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Original poster

General “Waifs and Strays” Beauty Advent Calendar opening thread

633 replies

AprilLady · 23/11/2021 17:00

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!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
176
countdowntonap · 02/12/2021 07:47

Op, I would love to have that Evidens de Beaute face mask in one of my advents!

Original poster
AprilLady · 02/12/2021 07:51

@countdowntonap, yes, really excited to try it!

Although it’s a faff to use, I have and do like the Wow dreamcoat spray you got - when I use it as directed it makes a huge difference to my normally frizzy hair.

OP posts:
MiaN · 02/12/2021 07:53

30mls for face mask is great size, some full sizes are 30ml. Your hair will smell like summer, report how are you getting on with it after you try it

Happy with cult beauty today but the room spray from rituals is a complete no, really granny smell. I will leave it in spare bathroom but considering how many wonderful scents rituals has this is disappointing

wheresmyshoe · 02/12/2021 07:57

NaP is a Susan Kauffman Mallow Blossom bubble bath in a glass bottle, it smells of lavender. I'll try it out tonight.

General “Waifs and Strays” Beauty Advent Calendar opening thread
ApolloandDaphne · 02/12/2021 07:59

I quite like the Rituals product. It is a hair and body mist. It's a nice handbag size

General “Waifs and Strays” Beauty Advent Calendar opening thread
IToldYouIWasFreaky · 02/12/2021 08:14

Quite a practical day here! The M&S shower gel is fine, nothing too exciting but it smells nice and is a handy size for weekends away etc. And Maille wholegrain mustard from Degustabox. Something we use all the time, so won't go to waste but doesn't feel like much of a treat!
Gorgeous smelling hair oil from H&B though, quite pleased with that.

MiaN · 02/12/2021 08:16

I have the 3rd rituals advent and day 2 is s rituals of sakura rice milk and cherry blossom spray. Good size 50ml but sadly not the scent for us

General “Waifs and Strays” Beauty Advent Calendar opening thread
OchonAgusOchonOh · 02/12/2021 09:21

Body wash from M&S. Nice scent but not the most exciting.

Charlotte Tilbury eye pencil in colours that just happen to work well on my eye coloursGrin. It was one of the extras I bought to pad out the beauty boxes I'm using and I really love it. I've tried it out this morning as I have a meeting today I want to wear make-up for.

General “Waifs and Strays” Beauty Advent Calendar opening thread
OchonAgusOchonOh · 02/12/2021 09:35

[quote SocksAndTheCity]@OchonAgusOchonOh

Here we are! Picture also includes a standard teaspoon for the purpose of scale 😀[/quote]
That's so cute. I'm not even a major fan of jam but I'm getting serious calendar envyGrin

MiaN · 02/12/2021 09:44

I have the green shade of Charlotte Tilbury dual end pencil. What advent is that? awesome item to get

MiaN · 02/12/2021 09:45

oh, it's the one you made for yourself. It's really lovely, enjoy!

OchonAgusOchonOh · 02/12/2021 09:48

@MiaN

oh, it's the one you made for yourself. It's really lovely, enjoy!
There wasn't enough in the beauty edits to make up a full calendar so I bought a couple of treat make-up items to fill it up as I like a bit of make-up in the calendar.
festivefuschias · 02/12/2021 09:51

JL is a 30ml Evolve rose quartz facial scrub which I’m looking forward to using.

ASOS is a full size Dr Pawpaw multipurpose tinted balm in a brown shade.

FaoinDrualus · 02/12/2021 10:21

Todays Rituals is a cherry blossom room spray. I will put it in the visitors bathroom. After the candle yesterday, my appartment is well taken care of in the fragrance department. I am ready for something for ME! Fingers crossed for tomorrow...
Todays museli is strawberry and white chocolate.

General “Waifs and Strays” Beauty Advent Calendar opening thread
OchonAgusOchonOh · 02/12/2021 10:53

@festivefuschias - the facial scrub sounds lovely. The balm sounds a bit odd. Why would you need a brown balm?

@FaoinDrualus - more chocolate for you. Sounds yummy

Babysharkdoodoodood · 02/12/2021 11:09

Lovely bamboo stick mask from Sephora today. Already used it. So easy swipe, leave on, shower off.
Rituals sprayGrin. Still have last years one somewhere.

Nice 150 ml coffee today in Fortado.

General “Waifs and Strays” Beauty Advent Calendar opening thread
festivefuschias · 02/12/2021 11:47

[quote OchonAgusOchonOh]@festivefuschias - the facial scrub sounds lovely. The balm sounds a bit odd. Why would you need a brown balm?

@FaoinDrualus - more chocolate for you. Sounds yummy[/quote]
It says you can use it on lips and cheeks. You need to be very sparing, but it’s lovely if you are. I love the original version.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 02/12/2021 13:32

@festivefuschias - I was thinking of something you'd use on dry skin or similar. That's a bit different. Brown wouldn't suit me but sounds good if the colour works for you.

festivefuschias · 02/12/2021 13:39

Grin brown doesn’t usually suit me either but this does look nice applied sheerly. Not that many people outside the house can see anything I put on my lips anyway!

festivefuschias · 02/12/2021 13:40

And the original version can be used for that - it worked miracles on a skin condition one of my DC had.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 02/12/2021 13:45

@festivefuschias - I've used the original and found it great for stuff like that, which is why I was bemused by the coloured one.

LookdeepintotheParka · 02/12/2021 13:47

I got the mini Ritual of Sakura hair and body mist today. It's gorgeous and I already have the full size version so this is great for top ups during the day.

The Evolve scrub sounds nice in the JL calendar. I had an Evolve serum in the H&B calendar last year and it was lovely.

MrsMcCluskeysCat · 02/12/2021 13:54

Right which one of us sparked off the debate currently happening in AIBU Grin

OchonAgusOchonOh · 02/12/2021 14:42

@MrsMcCluskeysCat

Right which one of us sparked off the debate currently happening in AIBU Grin
And who's going to nip over and wind them up a bit more Grin

That said, if you asked me 5 years ago would I get a beauty advent calendar, I'd have said I would have no interest. I only started moisturising regularly when I got to my late 40's (I'm now 56), only used cleanser on the rare occasion I wore make-up (soap in the shower was the only washing my face got) and I tend to go with relatively cheap and cheerful for moisturiser and stuff. I got talked into the M&S one 5 years ago and loved trying out all these luxury items I would never buy, not because I can't afford them but more because I don't see a massive difference in results and I would struggle to justify them to myself on that basis. That was me sold on the whole advent calendar concept and I look forward to it each year now.

Given the mount of stuff I ended up with last year, I started using a cleanser, serum, moisturiser and/or face oil every night. Takes me bloody ages to get ready for bed these daysGrin. I even put moisturiser on in the morning now.

However, I would never judge anyone else for buying something I'm not in to. We all have our little foibles and I can't believe that the judgers are not doing something else I would consider to be wasteful/environmentally bad etc.

MiaN · 02/12/2021 15:12

People are funny. Some people smoking and drinking will spend more, people drinking two Starbucks coffees a day will spend more and nobody will blink.