Wot no samples

Too scared to work out how much I've spent on products that end up gathering dust on the bathroom shelves  I've decided to adopt a "try before I buy" approach.

So why do beauty brands vary so much in their approach to samples .. surely more sampling means more sales?

Here's a few recent experiences, good and bad ...

A trip to the Clarins counter yields enough skincare samples for long weekends away

I bought Nude Replenishing Night Oil online from www.nudeskincare.com and was delighted to see three sample sachets including their very latest Advanced Cellular Renewal Moisturiser tucked into the box. Haven't tried it out yet but will report back when I do ...

Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant lasts me at least a year so I'm not what I'd call a regular customer but when I bought it from www.beautyflash.co.uk they included samples of my choice

So, why, when I spend £180.00 (ouch, it hurts to even write that) on Creme de la Mer does the assistant tell me that they don't do samples ... how stingy is that!

I experienced a flurry of excitement recently when a postcard invited me to collect a sample of The Eyecare Concentrate from a local store. I dashed into town only to find it was a teeny, tiny 3 ml tube. It didn't even cover the cost of parking!

Would love to know more about who's generous with samples .. and who isn't. It's easy to comment, no need to log in, just join in ..