For vintage enthusiasts and cat lovers: Paul & Joe Beauty Advent Calendar 2019

£80 

Featuring retro modern packaging this brand is something different on the market. The calendar contains Paul & Joe products only. Because of its unique look I think it deserves more attention than it currently gets.

Makeup: 10 items

This advent calendar has nine makeup products, however, the lipsticks, the eyeshadow and the blush come with the cases separately, which means on one day you get the empty case and on the other you get the actual product to put inside. I would normally be upset about this, but Paul & Joe’s packaging is so adorable. It is the same way their products are sold online, so I think it is fair.

We get two cat shaped lipsticks (yes, you read that right), one in a sheer shade, more like a lip balm, and one beautiful vintage red. These to me make the entire calendar worth it, even though if you bought these two you would spend £42 (the cases are £7 each and the cat shaped lipsticks are £14).

There is also an Eye Colour Limited eyeshadow (perhaps in varying shades) that has a beautifully designed case with dogs and cats; a powder blush, and an eye cream colour, which according to some research into their makeup is more like a sheer shimmer. The lipsticks, the blush and the eyeshadow are full size.

Skincare: 8 items

We get two makeup primers: The Sparkling Primer 001 and the Foundation Primer Limited 002. This is where it gets slightly confusing, as I had troubles finding these specific primers online, but there is quite a lot of buzz about the Paul & Joe primers, so even though these are skincare, they seem to be a novelty and I think they would be interesting to try.

There is also a lip treatment balm that comes in a pot, which is always handy. I think the chances are that it contains beeswax, so keep that in mind if you only use vegan products.  We get a tiny size of cleansing cream, some cleansing gel, herbal lotion, cooling lotion and face oil, all in small sizes. They all seem to contain olive oil, so keep that in mind if you would rather avoid it. As usual, make sure you check the ingredients before using any skincare.

BODY, NAILS AND OTHER:  6 items

Body: 2 items

There is a hand cream and body oil. The hand cream contains olive oil, while the body oil has olive oil, squalene and rice oil as the first three ingredients. Body oils can be lovely after a shower, especially in the cold season when our skin gets drier.

There is nothing for hair in this calendar, so perhaps they could have added their hair mist instead.

Nails: 2 items

There is a tiny size of nail oil, which is a nice thing to have, but I wish they only put in the body oil (which, after all, can be used as a nail oil as well., we get a full size of vintage red nail polish, which looks gorgeous and is very appropriate for the festive season.

Makeup bags: 2 items

Two limited edition makeup bags, one with a lion’s head in the middle, which seems padded, and one with cartoon pets that is thin and made of shiny material. They are both cute, but I wish there was just one.