Review of the John Lewis Beauty Advent Calendar 2020

The John Lewis is one of the few multi branded beauty advent calendars that have not sold out yet. Is it a good deal? What sort of brands does it contain? What are the ingredients and who is it most suitable for?

£150 worth £375

Makeup: 5 items 

The John Lewis Calendar only has five makeup items which is disappointing. There are three products for the eyes, two for the lips and one for the face. 

The Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil in Dark Pearl is worth £19. The colour is unique – is a neutral shade rose gold brown, turning towards grey. It also has glitter which adds to the festive feeling This is a fantastic item in my opinion, and is very easy to use. Charlotte Tilbury is a hyped brand at the moment. 

To line the eyes there is the Eyeko Liquid Eyeliner which is worth £16 and is also in the Next Beauty Calendar and the Elle Magazine one for this year. A liquid eyeliner is always a nice item to have in your makeup collection. The tip of the applicator looks sharp and therefore will allow precision in the application. 

For mascara we get the Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara in 3ml worth £12.75. It comes in black and it is from a high end brand with a long reputation. It is always exciting to get new mascara to try. As I have mentioned in other reviews of beauty advent calendars, the fact that a mascara comes in a mini size is not a drawback at all, as mascara only has a maximum of three months of usage and therefore even little product is enough. 

With this we finished looking at the products intended for the eyes. I think the three items offer some solid, beautiful items which most customers will use. 

For the lips there is only one product, a lipstick from Nars. It comes in 1.6g which is worth around £10. The shade is Tolede, a warm toned copper peach. In my opinion, this will suit most skin tones but it is a somewhat interesting shade and it will be personal preference if you like it or not. Copper toned shades might be difficult to wear by certain people. A Nars lipstick is not a bad choice as again we are looking at a high end, popular brand. 

Lastly, there is a face product. We get the Laura Mercier Blush Colour Infusion in shade Pomegranate which is worth £24. This is a powder blush in a deep coral pink shade. It is a very vibrant and dark shade, and therefore it could be difficult to wear by some skin tones. Again, we are looking at a high end, popular brand. 

Overall, the sizes of the items are excellent and all brands are popular and high-end. My advice would be to look at the shade of the products and see if you would wear them. If the answer is yes, then although there are only five items, the collection is not bad. 

The makeup section is worth around £82 which is more than half of its price but not even a quarter of the total value of the calendar. 

As usual though I have to express my disappointment in the lack of more makeup items with only 5 out of 25. Certainly, more things could have been included. 

Skincare:  12 items 

Again we meet an abundant skincare section with a multitude of items for the skin. As usual, I divided the skincare items into categories to make it easier to follow.

Cleansers

There is only one cleanser included in the John Lewis calendar, the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser in 30ml worth £6. The size is generous and it will last you for a while. This product is supposed to remove impurities from the face, including makeup. It also comes with a cloth to help you remove the product off and further cleanse the skin. I received this item in a previous advent calendar and it does remove makeup well. However, it is very perfumed, with a strong minty scent. This product also comes in the Macmillan Beauty Calendar and in the Next Beauty Advent Calendar.

Masks

There are two masks in this calendar. The first one is the Evolve Beauty Bio-Retinol Gold Mask in 30ml which is worth £13. This product has a mixture of oils that is supposed to smooth the skin and plump. It is advertised as having anti ageing properties. It also contains some sparkles which are supposed to give it an extra luxurious feel. These gold-like shimmers will not add any benefit to your skin other than a pleasing aesthetic effect. 

The second mask is the Rodial Snake Oxygenating & Cleansing Bubble Sheet Mask in 22g worth £8. This is only one sheet mask. It contains charcoal, which helps with blemishes and oily skin. It also contains hydrating hyaluronic acid. The fun element of this mask comes in the form of oxygen bubbles that rise to the surface. 

Primers

There is only one primer in this calendar. The bareMinerals Prime Time™ Original Foundation Primer comes in 7ml and is worth around £5.50. This primer is also infused with some beneficial skincare ingredients, like aloe vera. The size is tiny though and it will not last you long.

Lip care

A lovely addition – we do have a lip balm product in the calendar. The luxury item from By Terry, de Rose Lip Balm. This comes only in 3ml but is worth £12. Lip balms are always nice in Christmas beauty advent calendars because winter is a time when our lips need extra care.

Anti-ageing 

There are several anti ageing products in this calendar. There are creams, serums and mists that have anti ageing properties, although the masks and the primer previously mentioned also have anti ageing effects. 

There is the Estee Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Global Anti-Ageing Cell Power Crème in 15ml. This is worth around £25. A popular and expensive product which is supposed to help the skin look plumper and firmer. This cream is also in the Next Beauty Advent Calendar in 5ml.

The Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream is in many other calendars this year, such as the Next Beauty Advent Calendar and the Elle Beauty Calendar. At 15ml is worth £30. This is another anti ageing product. 

Another product advertised as being anti ageing is the Lumene Nordic-C Glow Boost Essence. This comes in 15ml and is worth £15. It contains vitamin C and hyaluronic acid which are meant to plump and hydrate the skin, helping it to look more youthful and radiant. 

Another expensive product is the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil which in 15ml is worth £45. This oil is presented as doing miracles, such as help with redness, irritation, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, acne etc. This is another anti ageing product. It contains retinol and a blend of oils. 

The Shiseido Ultimune Eye Power Infusing Eye Concentrate comes in 15ml and is worth a whopping £58. This is an anti ageing serum for the eyes, meant to also help with puffiness.

