FreeFlys offers the ability to receive name brand beauty samples of a variety of items. It includes beauty items, along with quite a few household and food items and can be a fun way to get free stuff and try new products. Click the banner below to sign up!

Visit FreeFlys

Copyright Beauty and Fashion Tech

Skin Care Rx is offering their Beauty Cache free with any $100 in purchases. The Beauty Cache is a kit of beauty samples in a case, and is a great way to sample a wide variety of products. The last time I got one, I was rather impressed with amount of high quality items in it.

To get your free Beauty Cache, add one to your cart, and use the Skin Care Rx coupon code BEAUTYCACHE. The promotion runs through May 15, 2011 and quantities are limited. So if you want one, you might want to shop sooner than later!

Shop at Skin Care RX

Copyright Beauty and Fashion Tech

In honor of being trapped in Detroit this week because of problems with a Delta Airlines plane, I bring you this post on traveling  with makeup in your carry on luggage. You can also read the TSA rules here.  When I set out on my trip, I decided to take only carry on luggage to avoid Delta’s checked baggage fee and because I had short connections that made me worry about losing my luggage. Since I got stranded, I am very glad that I made that choice!  Anyway, bringing some basic makeup on the airplane was important to me, so this post is about what I did. But first, here are the basic carryon rules and cosmetic items that fall under them:

• Liquids and gels are limited to items on 3.4 ounces (100ml) or less and to the amount that can fit in a single one quart plastic baggie: This includes fragrances, liquid foundations, liquid concealer, mascara,  and lip gloss.
• Special note about fragrances and hairspray: aerosols and flammable liquids generally are not allowed. However, TSA states they are OK in the limited amount of personal care items.  This means only less than 3.4 ounces and what will fit in your plastic bag for liquids.  To be safe,  pack non-aerosol hairspray samples and only very small fragrance samples.
• Solids are OK: This includes pressed powders. I have always considered balms and lipsticks to be solids and never had a problem carrying them on.  To be safe, I tend to stick a plastic bag in my purse so I can put them in it if a question arises.
• Remove the  plastic bag of liquids from your carryon and send it through the scanner in a bin. Pressed powder items and other solids can stay in your bag.

Here are a few tips for carry on cosmetics:

• Pack powder makeup when possible. Consider bringing a good powder foundation instead of liquid. For example, I love my MAKE UP FOR EVER Duo Mat Powder Foundation. I also like Sephora Matifying Compact Foundation and Velvet Mineral Pressed Powder Foundation From Amazing Cosmetics.
• Bring sample sizes of liquid items. A regular mascara is going to be under 3.4 ounces, but why take up a ton of space, especially when all you get is a one quart bag? Try packing a sample sized mascara and lip gloss. I love getting sample kits from Sephora Favorties for things like this. Samples are also great for you skin care needs! In particular, check out this sampler, which contains a variety of makeup items: Sephora Favorites Best of Basics Makeup Starter Deluxe Sampler ($107 Value) Best of Basics Makeup Starter Deluxe Sampler.
• Pack an eye shadow palette. Individual pots of shadow take up more space. Pick a palette with multiple shades that you like and everything will be more compact. Even for solids, sample sizes or multi-function palettes save space and are easier to pack.
• Pack light. This isn’t the time to bring your entire lipstick collection! (This coming from the person who puts 6 lipsticks in her purse plus a few balms).

Here is what I brought on my trip:

In my packed luggage, I took a Sephora powder foundation, a sample sized powder blush, and a MAC eye shadow palette from last year’s MAC holiday collection.  I picked the MAC eye palette because it came with a small brush instead of a sponge applicator, so I didn’t need to pack a brush, and because it happens to have several favorite fairly neutral fall/winter shades in it.

In my bag of liquids for TSA inspection: A benefit bad gal sample mascara, a sample sized high pigment Dior lip gloss, and a full sized Hard Candy sheer lip gloss (because I just can’t live without it). I also packed a few samples of cleanser and and moisturizer.  That left room for toothpaste, deodorant and  any other miscellaneous liquids and gels. I used the shampoo at my hotel (not great stuff, but it was fine for the short trip).

The packing worked quite well. Everything fit and TSA did not question anything.

Copyright Beauty and Fashion Tech

This would be one cool gift, or buy it for yourself! The Sephora Favorites Collector’s Edition Fragrance Sampler For Her contains nine fragrance samples, plus it  includes a voucher for a full-size version of your favorite item.

