Another collection of my mailbox gifts is here!
I love to send out for freebies and samples. It’s like getting surprise gifts in my mailbox every day.
But I have reasons for sampling too. I have hypersensitivity and am very easily overpowered by strong scents and tastes. Even sitting next to someone wearing a lot of perfume can trigger an asthma attack. Due to this, I like to try out the samples before I waste my money on things it turns out I can’t use. Also, most samples come with high-value coupons to buy the full size in stores. Most of the coupons that came with the samples were for 3 dollars or more off.
Here are the things I have received the last 2 weeks. I added a little review of the stuff I got because you might be interested, but also because I was itching to write something other than a list.
A free 8 pack of Deer Park Sparkling Water. This is in coupon form, but I can pick it up at any supermarket.
I haven’t redeemed this yet, but it sounds good to throw in a lunch bag for work or school, so I’ll give it a try.
A packet of Ricola herbal Immunity gummies, citrus flavor.
These didn’t have a bad flavor. They weren’t gummy bear good, but definitely not medicine-y at all. I don’t know how well they work, immunity wise, but they probably wouldn’t hurt, especially during flu season. I don’t plan on buying them though.
A packet of Garnier Whole Blends hair repairing mask.
Because of my hypersensitivity, I usually go toward the grooming things that are made for sensitive skin or are more natural, since chemicals (even those meant to smell nice) tend to have scents that can be too strong. Unfortunately, this was a little more scented than I would like, so I had to toss it.
Packets of Garnier Whole Blends shampoo and conditioner in Oat Delicacy.
I haven’t opened this yet, so can’t say anything about it.
Some packets of Truvia sweetener
I prefer real sugar, but I will keep them for company coming over.
Packets of SkinCeuticals skin cleanser cream and gel
There were three packets so I opened one to test the scent. The scent is pretty mild, so I’ll toss them in my travel bag for my next trip. (Sample packets often come traveling with me, it’s easier than carrying around big bottles of shampoo and stuff)
A packet of Loreal pure sugar skin scrub
Lightly scented and it worked. However, the coupon that came with it was already expired.
A packet of Natural Vitality Anti Stress Drink mix
Not as unflavored as they claim, but I put it in water. The flavor would not be noticed if mixed in juice or something, especially with someone who’s not so sensitive to taste. I couldn’t tell any difference in my stress level, but that’s probably because after a sip my cat suddenly jumped on me to crawl up for snuggles. After cleaning the spill, I figured a purring cat on a lap was better for calming than any drink mix.
Hard water testing strips from Morton Salt.
Turns out we have moderately hard water. Interesting to know, but I’ve lived here for 10 years, so I will probably just deal with it. It came with a coupon for softener pellets if I change my mind though.
A toilet paper holder extender for the mega size rolls from Charmin.
It fit on my TP holder. That’s it, what else can I say about this?
A small cookbook of a variety of recipes using Jiffy baking mix from Jiffy.
Not much of a review needed here. It has recipes in it, what else can I say? Actually, there are some decent recipes in here, I’ll try out a couple soon.
A small deodorant from Native All Natural Deodorants
Since this was all natural, I thought I would give it a try, but unfortunately, the coconut scent was very strong when I took off the cap. I never used it so I might give it to a friend.
A razor from Schick Intuition Fab, this also came with a sample of Skintimate skin conditioner.
Haven’t used it yet, but I’ll add it to my bathroom cabinet.
A men’s razor, shave cream and aftershave from Bromley’s for men.
Note: Of all the samples I’ve gotten recently, I am most impressed by this one. Star hasn’t used it yet, but the company knows how to make samples to impress. The razor handle is sturdy and heavy, not cheap plastic, and the cream and aftershave came in amounts larger than average than a typical sample. This makes it easier to see if it really works, so we’ll see if he likes it.
There are plenty of freebie websites out there if you want to get your own “mailbox gifts”. Some of the ones I like are Freebie Shark, Hunt 4 Freebies, and Freefly’s, but there are so many out there. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Keep a separate email just for couponing from one of the many free email engines. To get the samples, you often have to enter your email, so just use that one to keep your main email free of ads. You can also unsubscribe from any mailing list if you want, but this will keep them out of your regular email until then.
Here’s to full mailboxes!
Frugal Fangirl 