Update On My Advent Calendar

Tuis Haziran 03, 2022

There is something I find so unsatisfying about the way bloggers talk about Beauty Advent Calendars. Before December they are literally all anyone talks about, you get the run through of all the products and that is it. Vloggers open them each day but you never really find out anything other than that. Where are the product reviews, what were your favourite products and would you buy the full size? Obviously for most bloggers that would be a hefty task as they are sent so many calendars and would have so many products to talk about that it would probably take them the rest of the year to talk about them. For me, this is a much more simple task and it is something that I wanted to do.

As I bought my own beauty advent calendar, I only had one and I absolutely loved it. I treated myself to the Marks and Spencer Advent Calendar as I was rather impressed by the product range for the price. I did write all about my thoughts on Beauty Advent Calendars but at the time I couldn't do a full review of the Marks and Spencer Advent Calendar as I had only been opening it for a few days at that point. Beauty Advent Calendars: Which One Did I Buy? Now I am ready. I've finished my calendar and I am in that post Advent Calendar slump but I do have some wonderful products which I received from the calendar which I want to share with you. If you too got the Marks and Spencer Advent Calendar, do let me know the products you enjoyed and some of your favourites could possibly be mine too.

Emma Hardie - Moringa Cleansing Balm

This was the product that I was most excited to try when I first bought this Advent Calendar. So many people have raved about the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm that I have always wanted to give it a go but at £39 it is a lot of money for a product I might not necessarily like. Turns out, everyone talks about this product for a reason! I've never used a cleanser which cleans so thoroughly. The balm is a solid balm but as it is applied to the skin it melts and becomes a oil. It works best on the base makeup and it takes off every ounce of foundation and it even works on the eyes to remove mascara and eye make up. It smells very citrusy, mixed with some herbs which makes it seem even more refreshing. I have no bad things to say about this balm. I will hands down be buying a full size of this. For the limited time I have been using this I have been really impressed and if I buy a full size and enjoy it as much as I have the smaller size, this might overtake my love of Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish.

Rodial - Dragon's Blood Sculpting Gel

At £85 per tub, the Rodial Dragon's Blood Sculpting Gel is not cheap. Therefore it is amazing to have a sample size of it to try first. It would be very rare that I would spend that much on a product I had never tried before. For me to spend that amount on skincare I would have to have tried it previously and I have been using this as part of my night time routine. This month has been particularly hard on my skin, I have drinking a lot and I have been eating a lot. December is a time of indulgence and I have definitely made the most of this. My face has needed all the help it can get in terms of looking plump and fresh. This gel has been helping with this.

After having a look at the ingredients on the Rodial website, it is designed to help with anti-ageing as well. There is supposed to be Collageneer and Pomegranate Extract in it which is included to help promote the production of Collagen which helps to make the skin look plump and tighter. The whole idea behind the Rodial brand is that the products have crazy names and they have ingredients that are supposed to replicate the effect of whatever the named ingredient is. Obviously this particular product is Dragon's Blood which is actually an ingredient produced by the Croton Lechleri Tree which is meant to help redness and inflammation which is something I desperately need when I've had a couple of drinks the night before. After I have used this my face looks calmer but I do have to say I'm not sure the effects are good enough to make this worth £85. It's good but it doesn't work miracles which I would want it to do for that price.

Korres - Wild Rose Advanced Repair Sleeping Facial

I had been thinking about trying a overnight cream for a while as this Winter I have really been struggling with dry patches and textured skin. If you have read my blog before then you will know I am a fan of Rose skincare so I was thrilled to see this as part of the Advent Calendar. This smells very artificial, there is something very metallic and overly floral about this cream and I have to say this scent is not the type of rose scent I like. I tested this out thinking that it wouldn't make much of a difference but when I woke up the next day, my face felt super soft. It was a softness that my face rarely feels but it was incredible. I had never tried Korres before but obviously I had heard of it. After using it that one time, I have been using it about 3 nights a week and my skin feels baby soft. At £26 I think this is a good price for such good results. This is the whole reason I bought this calendar, I wanted to try products I wouldn't usually try and this is one of those products. Even though I would never have picked this product up if I were shopping, this has been an incredible product which I would actually buy. It has also intrigued me to look into more overnight masks.

