Not buying an advent calendar this year: mutual support thread

[MorrisZapp]

Right. You know it, I know it, we all know it. Beauty advent calendars offer shit value for money when you actually break it down.

I guarantee that if you spent the same sum on any other format of beauty products, you'd do better. Especially when gifts, bonuses and freebies are factored in.

Off top of head, take Clarins. Spend a chunk there at bonus time and you'll have enough good stuff to last the year THAT YOU SPECIFICALLY CHOSE.

Join me. Say no to that tenth mini bottle of Nuxe oil. Decline to fill your pants drawer with Percy and Reed 'wonder spray' (I wonder what it's meant to do?). Stop hassling your friends to relieve you of Leighton Denny nail polish in revolting shades. Guess what? Silver doesn't flatter their hands either.

Rise up! Buy all the gorgeous, beautiful stuff and CHOOSE IT YOURSELF!

I have broken my beauty advent problem by using the money instead to get the 3 grandchildren bath bomb / soaps calendar.
They will love them , they are all into that sort of thing .
I'm sure they will appreciate them more than a calendar with cheap palm oil chocolate in 🤮
They are cruelty free too .
Going to buy myself a lovely old style advent calendar with just pictures like I had as a child instead .

@poppy196 - DS1 would love a bath bomb calendar! Where did you get it?

@weebarra from amazon, they do two different ones at about £15 each .
When I opened the box of calendars I was in heaven , smelt lovely 😊

I’ve never had a beauty calendar but this year I really want one. I’ve got drawers full of unused crap. Please tell me I don’t need these.

@Writersblock2 - get one of those empty pocket advent calendars and put your unused stuff in

Oh god I can completely relate to this. I’m a sucker for beauty products and keep getting tempted but my tight-arse mentality can’t get my head around spending hundreds of pounds in stuff I neither need nor particularly want. I was tempted by the Jo Loves and Jo Malone ones but really I’d rather spend that money on some scent I actually want instead rather than a million shower gels and votive candles (that don’t actually throw much scent).

I spent a stupid amount of money in Space NK recently and got their amazing Star box, which was easily equivalent to an advent calendar, with £400 worth of stuff apparently (it was seriously good and I’m using all of it)... and it was free!

I've never bought one, prefer the chocolate ones
it's obvious you are going to get ripped off, with very little for your money.

Oh god this is me. Totally sitting on my hands this year cos have enough Leighton Denny nail polish and not very nice perfume from previous years.

I have always loved the Ren products I’ve got. Perhaps if I buy something Ren that will scratch the itch

I’m with you!

Still wading my way through mini bits of shit from a few years ago

FILORGA.

No thanks. I don't need tablets to give frogs an erection.

@Writersblock2 I'm an avowed hoarder of makeup and beauty products but oddly I've never bought an advent calendar. I'll admit to being very tempted this year, hence making my own to sate my longing.

Thing is, when I break it down it doesn't make sense to me.
Beauty advent calendars are a pretty recent thing, last years Look Fantastic and Amazon calendars were both good value but this years, not so much.

Agreed FabulousTomatoes the latest SpaceNK giveaway was excellent, I often get them and/or the Cult Beauty ones.

I'd pay good money to look like Rita out of Corrie in her prime Mrsr8.

There are a few good REN gift sets about at the moment @Almahart. Would that help?

Oh, you all read my mind. I thought about getting the Kiehls one but it had sold out. I bought the Liberty one a couple of years ago but it was bobbins - most of the products seemed to be aimed at 20-something women (do they have the disposable income for a liberty advent calendar?) rather than the Serious Skincare for Old Women that i was hoping for. John Lewis last year, that was alright but I think the only thing I purchased voluntarily from it afterwards was the toothpaste, which tells its own story.

So it’s M&S or nothing this year. I know it should be nothing (although I quite like Filorga tbh, it feels like it fills up my facial crevasses quite nicely). If I get one more small bottle of Nuxe I think I might have a tantrum.

Thanks *PurpleNailVarnish’ I’ll look into those.

I’ve been remembering the contents of my last M&S calendar, which has been helping:

Tiny bottles of Nuxe (as per pp)
Filorga
Red sparkly nail varnish
Red marbley nail varnish
Various wierd tiny hair polish/shine/sheen things
Shay and blue parfum

Er

Good:
M&S sleep cream
Ren

That does help a bit

I really like the idea of beauty advent calendars and if i found one in which every gift was something i would use I might get myself one. But they all contain lots of stuff I either wouldn't use or that I already have. I have a reusable one that I buy some new bits for and then put stuff I either haven't used at all or have neglected through the year.

I have decided I’m definitely not getting one. I will buy one decent product and book myself a facial. It’s the packaging that gets to me really. I’m trying hard to reduce my use of plastics and useless packaging so the advent calendar seems very counterproductive.

I actually really liked last year’s M&S advent calendar! It was my first one. I liked (and used) most of what was in there. I even repurchased a couple of things, including that M&S night cream. It’s AWOL at the moment because my three year old likes messing with my stuff. I’ve looked everywhere. So if I get another of those, I’ll be quite happy

I'm not getting one this year as I have to much beauty related stuff and I'm cancelling all my subscription boxes as well. A surprise is nice, but it's not worth it in teams of waste and stuff I'll never use.

I'm watching advent calender unboxings on YouTube to sate that particular desire! 🤞 it works!

I disagree with the statement they arent worth the money - granted, there are many that aren't, but there are some that definitely are if you use even 80% of the products in them.

I'm speaking specifically about the M&S calendar - it's £35, but it contains several full size products that cost £10-20 if brought individually. Obviously, if you wouldn't use these products anyway it would be a waste of £££ but if you would and you like trying new things it's worth it .

Dear OP, I completely agree but I bought one anyway.

WELl my husband bought me one of the Jo MAlone ones from Harrods and that is actually lovely as there isn’t a dud in there.

I had a raid yesterday when it arrived 😁
I was underwhelmed at the idea initially although impressed with his spontaneity.

It came with two little samples as well -I LOVE the wood sage perfume. I have been rather good in letting him put it away until December.....

Wow lucky you Paul! Do you mean you've opened the doors though? Surely not!

Op 100% agree with you but I'm still going to get the m&s again, Im actually looking forward to getting the good old Percy and reed randomness and dodgy Leighton Denny varnishes again!

All part of the fun, it's like winning something at a dodgy PTA raffle every morning

PurpleOctober - I think the M&S one is the most reasonably priced and therefore the best value in my view.

diamondsandrose - I did love opening mine every morning the last couple of years! I’ll lurk on the thread this year and live vicariously!

Yep I sure did. Didn’t spray any of them but looked in all the drawers and sniffed what I could. From what I can remember there were a couple of candles, possibly three body creams (one was large), a couple of bath oils and hand washes and the rest -perfumes. You could smell the perfumes without spraying them.

I looked with his permission as he said I could sell it on if I didn’t like it.

That’s not happening.....

Ok since this won’t spoil it for anyone as you are all being strict my lack of delaying gratification can be shared here....