I opened LookFantastic's Beauty Advent Calendar 2024 to see if it's worth the hype

It's that clip of twelvemonth again erstwhile we're dusting disconnected our autumnal wardrobe staples, the Gilmore Girls Netflix marathon has begun, and our slope accounts are mentally preparing for the onslaught of Christmas gifting — including a dainty for ourselves successful the signifier of an advent calendar. But not immoderate mean advent calendar. A luxurious quality one filled with complexion-boosting, smoothing and glow-inducing products because, well, we merit it.

While determination are a hefty clump of quality cals already out/available for pre-order — Cult Beauty, Sephora, Glossybox, Anthropologie, ESPA, to sanction conscionable a fewer — Lookfantastic has released its glorious offering for a specified £100 and, arsenic a monolithic instrumentality of the brand's monthly The Box, I was keen to get my mitts connected it to spot if it was worthy your — and my — wage cheque.

Containing 27 face, hairsbreadth and assemblage products, the Lookfantastic Iconic Beauty Advent Calendar 2024 is worthy implicit £565 and costs £100. Meaning you're redeeming £465 connected immoderate of the industry's astir sought-after items from viral sensations to apical prime toners and moisturisers.

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All 27 goodies are neatly tucked into unfastened boxes filled with insubstantial shavings that person been placed wrong a metallic rectangular cube and fastened astatine the apical with a ribbon. Releasing the ribbon, the beforehand of the container drops, similar a drawbridge (the different broadside of which bears the Lookfantastic logo connected a midnight bluish background), to uncover 10 boxes.

The remaining 17 are sneakily tucked distant successful story-book-style pull-out drawers. It's truthful chill and is thing I'll support for storing my quality products and jewellery.

My honorable reappraisal of Lookfantastic's Beauty Advent Calendar 2024

Now, the contents: I knew the calendar would beryllium indulgent erstwhile the time 1 container revealed a full-size vessel of Medik8's Press and Glow Tonic (worth £32). Having wanted to effort this lovely, exfoliating toner for rather immoderate time, it was a existent dainty to adhd to my skincare regime.

Upon archetypal application, determination was a flimsy tingle but that makes maine deliberation it's moving its magic. While I've not noticed a large quality successful my tegument yet, conscionable a bully brightness, it's surely a substance of clip earlier I spot the glow.

Moreover, receiving ELEMIS' Pro-Collagen Marine Cream moisturiser was a large mode to support my proviso topped up without the accustomed £64 dent successful my slope account. While it is an eye-twitching fig for a moisturiser (and I'll lone get it successful the merchantability present connected out), it's a large one, and I emotion its super-hydrating, glass-skin finish. It smells lovely, excessively — precise subtle, but there's a hint of herb and indispensable oils.

And, portion I'm blessed (at the ripe property of 30) to not person wrinkles (yet), determination are immoderate look and laughter lines connected my forehead and eyes that aren't rather arsenic salient connected occasions and I wonderment if it's done regular ELEMIS application (or the placebo effect of doing so). Either way, it's implicit fractional of the calendar's price, truthful a existent bargain.

Elsewhere, I cannot hold to try ESPA's Tri-Active™ Regenerating Treatment Oil, This Works' divine-smelling assemblage wash and the hairsbreadth bits, specified arsenic Wella Professionals Care Ultimate Repair Shampoo & Conditioner and Color Wow's Raise the Root Thicken and Lift Spray. They're making maine earnestly giddy for hairsbreadth lavation day.

The make-up tidbits including ICONIC London, Ciate and Anastasia Beverly Hills, were conscionable fab arsenic well. One that amazed maine was Glow Hub's Gen Gleam Lip Gloss in the shadiness Thirsty (which is lone a tenner). The plumping peptides gave my lips a pleasant subtle tingle (plumping working), and the pinkish colour is muted capable to springiness your lips a spot of a colour boost — but not excessively agleam that you're channelling Barbie.

It wasn't excessively sticky — which is what ever puts maine disconnected gloss — and smelt similar watermelon arsenic a bonus. Since trying it, it's gone consecutive into my handbag for mundane usage erstwhile I'm retired and about, and not sporting my accustomed red.

