Cosmetics for free

Hundreds of women are lining up at Macy?s, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and other top department stores to snag free makeup, skin care products and perfumes.

This post-holiday beauty treat is part of a five-year-old lawsuit involving price fixing on beauty products by these cosmetics companies. To which the accused parties deny.

The settlement states that $175 million in cosmetics will be given away?one item per person in a first-come, first-serve basis. Customers who purchased items from a list of beauty companies between May 1994 and July 2003 are eligible to a giveaway. But here?s the catch: No receipts are required. Customers only need to sign on a registry or a certification sheet as proof of purchase and they are free to snag any item of their choosing. Brands include Est?e Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, Clarins, Guerlain, Givenchy, Chanel, Boucheron, Cody, Calvin Klein, L?Or?al, Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren, Coco Chanel, and Christian Dior. Other list of products is posted at www.cosmeticssettlement.com.

?Each customer?s entitled to one gift and they?re bigger than a trial size... they?re actually a good-sized item,? Brooke White, an official at Nordstrom, was quoted as saying.

?The products involve mascara, skin care, moisturizers and fragrances,? Sharon Bateman, Macy?s spokeswoman, said in an interview. ?None of the product comes from the store?s regular inventory. I think these products were created specifically for this giveaway.?

Loulette Cabalde, executive assistant to the vice president of an electronics company, told Standard Today she was able to grab a Clinique moisturizer and an Estee Lauder night repair cream at The Grove and The Beverly Center in Los Angeles, USA.

?The Clinique is worth around $40 and the cream at $59. It?s really great they are giving away such expensive cosmetics,? says Cabalde.

?It?s all over the US, ang taray! Wala silang pinamigay na cheap products, lahat branded [It?s all over the US. How cool is that? They are not giving away cheap products. Everything is branded],? Cabalde said.

Bloomingdales and Macy?s already ran out of stocks, according to Cabalde, ?Pinilahan kasi ng todo [Everyone is lining up].?

Offer is good until supplies last. ? GMD