Haircare,  Makeup,  Skincare

The best one? Debenhams Beauty Advent Calendar

£45 with ANY beauty purchase or £90 on its own

The Debenhams Calendar seems to have a lot of potential this year! Containing mixed brands and various products, it could be one of the best out there. But is it really?

 

Makeup: 7 items

It only contains seven makeup items out of 24 overall products but the range is fantastic! There is a MAC lipstick in a beautiful bright red shade, a blush from NARS in the shade Orgasm, both products being extremely loved and well known. These two surely made a statement in the beauty world and it is fantastic to be able to get them in an advent calendar. The MAC lipstick is a full size, and the NARS blush is a mini, but that is not a down at all as I doubt many people ever hit the pan of a blush before it expires. 

There is a mascara from Kat Von D, the Go Big or Go Home, which again, is known and has potential. We get another mascara, the Benefit They’re Real, which is extremely popular and very loved. Given the fact that both mascaras are from higher-end brands, I do not think it is disappointing that we get two. 

The lipner from Buxom (varying shades) comes with a lip brush on one end, which will be very handy for any lip look, and lastly, but not least, a NYX mini eyeshadow palette in warm neutrals. The warm neutrals will look good on most people. The NYX palette seems a bit of a random choice in between MAC, NARS, Benefit and Kat Von D, these being more high-end brands, but it is not a bad thing. However, I wish they kept with the theme. 

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IT’S HERE! 🎉 Our 2019 Beauty Advent Calendar has landed and it’s full of all our all-time favourites 👏 From a full-size MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick to the cutest Nars Orgasm Blusher, yours for just £45 when you make any beauty purchase ✨

A post shared by Debenhams Beauty Club (@debenhamsbeauty) on

 

Skincare: 10 items

This calendar contains quite a lot of skincare and this seems to be the theme this year with every mixed brand calendar. We get moisturisers – Clinique Moisture Surge 15ml, a tiny Ciate Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer in 5ml and Touch In Sol Pretty Filter Waterful Glow Cream in the tiny size of 5 ml again. There are a few cleansers, such as the Philosophy Purity Cleanser in a decent size of 30ml, the Murad Environmental Shield essential-C Cleanser (45ml) and the Oh K! 3-Step Mask: Cleanser (2ml haha!), Mask (20ml), Serum (2ml). 

There is an anti-aging cream, the Filorga Time Filler in 15ml. Filorga is a more expensive brand and I have enjoyed their products before. A nice trick would be that if you do not want to try this on your face (if you already have a strict skincare routine) you can always use it on your neck, as the neck ages just as much as the face in time (because they are both exposed to the sunlight everyday).

Lastly, there is some Clarins lip oil in 2.8ml, which although very tiny, could be nice to have in your pocket in winter for moisturised lips. 

HAIR, BODY & OTHER: 7 items

Hair: 1 item

The calendar contains a Philip Kingsley Shampoo in 60ml, which if you are not too fussy about shampoos you could enjoy during a trip as a mini-seized product. 

Body: 4 items

A Handmade Soap Company Lavender, Rosemary, Thyme & MInt Soap (160g), which I am sure anyone will use and in my opinion it is a nice addition. 

There is a body lotion in 50ml from Noble Isle Fireside and A Rituals Body Cream in 70ml. A lotion and cream is not an overkill and are very welcome for dry skin in winter. There are also higher-end brands so it would be nice to try. 

I love the addition of the L’Occitane Almond Shower oil, even though it is only in 35ml. Shower oils are fantastic for dry skin. 

Nails: 1 item

A mini top coat from Seche, in a very small size of 3.6ml is not a bad addition, but I wish it was nail polish instead of a top coat.

Candle: 1 item

I love the fact they added a scented candle, as it is from a more expensive brand and it is a luxury to have. We get the Parks Orange, Cedarwood and Clove candle in 5cl, which is currently sold out online, so it must smell amazing! For me, and I am sure this is true for others as well, lighting a scented candle in winter and having a cup of hot tea or hot chocolate is one of the best feelings.

Coupon: 1 item

A £5 Debenhams Gift Card, which I think comes together with another product, which is a nice touch and a nice way of encouraging people to go back and purchase more from Debenhams.  

 

EXPERIENCE

The packaging is sleek and elegant, with a predominant black colour with touches of red and pink. It surely gives an elegant feel, but I think it might have the same issue as this year’s M&S Advent Calendar – the boxes will fall as you move them! 

 

IS IT WORTH IT?

This is one of the best beauty calendars I have seen this year that is not crazy expensive. I think it competes in a very close tie with the much raved M&S one. For £45 with any beauty purchase this is very well priced and you get to experience some higher end brands (which is my ultimate goal when it comes to these calendars). You can purchase the calendar for £90 without any beauty purchase, but do not do that. The beauty purchase besides the calendar can be a very affordable one, even as low as £6 (as I have tried) and you still get the calendar for much cheaper than £90. 

There is a lovely mix of makeup, skincare, hair, nails and body products, including a candle. The brands are well varied and you get to try both expensive brands and less expensive ones. Again, I wish they would cut on the skincare (only one cleanser and only one moisturizer would have been enough) and instead added perhaps a fragrance sample and one more hair care item like a leave in conditioner from a fancy brand. The skincare section is slightly repetitive, with a setting spray or an eye cream as a potentially better addition. 

There are a few extremely small sizes, but the value of the products inside are supposedly worth over £190, so it is still a good deal. There is a 10% off coupon on the site right now.

Overall, I think this calendar is really nice and that it offers an amazing range of brands and a good mix of products. The price is on the lower end for a beauty advent calendar (compared to some mad ones I have seen) and I think it would suit most beauty lovers. 

MORE Beauty Advent Calendars

Is it repetitive? The Macmillan Beauty Advent Calendar x Boots

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

Is it worth it? M&S Beauty Advent Calendar 2019

Only affordable brands? AMAZON Beauty Advent Calendar 2019

More coming soon!

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Disclaimer: This blogpost is not sponsored and does not contain affiliate links. Please note that I do not mention each individual product, although they are all counted in the categories. For a full list of products, please consult the sellers. None of these images are my own; images used for informational purposes only. 

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