Column by Jenna Nicole Levine

I obviously purchase most of my beauty products on a budget; however on rare occasions I discover a product worth that bonus check splurge. The difficult part is figuring out which product is worth the extra cash, and which is just $40 for brand name recognition.  Another common scenario is your best friend highly recommends a $26 bottle of face wash that she claims is incredible, so you drop a Benjamin only to find out this amazing face wash causes you to break out. That pricey wash gets buried in the beauty graveyard known as your medicine cabinet, and you shed a single tear for its demise.  Don’t cry my friends, there is a simple solution: try before you buy.

You may wonder how one goes about sampling these high end products for free. Let’s go back to the scenario where your friend recommends Super Bright Eyes by Dr. Nicholas Perricone which runs $50 for .5oz. With this product title in hand, head on down to your local Sephora, and simply ask a store representative for a sample of the product. They don’t always have them, but if they do, you’re golden.Now you can test out your $50 eye cream for a few days to see if it’s worth the cash.

If you have an affinity for high end products, but not the budget, sign up for a service such as Birchbox. (Featured on Spa Week Daily!) For $10 you get high-quality handpicked samples delivered to your doorstep monthly.  This service is how I discovered my new best friend, Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple face wash.

EDITOR’S NOTE (6 more ideas from Michelle!):

I couldn’t resist but sharing a few of my own ideas along with Jenna’s.

1. If you’re willing to jump through a few hoops for your free beauty samples, sites like Her Beauty Samples have a lot of ways for you to get your hands on new product testers for free.

2. Another great sampling site is 3floz.com – try a bunch of travel-sized version before investing in full bottles.

3. Do beauty swaps with friends or coworkers. Trade your favorite face creams, shampoos and primers for a week, and then when you trade back you’ll possibly have a new favorite.

4. Treat your department store beauty floor like a food court. “Do you have any samples?” Wink wink.

5. Spa Week understands your desires! And we believe in full-sized products, not samples. Make sure you enter to win a ton of spa/skin/beauty products in our MONTHLY SWAG, and don’t forget that every deal on TheRightDeal.com comes with a freebie!

6. Most effectively, dear beauty junkies, if you REALLY want free products… Start. A. Beauty. Blog. I have more samples and products here than I know what to do with! (The other option would be making friends with a beauty editor. Hey, how close are we?)

Now get out there and try something new today!

Jenna Nicole Levine is a native New Yorker turned Washingtonian. When she isn’t writing about ways to save you cash on your favorite beauty treatments, you can find her living the low cost life. To read more from Jenna Nicole please visit Woman Around Town, Gal Time,  or just stop by and say hello on her twitter @Jenna_Nicole.

It’s back to school time, who’s excited? We didn’t expect a cheering chorus, but before you start kicking and screaming we’ve got ten things for you to be excited about. For less than $100 you can pick up the best beauty products for all your skin, hair, and makeup needs that could last at least until Thanksgiving Break. Whether you’re a Mommy sending your little troops off for a new exciting school year or a busy teacher determined to maintain a fresh first-day-of-school-glow until June, it’s time to prioritize a list of beauty must-haves to face the looming year ahead.

Start your mornings off with a great moisturizing conditioner. Your ends will thank you.  Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion Moisture Balance Conditioner, $5.24

No time for a red carpet do? Take a dollop to tame those fly-aways in a dash. TRESemme Tres Clean Hold Professional Formula Gel Firm Control for  $1.49

Three main ingredients go into a relaxing shower. Hot water, 30 minutes and a moisturizing body wash. Don’t skimp on either part, especially the body wash.  Olay Total Effects Body Wash, Deep Penetrating Moisture, 6.79

Sometimes all you have time for is an all in one. Use these towelettes to cleanse, exfoliate and go.  Pond’s Wet Towelettes Morning Refresh with Citrus and Cucumber, $5.69

Double you pleasure the night before a stressful return to work. Settle into a sinful chocolate face mask and blow your colleagues away with your smooth skin.  Bellaboo Face Mask Sweet Sin Chocolate, 9.99

Say yes to beautiful skin with a facial cleanser that’s organic, natural and paraben free. Yes to Carrots Nourishing Daily Creme Facial Cleanser, 7.99

