Beauty chat - freebies/gifts with purchase/offers THREAD EIGHT

[OvaHere]

New thread as the old one is almost full.

All welcome to chat about beauty purchases, upcoming beauty boxes/GWP and to share your bargain finds.

🤣🤣 Maybe if they were all 25 day ones. I've just worked out that if I start opening them from today, my final day will be Easter 🤔

I just ordered Merit Bronze Balm in Seine and Day Glow Highlighting Balm in Bounce after trying them in store today. I’m ready for summer!

Finally succumbed to the CB stockings for Xmas gifts, still kicking myself that I missed the GWP.

I missed a Medik8 bargain on Vinted a couple of days ago as well. I’m really losing my touch 😅

I’m going to spend some time this weekend sorting through my things and get my BACs ready and raring to go for February (and March, and April 😅) - well, that’s the plan!

Speaking of the CB stockings, remember to use the vitamin sweet things in the body care stocking asap as they have a short date. Mine are dated April 26.

I got two packs in my stocking for some reason - bonus! I don’t usually eat these things as I worry about vitamin overload, but I am giving these a go at half dose. They taste really nice. Bizarrely one reviewer mentioned that she ate the whole lot at once as sweets 🙀 Not recommended!

I read that review 😁

Thanks for the reminder - I was planning to take them out of the stockings anyway, as I’m going to mix & match the skincare & fragrance for gifts this coming Christmas (minus a couple of the fragrances which I want to try 🤣)

I've gone for the Clinique offer as the moisture surge 100H is my holy grail - I always go back to it. I also love the quickliner for eyes. I had a 10% off offer - so got 3 half price gift sets and a quickliner to qualify for the free gift bag and 100ml overnight mask - all for £72.67. Great value considering it includes 2 x 30ml & 2 x 50ml moisture surge hydrators, plus loads of other products that I will definitely use.

That’s still pretty impressive! 😁 Are you planning to hold onto any for next year? I don’t know if I would have the willpower!

I put the elemis, tatcha and eve lom under the bed thinking that they might stay there until December but I already want the lip mask out of the tatcha one 🙈

I think keeping 2 until December would be more than enough…crack open the Tatcha now! 😁

@JoRaRaRa my thoughts are don't keep any for December. When all the new advents and xmas sets come out having last years will cause frustration because you'll want new shiny stuff but then feel guilty about the under the bed stuff.

Open them over the next few months and be a bit ruthless about what you will use and what to pass on/sell. I only say this because I know from experience it can end up being overwhelming unless you're dead set on skipping advent season 2026.

Easier said that done I know, I'm already back to telling myself I'm only going to go for one BAC and one FAC this year. 😂

I am in a similar position as@JoRaRaRa and have joked with my daughter that our advent can last all year. I still have some left from last year too 🙈. The January opening has been absolutely delightful, really brightened up a miserable month.

I’m seconding @OvaHere though in opening and being ruthless with selling on. I’m hoping that the sales will fund next years advent season, at least partially.

One of the main reasons I've put them under the bed is because I feel a bit overwhelmed. My new drawers are full and even my backup organiser is full so it's more for storage 🤣 I probably won't need anything for a while. Plus, my husband doesn't know about the Eve Lom or Tatcha calendars 🙈 I might get the Harrods hair and beauty calendar and start on that. I don't know if to just open them like they're edits and then sort them into backup for the backup box 😬 Can you believe that I'm even considering getting the cult beauty holiday edit? The drawers one. I need to stop.

I think I'll have to sell my bargain drunk elephant vitamin c serum. I've been using a little pot from the SpaceNk gwp and it's made my rosacea flare up. I think I also need to sell the Bioeffect eye serum, i had a sample which I started on and my eyes are now really itchy, but I've also just started on the champo lash serum too, so I'm not 100% sure which one it is 🤦🏻‍♀️ I'm going to look a right bonny bugger tonight, red eyes and skin, at least I'll match my bday outfit 🤣💃

I put on the Evidens special mask earlier to cool down my skin and then the gold mask from mz skin to soothe. So fingers crossed, it'll all be OK for later 🤞

@JoRaRaRa - lots of people react to eyelash growth serums so I would look at that first in your process of elimination.

The champo lash serum irritated my eyes too

Yes probably. I do sometimes react to mascaras 😕

Oh no! So probably is that then. I'll stop using it and then hopefully it'll all be OK 🤞

Has anyone used the Victoria Beckham brushes, mainly looking at the blender brush

No but I have heard they are good.

I’m super curious about VB foundation - haven’t read a single bad review about it.

I bought it last year in my quest for the perfect base and because I love the AB products.

It's fine IMO. It goes on nicely and lasts reasonably well but I don't love the finish and it has a strong smell - a bit medicinal/cloves. I've also seen tons of stellar reviews but I don't quite get the hype. It's not bad but it's not life changing given the cost.

I did manage to get a discount on mine but I don't think it's worth the price when you can buy Prada/Chanel/Dior etc. for about half the price.

I’ve got my K-beauty boots set - it’s very much what I was wanting - smallish sizes of many things to try. The teen is eyeing up the blemish and pore stuff! I added the mask to my order and got the free cream so in all its 11 products for £21! Pleased with that…

There's a Sephora code GIFT10 that takes 33% off.

No idea how many and which products it works on but it took £10 off the new ABH mini Haze palette.

This sort of circumvents my rules but I had £28 in Paypal Reward points so in my defence it was free! 😂

I received the CB holiday edit today, which I got for just over £37. I am ridiculously pleased with the box, which I’m going to use for the DIY calendar I am making for my friend for Xmas 26.

The brow gel is useless to me, (I find the whole concept of brow products revolting), but I am very pleased with the rest, apart from the Sweed blush which is peach/orange.

Has anyone tried this and can tell me if it really is as orange on the skin as it looks in the packaging?

I have put the KS serum and the rose face oil stuff into my Xmas DIY Liberty calendar box and will use the rest asap.

I got another fragrance stocking as I really like both the Fugazzi and Milk perfumes. I decided that it was worth buying at the reduced price just for those two items.

The Boop Beauty Box for 19.99 has the Dr Levy Eye Concentrate in it (unsure of size)

https://boopbeauty.co.uk/products/valentines-night-in-beauty-box