I received the "Enchanted Spells" Selfridges Beauty Advent calendar last year, and Selfridge's have a new one this year with similar products. I wanted to review all of the products before posting as I did not have time to try each new product each day, and I had to open up the first few days all at once after I had returned from holiday. Each window contains a secret "spell" as to what the item is, and I typically guessed correctly on each day what the type of product would be. The packaging for the advent calendar looks like a large book.
1. Yves Saint Laurent Opium perfume: This perfume is described as having a spicy Oriental scent, and it is a blend of various spices (clove, bay leaf, coriander, pepper), floral (jasmine, rose), and wood tones (sandalwood, cedar, myrrh). This perfume is not something that I would typically wear as I do not tend to use spicer tones, but it is nice and is a strong scent.
2. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser: This facial cleanser claims to clean make-up off skin and provide deep cleaning without drying out the skin or stripping the skin of its natural oils.
3. Lancôme's Rénergie Multi-Lift cream: This anti-aging cream promises to create a youthful complexion. It absorbs into the skin and does not feel greasy. I like the product when compared with other similar products.
4. Lancôme Galatéis Douceur: This is a facial cleanser and make-up remover. The product has a nice scent, and it left my face feeling soft and clean. It isn't too harsh, and I used it to remove my eye makeup without it stinging my eyes.
5. Shu Uemura Skin Purifier: This skin purifier promises to clean and moisturise skin while supporting collagen production.
6. Lancôme's La Vie Est Belle perfume: This is a sweet and powdery scent, and it's not too over-powering.
7. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream: This facial cream promises to moisturise the skin.
8. YSL Forever Youth Liberator: This is an anti-aging serum that helps the skin appear younger and firmer. The product has quite a lot of good reviews and it is costly. This felt cool on my skin, but I need to use it more to see if it does what it claims.
9. Armani Code perfume: This is a light and powdery, slightly floral scent and described as being an Oriental scent. It is made from orange, vanilla, and jasmine. This is a floral but sophisticated scent and would be good for office or going out for a nice dinner. I loved this and would purchase the full size.
10. Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge 6 lipstick: This is a pale pink lipstick which would look good on most skin tones. I liked the product and did not find it to be too lumpy in texture.
11. Lancôme Mascara: This mascara is not too clumpy, and it has a subtle result. The brush is quite a good one, which is important for mascara, in that it separates the lashes before coating them.
12. Armani Diamonds perfume: This is a floral scent with rose, lychee and raspberry notes. Although categorised as floral, it is a grown-up scent and a scent that I'd wear to the office or on a night out.
13. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery: This is an anti-aging product designed to work while you sleep. I've not yet managed to test the product, but Kiehl's products get a lot of praise, so I expect that it does the trick.
14. Lancôme Hypnose Drama Mascara: This is the brand's best-selling mascara and covers the lashes without too much effort with an angled brush.
15. Yves Saint Laurent eye liner: This is a black liner, which is easy to apply and is waterproof. I like the product.
16. Lancôme Genifique Yeux Light Pearl: This product has a metal 'pearl' applicator that is dipped into the cream and massaged onto the eye area. The applicator feels cool to the skin, which refreshes the eye area. I found that the application was slighly difficult and clumps of the cream ended up in my lashes.
17. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion: Primer helps maintain the colour of eyeshadow before it's applied, and this product delivers.
18. Lancôme Visionnaire: This product promises to smooth the skin and make pores and wrinkles appear smaller in size. I've not had the chance to try the product yet.
19. Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb perfume: This is a very flowery and powdery scent that contains jasmine, orchid, fressia and rose. The scent is a delicate one and not over-powering. I felt that it did not have the longevity as other similar floral perfumes. I'm not overly impressed with this.
20. Lancôme Bi-Fical: This product is a remover for eye make-up. This product worked really well at clearing off mascara and eye shadow, and I loved that it did not sting my eyes. For me, it's a better product than the Galatéis Douceur product that I reviewed above because it seems to do a better job at removing eye make-up. I may have to purchase this when I run out.
21. Lancôme Lip Lover gloss (in 'bright berry-pink'): This lip gloss is a pink shade, but it's not overly-bright. This seems like a colour that may work well for most skin tones. It is not a sticky gloss and seems to wear well, but it just isn't for me.
22. Lancôme Advanced Genifique: This product promises to make skin appear younger. It's another anti-aging product that I have not yet tried.
23. Lancôme Lip Lover gloss (in 'framboise etoile'): This is another lip gloss similar to the one behind the #21 window. This is a bright reddish shade of lip gloss. I found that it was too bright for me, and I did not care for it.
24. Kiehl's Creme de Corps: This body cream promises soft skin if used for ten days. I used this on my hands, and it did seem to make a difference, but I was a bit underwhelmed with the product.
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