Marks And Spencer 2019 Beauty Advent Calender Review

Every year I save some pennies and treat myself to the Marks And Spencer Beauty Advent Calender. 2019 was no different, I saved my money, I spent over the threshold spend and I counted the days down until I could open it.

But for some reason the 2019 Edition fell flat with me. In fact if you read my 25 Day's Of Beauty posts throughout December you'll already know the problems I had with this calender. It saddens me that there were so many flaws with this calender after three very successful years but this year I actually found myself picking apart the flaws rather than looking forward to what I would be recieving. Now I know that there is always going to be issues with a calender that is aimed to meet the needs of different individuals but for me this year there were more than necessary.

Let's kick it off with the products. Marks and Spencer actually show you the products both on their website and in store before you buy the calender so I know some of you may be thinking why did you buy it when there were products in there that you didn't like or knew you weren't going to like. I brought it because I thought that whilst the brands were the same, they'd switched up the products and this year included six full sized products and added some interesting products from brands I adore. Yet when it came to opening each box, there was a lot more misses than hits. I think I kept out about a maximum of ten products from the whole calender. Normally the number is a lot higher but this year there were a lot of pointless filler products and repeats from years before that may be popular when brought in full sized but could have easily been swapped out in the calender to give another product a chance. My favourite products from the calender this year were the Emma Hardie Pink Clay Detoxifying Mask, the full sized This Works Sleep Spray and the Beautiful Butters Coconut Body Butter. And do you know why some of these are my favourites? Because they are all new to the calender. I've never recieved any of them in previous years and it was nice to be able to try different products from my favourite brands whilst also discovering new products. Whilst I understand that many people were probably very happy with what they recieved daily, I for one found it a disappointing selection of products from M&S's varied Beauty Hall that boasts the likes of Pixi, Stila, Neal's Yard and more. If they release this calender again this year, I really hope they really think about the products they put in it, instead of just recycling the same products for another year.

Now I'm already on a Debbie Downer for this post so I may as well continue. Another big problem for me was the ratio of product size to the box it came in. There were so many products that came in
boxes that were significantly bigger than necessary, it was beyond frustrating. Now I'm not always the most enviromentally friendly but I do try and do my bit towards it all. Yet for a big company like M&S it just seems a very thoughtless thing to do in packaging their products in boxes that were a good two times bigger than necessary. Sure some of the products fit into the boxes perfectly but some were ridiculous. Take for example this eye cream from Filorga. As you can see the eye cream itself is miniscule, a tiny 7ml tube compared to the size of the box it was presented in. Something twice the size of the eye cream could have been put into the box instead, a smaller box could have easily been slotted into the box at some point but I don't see the point of having this biggish box with such a tiny product in. It just seems wasteful and creates more rubbish for me to get rid of when it comes to breaking down and disposing of the calender.

Overall I think it's safe to say that I'm disappointed by the offerings from this calender. Repeats of products for the third year running, unneccessary packaging and just the something that I can't quite put my finger on that was missing. It's a shame that I didn't enjoy this calender and I hope that they put more thought into products, packaging and design when planning out the 2020 calender because if they release it with the same old products for another year, I think I'll be taking my money elsewhere and giving another calender a go. Such a shame as I've loved every previous year which is what makes 2019 such a let down.

25 Day’s Of Beauty: Day Sixteen

Welcome back in 25 Day’s Of Beauty.

In Day Sixteen I received a tube of the Skyn Iceland Limited Edition Minty Lip Fix. This a very thick lip balm with a minty scent that is supposed to help alleviate chapped lips during this cold and somewhat windy time of year.

This lip balm feels very nice, it has enough slip to not be overly thick and gunky on the lips but is still enough to moisturise lips. The only thing that lets this down for me is the smell, it’s too strong and I wouldn’t be able to wear this for long periods of time. I’m definitely going to give it a go to see how it works as all of my other lip balms aren’t doing much for me lately.

25 Day’s Of Beauty: Day Fifteen

Welcome back to 25 Day’s Of Beauty. 

In Day Fifteen I received a full supersized tube of the Percy And Reed Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm. This balm can be used on wet or dry hair to help ease frizz, protect from humidity and give hair a sleek smooth look. It definitely is something I could enjoy because it sounds like it could help ease the terrible baby hairs that I get when I put my hair up. 

Percy and Reed is a brand that is featured every year in the Calender and they usually always get it right. This is one of the six full sized products that this Calender has to offer and I have to say I’m thoroughly impressed by it. It didn’t go back in the box and I’m sure I’ll be getting a lot of use out of it. 

25 Day’s Of Beauty: Days Twelve And Thirteen

Welcome back to 25 Day’s Of Beauty. Today I’m combining days Twelve and Thirteen as I didn’t post yesterday.

In Day Twelve I received a travel sized tube of the Beautiful Butters Coconut Body Butter. This is a delightful body butter that isn’t too thick or greasy feeling but leaves skin feeling hydrated. It also smells divine. Unsurprisingly it stayed out of the box and whilst for some this is a filler product, I’m thoroughly enjoying this product.

And in Day Thirteen I received a travel sized bottle of the Shay and Blue White Peaches EDP Spray. We normally receive a Shay and Blue fragrance in the Calender and luckily it’s been a different scent each year. The White Peaches scent is nice but just a little bit too sweet for me. I’ll probably end up giving this to my mum or nan as they do prefer a sweeter scent.

