Singapore is truly one of the most expensive cities to live in but it’s not entirely impossible to snag freebies from luxury brands – if you know where to look.
I set out on a little social experiment to see how many freebies I can snag in one month and whether it is easy to do so! As I’m a beauty enthusiast, I decided to subscribe to the Daily Vanity Telegram channel to find out more about beauty deals that I can snag.
1. Free acai bowl, bagel, and sample-sized Supergoop! sunscreens
Following this information, I headed down to Design Orchard with a friend for the Supergoop! pop-up event. It was really exciting because the place was beautifully done up and I was able to take lots of beautiful photos there while exploring stations that allowed me to try the products.
I scored these for free:
- A delicious bowl of acai bowl from The Acai Affair
- Bagel with with cream of my choice from B for Bagels
- Sample-sized products from Supergoop!
- Bonus: my friend bought one of the Supergoop! products and also received a very pretty transparent bag
2. Free skin analysis and generous samples of Lancôme’s luxury serum
Located conveniently at Ngee Ann City, the Lancôme Advanced Génifique Skin Repair Lab pop-up was all about the brand’s iconic Advanced Génifique Serum, which I’m a fan of.
The brand also invited Korean actor Woo Do-Hwan down for a meet-and-greet, and those among the first 100 to make a purchase get to meet him in person. I’m not a fan so I didn’t rush for it – but I’d imagine this would be an opportunity-of-the-lifetime for those who love him!
For me, I had fun checking out the pop-up and walked home with a great experience and some freebies.
I scored these for free:
- Personalised skin analysis and consultation
- Hand massage
- Two-piece gift
- Seven-day sampling kit of the Advanced Génifique Serum – this was super fun because it was redeemed over a vending machine!
3. Free Banila Co. product and huge gift set
I found out on the Telegram channel about the opening of Banila Co.’s first-ever makeup counter in Watsons Singapore. This is a brand that I’ve always shopped at whenever I’m in Korea – I love their Clean It Zero cleansing balm!
I scored these for free:
- A free product from the sure-win spin – no purchase required!
- 10-piece gift set containing samples of the Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm, It Radiant CC Cream, Prime Primers, and other iconic products from Banila Co. I got this when I made a purchase above S$50, which was super worth it because they were offering 25% off all makeup purchases during the promotion period.
4. Free caricature and customised Kenzo fragrance kit
I went for a Kenzo Parfums event held at Sephora ION Orchard. I’ve never used any of their fragrances before this and thought it’ll be a great chance to discover them.
I scored these for free:
- Free caricature of myself. Thanks to the information I saw on the Daily Vanity Telegram channel, I managed to visit during one of the two dedicated sessions where a caricature artist was available. I honestly feel quite privileged to get hold of this information when a friend who also went for the pop-up told me she had missed it because she didn’t know.
- Customised fragrance kit. This is filled with some of the brand’s bestsellers and new products so it was a great way for me to sample a variety of fragrances from Kenzo Parfums.
5. Free samples from Clarins
Clarins set up a vending machine at few locations and I managed to catch the one that happened in Tampines One.
I scored these for free:
- Free samples. I just needed to register as a Clarins member – which is free – to redeem them from the vending machine
6. Free La Prairie hand massage, pastry, and coffee
La Prairie held a pop-up event to share more about its iconic Skin Caviar Luxe Cream and there were a few activities at the beautiful setup.
I scored these for free:
- Hand massage using their new face cream – it felt and smelt so good!
- Pastry from THE SWISS CUBE that was filled with ondeh ondeh. It was very Instagram-worthy and tasted delicious
- This came with a coffee too
7. Free sampling kit of brand-new L’Occitane product
L’Occitane updated its Immortelle Divine Cream and thanks to the information on the Daily Vanity Telegram channel, I learnt that they were giving away a complimentary four-piece sample kit.
I scored these for free:
- Free samples of the L’Occitane Immortelle Reset Overnight Reset Oil-In-Serum, Immortelle Divine Youth Oil, and Immortelle Divine Cream. This can be redeemed online and is still available till 6 October 2023! Find out more here.
8. Free Prada Beauty fragrance set
Prada Beauty opened its first-ever boutique in Singapore and there were opening specials. I was glad I learnt about it and can be among the first to visit the store after it opened.
I scored these for free:
- Three-piece fragrance sample vial set. This was available when I managed to be among the first 250 to sign up for the Prada Beauty Loyalty Programme
- Free customisation of Prada bottle. I bought a Prada fragrance when I visited and was able to personalise the design according to the iconic Prada patterns available. This was permanently printed using the Prada UV printing service – super cool!
9. Free Gucci Flora fragrance sample
Gucci Beauty held a gorgeous pop-up at ION Orchard and it was very Instagram-worthy. I regretted not wearing a floral-printed dress to match better with the beautiful setup.
Besides the free sample that anyone can collect, those who bought a fragrance could also receive a bouquet of flowers and very attractive gift sets.
I scored these for free:
- A free sample of a Gucci Flora fragrance of my choice. This was dispensed from a pretty vending machine that looked like a vintage dresser – I love it!
10. Free skin analysis and six-piece sample kit from Kiehl’s
Kiehl’s is one of my favourite skincare brands so I was especially excited when I saw on the Daily Vanity Telegram channel that they were holding a pop-up event.
I scored these for free:
- An in-depth skin analysis and consultation
- Complimentary six-piece sample kit
Tips to collect freebies in Singapore
After the month-long experiment, I found that it’s actually really easy to collect freebies in Singapore. I can effortlessly make a trip to these spaces on a weekend as they’re usually conveniently located. And most importantly, it’s super fun and interactive!
I did a very rough estimation of the value of the items that I’ve collected in a month and I worked out to close to S$500. That’s a lot of value and many of these items are also exclusive – they’re usually available for a limited time only and you can’t even buy them off the shelves if you wanted to.
Here are more tips that I learnt from my experience:
- Keep yourself in the loop: Most of these events run for a limited time only and sometimes there are special sessions where you can receive more exclusive items. You can subscribe to a Telegram channel to receive updates about them effortlessly. I subscribed to Daily Vanity and kept notifications on so I won’t miss anything.
- Go early: If you can, go on the first day of the pop-up. This way, you make sure that what you want won’t run out. In some cases, like the Gucci Beauty vending machine, I didn’t go on the first day and one of the samples was out of stock.
- Bring a like-minded friend: It’s more fun with company! Bring someone who has the same interest in the brand as you so both of you can wait in queues together without getting impatient and you can also help each other take photos!
- Don’t be just a freebie hunter: The attitude matters too! I feel that if you’re just going around town collecting “freebies”, it’ll turn the whole experience into a meaningless one. I found that I was able to appreciate the samples better after I’ve learnt about the brands at the pop-up events and this in turn help me improve my skincare routine or discover new makeup or fragrance I could buy. Instead of merely collecting freebies, attending these events turned me into a more conscious and savvy shopper who understand my concerns and preferences better.
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