The set contains a nice selection of popular perfumes and fragrances:

• Dior Addict 2
• Versace Bright Crystal
• Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline
• Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy
• Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One
• DKNY Be Delicious
• Philosophy Amazing Grace
• Prada Infusion d’Iris
• Givenchy Very Irresistible Givenchy

The collection comes it at a $145 value for $79.

Interested inn Men’s fragrance? Sephora also has a sample for him:  Sephora Favorites Collector’s Edition Fragrance Sampler For Him ($165 Value) Collector’s Edition Fragrance Sampler For Him

Copyright Beauty and Fashion Tech

I love this special offer: Free Sample filled case designed by Marchesa with your $150 Beauty.com order. While supplies last.

Copyright Beauty and Fashion Tech

If you like sampling products, you might like My Pretty Pink Box, which is a little pink box filled with samples. The one I was sent had 8 or 9 items—a couple of which were generous/full sized.   The company aims to include a full sized product or two when they can. The boxes are sold once each month, which different items each time. Prices vary based on the items that are included. For example, the price of the box available at the time of this writing was $6.50. Not bad for a bunch of sample items!

I thought the idea was fun and I liked that my box included some small independent company items. For Example, my box had a sample of a great kelp and clay mask from Body By K.  I also got a full sized Garden Botanika lip gloss that I love that I’ll review over at Girl Gloss.

If you like samples, definitely check this one out!

Copyright Beauty and Fashion Tech

Sephora Favorites Lashstash Mascara Deluxe Sampler is back. This Sampler of 11 mascaras if a fun way to try out a variety of brands. But it is limited edition, so order now!

Copyright Beauty and Fashion Tech

If you like to try new beauty products, Beauty Fix is a great deal. For $50 each quarter, you receive a nice little case filled with full size or large sized samples of a variety of products. The items are chosen by a panel of beauty experts, so you can trust that you are getting some good stuff!

I received one to take a look at and boy was I impressed!

For $50, there is a lot of product in the shipment, and it is good product too. No junk items. The first Beauty Fix kit advertises that it contains $400 worth of items. It also comes with a nice informational book that describes the items and how to use them.  As a Beauty Fix member, you are able to order products at a discount and take part in reviews and forums on the Beauty Fix website.

As a side note, a year or so ago, I tried out the New Beauty Test Tube, which is a similar type of program, except that it has less product and less information. I eventually canceled that because I wanted a bit more quality. Beauty Fix has done what I was looking for back then. So if you are one of those who was unhappy with the Test Tube items, or if you like the Test Tube but want even more product and a better value, you might want to give Beauty Fix a try.

Copyright Beauty and Fashion Tech

DHC is a Japanese skin care and cosmetics company. I am a long time fan of DHC skin care products, especially their Olive Oil cleanser (read review) and White Sunscreen (Read Review), but I had not tried any of the DHC makeup. Having read some good things about various DHC makeup items, I decided to change that by ordering some.

My first review is of the DHC Eye Shadow Perfect Pro Palette in topaz, and the DHC Eye Shadow Brush . I am impressed with both. Below is a photo I took of the palette.

The first thing that struck me about the DHC Eyeshadow palette was the packaging. A little door opens up over the applicator, and then a mirrored door opens over the eye shadow. It is unique and attractive.  The shadow itself is fine. The shades are rather light, and sort of remind of some of the Clinque light neutral shades. That is also fine with me, but if you like really dramatic eye shadow, this might not be for you. The shadow also generally wore well for me. I also like how it is packaged, with the largest pan being the base shade and the liner as the smallest. It balances out the use better that way!

DHC also makes a line of synthetic brushes and sells them at a pretty good price, so I added an eye shadow brush to my purchase. This turned out to be one of the best synthetic brushes I have ever used.  Most cheap brushes will have some initial hair loss and might not feel all that soft. But the DHS brush that I bought was quite soft and not a single hair fell out of it. So I was left quite impressed with it, especially considering its $9 price tag.

DHC items are only available online and through mail order. You also get your choice of four samples with every purchase and each mail catalog comes with a sample or two (or sometime three or four) in it. So it is a good mailing list to be on!

Update: The brushes appear to be discontinued.

Copyright Beauty and Fashion Tech

You know how the department stores always seemed to coordinate cosmetic free gift times and prices were always the same on cosmetics? Well apparently that has led to a class action settlement under which various stores will be required to make free products available to class members, presumably these will be distributed on a first come first serve basis beginning in January 2009.

To see if you are eligible and to sign up to receive notice of when the freebies are available, visit the settlement website.

Copyright Beauty and Fashion Tech