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Fortnum & Mason beauty advent chat for December (1)

229 replies

supadupapupascupa · 20/11/2021 19:55

Welcome lucky advent calendar holders!!

I've opened mine but look forward to chatting on the proper days during advent.

Please no spoilers xx

OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
Fleecy · 20/12/2021 09:26

Bit of a filler today but it does smell nice, like the sleep spray.

LoveLabradors · 20/12/2021 14:16

I emailed F&M about my missing eye mask on Friday morning and I still haven’t heard back from them! Not super impressed. Balm is nice but not the most exciting.

Nanasueathome · 20/12/2021 14:41

Have you tried calling F&M?
When I had a problem a while ago with delivery I called them and they were very helpful

CurlyFerret · 20/12/2021 16:27

I’m a little underwhelmed today but will give it a whirl…

Fleecy · 21/12/2021 09:41

Very happy with today's Smile It's so festive and suits the calendar.

Bavarois · 21/12/2021 11:17

Today's is cute, I'm not keen on the smell but it'll be nice for decoration. Probably won't light it.

I'm not sure about this calendar. Everyone else seems to be loving it, I wonder if it's too high end for me. We've had too many creams that are too expensive for me to consider repurchasing. I've liked the room sprays and the bath oil and shower gel. I'm glad to have tried the perfumes and Sol de Janeiro products but won't be repurchasing as I didn't like them as much as I expected. Still, that's the bonus of a calendar, being able to try all these things out without buying full size.

PomRuns · 21/12/2021 11:35

I like today’s. I think this calendar is a huge improvement on last years Liberty but I appreciate its very personal - there were too many repeats year after year imo in Liberty. I wonder if the fact it was in stock for a while will lead to some new products next year.

However in all calendars, I wish they’d stop with the fillers which I think spoil the calendars a bit. Maybe the price point could be adjusted so we don’t have things like the teeny balm or a black eyeliner. I’d rather pay more tbh than having her another cheap filler product.

AprilLady · 21/12/2021 12:17

I’ve enjoyed this year’s F&M, but not as much as last year. There seems to have been less thought put into this year’s and more fillers.

Probably my best ever beauty advent calendar was the 2019 F&M one. Not only was it really lovely to look at, I don’t think it had a single DoD for me. It wasn’t that it was all high end or very generous sizes, but where there were sample sizes there was often more than one thing together - eg. two 75ml shower gels in one drawer, a 50ml shower gel with a 50ml body cream (Penhaligon’s Halfeti, so felt like a treat). There was also a sleep balm, but a higher end £20 one rather than this year’s £10 product. And the Bum Bum cream was 75ml.

I rather like getting say, 15ml of a very high end moisturiser, even if it’s too pricey to repurchase, as I can just enjoy the luxury of using it. This in part is what the high end calendars are about for me personally.

PomRuns · 21/12/2021 12:36

@AprilLady I agree - I love trying the more expensive products.

I also don’t waste anything - pass items I won’t use into my niece or sister who are delighted to receive.

Fleecy · 21/12/2021 12:40

Liberty was my first, last year, so repeats weren't an issue as I'd never had any of it before.

I'm really enjoying this years, as I did with last year's Liberty, because I don't tend to buy high end products, so this is a way I can have all sorts of treats I wouldn't usually have.

It all feels more special then my usual cheap stuff. And with some of the lower priced bits, I can repurchase if I want to, although it would be more than I'd usually spend. And I'd know they were things that worked well and that I enjoyed, so it wouldn't be wasted money.

MidnightMeltdown · 21/12/2021 16:10

I'm loving this year's F&M and definitely prefer it to last years.

Last years was good, but I was slightly disappointed that there seemed to be a lot of very small items. Agree that the 2019 F&M was fab.

Overall, F&M is consistently my favourite beauty advent. It just feels that bit more luxurious than the rest, and has a really nice mix of products that I wouldn't normally buy.

Luvacuppatea · 21/12/2021 17:22

I had F&M in 2019 and absolutely loved it! This year, not so much. Nothing wrong with the contents but I really feel that I’m in the throes of some sort of ‘calendar fatigue’ - the excitement is just not there for me. I do however, have a wonderful stash of high end skincare to work through, so it’s not all bad 😊

CurlyFerret · 21/12/2021 18:42

Not really a candle person but I’ll get into the festive spirit and light this on Christmas Eve.

