. We do still see sign-up forms hosted on brand websites and in-store pick-ups, but those are less common now.

It makes sense; if a brand wants to send their free makeup samples specifically to women who follow them or similar brands, the social media platforms provide this kind of precise targeting — they can even show a sponsored ad post to just one age bracket — all of this ensures for the brand that the samples find their way into the hands of people who will be interested, which saves them time and money.

That leads to one of our top tips: if you want to see freebie drops from the brands you love, show some love to those brands on social media. You need to follow them, but also it’s good practice to engage with their content by liking, saving, commenting, and sharing too.

Sponsored post freebies have no direct link. Instead, you must find them yourself if you want to claim. This means it’s usually not possible for Magic Freebies to provide a link that you can click. What we do instead is share a screenshot of the ad so that you can see exactly what’s available at the moment. Then, go and interact with the brand and keep an eye out for it in your own feed.

When you do spot one, sign up is simple. Just click the ad and follow the instructions to enter your details, usually just your name and address, and your sample should land on your doorstep within a few weeks.

While you’re scrolling, snapping up your free makeup and beauty samples, don’t forget to check out our Facebook page, private group and Instagram where we share what we find every day.

Free samples from beauty testing panels

Testing panels are a close second when it comes to looking for Free Health and Beauty Stuff. They are also the place to be for a chance to snap up full-size makeup, skincare and perfume samples.

What we love about them is that you usually sign up just once to a panel, fill in one profile detailing what kinds of products you’re looking to test and voila, the platform will notify you when you match with a new sample product. It’s like Tinder for free beauty samples and potential testers!

If you want it, you simply order it, test it out and, very importantly (if you want to be selected again), carefully follow the instructions to provide an honest and detailed review.

If you want to know exactly which platforms deliver, head to our Guide to the Best Beauty Panels for Free Samples now for our definitive list and all the details you need to succeed with beauty testing panels or, for more information on Free Beauty & Grooming Samples in general, we have a guide to those too.

In-store freebies vs free makeup samples by post

If you have your eye on a specific makeup product, there’s much to be said for the old-school method of heading into a bricks-and-mortar shop that has beauty counters and asking politely.

Brands know it’s incredibly hard to buy makeup online, so free samples of products like foundation are a reasonable and common request that their salespeople hear all the time.

The benefit is that you walk away with your free sample without waiting weeks for it to arrive, and you may even score some professional tips on application.

On the subject of waiting weeks, why do free samples by post take so long to arrive? Unlike when you buy a product and expect the brand to start processing your order straight away, free makeup sample orders often get packaged and packed in one big batch once the campaign has finished.

And because brands are highly unlikely to pay for premium shipping options for free samples (which is fair enough), we just have to sit it out and wait for the postman.

Don’t forget the freebies you can get with purchases, too. Often, when buying beauty products in-store or online, there’s a gift incentive. One of our favourites historically has been the Boots free beauty box in which you get premium gifts that are sometimes available when buying from the No7 range. If you can time a purchase to snap up a special offer like this, you’ll find your money goes much further.

We have an in-depth guide on Free Samples by Post if you’d like to learn more about it and let the freebies come to you, or if you’d like to delve into specific types of beauty freebies, our guide to Free Haircare Products is a great place to start.

Free perfume samples & testers

If makeup can be hard to buy and sell online, perfume is harder. No one wants to splash out on an expensive bottle of perfume only to find they don’t like the scent or it doesn’t suit them after a few hours of wear.

That’s why Free Perfume and Aftershave samples are one of the most common freebies available and why you probably never need to buy perfume again if you aren’t too fussy.

Some of the most popular perfume brands (YSL, Jo Malone, Dior, Gucci, Tom Ford & more) send out sample sizes to perfume testers in their thousands, and these little vials actually go a long way. They are particularly great for travel and the perfect size for popping into a handbag.

Don’t forget, you can also use in-store tester bottles and ask for free perfume samples at fragrance counters on the high street, too, but these can often be sample cards rather than a handy miniature.

Spotting fake beauty freebies

We often hear from sceptics that nothing in life is free and, of course, we know that simply isn’t true.

There are so many free makeup samples out there once you know where to look. But there are fake offers too. If something seems too good to be true — like a full-size product that isn’t a product test or a sign-up process that requires your bank details, life story or irrelevant and sensitive data — then it probably is, and you’ll soon develop a sixth sense for scams.

In the meantime, we detail everything you need to know on this subject in our How to Spot Fake Freebies guide.

You can always trust the offers on Magic Freebies; we try them ourselves first. You can take a look at the Free Makeup section of our website to see what’s available today.

Now you’re an expert on all things beauty freebies, why not have a read of our How to Get Free Samples in the UK: The Ultimate Guide to find out what else you could be enjoying for free.

FAQ

Are free beauty samples really free?

Yes, there are many beauty samples like free makeup and perfume that are completely free. Brands give them away to promote new product ranges.

How long do free makeup samples take to arrive by post?

Most arrive within 2-6 weeks, but there’s a huge range of what’s normal here. We’ve received samples in days, and others have taken months.

Do I need social media to get free beauty samples?

Social media does open up a huge treasure trove of freebies from sponsored ads but you can still get freebies via testing panels, direct from brand websites, and from high-street beauty counters.