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

[OvaHere]

Time for another thread. Spring and Summer releases are trickling out to tempt us AND the advent calendar waitlists are appearing...hope you are all feeling suitably Christmassy. 😂

Thanks everyone who continues to contribute to the chatter and welcome to any newbies who want to join in.

Says Friday 15th 9am on here too for Harrods https://beautycalendar.com/harrods-beauty-gift-with-purchase-2026/

I wonder if it will have early access Thursday for MyBeauty members, they did that before or whether it will just be on Friday

I had a basket ready but I’m not that excited by the Harrods GWP

I received the email as well but I had just ordered the retinol I was so tempted . I’m interested to know what you think of the new one , please keep us posted 🙂

Yes, same. There's been loads of more exciting brands crop up so I've just forgotten about Tarte. I do still have some stuff still in boxes that I have just left too.

I'm now undecided on my Harrods order. I feel under pressure to pick the right stuff 🙈 There's a skincare set for £200 that I like, but I do already have a lot of skincare. There's a perfume set for £200, I like the perfumes in it but they're not my fave. I think it's the mini bottles attracting me. But then I could just get a load of makeup which I don't need but will love testing 🤣 Is anyone else feeling a bit of pressure to make sure that they spend the £250 wisely on things they actually want?

You get the discounts with the monthly sub too so I'd never sign up for 12 months. I've had my subscription on and off and find the boxes are very hit & miss - I resubscribed for this month (think it was just over a tenner with the BDLF code) and also bought an edit with the subscriber discount. I don't know that I'll continue with it beyond this month as I prefer to just subscribe if I like the box that month

I think if I wasn't heading to the store in person I might not bother getting it online. It's nice but not a super wow gwp, although the tote bags are decent and a slightly better colour than last year (imo).

There's a decent chance I will buy in Harrods anyway because in store shopping is a different level of temptation, so I may as well have it.

I might surprise myself though. Maybe I won't come home with it. The Liberty gwp still seems to be on so that's an option too if there's something there I prefer.

If anyone gets the Harrods GWP and doesn't want the bag, I'd be delighted to buy it from you 😊 I don't get messages on the app so please tag me here if you are selling!

Yes, so much! I want both the Harrods and the JL GWPs but that's a lot more than I'd usually spend in one go. I wanted to buy the Victoria Beckham foundation but they don't have the right shade in stock. I definitely do want to buy PDM Delina de la rosee which will be a big chunk, but it still feels a bit wrong given I could have got it 25% off from Escentual...

I'll probably buy the Chanel foundation I got the sample for because it had a really nice finish, I just need to figure out the right shade.

It does bother me that anything I do buy will be full price when it's almost always possible to get 20-25% off somewhere else, which means the GWP needs to feel worth at least £50. Which of course it is technically, but I'm not sure any of the contents are things I actually would have bought!

I’m feeling the pressure with the Harrods GWP too. I’d decided to do my Dior order from Harrods with a few other bits, but now I’m debating about the Dior GWP. I don’t think I want/need enough to hit the spend limits for both.

Whats the JL GWP?

The Tarte discussion led to a wave of nostalgia and I impulsively ordered a Smashbox x Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector. Looking forward to seeing if it’s as nice as I remember!

https://beauty-detective.com/john-lewis-summer-beauty-box-2026/

Coming end of May

Think im safe. 🤩

I got this offer a few years ago and was very pleased with it. Though I've not bought anything from them recently.

Loved the mascara, lipstick, eye palette I got, and the foundation was what I needed at the time (I use a lighter one now). Their foundation brushes are still my favourite and in regular use - they've held up really well!

I agree the brand hasn't really evolved. But I think it's still decent, just not exciting.

The Look Fantastic New Season Edit (the one that was blurry and we were all guessing on), now has 25% off. I've been thinking about it for ages so I've taken the plunge and bought it. I think £33 is a great price for it. Use TREAT for the 25% off.
https://www.lookfantastic.com/p/beauty-box/the-new-season-edit-worth-over-175/17691438/

The Look Fantastic Dermatological Edit has 30% off with the code SAVE30. I'm trying to decide if I want enough in this. I wouldn't mind trying the medik8 tonic and the mz skin mask but I've got so many toners and masks to get through. I also wouldn't mind trying the KP stuff, but is that enough to buy 🤔 - is there anything in this edit that people would say is a must try?

The Dermatological Edit (Worth Over £168)
https://www.lookfantastic.com/p/beauty-box/the-dermatological-edit-worth-over-168/17691415/

Would you mind if I asked the price of the Medik8?

I’ve just ordered this. I love the medk8 toner so for me the rest is almost free.

Oh dear, I want that one too! Eek. I’ll have to narrow it down, I can’t spend £600 just to get the GWPs that I want 🙈😅

£79 full price

Apart from the First Aid stuff that I'm not keen on I quite like this edit. I have a full size Medik8 toner in the stash though so it has to be a no, even with 30% off.

I have to admit I don’t use toner, despite getting many in Elemis sets. Does it actually make a difference?

I have that medik8 toner and it's amazing stuff, makes my skin glass like. But, if I use it more than once a week my cheeks get really red. It's an acid so basically an exfoliant - mild, but too much for my sensitive skin.

I normally use the Elemis soothing apricot toner as my everyday toner and I really like it, right now though I'm using the Byoma milk toner and I like that too.

I didn't understand toners until a few years ago but I love them now - sometimes I use them with a cotton pad and that helps to make sure all last bits of cleanser are off, reassures me that I've removed all my makeup etc. Or I just spray/apply directly and then my skin is nicely damp which helps my serums etc absorb well.

Some toners are too harsh for me, I've found they can all be quite different depending on the ingredients. I don't get on with the other Elemis one they launched more recently.

I use the fresh rose toner in the morning. It’s very hydrating and makes my skin feel like it’s had an extra hug. I use the medik8 one in the evening as it’s exfoliating. I have large pores so it really is another layer that reduces them and keep them clear. I don’t find this too drying because of the heavy nighttime serums and moisturiser that I use after it. I have combination skin so think teenager mixed with menopause. 🙈
edited to say: I’m currently using up a stash of toners and using clarins hydrating in the morning and clarins exfoliating one in the evening and whilst they are perfectly fine my skin feels so much better with the above routine so they must do something.

Hi the QUICk30 code isn’t working for me, is anyone else having the same problem when trying to buy the dermatologist edit with the code