I’m enjoying the calendar but it’s probably not my absolute fave - I also avoided Liberty as there were lots of repeats from when I tried it in 2019. I had SpaceNK last year which I thought was excellent but had quite a bit of make up which I just won’t use at all. That’s how I ended up at F&M and to be fair other than the hair products I’ll have a go at most of the items. I love that they’re all pretty much new brands, that’s part of the pleasure for me.

JemimaPyjamas · 21/12/2021 20:00

I've lit it and like it, and initially wasn't sure as it might have been a bit sweet / cinnamony for me. Pleasantly surprised and it's made the whole downstairs smell too.

LoveLabradors · 22/12/2021 10:03

I really like the candle. The face vinegar is actually excellent, I’m just reaching the end of my first bottle at the moment. It’s made a real difference to my skin, I use it most evenings. Really pleased to have the next bottle ready!
As for my eye mask woes, I had no reply to my email, the phone line was impossible and after spending two hours on live chat, I finally had the slowest interaction in which they told me they couldn’t send out a new mask but would send me a bottle of wine as an apology. I have to admit looking and their trustpilot reviews I’m not holding my breath as they are just shocking. I’ve never shopped with F and M before but I was very surprised at how bad the reviews are. So we shall see! Still concerned I might be missing out on a holy grail eye product - you will all have to tell me if your eyes were magically transformed Grin

Bavarois · 22/12/2021 10:39

That's disappointing @LoveLabradors, for a company with the reputation of F&M I'd have expected more. Hopefully it's a bloody good bottle of wine! I'm on the John Lewis thread too and someone was missing a 5ml perfume sample and they're getting a £10 refund. Wasn't the eye mask worth quite a lot?

Bavarois · 22/12/2021 10:40

Oh meant to ask, am I right in thinking this face vinegar would replace my normal REN AHA toner? I can't work out if it's a toner to tighten pores or an exfoliator.

LoveLabradors · 22/12/2021 11:11

@Bavarois. I would say it’s far more gentle than the ren RSG. I only tend to use RSG once a week as found too much glycolic could cause melasma in the summer for me. But it just seems to have had a lovely effect on my skin, it’s more even, smooth and less annoying spots.

CurlyFerret · 22/12/2021 15:19

The face vinegar sounds definitely worth a try then, I also use the REN one a couple of times a week so nice to have an alternative.
@LoveLabradors very disappointing response, like you I would have expected excellent customer service from such a well know brand. I’d be sure to follow up in the wine doesn’t arrive either!

LoveLabradors · 22/12/2021 15:40

I also tried the sol janeiro hair mask today and was very pleasantly surprised. My hair looks great afterwards and very shiny. It’s.l a surprise hit as not a lover of the bum bum cream. My hair type is straight and long, fine but lots of it. It’s actually swishy and has volume and not limp. Going to save the rest for before nights out.

LoveLabradors · 23/12/2021 13:16

Really pleased with the body oil, I got the Bath oil in a Liberty kit a few months ago and haven’t used it yet, so it’s nice to have the set.

Bavarois · 23/12/2021 13:18

I got the Olverum bath oil in a calendar last year and it's lovely. Really pleased with today's

CurlyFerret · 23/12/2021 14:24

Happy here too. I’ve used the bath oil before and that was lovely so looking forward to using this over the break.

Fleecy · 23/12/2021 15:06

Ooh I fancy the bath oil, to add to this one. Very nice! Maybe I'll get it with my Liberty beauty drop funds...

SocksAndTheCity · 23/12/2021 21:03

@casinoroyale4ever

Couldn't decide re Galinee hair cleanser - my scalp felt better but my hair looked rubbish. But may be worth it if you want a scalp reset from time to time.

Definitely not doing much for my fine flat hair though - may be much better on other hair types.

I just got round to trying the Galinee scalp wash last night and it was a bit of a trial - it smells bloody awful and I found it hard to work out how much to use as it doesn't foam, then when I dried my (thick/wavy/dry ends) hair it looked fluffy and pretty crap so wasn't impressed even after using my usual Olaplex 6 and 7 leave ins.

However! Today my hair feels lovely and soft, my head feels fresh and clean and it's even quite shiny, so I'm coming round to the idea. I plan to use it again next time I wash and as I was disappointed with the Sol De Janeiro mask I'll be very pleased if this makes up for it.