I remember my Grandma always used to say ‘It’ll soon be Christmas’ when you mentioned what date it was … on any day of the year!  Looking back at that and thinking now that we are already almost in August – she was right!  It will soon be Christmas!

Around a month or two before Christmas, the much-anticipated Beauty Advent calendars hit the shelves, selling out as fast as they go on sale following people researching which calendar is tipped to be the best!

One calendar I have had two years running is the Marks & Spencer’s Beauty Advent Calendar.  I thought I would take a moment to let you know which products I’ve tried from the 2017 release (I’ll admit, some I haven’t tried yet) and which I’ve liked or disliked.  Some products that I haven’t tried yet will be reviewed at a later date.  I would hate to open and use something once for the sake of an initial impressions review then have it go to waste because I have something similar open so I will only do that if I know I can use it within the recommended shelf life.

The calendar contained:

Day 1 – Rosie for Autograph Amazing Radiance Body Glow – I love this!  I’ve used it a few times and it does what it says – it’s a beautiful bronze body lotion that smells amazing, gives a very subtle hint of colour without being overly shiny and makes skin feel lovely and soft!  It’s perfect for summer!  I am still using this and would repurchase.

Day 2 – Filorga Meso Mask – Masks are something I use when I have time to relax and pamper my skin!  As I have a few masks open I added this to my bag of travel size products to take away on holiday with me in August so I will be reviewing this soon!

Day 3 – Nuxe Prodigieux Precious Scented Shower Oil – LOVE LOVE LOVE this shower oil! This is one product that I immediately went out and bought the full size of as soon as I had used this smaller size!  It smells amazing and leaves skin feeling silky soft.  I don’t feel the need to use body lotion after getting out of the shower when I have used this so I’m ready to dry, dress and go!

Day 4 – Gatineau Advanced Rejuvinating Cream – This is another product that is in my holiday kit to use when I go away in August so will be featured in a review soon!

Day 5 – Rodial Dragon’s Blood Sculpting Gel – I am yet to try this, although I am a fan of Rodial Dragon’s Blood products anyway having used their cleansing water and hyaluronic mist in the past.  I have a few serums already opened so I am saving this ready to use when my next serum is out.

Day 6 – Stilla Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick – This one is a LOVE product that I want to get more shades of!  This shade, ‘Perla’, is a lovely pinky/purple shade which is very pretty.  It is a matte finish but isn’t drying on the lips like some matte finish lipsticks can be.  The staying power is great also.  It stays in place for hours.  I sometimes add a little lip gloss over the top of this just for added staying power but it’s definitely something I would buy again.

Day 7 – Korres Wild Rose Advanced Repair Sleeping Facial Cream – LOVE!  I am still using this as I do rotate skin care.  I have a few nights worth left in this tube so will be taking it on holiday with me in August and no doubt will be featured in my August Empties post.  I apply this as a final step in my evening routine and the next morning my skin feels amazingly soft!  Highly recommend this!

Day 8 – Eyko Black Magic Mascara – miniature mascaras are something I definitely save for when I am going away!  As I’m off to Spain in ten days, this is coming with me!

Day 9 – Nails Inc Gel One Coat Nail Polish – I really like the gel one coat nail polishes.  True to description, you do only need one coat of this to get good coverage on the nail…which is even better when like me, you tend to remember to paint your nails when you have barely any time before needing to leave the house!!  Definitely wanting more colours!

Day 10 – Formula Innovate Radiance Reveal Peel – Oh my goodness – this one I took away with me on a mini trip to Blackpool to watch the Dance Festival.  I’ve used it a few times and still have plenty left (I rotate a lot of skin care!).  It is grainy but not in a rough ‘Apricot Scrub’ kind of way.  It is very gentle – almost to the point that I wondered how effective it would be!  Oh how I was wrong – gentle on application but powerful on effect.  My skin felt like a baby’s bottom afterwards!!  Haha!  So soft!!  When this is empty I will definitely be buying the full size!!

Day 11 – Look Good Feel Better – Sculpting Sponge – I am definitely in the camp of using beauty sponges to apply my foundation.  I have used everything from a £1 sponge to an Original Beauty Blender – which costs considerably more…and everything in between.   At £7.50 this is closer to the price of the Real Techniques complexion sponge and I would say the quality is probably more comparable to that.  I am a massive fan of the Original Beauty Blender and always favour those however I have nothing negative to say about this sponge!  It works really well and the shape is great for the facial contours and getting into the corners of the nose, under the eye for concealer and so on.  It doesn’t absorb much product which is also a plus point – very cheap sponges definitely do!!  This gets the thumbs up from me!  (Although I am pleased to see M&S are now stocking Beauty Blender!)

