Feel Unique Christmas Advent Calendar 2021 – Repetitive Contents?

The Feel Unique Christmas Advent Calendars are some of the most popular and loved calendars available. This review of their 2021 calendar will split the items into categories to make it easier to follow depending on your interests. It will also look into the quality of the products, their sizes, the ingredients and everything in between! 

£119.00 Value £385.20

CONTENTS

Makeup: 4 items

Sadly, the Feel Unique Christmas Beauty Advent Calendar 2021 only has four makeup items in, out of which one is a hybrid in between skincare and makeup. The first item is the Huda Beauty Nude Obsessions Rich Palette in full size, worth £27. This comes in nine nude, mauvy shades. It has matte, metallic and shimmery finishes. There are browns, burgundy shades, rose golds and purples. All colours are very warm toned. This is a fantastic addition in a beauty advent calendar, although I do have to say that I have seen the Huda palette several times in previous advent calendars in 2020. 

There is also an eyeshadow brush to pair with the eyeshadow palette, which is a nice, thoughtful touch. It is not specified which one of the Delilah Eyeshadow Brushes is included in the calendar, but most of them are worth £20.

The hybrid in between skincare and makeup is the By Terry Baume de Rose Flaconnette Liquid Lip Balm. This comes in full size (7ml) and is worth £34. The solid Baume de Rose from By Terry is an iconic product loved by many. The Feel Unique calendar included its liquid balm version, which is indeed a very exciting addition to the calendar. It is supposed to be non sticky, intensely nourishing with a glossy finish. 

There is also a lipstick in this calendar, the Laura Mercier Rouge Essentiel Silky Lip Creme Stick in the shade A La Rose. It comes in a deluxe size of 1.2g. This would probably be worth around £10. The shade is a cool toned, dark mauve. This is another fantastic addition in the calendar from another high end brand. Personally, I love mini lipsticks and I find that they last as long as full sized ones. 

Skincare: 13 items

In terms of skincare, there are thirteen items, which makes up almost half of the contents of this calendar. There is a cleanser from the very popular brand Medik8. Their Surface Radiance Cleanse comes in 40ml and is worth £7. The size of it is generous and should last you for a while. It contains both AHAs and BHAs such as lactic, mandelic and salicylic acid in order to exfoliate the skin and deeply cleanse it. It is recommended for signs of ageing although I would say most people can use an exfoliating cleanser as it is delicate on the skin since it is a wash off product. However, as a warning note to those of you who want to avoid essential oils – this product does contain citrus fruit extracts, like orange, bergamot, lime and grapefruit which are believed to be potentially sensitising and irritating on the skin. In fact, limonene and linalool are on the EU’s list of 26 potential allergens in cosmetics and therefore they need to be added on the ingredient list separately. However, this is a wash off product so they would not sit on the skin for long.

Another exfoliating product in the Feel Unique advent calendar is the Grown Alchemist, Enzyme Facial Exfoliant with Papain and Amino Complex. This comes in 75ml and is worth £52. Again, it is advertised as being anti ageing. This is another rinse off product, with the exception that this one needs to be left on for around ten minutes. It has a blend of plant oils in it, including essential oils. This contains benzyl alcohol, linalool and limonene, all three on EU’s list of potential skin sensitisers and allergens. 

The third exfoliator in the Feel Unique Beauty Advent Calendar is the Filorga Mini Scrub & Detox that comes in 15 ml being worth £10. This is another wash off product like the two before. It contains some physical exfoliators as well, such as micro beads. It also contains papain. In terms of the mechanical exfoliation I would advise care, so do not rub too much, especially not on the face as it could cause micro lesions on your skin. This contains fragrance as well.

In terms of creams, there is the Korres Wild Rose Night Brightening Sleeping Facial in 16ml, worth around £15. This product contains Vitamin C with wild rose extract. It promises a radiant skin. Personally, I did not tolerate this product on my sensitive, rosacea, acne prone skin. It contains aloe vera, sunflower oil, hyaluronic acid, all of these being beneficial to the skin. However, alcohol is amongst the first few ingredients which could be drying. It is also a fragranced product. 

Another cream in the Feel Unique beauty calendar is the ELEMIS Oxygenating Night Cream in 15ml which is worth £34. Like the Korres one, this is another night cream. It contains avocado oil, shea butter, sesame oil amongst other beneficial ingredients. It is supposed to help with skin elasticity and regeneration. It also contains fragrance, linalool and citronellol.

The Prai Throat and Decolletage Creme comes in 15ml and is worth £9. This cream is intended to be used on your neck and chest and it is an anti ageing product. It contains shea butter, hyaluronic acid, squalane, aloe vera, and vitamin E amongst others. These will hydrate, nourish and protect the skin. This product also contains fragrance and limonene. I do have to say that I wish they included the night version of this product instead, which contains retinol. 

