General beauty advent calendar discussion and swap thread

[AprilLady]

Like many others, I’m looking forward to starting my Beauty Advent Calendars on Tuesday. With no M&S calendar or thread this year, I thought it might be fun to have a general beauty advent calendar discussion and swap thread. I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts about the calendar they are opening, whatever it is.

I suggest though we comment only on content from current or previous days, so as not to spoil the surprise for those opening one day at a time.

Sorry I mean until day 19, what are your top and bottom findings until 19th!

I love the Kevin Aucoin eye shadow palette and bath oil form Space NK and VENNface cream in Liberty

worse QMS MEDICOSMETICSLIP LINE CORRECTOR 15ML (dried my skin really badly & MARIO BADESCUWITCH HAZEL & ROSEWATER TONER from Liberty and the lip plumper from Cult Beauty worse. However Cult beauty few products on same day and one was real hit!

I love the Estee Lauder eye cream, the Elemis cleansing balm and the Iconic eye palette.

Worst - the 2 black eyeliners, although the flicky one from CEW was kind of cool (dd loved it) and the really expensive body wipes. They work out at about €2.25 per wipe! Definitely one for those with more money than sense.

So today from John Lewis is something you put in the bath from Espa which will be perfect for regifting as the black pot looks very classy and from Boots No 7 is a brightening face mask.

F&M: So far I love the ilapothacary hand cream, chantecaille day cream and aurelia night cream.
I'm less excited by the bramley body wash, bramley body cream and the instant effects lip plumper (I might be beyond its capability!).

Amazon was a Philosophy cleanser, sample size today. Tried it in the shower and my skin feels clean, but a bit sore. That's the trouble, my skin is so sensitive that this year's skincare heavy Amazon just really isn't doing it for me.

LF top 3 would be the Elemis night cream, Tan luxe drops (which I was very dubious about but absolutely loving) and the Omorovicza silver skin saviour mask.
Bottom 3 would be the eyeliner, and the REN tonic and Vit C serum as these are both too strong for my sensitive skin.

ASOS is a Spectrum make up brush , which was the thing I least wanted when researching the list, but hey ho, I can regift..

Top 3- Elemis marine cream, Clinique moisture surge , Aveda damage remedy.. (plus jade roller, bare minerals serum, becca primer, nip&fab vit c tonic, living proof perfect hair, 🤣)

Bottom 3 - spectrum brush, Better than sex mascara, don’t have a third!

I've just used the fresh strawberry mask @Ponks and it's lovely, adore the scent too.

@Talisin

A nice sized jar of Polaar Night Revitalizing Cream from Fenwicks today. Look forward to trying it tonight. Sadly the accompanying card was pretty factual today so nothing to giggle at.

One of the main reasons I decided to try the Fenwick's box this year. Good size, too - 50ml!

Today's Benefit Gimme Brow might be interesting ... I'll admit, I've never tried one.

My top ones are similar to Retailqueenie from ASOS! Elemis cream, Clinique moisturiser and probably the nip and fab toner. Also the Sunday Riley exfoliate serum has been really good! But I've nearly used it all up

Worst probably the pillow spray, brush and jade roller ... but I'm not complaining

I really like the H&B Ethique shampoo and conditioner bars. My hair feels much better than with the products I usually use.
Things I haven't liked are nail filer from the bodyshop and plastic ear swab from H&B.

Dd20 opened up the H&B days she missed. She is completely bemused by the ear swab thingy. She has no idea what to do with it.

Not sure my Hayou Gua Sha stone from the N-a-P calendar is going to be any more useful than a plastic earbud, but at least it looks prettier.

Like @CupboardMonster, my favourites so far are the Chantecaille cream and the Ilapothecary hand cream, as well as the Sol de Janeiro hand cream. Least useful, as well as the Hayou stone, is likely to be the lip plumping product. I’ve liked, but not loved, quite a few of the N-a-p products I’ve tried so far.

I think my skin does look better than usual at the moment, but hard to know which of the many new products I’ve tried recently is responsible!

bumbl I’ve been sooooo happy with ASOS, definitely had our monies worth!

@Retailqueenie me too!! It's great value

Top for me far on Amazon is the AHC eye cream and surprisingly, the lip scrub. Bottom is definitely the brown lipstick. I don't think I'd bother with Amazon again, even though I like the balance of skin care and make up.

HB highlights are the Whamisa toner and the gorgeous turmeric shower gel. Low points include the coconut toothpaste and the ear bud.

F&M today is a Guerlain oil that is apparently going to replump, smooth and illuminate. It’s a dinky 5ml, but a little oil goes a long way so happy to try this.

N-a-P is another full size product, and one I am very keen to try. It’s a NIOD non-acid formulation that is supposed to work like an acid. As I’ve not tried any of the products before though, I’m a bit bemused by the instructions (pic attached) and will need to work out how I use it and with what. Very grateful if anyone knows and can explain.

Another great day from ASOS, Laura mercies pure canvas primer! Never tried it, very happy..

Mercier!! (Bloomin prescriptive text!)

It's black eyeliner day from John Lewis. An Eyeko London Skinny Liquid Eyeliner to be precise. I tend to wear brown more than black as black looks a bit harsh on me so will probably re-gift.

Lumene is a vitamin c essence ( think it was in the Joh Lewis calendar earlier on) which I'm looking forward to trying.

I forgot I had left my John Lewis Winter Glow box as a quasi advent calendar, so I had opened it last night and tried the Sisley Black Rose face mask - wow it's great.

DH is beyond happy with today's degustabox offering.

Good to hear that the Sisley product is lovely @Ponks look forward to trying mine.

@CupboardMonster I've just looked up the price of a full size ... I'd better make the most of this mini. I left it on overnight and my skin did look more plumped this morning.

From CEW (although I think this was one of my top-ups from the QVC Elemis box) is pro- collagen marine cream. I've tried this before and love it.

Lumene is, amazingly, not a moisturiser. It's an interesting looking serum.

And tea is a rooibos cacao chain. Sounds tasty.

Just looked @Ponks I too will getting every gram of it out of my mini! I always snip tubes open when they run out to get the hidden bits