9 Editors Reveal the Freebies that Became Their Must-Have Beauty Products

Don’t hate us, but part of a beauty editor’s job is to test-drive the newest products in the market. (Hey, someone has to do it, right?) Getting a steady flow of free samples at the office for us to check out is all part of the job description. Since we have an endless supply of makeup and skincare products at our disposal (sorry!), you might assume we don’t recall the last time we walked up to a beauty counter, but you could not be more wrong. You’d be surprised how often we come across life-changing products that make us go out and hunt them down.  When we take out our wallets to stock up on a product, it means the product’s really worth spending money on.

Curious to know what the FASHION editors buy time and time again? From lip pencils to multi-use coverups, we rounded up nine editors’ beauty must-haves (aka freebies we started paying for). Honestly, it doesn’t get more tried-and-trued than this, people.

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Editors must-have beauty products

“I received a Chanel cream blush in a gift bag. The texture was different than other cream blushes, and the shade felt like a replica of my own flush. After hitting the pan, I found out it had been discontinued. Then recently another beauty freebie came along to soften the blow: its sister, Chanel’s Les Beiges blush stick in “No. 21.” It’s not exactly the same, but it’s pretty close. I’ll be stockpiling this one.” - Sarah Daniel, Beauty Editor Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush in “No. 21” ($51, thebay.com)