In terms of samples, the Feel Unique calendar contains a few. There is the Balance Me Vitamin C Repair Serum in 7ml, worth £11. This is advertised to help with hyperpigmentation and to intensely hydrate. It has hyaluronic acid and squalane. This product is filled with essential oils. It contains farnesol, benzyl alcohol, geraniol, linalool and citral. Again, all of these are on the EU’s list of 26 potential allergens in cosmetics.  In fact, in the EU, these have to be listed separately on the ingredient list, due to their likelihood of causing allergies and irritation. 

Another sample is the Charlotte Tilbury Eye Cream  in 3ml worth around £8. I imagined this would come in a sachet like the samples you get for free with your purchase. However, according to the press release image, this does appear to come in a jar instead. This eye cream is supposed to make your skin look radiant, smooth, firm, decrease puffiness and dark circles. It contains caprylic triglyceride, vegetable oil, glycerin, shea butter, olive oil, squalane and algae extract to name a few of the beneficial ingredients. It appears that this cream does contain a bit of retinol, which is anti ageing. This appears to be free of fragrance! On a side note, I also have to say that I notice the presence of olive oil in quite a few products, so I do wonder why Jennifer Lopez received so much heat for using olive oil in her range of skincare items. 

Believe it or not, we are still not through with the skincare section of this calendar. There are still two masks left, several primers and a self tanning serum. There is the Rodial Pink Diamond Mask which comes in full size. By full size, I presume they mean that it will contain one sheet mask. This would be worth around £11. It claims to lift, brighten and tighten the skin. It contains wheat proteins, pink grapefruit and diamond powder. I must say that I do not know what diamond powder would do to the skin and I could not find much information on it. In fact, lots of the ingredients in this mask do not have much research available. Some examples are the biosaccharide gum-1 and the grapefruit extract.  What I do know is that it contains alcohol amongst the first few ingredients. It also has perfume and some potentially irritant plant extracts, like gardenia florida fruit extract.

The other mask in the Feel Unique calendar is the Wishful V Chin Lift Mask which comes in full size. This is another sheet mask, just like the Rodial one and is worth £8. This one targets the chin area only. It claims to make your skin toned and sculpted. It contains peptides and niacinamide, but it also advertises peppermint oil as one of the beneficial ingredients. Peppermint is not only a fragrant plant extract but it is also a known skin sensitiser. It also contains menthyl lactate, another ingredient with a cooling effect, that is a fragrant plant extract and a known skin sensitiser. It also has witch hazel, which is another potential irritant… and it also has perfume.

The two skin primers are the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and the Emma Hardie Protect and Prime. The Clarins Balm comes in 15ml and is worth around £10. Claiming to eliminate all signs of fatigue, it contains olive oil, bisabolol, fragrance, witch hazel and algae extract. As you may already know from the other products, some of these are known irritants. It also has the potential allergens citronellol, geraniol, eugenol, linalool and limonene. This product can be used as a primer under makeup or as a mask. 

The Emma Hardie Protect & Prime comes in 15ml which is worth £15. This is supposed to offer a soft focus, luminous finish. It also has SPF30 being a sun protectant cream as well. This product does contain perfume including the potential allergens farnesol, citral, citronellol, limonene, linalool and geraniol. 

Finally, we reached the last item of skincare in this calendar which is the TAN-LUXE Super Glow Hyaluronic Self-Tan Serum in 10ml being worth around £11. The concept of this product is innovative, as it combines self tanning properties with a serum filled with beneficial ingredients for the skin. It contains hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and aloe vera. It also contains perfume, geraniol and limonene.

Hair: 3 items

Happily moving on from the skincare section, the calendar also contains three products intended for the hair. There is the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer that comes in 40 ml and is worth £12. This is a hair mask and is supposed to hydrate and condition the hair, strengthening it, reducing breakage and making it more flexible and shinier. You can hear more of my thoughts on this product here. 

The other hair product in the Feel Unique advent calendar is another hair mask. The Paradoxx Game Changer Hair Mask comes in 75 ml and is worth around £10. This is an innovative product, as it can be used as a quick mask, as an overnight treatment or as a styling cream! It is supposed to condition and strengthen the hair and can also reduce frizz. It is also fragrance free! 

Lastly, there is the Lazartigue Repair Hair Mask in 50 ml, worth £3.40. This one is supposed to tackle damage, containing keratin. It is also supposed to leave the hair smooth, stronger with less split ends.

Bath & Body: 7 items

In the bath and body section of the Feel Unique Christmas Beauty Advent Calendar there is a generous size of shower gel from Molton Brown. It comes in their Rhubarb and Rose scent in 100 ml being worth around £7. Not exactly the most Christmas appropriate scent but a nice item to have in a calendar nevertheless. I have seen this item a lot in calendars in previous years.

There is also a body scrub, the First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub in 28.3g which is worth £3. This product contains AHAs such as glycolic and lactic acid in 10%. It also contains mechanical exfoliators such as beads that will buff rough skin away. This is a wash off product and can be used after the shower gel. 