Marks And Spencer Beauty Advent Calender Day One

It's that time of the year again. It's time to welcome back my 25 Day's Of Beauty. If you're new here and don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain. Every year for the past three years I've brought the Marks and Spencers Beauty Advent Calender and shared my unboxing of each day with you until Christmas Day. This year is no different and I've been counting down the days until I could open the first door.

And here is Day One! Even before I opened this I knew it was going to be a good sized product just from the weight of the box. And in Day One we have a Rosie For Autograph Amazing Radiance Body Glow.

I absolutely adore the Rosie For Autograph products and this one is no different. This is a tinted body lotion that adds a hint of a glow to your skin. It's going to be the perfect product for the upcoming festive season, the gorgeous glow it leaves behind perfect for any Christmas parties you may have been invited to. I smothered myself in this, this morning because it's the 1st of December and I wanted to. It gave my skin a beautiful glow and smelt absolutely divine. Packed with orange blossom, white flowers and sandalwood, you'll be smelling this on your skin for ages after you've applied it and will definitely grab the attention of anyone around you. A brilliant product for the first day, it's bound to only get better from here. 

Mark's and Spencer Beauty Advent Calender Day Twenty-Four

Welcome back to the penultimate day of my Mark's and Spencer Beauty Advent Calender Unboxing.

In today's box I recieved a Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. This lip balm contains beeswax, vitamin e and peppemint oil to nourishe, moisturise and refreshes the lips. It normally comes in a tub much like Carmex lip balms but for the purpose of this calender they've put it into a tube.

First Impressions: The first thing I did when I opened the box was put this on my lips. The peppermint is very strong but it doesn't sting lips or make them feel irritated at all. This is one of those lip balms that you can't really tell you're wearing until you press your lips together. It's not sticky, thick or gloopy like some and it leaves lips feeling smooth, moisturised and ready for that next matte lip product I'm sure to be wearing.

Mark's and Spencer Beauty Advent Calender Days Twenty Two and Twenty Three

Welcome back to Days Twenty Two and Twenty Three of my Mark's and Spencer Beauty Advent Calender Unboxing. It would have been up like normal yesterday but I was feeling really ill so decided that it was okay to add the two together.

In box twenty two I recieved the Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File. This is a crystal nail file that apparently never dulls or looses it's edge. These are good nail files as they last a lot longer than your standard file.

First Impressions: This is a good product but again feels like a bit of a filler product. I'll use it as I'm always in need of a good nail file but would have preferred something else in the box.

And in box twenty three I recieved the Studio 10 Miracle Effect Priming Serum. This is supposed to be a miracle serum that helps reduce the signs of ageing, hydration as well as the look of enlarged pores, dark circles and redness. A full sized bottle comes in at £68 and is extremely luxury in terms of skincare.

First Impressions: This doesn't really appeal to me. It's claims of reduce 16% of the look of wrinkles in fifteen minutes seem a bit ridiculous to me. Also the fact that a full sized bottle isn't much bigger than the sample I recieved is another con of this product. I may give this a go to see if it helps with the hydration in my skin but I don't think this will be one of my favourites from this calender.

Mark's and Spencer Beauty Advent Calender Day Twenty-One

Welcome back to Day Twenty-One of my Mark's and Spencer Beauty Advent Unboxing.

In today's box I recieved a tube of the PUR Correcting Primer. This is clear formula primer that is supposed to help correct skin issues whilst prolonging the wear of make up. This is oil free, silicone free and contains Salicylic Acid so it looks after the skin as you wear it. It comes in four different skin types so there is one for everyone.

First Impressions: I completely forgot to use this as I did my make up this morning. But from trying on the back of my hand I like it. It's very smooth to the touch and feels very lightweight. I'm not sure if I'm going to like as much as my Smashbox Primer but I'll give it a go and get back to you on how it wore.

Mark's and Spencer Beauty Advent Calender Day Eighteen

Welcome back to Day Eighteen of my Mark's and Spencer Beauty Advent Calender Unboxing.

In today's box I recieved a tube of the Rituals Magic Touch Body Cream. It's scented with rice milk and cherry blossom as well as containing Vitamin E and antioxidants to help strengthen the skin as well as moisturise. This is a 70ml tube which is brilliant deluxe sample size and is nearly large enough to be called a full sized tube.

First Impressions: This is a really nice cream. It's thick but nourishing on the skin and leaves it feeling soft, supple and moisturised. It's heavily scented but the scent isn't too sickly or overly sweet. It actually made me keep sniffing myself because it was so divine. A little goes a long way so this tube will last ages.

Mark's and Spencer Beauty Advent Calender Day Seventeen

Welcome back to Day Seventeen of my Mark's and Spencer Beauty Advent Calender Unboxing.

In today's box I received the REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream. This day cream is aimed at people with sensitive skin and helps to protect their skin from environmental skin aggravators. This is gentle on the skin and moisturises the skin whilst also replenishing it at the same time. It's also claimed that it's going to train your skin to be less sensitive. I don't think that's something you can train your skin to do but this product may just surprise me.

First Impressions: Testing it on the back of my hand it feels very nice. Not too heavy and pore clogging but not lightweight enough to feel like it's not doing anything. It does have a fragrance to it but it's not too overpowering but I do find it surprising as it's aimed towards sensitive skin. It's left the skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated. I'll be trying this on my face as I go today and I'm sure if it impresses me enough there will be a full review coming your way at some point.