samples

Travel

Birchbox: The High-End Beauty-in-a-Box Sampler Kit

Have you heard of Birchbox?

Have you heard of Birchbox? It's the latest beauty products sampler-in-a-box that's been generating a whole lot of buzz — and with good reason. For $10 per month (or a one-time $110 payment for a full year), you can try out four to five larger-size high-end samples from brands such as NARS, Deborah Lippmann, Stila, Phyto, and Too Faced. There are even plenty of opportunities to earn points along with way.

Cofounder Katia Beauchamp put it best when she likened it to a mashup of fruit of the month-meets-Sephora-meets-Allure kind of experience. "My business partner Hayley Barna and I came up with the idea while we were still at school [Harvard Business School], specifically, December 2009. We had a successful beta while in school, graduated in May, and launched in September," Katia explained. Have you tried out Birchbox — or if you haven't, are you planning on it?

Free

FREE Sample Alert: Alavert Allergy Medication

It's FREE sample alert time again and this time it's allergy medication.

It's FREE sample alert time again and this time it's allergy medication. I'd say it's very appropriate since this is one of the worst allergy seasons ever.

Alavert, the makers of the quick-dissolving tablets that melt in your mouth and provide non-drowsy, 24-hour allergy relief are offering FREE samples right now. They come in two flavors - Original Mint and Citrus Burst. Personally, I like to keep some form of allergy relief in my purse in case I have a run in with a cat (or blossoming tree for that matter) -- Sample sized Alavert tabs are perfect for just that, especially since water is not needed to take Alavert.

To get your free samples, just visit here and fill out the information along with answering two questions on your current allergy medication preference. It's super quick, I promise.

Beauty Byte

Beauty Byte: NewBeauty Believes Samples Sell

If you're a product sample junkie, then you'll be a sucker for the latest in super-sized swag.

If you're a product sample junkie, then you'll be a sucker for the latest in super-sized swag. As opposed to tiny samples in magazines, NewBeauty is offering subscription-only mailings of TestTube™ sized samples in conjunction with retailers and cosmetics companies.

Although they aren't totally free, for just $25 you get an estimated net worth of $200 in samples along with a brochure that details the benefits of the products and how to use them. Participants include: Lancôme, Jane Iridale, Purpose, Skingenic, CaliDerma, Babor, GoSmile, ROC, SuperSmile and Bioelements. This program was founded in the fall and has already generated 11,000 subscribers within two issues of the magazine.

To read more about NewBeauty, read more