So a little over a week ago, my mom gives me this flier for some weapons-grade beauty cream that Clinique is giving away. You know, one of those the-first-one-is-free sorts of deals where after you're hooked on the tiny little bottle of complexion magic, they let you know that the full-sized bottle's going to be 80 bucks a month now that you can't live without it. So the you bring the flier in, and they give you a tiny bottle and make an appointment for two weeks in the future where you get another tiny bottle.
What the heck, I think.
I have good genes on my side so my skin's actually still nice for a 36-year old person. But free is free, and I am curious. I haven't used Clinique skincare for a while: these days, I use Philosophy, and I'm quite happy with the results.
But I'll give anything a try if it's free. And I need new blush anyway.
So I go to the Clinique counter and I show the nice lady in the almost-medical white coat the flier, and tell her I was in the market for some blush. I tell her two things I use regularly--Black Honey lip color and Teddy Bear eyeshadow--and that I am looking for a color of blush that is harmonious with those two products. She asks if I have time for her to try a couple things out, and I end up in the chair with her applying foundation and red-neutralizing base cover-up to my makeup-less face. (Hey, don't judge: it was my weekend, and I was tired.)
The end results of this pampering is that I walked out of Macy's with three products and my "free" miracle anti-aging serum. I'd feel worse about it, if the end result hadn't been so unequivocally BETTER than I have ever been able to for myself. I have yet to try to recreate what she did with these products...but the free serum is pretty damn great.
That's how they get you, I suppose...and I was no exception.