Percy and Reed - Session Hold Hairspray

Back when I was in University, I had a free gift with a magazine and it was a deluxe sample of the Percy and Reed TLC Hydrating Mask which I loved and found it to be an amazing product for my overly dyed hair. It really helped to get the condition of my hair back and also it smelt amazing. Ever since then I have always loved each Percy and Reed product I have used and this hairspray is no different. The hairspray smells amazing (like all of their products,) it holds your style and doesn't make your hair go crispy. There isn't much more to say about it. Considering it is £12 for the full size, it is a little bit much to spend on a hairspray but this size is perfect for my handbag and considering I don't use hairspray a lot, this bottle will last me a long time.

Autograph - Hydrating Confidence Boost Primer

When I wrote my original post on the Marks and Spencer Beauty Calendar I did mention that I wasn't that bothered by the own brand products but after trying this primer I ended up being impressed by one of their own products. I am not a massive fan of primers and I rarely use them but this month I have found a need for a primer. As I have been going out for long periods due to the festive season, I wanted my make up to look good for longer. This primer has worked to keep my make up on and to keep it looking fresh. Plus as it is a hydrating primer it has helped to cover some of my dry patches rather than exposing them. At £12.50 this really isn't a bad primer and I would actually buy it again if I felt like I would use it.

Stila - Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Perla

The Stila Liquid Lipstick in Perla reminds me of Koko K by Kylie Cosmetics, in terms of shade but other than that that is where the similarities end. The formula of the Stila liquid lipstick is much thicker so it doesn't feel quite a light on the lips but it has a great pigmentation. I don't tend to go for baby pink shades anymore but I actually really like this one for the odd occasion. I am a fan of the liquid lipstick formula in general so when I saw this in the calendar I was happy to be able to give it a go. This doesn't compete for the title of my favourite liquid lipstick formula which is the Kat Von D version but it is pretty good. It is only designed to last 6 hours so it isn't the most long lasting formula but it does make it quite comfortable. I have also been wearing this with the Pixi Liplift Max in Honey Sheen. The Pixi gloss is a plumping gloss and from the moment you open the tube, you can smell mint. It has a light tingle as you wear it but it does make your lips look fuller. In combination with the Stila Liquid lipstick, it gives a bold colour but makes your lips look bigger.

These are all of the products which I have enjoyed using over the festive season but I am sure there will be more in the calendar that I will end up liking. I haven't had the time to try them all and I really want to try the Alpha H Liquid Rose Gold. However I am nervous to try it as it is an acid. I've tried the Liquid Gold before and I don't remember there being a huge difference but the thought of an acid does scare me slightly. I have been using the Pixi Glow Tonic which I do really like but it took me a while to get up the courage to use it.

Not only am I looking forward to actually trying a product from Alpha H but I also want to mention the little make up bag I got on day 25. Even though I complained about it in my last post, it is only a little pouch but it will be perfect for my handbag. It has a cute design and at the moment it houses all of the products I got in the advent calendar. Even though this isn't really a make up item, I wanted to include it anyway as my mind has changed after slagging it off.

One product I wasn't so thrilled with was the makeup sponge. I am not a massive fan of the Beauty Blender as it is and a cheap makeup sponge is not something that I would ever want. The day I opened this, I was quite disappointed as I didn't know this was part of the Calendar but alas, there does have to be one duff day. I know not everyone hates beauty sponges like I do so I understand if you weren't as disappointed as me.

All in all I really enjoyed having this advent calendar and I think it was a successful venture into the world of beauty advent calendars. Next year I will most definitely be buying another, as long as the products are different. Marks and Spencer have had some good brands come to their beauty hall so it would be nice to see some of those included next year like Origins or Glamglow. This concludes my posts on this years calendar but I hope you have enjoyed reading about my first experience with beauty calendars.

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