Real Talk | How to Get Free Samples

Had to do some digging around for a client on subscription boxes which led me to a nice discovery you might all enjoy. 

photo by Lydia Hudgens

I'm sure you all heard about the subscription box trend - I'm particularly fond of the POPSugar Must Have boxes. You pay a subscription fee per season or month for a box full of amazing goodies from new-to-you and well known brands. It's even inspired a slew of unboxing blogs and youtube videos. 

But what if I said you can experience the unboxing of goodies for free? Well, almost free. There's this whole sampling industry that is dying to get samples into your hands in exchange for an honest review, tweet, or instagram. That's where PINCHme comes into the big picture.

There are a few other companies in the market that provide the same services as PINCHme, but what's different is that you'll be able to pick samples you will genuinely use and hopefully love enough to buy again. I'm a member of a few other sampling programs and honestly hate it when I get items I'll never use - such a waste.

The way PINCHme works is really simple (we like simple over here). You sign up, fill out a short questionnaire, and then request samples for your box. Every other Tuesday (at 12pm EST) they seem to offer a new batch of samples to choose from. After trying out the product - return to the site and leave your thoughts. 

In case you were wondering what sort of samples came in a box - here's the assortment that came for me last April. Pretty good right!

If you're loving this freebie train and wondering what other companies I came across in my research, here's a few others worth the sign up for even more samples: PINCHme, influenster, Klout, Crowdtap, Swaggable.

#LoveYourCurls with Dove Quench

This week, I want all you curly-haired ladies try something new. 

I want you to Love Your Curls. Just for a week, instead of complaining about frizzy hair or running into the nearest Drybar to disguise our ringlets - give your hair a chance to be. It might be hard, when long luscious straight hair is advertised everywhere we go but hopefully this amazing #LoveYourCurls line and wonderfully touching video can change that. In fact, Dove and Walmart are asking for your #LoveYourCurl story to help inspire the next generation to do the same (you can even win a Dove Quench prize pack). You can do that here.

If you've been keeping up with me for a while, you'll know my backstory. For those of you joining in, I'll be the first to admit that it took a very long time to love my curls. As a child, I was ridiculed for having curly hair and often ran home crying. Chia Pets were being heavily advertised during those formative years - which didn't make life any easier. Every day I would beg and plead with my mom for a trip to the fancy salon.

The few times she did I'd make sure my blow out lasted f o r e v e r. 

All of this changed after getting noticed and scouted for, essentially my hair. Crazy how life works.

It took a lot of self-love and beauty trials to finally settle into my roots. But once, I got my curly system down it's pretty much about accepting and loving who I was. Throughout all the drama I learned that my hair is gorgeous just the way it is (even on the bad days). If you find yourself hating yourself over hair follicles do me a favor and stop.

Trust, you are beautiful. Natural is beautiful. And we are all beautiful.

Dove and Walmart were awesome enough to let me try out the new Quench line and it definitely lives up to the name. The full Dove Quench Absolute collection includes Ultra Nourishing Shampoo, Ultra Nourishing Conditioner, Intensive Restoration Mask, and the Supreme Creme Serum. The products didn't weigh down my curls at all and gave them a softer feel (no crunchy curls here). For days when more curl hydration was needed, I'd leave the mask on for a few minutes longer (i.e. frizz be gone). As you can see in the photos above, the line left my curls looking more defined and softer (#winwin) and loving my curls even more.

Like what you see? Learn more about Dove Quench and share your #LoveYourCurls story here.

Today's post is sponsored by Lunchbox - thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible! And as always, all opinions are my own.

Photos by Victor Cerejo.

Shop the collection:

Living proof. Curl

Curly hair is gorgeous, but it's also a lot of work. Any lady with a head full of ringlets can attest to that!

Sometimes, I think about how easy life would be, scratch that, how much time I would save if my hair was straight. Can you imagine me with straight hair? Weird, right. Thankfully, more than ever, companies are starting to recognize (they betta recognize) that we curly headed ladies are out here and willing to try anything that makes our lives easier and glamorous. 

Over the next few months, you'll be pleased to see a few honest reviews on what works and doesn't work. I have quite the haul and am ready to put all these brands to the test. This month, Living proof is up to bat with their latest Curl line which has been perfected in their labs for the past seven years.

Their end goal was to invent a solution to provide a manageable routine and longer-lasting results (yasss). Their entire line is powered by their Extended Curl Memory technology which is a powerful, exclusive formula of their patented Healthy Hair Molecule (OFPMA), optimized emollient and polymer blend, and time-released marine extracts. If you like to learn more about the science behind the line watch their videos here.

Now the breakdown on the line and my opinions:

Curl Conditioning Wash

- Think of it as a shampoo for curly hair but without the sulphate and suds. This wash provides the perfect balance of cleansing and conditioning in one bottle. After using, I noticed my hair felt more hydrated, softer and manageable. A little goes a long way and my scalp didn't feel tight - a good sign during the winter season.

Curl Detangling Rinse

- A little tricky to use in the beginning since I avoid water when detangling, so my first sessions with this ended up causing more tangles (D'oh). After brain-farting and reading the directions carefully I realized water is my friend and had an easier time detangling curls with my fingers. The formula feels like gel and helps in defining curls.

Curl Defining Styling Cream

- Other than the co-wash, this is my favorite product from the line. My curls were slept, sweated, and weathered in and still looked great throughout the week. Frizz was minimal and ringlets were pretty close to perfection. My only issue is that product was hard to get out of the bottle.

Curl Enhancing Styling Mousse

-  It's been a while since I used mousse out of a can. Generally, mousse makes my hair feel as crunchy as a Cheeto but I said "what the heck" and gave it a try. This mousse added no crunch to my curls which was shockingly awesome. It also gave a stronger hold to help maintain curls. I foresee this being a great product during the summer when we're battling humidity and frizz at the same time.

Overall, I love the line and appreciate the time and effort Living proof put into creating something to make our lives easier and beauty probs non-existent. If the price is a little much, I suggest trying their travel kit (includes all of the products minus the mousse) before getting a full size product.

Learn more about Living proof here. 

*This is not a sponsored post. Product was gifted but all honest opinions are my own and always will be.*

Photos by Lydia Hudgens.

Shop their new line of products below: