General “Waifs and Strays” Beauty Advent Calendar opening thread 2024

[AprilLady]

As in previous years, this a thread for those opening Beauty Advent Calendars not covered by specific calendar opening threads (though also happy for contents of those to be shared here too).

Carrying on the traditional from previous years, it will also be fun to hear about other calendar openings - Degusta, jam, escape room anyone?

I know there are mixed feelings on this, but many of us would really appreciate it if spoilers are not posted before 7am on the relevant day. Please also avoid dropping hints or spoilers about future contents if you have opened the calendar in advance.

Posting pictures of contents is also always much appreciated.

I’ll be opening the Space NK and Harrods calendars this year. Really looking forward to Day 1 tomorrow.

Thank you! That would explain it then. I was rather confused.

😹@OchonAgusOchonOh

@ThePeopleBowedAndPrayedToTheNeonGodTheyMade sorry I just realised you asked what the foreo is, tbh good question! It’s a “facial cleansing device” basically it’s a pad that vibrates and you move it around your face with your cleanser 🤷‍♀️ it’s supposed to be better than just using your hands. The vibrations are meant to be good for circulation and they do other types of device with LED, other stuff too but I’ve not really looked into it!
im not convinced it’s not a gimmick, I remember them doing the rounds with bloggers a few years back and was never tempted. Anyway, I’m willing to give it a go!

@IlovePond i wondered if you might say that.
hope you get some bigger sizes soon! Good point about the multi brand aspect actually, one of the reasons I like vogue is it’s not just make up and skincare. I think id have been happy with a
nuxe calendar but I didn’t know they had one! And I sort of thought I might be able to pick one up
on sale too, thinking beauty calendars were losing popularity but obviously not!

impressed with all your dogs restraint! My son is loving his brio one, I find it odd he’s happy with a
piece of plastic fence! But we get asked about 40 times a day if he can open the next door, so sounds like your dogs have more patience!

(sorry im not sure why autocorrect is removing some of my punctuation? Random missing apostrophes and capitals!)

Had a look at Grown Alchemist in Sephora today after the glorious face scrub in ASOS earlier in the week, my goodness it's ££££! I'll have to enjoy every last drop of this one!

It is worth looking on Vinted for some on there, especially if the door has been opened as people who don’t care for it will be selling theirs. I have had their hand cream and know the top comes sealed so hopefully the scrub did as well so you make sure it has not been used beforehand.

Oh yes, it was sealed, good idea @MrsBnow12

@Isitfridayyetsophie - I love that Brio calendar!

Yes, fingers crossed for a bigger size soon!

I think after overstocking a couple of years ago, most of the big brands have cut down on the amount of stock they have. At the same time, perhaps, more people are getting ‘into’ beauty calendars. I’m thinking of my friend - she genuinely buys virtually nothing for herself except food from one year to the next and is quite remarkably frugal - even she cracked and got M&S this year. (If she’s buying at least one, then some people must be going wild😹)

I'm a bit shocked, in a good way! I signed up for a monthly Birchbox subscription last week and it said I would get a free advent calendar. I expected that if it really arrived, it would be full of stuff that I would never use, but it arrived five minutes ago, and I'm really pleasantly surprised by the contents. I've opened the first seven boxes and while the sizes are quite small it includes some nice things like an Evolve serum. I felt really sorry for the Evri driver still delivering at this time.

I’m really happy with my Liberty advent calendar, with the disclaimer again that it’s my first ever one. It’s really getting me through night feeds and I am enjoying all the threads - they were a great distraction through pregnancy too. I look forward to whatever hour of the day I might wake and it’s giving distinctions to the days. I like that the AC thread chat remind me of previous days to go back and try the products. Having said that, DH filled one of my DoD with gold chocolate coins and I really wish there were more …

I look forward to @Ems235 and @Isitfridayyetsophie posts the most on the Vogue advent calendar. I’ll really have to think about saving for that next year - was it more expensive than last year? £355 this year. I would absolutely buy the Liberty again if I plan towards it by running down my current in use products. I don’t like building a back log.

@IlovePond he loves it too, I’m sure I will find it more exciting when he actually gets a train but I’m quite sure the first day was a train sign which seemed a bit anti climatic. I guess as with all calendars, it must be tricky to know what to start with?

Yes that’s true, I feel they were all the rage a few years back and then quietened down a bit but maybe now they’re more “normalised” people are buying them more than I think. I did try looking to see if there was any Nuxe ones in the sale but all sold out- eBay they’re extortionate!

@Growlybear83 ah that’s fab! What a treat!

@BakeOffRewatch aw congratulations, how old is your little one now? I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m actually a little bit envious of your night feeds. I had an F&M when my son was 4
months and I know what you mean, I used to treat myself at 4am! Quite sure the vogue one was a bit cheaper last year but my husband got last years for me unprompted, so I’m not sure. For what it’s worth I wouldn’t get the f&m one again, I still have loads of products barely touched/given away/thrown away because I thought they were rubbish for the price (I’m looking at you cult51!) and looking at the contents they seem to be the same brands again.

@Georgieporgie29 @Pickled21 Yes, only day 7 but based on so far I recommend! I love that the gifts are wrapped for starters. I love that it's not all one type of thing but a mix. And if the gifts continue to be as nice then I'd say very good value for money. They also do birthday boxes and I'm already thinking of getting myself one this spring.

Paxton & Whitfield today was smoked Brie. Wasted on me as I hate smoked cheese, but it’s the first dud in the box.

@IlovePond I got DCat (now 8) a calendar for the first and last time last year. By Day 6 he cracked and opened the whole thing and ate it all. I thought this showed a certain initiative and intelligence, but DD thought it was just persistence 😼

I am not too sure about either.
The MFK perfumes are going to my son. I am not fan of his perfumes, but enough to want any of them in my collection. My son is fan so maybe he will want them

I will read about the two in space nk but bit meh day

😹😹😹@ChannelLightVessel - hopefully not packaging and all???

Oh I was looking at that La Neige in a shop yesterday @MiaN - I loved it!!!

Maybe it'll turn out to be a better day after all!

No, he didn’t eat the packaging: it was his opening of the foil windows that impressed me most

Oh, now that is mpressive @ChannelLightVessel - what dexterity! 😹😹😹

I love your floor, btw!

@MiaN peptides is where it's at, try it. I don't know how good The Ordinary products are in general, but I'm all over anything to do with peptides because I find them very effective for fine lines and expression lines.

@ChannelLightVessel your cat is a genius!
I am beyond impressed to see such dexterity. I wonder how long it took to do all that?!
Much neater job than when I open my dogs' ACs. This year I've got them some where the treats come in some annoying vacuum packed thick plastic packaging so I need to use small nail scissors for every tiny bag.

Harrods Day 8 - Floraiku 'And Your Lips' Eau de Parfum -10ml (RRP £60).

Always like to try a new perfume so happy with this. Verdict still open - not an immediate love but it's growing on me (sprayed on wrists about 10 mins ago).

Day 8:

SpaceNK: Two products again, a Laneige sleepmask and an Ordinary serum. Is a sleepmask really just an overnight moisturiser by a different name? Happy enough though, these will get used.

Harrods: Perfume today, Floraiku’s And your lips. This is an expensive brand (the 10ml retails for £60) and from the notes I was expecting to love it. First test is a bit underwhelming. It’s pleasant but more fruity floral than I was expecting.

F&M tea: Green tea with Elderflower today. There has been a good range of teas so far in this.

Day 8 of the Lookfantastic calendar is a an Estee Lauder advanced night repair serum. According to the Lookfantastic website the 15ml is travel size but it states free sample on the box. I think next time I'm going to do more research when buying advent calendars because it seems some might inflate the figure for overall 'worth' by doing this.

It's a product I've used before so happy to use again. Less happy with Lookfantastic adding free samples and including them in the overall worth of the calendar though.

Sachajuan hairstyling cream in ASOS today, full size. Never heard of it but will give it a whirl, two hair products in a row as we got a big elasticizer yesterday!