Be gone in 50 seconds (who needs the other 10?) with quick, drying nail color. Maybelline Express Finish Advance Anti-Chip Color in Grape Times, 3.99

For windy days, sunny days, or any days, never leave home without smooth puckers.  Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm, $2.99

Yes, the sun goes down a bit earlier, but that doesn’t mean you’re free from harmful rays. Moisturize and protect your skin. Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF 30, $7.19

Bring your eyes from natural to dramatic in just 3 clicks. Almay One Coat Dial Up Mascara Blackest Black 8.49

There’s no greater turn-off than a person you can smell before you even see. We’re not talking about funk, although that’s bad too, but someone who takes a bath in their fragrance before they leave the house… especially in the summertime. The point is for people to be attracted to the lightly enhanced smell of YOU. You should choose a scent with a hint of sweetness and no more than a dabble of  seduction.

Here’s a tip: Next time you find yourself in a department store, don’t run away from from the fragrance sellers. Stay and chat with them and test out a few. You never know when you’ll find your knight in shining signature scent armor! In the meantime, instead of shelling out close to $100 on a fragrance you have yet to commit to, follow our list of the best summer scents under $30–these Eau de Toilettes and Eau de Parfums will give you just the Eau you’re looking for to smell light, breezy and carefree as your white cotton dress.

LOVE ETC., Eau De Toilette, 1.69 oz for $25.00 The Body Shop

A sensuous blend of Egyptian jasmine with warm, radiant notes of vanilla sandalwood, pear, neroli, and bergamot.

Philosophy Pure Grace Eau de Toilette Spray, To-Go size, 0.5 oz for $15.00 Sephora.com

A lighter, softer, crisper interpretation of the original Amazing Grace fragrance, Pure Grace is a clean, transparent blend of fresh blossoms and cool greens, laced with sensual, frosty musk.

Aquolina Pink Sugar Body Spritzer, 1 oz for $29.00 Sephora.com

Pink Sugar takes you on a journey through the pleasures and flavors of childhood with a playful blend of vanilla and caramel.

Lucy B, Australian Wild Jasmin Roller Ball, .33 oz for $24.00 B. Glowing

Australia Wild Jasmine scents the skin creating a wildly sensual yet fresh Australian Scent while boosting the mood through the flower essences.

Clinique Happy Eau de Parfum Spray, 1 oz for $30.00 Sephora.com

A classic fragrance from Clinique to suit your mood. Contains, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Boysenberry Bush Flower, Hawaiian Wedding Flower.

Fresh, Sugar Lemon Eau de Parfum Spray, 1 oz  $24.50 Sephora.com

A captivating and irresistible scent of sugar infused with refreshing lemon.

Guest Little Luxury Reporter: SHYEMA of BEAUTY AND THE FEAST, winner of Spa Week Daily’s best-beauty-blog-post-of-2009 contest, shares one of her favorite little luxuries that she’s loved since childhood.

Parachute Coconut Oil

The Little Luxury: Parachute 100% Pure Coconut Oil

Relationship Status: My mother set us up. Going strong for years now with regular bi-weekly dates. So in love.

Nickname: Coco

What is it? No mincing words here – this is just straight up coconut oil.  It’s been used in India and other parts of Asia for years as a hair treatment that when applied, penetrates the hair shaft to give bounce and shine to damaged locks.

The thing you’ll love most: Besides the price, coconut oil works wonderfully with your natural hair protein to strengthen each strand – who doesn’t love shiny, healthy hair? It’s also amazing at treating dandruff.

The thing you’ll hate most: Smelling like coconuts. And finding time to hang out at home until you shampoo it out.

Advice for first timers: Don’t overdo it! Use only a thin coat, otherwise you might end up over-shampoo’ing, which will only dry out your hair instead of moisturizing it. I also use less conditioner than I normally would, and only apply it lightly to the ends, in the shower since too much conditioning will weigh your hair down.

If you want to take it a step further: For deep conditioning, put a towel over your pillow and leave it on overnight. I like to braid my hair after oiling so it’s less messy!

The Price is Right! Yours as low as $1.98 at Amazon.com (Buy new for $7.99)

Hot Stone Scale: 6 out of 6

This Little Luxury Report was brought to you by: Shyema