M&S Beauty Advent Calendar 2023 Opening Thread

[TokyoSushi]

Roll up, roll up, there doesn't seem to be an M&S thread that we can find yet, so please join in to discuss here!

General rules: please don't disclose what the product is until after 7am on the day that it's due to be opened. No spoilers, if you want to open in a different order then go ahead, but please only discuss the product on or after its specific opening date here!

Happy opening everybody, enjoy!

I give it to my local charity shop. They're happy to take anything that is unopened.

I Istatieh donate to Alex TLC, which is a fairly small south London based charity for people with leukodystrophy.

I have loved the calendar even though some days are passed onto others( inevitable - can't suit us all everyday). It's great opening everyday but also love catching up on here to see what other people think. Merry Christmas everyone!

Happy Christmas all. Loved the calendar this year especially the full size shower gel and Roller Lash. Took the perfume and nail varnishes to the charity shop. And passed a lot of the rest to DD1 (16), plus presents for DH and MIL (the handcreams). So it has been fantastic value IMHO.
I like to hope that someone from M&S lurks on these threads to hear what we like best/ least- it's interesting how much we agree on.

I enjoyed this calendar too and thought it was great value for money. Happy Christmas all!

I've loved it too and really can't see how it's anything but great value. As others have said, not everything is going to be your choice, but that's half the joy; trying new things.

Will def repeat next year

Delighted with todays! I’ve really enjoyed, slightly too many PK products but overall for £45 it still felt great value and I’m enjoying my treats daily.

Nice one to finish 😊 first time having the M&S AC for me and I'd buy again. Few meh drawers but for the price I thought it was excellent.

Very happy with this calendar! Only a few things that I won’t use, but overall its been excellent!

Merry Christmas!
I agree. A pretty good calendar. There have been a few things I would buy, now that I’ve tried them. The oil, no oil hair is brilliant on my fine, greasy hair. I like the origins moisturiser as it smells lovely. The Clarins lipstick was nice. Loccitaine is one of my favourites, so very happy with the shower gel and hand cream. Quite like the serum but the texture is a little sloppy. The benefit mascara is great and I use it already.
Not so great. I don’t get the Philip K. Stuff. Too much hype and not that good.
Brow gel. Why? Sleep stuff. Smells ok but it doesn’t help with sleep. Another dud.
The nail varnishes are usually a no for me, but this years red one is lovely.
All in all, a good calendar.

Thanks so much everyone, I’ve just read the whole thread to find out what everyone thinks of the products and so glad I did…. Somehow completely missed the shay and blue day and didn’t realise there was a number 25. The calendar was outside by the bin! Just rushed out to retrieve them. I really needed a new mascara too. You saved Christmas!

It felt a bit sad not having a little box to open today 😂

I know 🙈I was thinking of a beauty box subscription to feed my new addiction

Loved the calendar, much better than last year and amazing value overall. Definitely going to get it again next year.

Used the clay mask yesterday and it felt (and smelt) lovely! Skin is very smooth today. Lovely treat.

I really enjoyed it this year. My one complaint about M&S advents and beauty boxes is they can be a bit samey, I would have to check the contents next year to make sure it was suitably different but ultimately its a good deal as I'm always buying stuff from M&S for Christmas anyway.

I didn't really enjoy it this year. To me it seemed a bit too similar to their previous offerings. Also I was hoping for a bit more fun stuff for Christmas. In previous calendars (and the summer beauty thing) I felt like I was introduced to brands I didn't know before. Whereas this felt much more pedestrian M&S stuff.

Nothing made me go "ooh!"

Sorry to dig this thread up again, but is there an active Swap thread for stuff from this year's calendar? Predictably enough, eBay is swamped with all the M&S calendar don't-wants, which is a good way to pick up more of the items you DID like, but if anyone wants to swap something with my unwanted, it might be a better way...

I'm looking to swap the following unopened items: REN gentle cleansing gel 150ml, the Nails Inc red varnish, Origins Ginzing gel cream whateverthehellitis, Apothecary Meditate hand cream, Benefit roller lash mascara (I loathe wearing mascaras!). I had a LOT more unwanteds but I put them in a pretty sponge bag and added to my niece's Christmas present. And inevitably one or two things I opened and tried and not keen on now, but they've now been opened.

In search of: (trying hard to wrack brains about what I DID like!) the Clinique moisture surge tub on the remote chance that someone doesn't like theirs (happy to have an opened one!), the Nuxe oil which I loved, the Percy and Reid hair volumniser which I find really works for me, or the nail buffing stuff.

If there's a more appropriate thread elsewhere, please link!

I have the Nuxe oil I would happily swap for the cleansing gel? It doesn’t seem a fair swap so would you prefer a set of three I received as Christmas present? My skin doesn’t like it unfortunately

I'd be very happy to take the mascara off your hands @GlomOfNit I think I've got the Clinique moisturiser unopened still - I like it well enough but I have so many mositurisers that I could certainly manage without it! I've got a couple of (opened) Nuxe oils too, I think, that you're welcome to.

I'd be really delighted to swap the cleanser for some Nuxe oil!

We also loved the goodies for hair.

Lemonademoney that would be great, especially if you really don't get on with the oils. I'll PM you once I see if I can remember how to do that on here!

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie done! I'm PMing you.

Sorry, concernedmumhelp I think Lemonade got in first...