With virtually every cosmetic purchase I make, I am offered a fragrance sample… or 5… or 10. I do try to use them now and then, but generally they accumulate much faster than I could ever use them up.
The other day it occurred to me that I have accumulated mascara samples almost as quickly. I currently have rather generous samples of Clinique "High Impact", Dior "Diorshow", Chanel "Cils a Cils" and Chanel "Inimitable" all at no expense to me. I haven’t purchased a tube of mascara in years.
So it made me wonder… why? Is it that the margins on mascara are so ludicrously large that every company wants you buying theirs? Perhaps it is something else. I generally have a preferred brand for every purpose. Chanel foundation, Mineral Veil finishing powder, Lorac gloss, Chanel eyeliner–but I don’t have a preferred brand of mascara. If other shoppers are like me, then there is a huge market out there up for grabs. Win their loyalty, and win their money.
That being said, I have used all of the aforementioned brands, and I still don’t have a preference. They all work well. They stay on and make my lashes look long, thick and lusciously black. Will any of them win my lifelong loyalty? Probably not. From what I’ve read and seen on TV, Maybelline’s "Great Lash" is frequently used by those in the know, and at $3.90 at Target.com, it’s also quite a steal.