To follow up after washing and exfoliating there are several choices for moisturisation. There is the Sol De Janeiro Bom Dia Cream in 25ml worth £6. However, this one also contains AHAs. Sol de Janeiro is well known for their delicious fragrances (which are generally more well tolerated on the body than the face).

There is also the Lixirskin Universal Emulsion in 30 ml which is worth £17. This product is being advertised as being suitable to moisturise the body, face, lips, eyes, neck and hands. It is scented with rose and ylang ylang extracts. As this cream is advertised as also being suitable for the face, I checked the ingredients. This product also contains fragrance, farnesol, citronellol, geraniol and linalool. It is also a shame that being a multi tasking body and face moisturiser it only comes in 30ml. 

Another multipurpose item is the Nuxe HP Body Oil Multi Purpose in 30ml worth £11. This is an oil that nourishes and softens the skin and can be used on the body, face and hair. It is advertised as being non greasy. The fragrance is sweet and it has top notes of orange blossom, heart notes of rose and lily and vanilla base notes. While I think this could be lovely for certain purposes, when it comes to the face or more sensitive areas of the skin, be aware that this also contains fragrance, citronellol, geraniol, limonene and linalool.

Lastly in the creams and oils section there is the AHAVA Mineral Hand Cream in 40ml worth £6. This is supposed to be a fast absorbing hand cream without a greasy residue. 

The Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Roller Ball ends the body section of this calendar and it comes in 10ml being worth £22. This contains vetivert, chamomile and sandalwood and is supposed to soothe and calm the senses, allowing for a good night’s rest. 

EXPERIENCE

The Feel Unique Christmas Beauty Advent Calendar 2021 comes with 27 items, which is more than usual. It is my understanding that on Christmas day you get more than just one item. All products come in beautiful packaging. 

The calendar seems to be made of sturdy cardboard and it contains drawers which is a much more elegant choice than push through compartments. The colours are not very christmassy but the overall presentation is beautiful. 

Most of the scents inside the calendar are also not very Christmas appropriate – just in case this does matter to you. 

IS IT WORTH IT?

The predominant section in this calendar is the skincare one and is worth around £200. There are thirteen items intended for the face or neck. The sizes are mostly generous and will provide enough usage. Most of them, if not all, contain fragrance, including quite a few of the potential allergens listed by the EU. You will probably be surprised to find out that these are present in most skincare items nowadays. While skincare is a personal choice and not everyone is scared of fragrance, I still have to say that the products in the Feel Unique calendar did not impress me much. I think too many of them could be problematic. Besides the fragrance and the presence of potential allergens, there are also micro beads providing mechanical exfoliation which could irritate sensitive skin. There are also so many fruit extracts with little research that could further sensitise the skin.

For someone with a very reactive skin like myself, I would skip this advent calendar, but this does not mean that others might not enjoy it and find it suitable. However, it is my duty as a beauty writer to point out potential irritants and allergens in products, especially when they are intended to be used on the delicate skin of the face. I will continue to do so for other beauty advent calendars this year.

The items in this calendar can get a bit repetitive. There are three wash off exfoliating products, two sheet masks and several creams with more or less the same aloe vera, glycerin, shea butter and oils. 

In terms of makeup, there are only four items, which is truly disappointing. However, this section is worth £91 which is not far from covering the entire price of the calendar. Despite the small amount of products, the selection is lovely. With a full size eyeshadow palette, an eyeshadow brush, a very popular lip balm and a lipstick, the combination of products is nice. A major factor would be whether you like the colours included or not. Nevertheless, this is another calendar that is not focusing on makeup. Surely a mascara or a face powder would have been a lovely addition. 

For hair there are three items worth a total of £25. All three come in generous sizes of around 40 to 75ml. However, I do wonder why they included the same variation of product. A shampoo, conditioner and a mask would have been more exciting and useful to the buyer than three different masks, all doing the same thing. 

The same could be said about the body and bath category, where there are several hydrating creams. None of them seem to be targeted for being used in winter. If you like getting Christmas scented products in your advent calendar then this might disappoint. The body and bath category is worth a total of around £66.

Another aspect that could be considered is the fact that this calendar contains mostly popular and well known brands, which could be perfect for some, and not so much for others. If you are on the go for more unknown brands and less seen products, this might not be the one. 

Overall, if you are a skincare lover and your skin is not sensitive, this calendar combines a good value for your money with well known, popular brands and good sizes of products. You receive back three times what you paid for, it just depends if you are happy about the repetition of products and if you generally like to avoid certain ingredients. 

If you want to read more reviews of Christmas Beauty Advent Calendars on Lipstick Café make sure you subscribe to the newsletter. I send occasional personalised emails (so no spam!) that announce new series and content.

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Disclaimer: This article is not sponsored and does not contain any affiliate links. Although some analysis has been performed on the ingredient lists, this is not an exhaustive review of each ingredient for every product.

None of the images used are Lipstick Café’s copyright and have been used solely for the purpose of reviewing the product.