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5 beauty counter hacks that will change your shopping experience.

The first thing to remember about a trip to the beauty counter is that the sales person works for the brand, not you. The aim of the game is to make a sale and to achieve that, they’ll do almost anything. It starts with a compliment, then a question about your current skincare and all of a sudden you’ve just bought $150 worth of products you couldn’t afford. Or is that just me?

So I feel it’s my duty to enlighten you on the five things the beauty counters don’t tell you, but that you can definitely ask for…

Related: I did my own makeup on my wedding day, and I survived.

1. Samples

It’s ok to ask for samples. In fact, I would encourage it. It’s hard to know whether you’re going to like a product without trying it and the best way to do that is to take some home with you and incorporate it into your current routine. Some sales people like to discourage samples because it’s a lot easier to obtain a sale if you try the product on in store and are under pressure to make a decision but take your time.

They make it awkward and uncomfortable, and it doesn’t have to be. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for a sample of something if you’re interested. Each and every brand provides their sales staff with small pots to give to customers.

Related: The 11 pieces of fitness advice you thought were true. They aren’t.

Shopping for a new foundation? Here’s some that will leave you with change to spare (post continues after gallery).

2. You can return a product

Yep, even if you’ve used it.

The beauty of shopping at makeup counters is that you can return an item if it doesn’t suit your needs – within reason. Obviously you can’t return to a store six months after purchasing a foundation, hand over your half empty bottle, and claim it didn’t work for you. But if you honestly have a reaction to a product or if it doesn’t perform as promised you can always return back with your proof of purchase and request a refund. Just remember to keep you receipts.

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3. Gift with purchases

A lot of makeup brands offer ‘gift with purchase’ promotions throughout the year. It’s an incentive to get customers to spend ‘just that little bit more’ and take some samples of other products in the process.

Related : Say hello to the vibrator that wants to help you orgasm during sex.

More often than not, the spend required for the gift with purchase is just a few dollars more than the value of a single item, meaning you need to buy at least two (sometimes three) products to be eligible. Don’t get me wrong, I love a gift with purchase but have a look at what you need to spend and what you get in order to determine whether it’s worth forking out for an additional product that you didn’t intend to buy. If you’re not going to use any of the samples in the gift, it’s not worth your money paying for another item that  you didn’t want.

Gift with purchases are a great way to try new products. Stay up to date with brands you love on Facebook so you don't miss out. Image via istock

Often sales assistants won't tell you about an upcoming gift with purchase because they have their eye on the daily sales target. If they mention that a gift with purchase promotion starts next week, it's very likely that you'll hold off on your purchase until then. Stay up to date with upcoming promotions via the Facebook pages of your favourite cosmetics brands.

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4. Germs

They're everywhere. No matter how many times you see the sales lady spray alcohol on her brushes be aware that you're never fully germ free. Unless she's hand washing and drying her brushes at a sink, then disinfecting them between each and every customer there's a risk of bacteria.

Related: The secret to Kate Hudson’s fitness is in her handbag.

Think of all the people that walk by during the day and rub their fingers over products. Are you sure they washed their hands after going to the bathroom? What about that lady that ust sneezed her way through the perfume department. Uh, no thanks.

5. Training

Don't get conned into thinking all makeup sales people are makeup artists or skincare experts. While it's true that some brands like MAC require formal makeup training of their staff, it's not the case with everyone.

If you're thinking about booking in for a free makeup application, be sure to go somewhere that insists on staff having a display of makeup artistry. Otherwise you may as well get your friend who's "good with makeup" to do it for you at home.

Related: Researchers say we all have a “good side” of our face.

The same goes with skincare. Just because someone is wearing a white coat, doesn't mean they're a skincare expert.

Do you have any beauty counter hacks you can share with us?