Beauty Advent Calendars 2017 Review – Unboxing | Part One

GUYS, CHRISTMAS IS IN 43 DAYS!!  

I don’t know about you, but this year I’m am feeling extra festive – I’ve already bought my housemate an chocolate advent calendar and the date I’m buying my Christmas tree is already marked in my diary.  

In ode to how festive I’ve been feeling, here is the first in my Christmas blog post series this year.  I’m going to be showing you 5 beauty advent calendars that are out in stores now!  These are all real gems of a gift and something I know all girls would love to receive in the run up to Christmas!

Please note: This is going to involve spoilers as I’m going to be showing ALL products included in each of these calendars in this blog post.   If you’re getting one of these calendars and want what’s inside to remain a secret but are still curious, then watch my video HERE instead!  I show a few of the products available but keep the rest a secret!

Kiehls Seasons Givings Beauty Calendar

£110

Oh how I adore Kiehls.  They are one of my favourite luxury skincare brands and I truly haven’t found a product that I have ever disliked from the brand, so I was over the moon to get my hands of this calendar this year.

The box itself was designed by graphic designer Kate Moross and it looks wonderfully festive.    Inside are 24 products consisting of a real mix of skin, hair and body care.  I think this would be a fantastic gift to someone who is new to the brand as it’s a great way of trying lots of products to find your favourites.  

Some of my fav products from the box are the Midnight Recovery Oil, Creme De Corps, the Ultra Facial Cream and the Ultra Light Daily UV Defence with SPF 50!  

This calendar is exclusive to Selfridges this year and retails for £110.  It’s sold out at the moment unfortunately but will hopefully be back in stock soon before December – bookmark the page in case!

ASOS Beauty Calendar 

£55

You all know I’m the biggest ASOS addict.  I can’t bloody get enough of the website so I was super excited to get my hands on their beauty calendar this year.  Firstly – who ever put this box together is an absolute genius, it contains such a great mix of the beauty brands available on ASOS, I couldn’t have chosen a better bunch of products myself.

Some of my favourites from the box are the Alpha H Liquid Gold (seriously incredible for acne prone or dull skin), the NYX Matte Lip Creme, the Oskia Renaissance Mask, This Work’s Deep Sleep and a moisturiser from The Ordinary.  Perhaps best of all, on Christmas Eve there’s a Foreo Luna Mini and a 20% off ASOS beauty voucher on Christmas Day, so you can purchase the full sizes of any of the products you’ve fallen in love with from the box.  (I know I’ll also be using that to stock up on my favourite holy grail concealer from Nars too)!

Ciate Mini Mani Month

£50

Ciate were the first beauty brand to release a beauty calendar and they’re back this year with another Mini Mani Month.  This box contains 21 mini nail polishes (including a mix of shimmers, glitters and a top coat), as well as nail files, a glitter topper and a full size polish for Christmas Eve.

I’ve fallen in love with some of these shades already, particularly the rose gold glitter, a nude and a holographic polish.  Ciate’s varnishes are great quality and a pleasure to apply so this would make a great gift to any beauty addict this year.  

The box retails for £50, BUT you can currently get it for only £35 (!!) from Marks and Spencers if you spend £35 in store or online.  An absolute bargain!

L’Occitane Luxury Beauty Calendar

£89

What a beauty of an advent calendar!  I have to admit I’m a bit of a newbie to L’Occitane and their product range which is why I really wanted to get my hands on their 2017 beauty calendar.  Like the previous boxes, it’s a great way to introduce someone to the brand.

One thing I love about this box is that it contains a mix of fragrance, along with body, hair and skincare.  Their perfumes are delightful and a real pleasure to try out (along with being perfect handbag staples).  

I also adore how this box is the only one to have each of the products individually wrapped in L’Occitane gift wrap so each day really does feel like you’re unwrapping a Christmas present.  Also – once you’ve opened each day, you can pop the box back in backwards to reveal a hidden picture by the end of December.  The attention to detail in this box is just superb and a real gem of a gift.  

I’m most looking forward to trying their Precious Cream, Immortelle Eye Makeup Remover and the Shea Cleansing Oil!

ESPA Beauty Calendar

£100

Last but not least, the most wonderfully luxurious calendar from ESPA.  This is the first calendar the brand have released and it has not disappointed.

It’s equipped with a variety of their bestselling skin, bath, hair and body care designed to realise your natural beauty and inner calmness in the run up to Christmas.  Despite these products being miniature sizes (ranging from 3ml-15ml) the packaging is so beautiful and really sophisticated; the body and bath oils all contained within glass bottles with marble-patterned lids.

I’m a big fan of essential oils and so I’m really looking forward to sharing the gift of relaxation and luxury with ESPA this Christmas. 

As mentioned above, if you want to see me talk through the boxes then you can watch my video run down too!

I really hope you enjoyed this blog post and manage to get your hands on one of them to open yourself come December the 1st.  I will be back before then with 5 more beauty calendar’s to show you, but until then, please enjoy lots of mulled wine and mince pies for me!

Which of these would you most like to receive this year?

Katie xxx