My excitement astatine receiving the M.A.C Cosmetics Lustreglass Sheer-Shine Lipstick successful shadiness Hug Me was unmatched. While my accustomed shadiness is agleam reddish (the Hollywood Vixen by Charlotte Tilbury, to beryllium nonstop — spell bold oregon spell home, amiright?), Hug Me was a beauteous nude that I recovered heavy (and pink) capable to basal out.

After trying it a fewer times, I'm not definite however good it suits my tegument tone, but for idiosyncratic other it volition beryllium lush successful autumn and winter. That being said, it silkily glides connected and remains successful spot for hours, truthful I mightiness conscionable person to marque it work.

Some of my different faves included the Iconic London's Prep-Set-Glow Spray; I tin spot wherefore Molly-Mae Hague loves it. The iridescent liquid is mesmerising erstwhile shaken and provides a lovely, subtle shimmer post-make-up — it's refreshing aft cleansing and wakes you up.

Ciaté's London Glow-To Illuminating Blush successful shadiness Sweet Kiss was similar a blush and highlighter successful 1 acknowledgment to its pearly decorativeness and was bold pigmentation, truthful kept my cheeks rosy for longer and applied similar a dream. It's decidedly my caller blush (sorry NARS!).

What laic wrong container 25 was a aureate nugget: Anastasia Beverly Hills' Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette worth £48. From Urban Decay to Charlotte Tilbury to Revolution, my palette postulation is impressive, truthful receiving this eyeshadow haul (complete with a brush) was glorious.

The colours are comparatively neutral for a chic mundane look, but determination are plentifulness of hues to cleanable that smokey oculus — beryllium it brownish oregon pinkish. The look is comparatively pigmented, truthful it glides onto your eyelid effortlessly and blends easily.

You tin archer it's bully prime arsenic it remained intact adjacent hours aft I applied it. It besides comes with a neat small reflector successful the lid, truthful it's large for doing your make-up connected the go.

Lastly, I was buzzing to person the Sol De Janeiro Cheriosa Perfume 59 mist. Having heard truthful overmuch astir it but ne'er taking the plunge to get it myself, it was specified a dainty to unfastened doorway six and spot the brand's purple and achromatic vessel staring astatine me; it's worthy the hype.

While not the astir wintery of scents — it's fruity, saccharine and agleam acknowledgment to the vanilla, sugared violet and sandalwood — it is specified a bully spritz to boost your temper (and aura) erstwhile retired and about. And for my home, Rituals' Ritual of Sakura candle smells truthful divine that it's hard not to pain it each astatine once.

With advent calendars similar these, not everything wrong volition inevitably capable you with joyousness — immoderate things volition beryllium cleanable for friends and household this Christmas. For example, I've already got 3 products I cognize my mum and mother-in-law volition love: the Aveeno Daily Moisturising Body Lotion, the Avant Pro-Perfecting Collagen Primer and 1 of the two Peter Thomas Roth gel masks.

I didn't rather spot overmuch quality successful my nether eyes aft utilizing The Ordinary's Multi-Peptide Eye Serum and was somewhat uneased erstwhile the £35 Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum didn't person a pipette applicator, though this item wasn't promised successful the description. It meant, however, that I needed to free-pour the costly merchandise consecutive onto my manus — a spot unsafe for idiosyncratic who's arsenic clumsy arsenic I am. Putting that aside, I was bittersweet erstwhile I realised the look didn't hold with my tegument arsenic it made it somewhat rouge successful places.

The verdict?

All successful all, Lookfantastic's Iconic Beauty Advent Calendar 2024 is what the sanction suggests: Iconic. Packed with legendary quality brands and gorgeous caller products, it'll support your complexion luminous, hairsbreadth voluminous, and make-up crippled beardown passim the festive period.

And portion it'd beryllium bully to person each the full-size products, beggars can't beryllium choosers (for a £465 saving), and it conscionable means I tin stay beautified and glowy connected trips distant with each the beauteous minis I've acquired. As I've lone fixed you a snippet of what's inside, if you privation to cognize the full contents of Lookfantastic's Iconic Beauty Advent Calendar 2024, spot the afloat database of goodies here.

As we highlighted astatine the apical of this review, determination are a question of different quality marque advent calendars to pamper with successful the pb up the Christmas. As Cult Beauty, Sephora, Glossybox, Anthropologie, ESPA are besides disposable to buy.