The Dermalogica BioLumin-C Eye Serum is another very expensive item for the eyes. It comes in 15ml which is worth £63. Another eye watering expensive product, this one is anti ageing and is supposed to brighten the under eye area.

Anti blemishes

There is also the Disciple Discovery Kit Skincare Gift Set which comes with two products, each of 10ml. This is worth around £17. While the calendar does not mention the specific type of this product, I believe it is the Good Skin and Dreamy Skin oils. The Good Skin is for blemish prone skin, while the Dreamy Skin is an evening oil which again, fights against blemishes. 

Overall the skincare section is extensive and presents itself in half of the calendar. This feels too much to me, especially since there are so many anti ageing creams in it. The sizes of the products are good, with the skincare section being worth a total of £289. This is more than half the value of this calendar and shows you where the focus is – on skincare. 

Bath, Body & Other: 8 items 

Body and bath: 2 items

For the body there are two items. Firstly, there are the ESPA The Grounding Crystals in 55g which are bath salts. In 55g they are worth £11. Bath salts are lovely to use, especially in winter and I think this is a lovely addition to the calendar. Of course, this is conditioned to whether you have a bathtub or not. If you do not, these are a lovely gift to anyone that likes to have a bath… and has a bathtub.

To finish up the bath there is the Clarins Relax Body Treatment Oil which hydrates the skin. I love using oils in winter as they are extra hydrating and they usually smell gorgeous. I also feel like they are anti stress as you have to massage them into the skin and relax your body. This oil comes in 30ml which is worth £12.

Hair: 2 items

Unfortunately, for the hair there are only two items. This is the Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt which is a scrub for the scalp. This will exfoliate it, hydrate and help it feel better. This is an innovative product and very beneficial to anyone. At 55ml is worth £13.

We also have the Slip Pure Silk Skinny Black Scrunchie which is worth £13. This is handy to tie your hair around the house. It is made of silk which is delicate on the hair and stops breakage. 

Fragrance: 3 items

Surprisingly, there are several perfumes in this calendar. There is the Hermès Twilly d’Hermès Eau Poivrée Eau de Parfum Replica in 7.5ml worth £12

and the Givenchy Irresistible Eau de Parfum in 8ml worth around £11. These are lovely additions if you are a perfume lover. However, this is very dependent on your taste.

The last fragrance item is actually a set of eau de parfum with its matching body lotion and shower gel. This is the Acqua Di Parma Mini Hat Box which is a gorgeous yellow box that contains the three products. The perfume comes in 5ml while the lotion and the shower gel come in 20ml. While I cannot find how much is worth because the sizes are deluxe, this brand is a luxury one and therefore it is probably worth quite a lot. It is lovely that you get a set of three products that match in fragrance.

Other: 1 item

In the miscellaneous pile we have a pillow mist, the Neom Organics London Perfect Night’s Sleep Pillow Mist in 30ml worth £20. It contains lavender and jasmine oil and is supposed to relax you before going to sleep. 

EXPERIENCE

This calendar looks gorgeous. It comes in a sturdy, elegant bright pink box with individual drawers. The look and feel of it is high end, offering thus a special experience. 

This has 25 items so it does offer you something on Christmas day. In fact, it even has more than 25 products, as some drawers contain more than one item.

The calendar contains some expensive, luxury brands offering a luxurious and special experience. The sizes do tend to be on the smaller side. 

IS IT WORTH IT?

The John Lewis calendar is another one that mainly focuses on skincare. There is an array of anti ageing creams, oils and masks. If this is what you are mostly into, then this calendar will make you smile. There are many high end, luxury brands to try, although I did notice lots of the skincare contained perfume, which is a potential irritant to the skin. 

The makeup section is not the best. It could have certainly included more makeup items. The colours of the products are interesting. If they are not your cup of tea then you will not use them. This calendar is not for someone that is looking mainly for makeup. 

The miscellaneous pile is mixed but I do think there are too many perfumes. I wish they swapped some of the items with others in order to bring in more diversity. Certain items in the calendar are repetitive, such as the skincare and the cologne. They could have certainly included more makeup, more hair items and why not, a candle or a nail polish. 

Overall, there is something about this calendar that does not make me excited. I think it lacks the wow factor. Possibly, it is just because it is another calendar that has so much skincare. There are some items that are also seen in other beauty advent calendars.

To be frank, I do not think this calendar is the best value. For £150 you only get a value of £376 which is only twice and a bit of what you pay. Compared to other calendars for this year, this is not the best deal out there. However, it could still be a special gift to someone that appreciates luxury brands and beautiful packaging. 

What do you think of this calendar? Let me know in the comments!

 See all reviews of Beauty Advent Calendars 2020

One of the best? Review: Next Beauty Advent Calendar 2020
Luxury brands and iconic products: Cult Beauty Advent Calendar 2020
Double the price? Macmillan Beauty Advent Calendar 2020
30 Products?! Look Fantastic Advent Calendar 2020
Is it as good as it sounds? No7 Beauty Advent Calendar
£20 Essentials with Essence? DIY Beauty Advent Calendar
Amazing Makeup Range! Glossybox Advent Calendar 2020
What could have been improved? ELLE Magazine Beauty Advent Calendar 2020
Too much skincare? Review of the Feel Unique Beauty Advent Calendar 2020

More  Reviews of Beauty Advent Calendars 2020 coming soon!

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