There are very few universal truths: as far as I’m aware, there are two. First, more books is better than less books. Second, whenever you are in a place that sells make-up, skin care or perfume, you must ask for samples. When I’ll finally get to writing that ‘how-to-live’ manual to stop people from living their lives so completely wrong, I think this will be the title. And I’ll have the t-shirts and the coffee mugs.

I realize that my enthusiasm for samples exceeds the average enthusiasm people feel for samples. In fact the more I blog, the more I realize that my enthusiasm for most things (with the possible exception of olives and Giorgio Armani Si) exceeds the average. Still, even if you don’t feel irrational fondness for samples, they do make so much sense, especially if you’re planning to buy something expensive or going on a short trip.

Unless you have unlimited funds, do not buy a serum or a foundation or a perfume without thoroughly trying it out before. If you can help it, do not buy anything without sampling. This is not me being crazy about samples, this is me being practical. You can ask me what happened when I bought a Guerlain foundation last week after only briefly testing it out on the back of my hand. I will not tell you.

So, here’s my easy-to-follow guide to asking for samples:

1. Do not forget to ask for a sample. This one seems pretty obvious, but even an old sample-hound like me occasionally simply forgets to ask. This, my friends, is called a wasted opportunity.
2. Be prepared. Your success rate will improve dramatically when you know what you’d like to try and ask for it specifically. Every time I get offered some samples and I say something vague like “oh, just give me something interesting”, I end up with a vial of Giorgio Armani Si (see above). I think beauty corporations have these clever machines that will scan you and automatically figure out which sample you’d like the least.
3. Show your know-how. If you are knowledgeable about the thing you’re buying, let it show (in a nice way). In many cases, the Sales Assistant will warm to you and understand that of course you must go and try this 200-euro retinol serum at your leisure. I have walked out of a Chanel boutique, of all places, with a handful of samples I didn’t even ask for, as I bonded with the SA over our love for 28 La Pausa.
4. Make them do it. If you really want it, but they don’t have a sample, make them prepare you one. This doesn’t work everywhere, so you have to do some research, but if you are serious, go for it. It’s again much easier if you have a good relationship with the SA, but this is a whole other topic in itself.
5. Ask when you’re buying. If you feel uncomfortable just asking for samples (I feel your pain, I’m Estonian), make sure to at least use the occasions when you buy something. If the first rule is to always ask for samples, the second one is to most definitely always always no exceptions ask for samples when you’ve made a purchase. Seriously, please stop feeling bad about it.

Getting samples is not about L’Oreal Group doing you a favour. It’s about you doing them a favour, using your precious skin time trying their product and possibly, at some point, doing them the ultimate favour and buying it. This is in fact the reason samples exist.