'I'm a beauty writer and this Clarins deal stack gets £278 worth of free products'

As a beauty writer and bargain hunter, it’s my job to uncover the best-value deals and discounts - especially as we head into festive shopping season. And one offer I’ve discovered this week sees Clarins fans bag more than £278 worth of free makeup and skincare.

Each year, the French beauty brand releases a luxury Showstopper set, which regularly sells out. And this year is no different, with fans able to purchase the 11-piece set for £79 when they meet certain criteria.

But that’s not all. By combining offers on the Clarins website, I’ve worked out a way to maximise savings and get more than £400 worth of Clarins goodies for less than £165.

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From discount codes to samples and free gifts, I've sifted through all the available offers and reckon I've found one of the best ways for shoppers to get the most value for their money.

Before we dive into the numbers, it's worth mentioning that there are other beauty bargains up for grabs ahead of Black Friday. Boots has unveiled a selection of Star Gifts, which are always a hit with beauty lovers.

The Benefit I Spy Beauty Full Face 6-piece Makeup Gift Set, valued at over £69, is priced at just £34.50, featuring a mini volumising mascara, rose blush, bronzer, fun-size pore primer, lip and cheek stain, and brow setting gel, reports Wales Online.

Liz Earle fans who spend £55 or more on the Liz Earle site will receive a luxury free gift worth over £40. To get the best deal, add the £79 (worth £200) 12 Days of Liz Earle Beauty Advent Calendar to the shopping basket, and see the free gift drop in automatically. With the advent calendar purchase alone, customers receive over £240 worth of Liz Earle skincare and bodycare, with £160 of that essentially being ‘free’.

When it comes to Clarins, the star of the show is the Clarins Showstopper Bundle. Valued at £327, it's available for £79 when customers spend £79. The bundle includes 11 items, seven of which are full-sized, including a full-sized Renew-Plus Body Serum worth £46 on its own.

Also included is a full-sized hydrating foaming cleanser, beauty flash peel, hand and nail cream, mascara, lip oil balm, and a blue orchid treatment oil, along with a selection of miniatures. To qualify for this offer, shoppers need to spend £79.

To get my basket up to total, I added a Limited Edition Lip Comfort Oil and Lip Oil Balm to my basket, each priced at £27. Clarins is celebrating 10 years of their iconic lip oil this year, making for the perfect excuse to stock up.

New Clarins customers can use the code WELCOME15 to receive a 15% discount on their first order. This reduced the cost of the lip products to £22.95 each. As a result, I only needed to spend an additional £33.10 to qualify for the Showstopper. However, spending an extra £1 to bring my basket total to £80 would unlock another freebie.

I added the Skin Illusion SPF 15 to my haul, which would usually cost £38, but worked out at £32.30 with the welcome offer. Then, as I'd spend over £90 in total, I triggered a free moisturiser gift set. Shoppers can choose from one of five sets, from Hydra-Essentiel to Extra Firming. I estimate the latter to be worth a little over £20.

Finally, shoppers can select three free samples to add to their order. There are dozens to pick from, but I suggest going for some of the larger ones available so you can really get a feel for the product. Some of the samples on offer are up to 10ml, giving fans an extra 30ml of product on top of their order.

I know that's a lot to take in, so to simplify, this exact basket gets shoppers two full-sized lip products and a foundation, the showstopper containing 11 products, the free gift set and three free samples. The combined retail value of all these products is over £439 (excluding the samples), but would cost £161.15 with the code WELCOME15.

Excluding the free samples and gift, the products and gift sets add up to 14 items. The downside is that, while the bundle appears large, not all of the products are full-sized, and there may be some duplication with the items included.

However, for a Clarins loyalist or those looking to divide the products into Christmas gifts, this is an impressive value haul. Shoppers can build their basket on the Clarins website, and use the code WELCOME15 for extra savings.