General “Waifs and Strays” Beauty Advent Calendar opening thread

[AprilLady]

As last year, I suggest we use this as a general beauty advent calendar thread for everyone with beauty calendars that may not be covered by other threads or who prefers a general thread. I’m opening FM, Harrods and M&S this year, and will aim to post on both this and the M&S threads.

Please can no-one post any spoilers before 7am on the relevant day.

Just over a week to go. I’m really looking forward to it!

Really good day again:

Rodial glass primer. Harrods. Yet another full size product. Really looking forward to trying this and seeing if it does give a “natural looking, luminous, glass skin base”

Aromatherapy Associates Bath Oil. F&M and also full sized. I love and very regularly use bath oils, and really rate the AA ones. “Support Breath” is a new scent for me, and sounds good from the description

Eyeko mascara, brown. M&S 2021. I’ve always stuck to black mascaras, and have many samples in my stash, but nothing brown. Will be very interested to try this - M&S yet again managing to do things a little differently this year.

Balance Me Eye cream. M&S 2019. Quite nice, and useful, although as eye creams last forever I do have a few in my stash.

Going to give equal point today:

12.5: 4.5 to M&S 2021.

@Peridot1, I read your comment out of context and was wondering what beauty product has been too hard . The chocolate nut bar sounds lovely!

Brown mascara from M&S. I never normally use brown but will give it a go. I like the Eyeko mascaras. They give good coverage and last well.

Caudalie face mask. Good big tube. It claims to do amazing things for your pores. I currently have it on so we'll see. I use the BB cream from this brand sometimes and really like it.

JL is Ren ready steady glow daily aha tonic.

ASOS is an invisibobble dazzle me scrunchie. Black with silver sparkle.

JL - REN glow which I've been using since getting it last year so I'm happy with more.

Boots No 7 - mascara which DD or I will use depending on who needs it first

Degusta - Savoury cheese crisp bread snacks. What's not to love there.

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Rituals village has another foaming showwr gel. I like these, a good travel size. And museli is raspberries and dark chocolate.

@FaoinDrualus - sounds yummy. Raspberries and dark chocolate go so well together.

Harrods looks great this year, lots of full size items.

Space NK is a teeny weeny pot of La mer.

Disappointingly, my pores have not magically disappeared with the Caudalie mask. I would give you all a close up but it might put you off your lunch.

So far I'm pretty happy with the M&S one, D2 loved her BarryM 12 days of nail polish and D1 loved H&B and Degustabox. Next year I'm definitely getting the Degustabox for home as well as sending one to D1 at university.

slip scrunchies Harrods. A set of 3. I’m happy to get and use these

Bum Bum cream. F&M. I do love this cream, but 25ml is really tiny. One of the things I’ve liked about F&M in the past is that they’ve avoided really small samples like this. I’m happy enough with them in an M&S calendar costing £40, but hopeful of better in a luxury one.

L’Occitane shower oil. M&S 2021. Another shower/bath product from M&S but I really like this, so happy to get it.

Formula Night Cream. M&S 2018. I haven’t used this for a while, but remember really liking it in a previous calendar, so good too.

13:5 M&S 2001, shared points again.

@OchonAgusOchonOh . Will be seeing if the Rodial glass primer can vanish pores today. I’ll report back later.

@Jooox, Harrods has been excellent this year for me. Good products and good sizes on the whole (single eye mask excepted).

A bumper day in Cult Beauty today!

The hair mask in FeelUnique doesn't quite match it And then some Soy Sauce in Degusta.

@MrsMcCluskeysChristmasTree, wow! That is like a gift set on its own. What is in the gold pot?

@AprilLady it's an Atelier Westman eye pod, it looks quite brown so not sure if it will suit me but going to give it a go later.

JL is Mac lipstick in twig.

ASOS is Dr Jart soothing hydra solution mask. Looking forward to comparing it to the one that came in the JL calendar.

And wow to all that in cult beauty - excited to see what you get on the last day if you get all that on a random day!

Couldn’t believe CB this morning; happy Saturday! Might even put some make up on today if I can remember how

That Cult Beauty opening must have been amazing - first time I've felt the sharp pangs of calender envy .

I like the wee l'occitane shower oil but was underwhelmed with my soy sauce and the toffee apple popcorn. Probably just grumpy (definitely grumpy).

Oh well, in the words of Scarlet 'tomorrow is another day'.

Teeny tiny Youth to the People moisturiser and L'Occitane shower oil. I quite like the oil. Never heard of the moisturiser but a bit disappointed with the size.

Another one with CB envy today. What a fab surprise.

[quote AprilLady]@OchonAgusOchonOh . Will be seeing if the Rodial glass primer can vanish pores today. I’ll report back later.

@Jooox, Harrods has been excellent this year for me. Good products and good sizes on the whole (single eye mask excepted).[/quote]
I hope it does a better job than mine did. Maybe I need to use it more than once, she said optimistically.

Wow that’s an impressive haul from CB.

Space NK is medik8 eye serum and tiny hyaluronic acid.

Very impressive from CB!

I had a hair mask in my Rituals one and soy sauce in the Degustabox. Not very exciting but will get used.

So, unsurprisingly, my skin did not look poreless or glass like after the Rodial primer But the finish was pretty decent when compared with the primer I’m currently using, so I’m happy with it anyway.

Opened the Iconic mascara rather than the brown Eyeko one in the end, and it remains my favourite.

Also tried the Oribe hair drops again, this time used a bit more and combined with a different leave in conditioner. Really pleased with the result.