Day 12 – Alpha H – Liquid Gold Rose – this is another product that I am yet to try.  I use acids like this a couple of times a week but do have a few other products still open so this will be reviewed when I have used it.  As  fan of the original Liquid Gold I do have high hopes for this version!

Day 13 – Shay & Blue – Blood Oranges – A lovely warm, citrus scent that I am still using – fragrance is another item I rotate and have a few on the go so don’t wear it every day!

Day 14 – Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm – I literally don’t even need to comment on this for anyone who follows me on Instagram or even on here!   I LOVE THIS!  It has been one of my favourite evening cleansers since it was in the Advent calendar in 2016!  I hadn’t even heard of it until then!  Since then I’ve repurchased a number of times and continue to do so.  This size in the calendar is fantastic as it’s perfect for holiday!!

Day 15 – Diego Dalla Palma – Mascara – I actually put this mascara straight into my pro-makeup kit as I needed a new one in there.  I use it regularly on clients and it is great!  No clumpiness, which is a key thing for me when looking for a mascara!  Highly recommend!

Day 16 – Percy & Reed Session Hold Spray – I am yet to use this – in part because as I mentioned in the original post, I had used this in the past and hadn’t got on with it.  I am however a Percy & Reed fan and love so many other of their products so I still have this in my draw to use to give it a second chance!  I will review once I’ve used it!

Day 17 – REN – Instant Firming Beauty Shot – The only reason I haven’t used this yet is that I have it with a couple of other REN products in my travel kit waiting for my holiday in August!  I’ll be able to review this next month!

Day 18 – Ameliorate Body Lotion – Another LOVE product.  I am trying to get better at using body products like this.  I spend so long researching and using various products on my face yet neglect my skin on the rest of my body!  This is a lovely and light body lotion that absorbs nicely.  I apply this after a shower.  It leaves my skin feeling really soft.  I will definitely be looking to purchase the full size of this!

Day 19 – Leighton Denny ‘Stardust’ nail polish – A beautifully sparkling nail polish which does look lovely on it’s own but works brilliantly on top of another nail colour to give it an extra dimension.  I love it!

Day 20 – Pixi Lip Lip – Honey Sheen – LOVE LOVE LOVE – I have reviewed this in my empties post also and said there that I love it.  It is a lip gloss but it doesn’t leave that horrible, sticky residue which accompanies alot of lip glosses!  It looks pretty on it’s own but is lovely as a top coat to other lipsticks.  It has an immediate plumping action – subtle but effective all the same.  A certain purchase coming up!!

Day 21 – Balance Me Rose Otto Face Oil – I love using face oils in my routine and do have a few open.  Needing a few drops usually at a time means I am yet to open this one.

Day 22 – Autograph Radiance Boosting Primer – On my shopping list!  End of!  I loved this!  I have always opted for mattifying and silicone based primers in the past but this one product has changed that completely!  It really does hydrate my skin and makes foundation wear much more comfortable throughout the day – I honestly cannot recommend this enough!

Day 23 – Formula Absolute Ultimate Sleep Cream – Just like the Emma Hardie – if you follow me already you’ll know this is literally the ‘absolute ultimate’ in sleep cream!  It is without doubt one of the best creams I’ve used!  The bizarre thing I found is that when I tried to use a Niacinamide serum from The Ordinary, my skin really didn’t like it at all – yet when I looked at the ingredients in this, Niacinamide is very high up!  My skin loves this and it always feels plump, hydrated and soft in the morning!

Day 24 – pür – Correcting Primer – having used this a few times since I ran out of the Hydrating primer I can say I do like this primer in terms of it gives an instant boost to the skin and does make foundation look slightly more dewy.  I need to use this more to make a full decision but so far so good!

Day 25 – ‘My Favourite Things’ Makeup Bag – I use this all of the time!  A nice quality bag with a wipe clean interior which is useful when I’ve stored used makeup brushes in it!

So, there’s my thoughts on the contents of the M&S Beauty calendar from 2017.  The 2018 calendar is due to be released in November so keep your eyes peeled on the M&S website!

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