What free gifts with magazines do you remember fondly?

[Takenoprisoner]

I loved the gifts that came with magazines. Some were of course crap, like no name mascaras and nail sets that had the magazine branding on them, utter rubbish.

Others were brilliant, I remember fondly:

Lipstick case with sugar magazine

A clear plastic tote with Elle, which I still miss

A small denim bag, again, Elle, which i still have

Various clutch bags with glamour magazine

Roomy beach bags with Red magazine

T shirts with Instyle magazine

Silk scarves, High st mascaras, bikinis

I really miss those little freebies. It's better for the environment that they don't do those any more of course.

Also, I really miss magazines from the late 90s, which is when I started reading them, they were great and many are defunct now.

I loved Elle magazine, 90s era
Real magazine
Company
More
Look
Glamour.

What magazines or magazine freebies do you remember?

@HappyMeal564 must have accidentally skipped over your post! I remember trying hard to stop it falling off every time I moved!

I still use my Just Seventeen chunky plastic comb.

I have two of this clear plastic hanging make up organisers in use. Probably from Glamour or Marie Claire. And a very nice plain Erdem cotton tote I use for my packed lunch on days out.

@queenjaneappro

I'm enjoying al the love for the Just 17 comb!

Here's mine. The handle has been chewed (child or cat probably) and it's lost one spoke but still going strong!

In my first post I said it's over 25 years old but another poster said theirs was 30 plus - this is probably more like it! God I'm feeling old now!

Ohh, mine isn't like that at all.

@Chasingsquirrels Just 17 must have had a whole range of combs! Someone upthread said a pink one with Gabrielle lyrics on it!!

Your one looks familiar, I think I may have had that as well but preferred the flat one!

Got quite a few bags and make up bag that lasted for years from Eve/ Red early 2000s? Always bought loads of magazines and the music press from being young. Now it’s just house magazines but they’re very samey. Remember getting a ‘pilot’ edition of Just 17 free with Smash Hits just before it launched (around 1983?).

I got a freebie copy if A Slipping-down Life by Anne Tyler when I was about 17. I can't remember which mag but I loved the book and she became my life long favourite author. Still adore her books 30 years later.

My J17 combs seems to have a Gabrielle lyric on it, making it approx 1993.

squirrels yes mine's a different colour but that design.

I remember getting a picture disk of A-Ha “The sun always shines on TV” which had an introduction by Morten Harket himself, that I played over and over, imagine, it was like he was there talking to me in my actual bedroom, swoon!!

My favourite/ most memorable freebie was from an early edition of Oink comic (a sort of junior Viz magazine that ran from 1986-89). A flexidisc with the 'Oink rap' on it ... iirc the lyrics included "don't eat meat cos it's made of ham, eat the nasty butcher man"

A pink wide tooth comb from Just 17 that my mum insisted leaving at home when I moved out - she still uses it over 20 years later.

Free clinique lipstick & free benefit cheek stain were a few favourites I remember, much better than beauty boxes now!

The mixtapes that came with Select magazine in the 90s were always really good; they used to do comedy ones sometimes too.

I got a copy of a Helen Dunmore book, Burning Bright, with a magazine - Marie Claire maybe? - in about 1998 which I still have and which sparked a love of her writing that stays with me now.

I used to love those 'bumper summer issues' of teen girls' magazines which were perfect for taking on holiday and reading by the pool.

OMG I'd totally forgotten New Woman, like completely wiped it from my memory. I used to buy it loads. I had a free magazine with one which had loads of sexual positions in it which was very, ahem, well-thumbed when I was with University BF. When my parents came to visit, it fell out of the bookcase when I pulled something else out
As a young teen, I used to treat myself to the big glossies like Elle and Vogue sometimes to just marvel at them and all the glamorous advertising. One copy of Elle came with a sample of facial bronzer which I was excited by. Woke up the next day with a streaky zebra face and an unfortunate orange Hitler moustache. Took a few days to disappear completely.

Gosh I remember the satin clutches with glamour magazine, mine was pink.

I remember getting 2 packs of vests (great value), beach mats, and endless make up bags. You could buy a whole new wardrobe at your local newsagents.

I had a very chunky rectangular silver Elle keyring, does anyone remember having the same? And the yearly Elle diaries were brilliant quality.

I loved more magazine, She, Eve and newwoman.

Most magazines don't come with freebies any more, unless it's things like another free mag.

I do agree with the posters saying the quality of journalism just isn't there now. I miss the in depth interviews, long form investigative pieces and thoughtful reviews, not 'laugh-a-minute comedy, 3 stars' type of thing. Sometimes I really get into an article, turn page, then.. nothing. It's abruptly ended.

I think of late 90s to early 20s as the heyday of magazines, I spent loads of money on them and don't regret it at all. Buying magazines for me was something to look forward to, freebies galore and they were an exciting glimpse into whole other worlds.

I remember this New Woman cover really well. The month it came out something quite pivotal was happening in my personal life. It had a free black top with straps come with it as well.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384165561396?hash=item59720d4434:g:IO4AAOSw19xgn1Fq

Elemis Moisturiser.

Red used to have beach bags.

Red had brilliant beach bags . NW had a couple too. They were all big enough to be used as overnight bags.

I've been looking for years on eBay for the Jackie Book of Destiny - a free booklet that answered all your burning questions simply by thinking it in your head as you chose a symbol printed on the first page, then...well this is the bit I can't remember. What happened next?!
We were obsessed with it in school, my copy was proper dog-eared. I'd love to see one again.

I used to get a knitting magazine, and one month the free gift was a pair of little scissors, with a sheath. They are really sharp and useful.

My first mascara was a freebee off the front of the short lived Jump magazine. I also got a fab CD off the front of Glamour years back - must have been 2001, because it had Empty Skies by Kosheen on it.

I also remember getting a useful bag off the front of J-17 in 1998.

@Flomoon

Mizz, Sugar, Shout- those were the days! I remember my favourite freebies being stick on earrings, glitter hair mascara, and butterfly clips. Aside from the clips, it was usually stuff I wouldn't be able to buy separately so it was really exciting to have it! Honestly the late 90s/early 00s were awesome.

Yes they were 🥺. I got my first ever lipstick with a Mizz magazine aged 12 and I used to try it on in secret.

A Christmas edition of Good Housekeeping came with a voucher for a free sample of Valentino original. As it was expensive, it had to be collected from a local perfume shop, rather than have the sample stuck to the magazine, and probably torn off. I loved it, and bought and used it until it was discontinued.

Going back years now to maybe 1982 or 83. Just seventeen launched and on the cover was a necklace. It was a plastic mouse on a bit of cheese.

I was very excited about that