Mail Talk: Hurt Locker DVD from Hit Predictor, Josie Maran Aragan Oil, Victoria's Secret Perfume, coupons & gift cards galore, & more!

Happy Easter everyone! Time is flying by so fast. The month of April has already started but I want to step back into March for a brief moment to write about the freebies I've received in the mail over the past few weeks.

Film Related Freebies:

I've been a member of Hit Predictor (@hitpredictor on Twitter) since 2002 when it was originally called Promosquad. I've received a ton of DVD's from being a member of their website. The latest free DVD I've received from Hit Predictor is The Hurt Locker which is the Academy Award Winner for Best Picture. Since I have a degree in Radio, Television, and Film I wanted to watch the movie to see how exactly did this film earn that high praise.

If you aren't a member already, you can join me at HitPredictor.com by clicking here!

I recently won a Clash of the Titans prize pack from the always generous 43KIXNorCal (@43KIXNorCal on Twitter) I won by answering the last trivia question they asked: Name for the force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors?

I immediately searched Google for the answer and tweeted it as soon as I found it. The answer was Praetorians. I received the prize pack on April 2nd and it included 2 Clash of the Titans tank tops, 2 sunscreen packets, 1 sun visor, and 1 inflatable ball.

Beauty/Body Related Freebies:

Allure magazine always has the best beauty product giveaways. Here are the items I've received from entering their giveaways:

At the top left in the picture above is a Rimmel London bronzer compact in "002 Sun Love" from Allure's January 2010 giveaway. I usually don't use a bronzer but it's handy to have just in case I might need it in the future.

At the bottom left of the picture is the Josie Maran (@josie_maran on Twitter) Aragan Oil from Allure's August 2009 giveaway. I've read a lot of positive reviews on the Aragan Oil online and I can't wait to try it. On the box it says the Aragan Oil can be used in many different ways like as a facial moisturizer and to treat split ends.

According to the official Josie Maran website (http://www.josiemarancosmetics.com), the retail value of a bottle of 1.7 oz Aragan Oil is $48.00! (http://www.josiemarancosmetics.com/product.html?pid=1070)

In the middle of the picture is the Victoria's Secret Velvet Amber Blackberry Fragrance Allure gave away in September 2009. This perfume is beautifully packaged. It comes in a velvet container rather than a cardboard box. The retail value of the perfume is $45 according to Victoria Secret's website (http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/onlineProductDisplay.vs?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=GL-242496&cgname=OSKEYBAFZZZ&rfnbr=745).

On the right hand side of the picture are 2 Secret Sheer Mineral deodorants in the Citrus Bliss scent. They cost for $4.99 each on drugstore.com. They were sent to me from Allure's Virtual Store Testing Lab. Allure wanted me to try out the deodorant and let them know what I thought about it. The smell isn't overbearing. There's nothing special about it. It's just like any other deodorant being sold.

I also received some cute samples from other companies. At the top of the picture above is a sample packet of Fekkai's Glossing Shampoo and Conditioner. On the left hand side is a vial of Dove's Revive Go Fresh Body Mist in a pomegranate and lemon verbena scent along with a $1.50 off coupon. On the right side is a sample bottle of Olay's body wash and a sample tube of Burt's Bees Natural Toothpaste in Peppermint. The Burt's Bees toothpaste will definitely come in handy for me when I go on road trips in the future.

Kotex sent me a feminine product kit that had 1 panty liner, 1 ultra thin pad, 1 overnight pad, 2 sample packets of Cottonelle wipes, and various booklets with information on the Kotex brand. All of those items were packed inside a cute pink wristlet which you can see in the bottom right of the picture above. This kit will be very useful when my monthly visitor drops by.

Food Related Freebies:

I'm a member of Vocal Point which is a website that sometimes has opportunities to sample products. (In the past I've sampled Olay's Pro X moisturizer.) They recently sent me a small box of Kashi's Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Cereal to try out.

Nature Valley sent me a box containing 12 bars of Oats 'n Dark Chocolate granola bars because I won their "The Nature Valley Get Some Nature Promotion."

A few weeks ago I signed up to try the Cream of Wheat with Sponge Bob Square Pants on the packet. The flavor is "Bikini Bottom Maple Brown Sugar." It also came with a $1.00 off coupon good for any Cream of Wheat product.

I also received a bag of purple Mike & Ikes candy and a pack of 5 gum from 5 React's website (http://www.5react.com/) that came with 3D glasses.

Coupons & Gift Cards Related Freebies:

I always do my best to use coupons or gift cards when I make a purchase either in store or online so receiving all of these coupons and gift cards really helps me save a lot of money.

Starting from the left side of the picture you'll see a glimpse of the letters I received from winning 2 $25.00 ($50.00 total!) Mastercard gift cards from the Huggies Enjoy The Ride Rewards website.

A few weeks ago Vitamin Water's Facebook Fan Page (http://www.facebook.com/vitaminwater) was giving away coupons for a free bottle. I only remember signing up once but I ended up receiving 3 coupons.

On the right side where it says "CONGRATULATIONS" in yellow is a $5.00 Subway gift card I won from their promotion called the Subway Fresh Buzz Footlong Appreciation Sweepstakes (http://footlongnationappreciation.subwayfreshbuzz.com/). The sweepstakes ends on April 15th, 2010 so there's still time to enter!

Victoria's Secret never fails to hook me up with free panties. I think I have over 30 pairs of free panties I've collected since 2003 from them. I received a coupon for a free Victoria's Secret PINK lace waist panty with no purchase required.

Glamour Magazine sent me 2 $5 off coupons to use on John Frieda products at any CVS store because I was 1 of 500 people to answer a survey they had sent out a few months ago. I personally love John Frieda's Frizz-Ease Hair Serum so I'll probably use my coupons to buy that.

Shirt Related Freebies:

I received a black shirt from Cisco Systems and a sizzling hot "WE LOVE STEAKS" shirt I won from El Pollo Loco's SweepSTEAKS on their Twitter page (@ElPolloLocoInc on Twitter). El Pollo Loco also gave me 2 coupons to use next time I drop by to eat there.

March was definitely a great month for me in the mail department. I can't wait to see what freebies and goodies I'll receive in April!

If you have received anything cool in the mail lately don't hesitate to share what you got with me!

Plus I recently discovered Mailbox Monday from the A Frugal Friend blog (http://www.afrugalfriend.net/). I really like the idea and it'll help me keep my posts organized when it comes to writing about the free stuff I receive in the mail. You can check it out here: