Best Beauty Advent Calendars 2015

First of all I must apologise for talking about Christmas when we are only three days into November. Yes, we all know people who have finished their Christmas shopping already, however (if you are anything like me and want to keep Christmas in December where it belongs) please bear with me...

Beauty advent calendars have been getting bigger and better over the last few years. They are now available to suit every budget and the high street is getting involved in what was once a solely high-end domain. Most are either 12 or 24 days and (as much as I love chocolate) what could be better than getting a beauty-related present each morning in the run up to Christmas?! There's only one problem – many of the most popular brands sell out quickly. So if you fancy treating yourself, or someone else, you will need to get in quick. Hence the unnaturally early festive post from me.

So without further ado, here are 8 of the best beauty advent calendars:

CHARLOTTE TILBURY
The Book of Makeup Magic is a fabulous calendar by the one and only Charlotte Tilbury. It contains 12 of her most popular products: Magic Cream 15ml, Take It All Off 15ml, Wonderglow 15ml, Multi Miracle Glow 15ml, Supermodel Body 15ml, Goddess Skin Clay Mask 15ml, Mini K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick, Matte Revolution lipstick, Lip Magic, Mini Rock n Kohl liner, Nocturnal Cat eyes Eyeshadow, Magic Night cream.
£150, www.charlottetilbury.com

SELFRIDGES
The Selfridges Beauty Workshop Advent Calendar is a lot like their seasonal beauty boxes – exceptional value for money. The 24 little beauty treats are worth £226 in total and include Tweezerman tweezers, Eyeko skinny liquid liner, Ole Henriksen Truth Serum, Caudalie Divine Oil and lots more.
£60 www.selfridges.com

KERASTASE
This limited edition calendar contains 24 iconic Kérastase deluxe travel size products and one full size Elixir product worth £28.50 alone. If you are a Kérastase fan you won't want to miss this one. Visit the link below for details of all the products included.
£79.99 www.kerastase.co.uk

LUSH
Fans of Lush can enjoy 12 days of bath bombs, bubble bars, bath melts and body lotions! All products are vegan making it an ideal gift for anyone who likes to buy cruelty-free brands.
£49.95 www.lush.co.uk

CIATÉ
Fellow nail-polish addicts will love this Mini Mani Month advent calendar by Ciaté. This is another one that is excellent value for money as it contains 23 nail polishes and a nail file worth £124 in total.
£49 www.selfridges.com

THE BODY SHOP
The Body Shop's 24 Happy Days calendar has a really wide variety of treats, from cult classics to new products, including bath and bodycare, skincare, fragrance and more. Check out the full list at the link below
£60 www.thebodyshop.co.uk

LIBERTY LONDON
This calendar is a real luxury treat.. possibly the one I want to get my paws on the most! Who could resist that beautiful packaging with the iconic Liberty building illustration? Yes it is a little pricey at £149, but with over £400 worth of products inside, my beauty maths tells me it is actually a real bargain! It even contains 11 full-sized products alongside the deluxe sample sizes. Gifts include skin care from Eve Lom and Dr Sebagh, candles by Diptyque, cosmetics by Surratt and haircare from Davines.
£149 www.liberty.co.uk

JO MALONE
Jo Malone's advent calendar is always a hot favourite and rightly so. However, as a result it sells out very quickly. It is currently unavailable on their website but it might be worth checking your nearest store. If you can get hold of you one you will have 24 days of beautiful treats to look forward to! This is another one that scores highly on the packaging front too, with the brand's Georgian townhouse illustrated on the front.
£260, www.jomalone.co.uk


Other brands worth checking out include L'Occitane, Benefit (although I believe this has sold out online!), No7 and M&S Beauty. If you know of any others we would love to hear from you!

The Body Shop – Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

If you're prioritising where to spend money on skincare, then I personally feel it makes sense to spend on the products that stay on your face (serums, moisturisers etc.) and save on the ones that don't. With this in mind I've been looking at various high street makeup removers, and the Camomile Cleansing Oil by The Body Shop has been on my 'to try' list for a long time. It is only £11 for 200ml and frequently receives rave reviews from beauty journalists and bloggers.

THE PRODUCT
The Body Shop website states that this cleanser will effortlessly remove makeup from the whole face quickly and effectively. It also states that it is suitable for sensitive skin and contact lens wearers.

APPLICATION
I have normal/combination skin and find this product removes all my makeup (including waterproof mascara) very easily. It dissolves makeup on its own and then you can add water and use a face cloth to remove everything quickly. If you are lazy about makeup removal and resort to using the dreaded wipes, I would encourage you to try this instead. It makes the whole process incredibly hassle-free, no matter how late at night it is or how many glasses of wine you have consumed!

RESULTS
Regardless of how much or how little makeup I am wearing this cleanser always does a great job. I think it would be suitable for any skin type – even oily skin – as it removes makeup thoroughly and leaves no trace of oiliness when followed by a cleanser.

THE VERDICT
Fantastic value for money, I've been using it for several months now and I'm not even a third of the way through the bottle. The only downside is that it is not ideal for travel. I have taken it on several trips and even when the pump has been turned to the closed position, I still find an oily film coating all the cosmetics in my wash bag! The Clinique Take Off The Day Cleansing Balm is definitely better suited for travel as it is a solid balm.

£11 for 200ml, www.thebodyshop.co.uk

The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser

This was a bit of an impulse buy whilst browsing in The Body Shop. My beloved Clinique moisturiser had almost run out and I thought I would try something new – especially as this particular product is targeted at 'dull, tired, grumpy skin'! My skin has been looking a little dull lately for the usual reasons (I still don't understand why my vitamin-packed diet doesn't completely counteract the effects of too much alcohol or not enough sleep but there you go...)

THE PRODUCT
According to the Body Shop this mosturiser takes a three-pronged approach to improving your skin:
• Boost glow: Skin is clarified, revealing your natural healthy-looking glow.
• Energise: Fresh, lightweight formula fights signs of fatigue, with an invigorating fragrance. 
• Hydrate: Infuses skin with moisture.

APPLICATION
It is a gel like consistency that is very light-weight as promised. It absorbs quickly and has a cooling effect (possibly one of those products that would be particularly effective stored in the fridge, although I haven't tried that yet). The scent is really nice and 'orangey' without being too overpowering. The only downside is that it comes in a pot and, like many of you, I find a pump to be a more hygienic option.

RESULTS
I had high hopes for this moisturiser. The Body Shop has a good reputation for using great ingredients and at £16 it is on the pricier end of high street moisturisers, so I assumed I would notice a dramatic difference. (By comparison Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion is £18 for the same amount of product.)

Although it is a nice refreshing moisturiser I can't say I have noticed any real difference in my skin in terms of 'glow'. As it absorbs quickly it is a great pre-make up moisturiser first thing in the morning, but as we move into autumn/winter I prefer a cream to a gel and will be looking for something that is nourishing as well as hydrating.

THE VERDICT
This is a perfectly nice moisturiser and I really don't have anything bad to say about it. However, as the main claim is 'glow boosting' and I haven't seen any evidence of this I don't think I would buy it again. There are high street moisturisers that are far better value and high-end ones that might cost a little more, but that are truly worth it for the benefits that you see.

£16 for 50ml, www.thebodyshop.co.uk

SLS and sulphate-free products on the high street

In light of our dedication to 'Healthy January', I wanted to share a bit about SLS-free products. As Kay has already mentioned, approximately 60% of the ingredients we slap onto our skin on a daily basis are absorbed into the bloodstream. And funnily enough, after a long time of wondering why the skin on my hands got so irritated, a doctor finally decided that I should try avoiding products with SLS. 

She had ruled out food allergies and nickel allergies, but within a week or two of avoiding SLS my hands got better. I’m not the fount of all knowledge on the subject, but here is a little bit about why you might want to consider avoiding SLS, especially if you have sensitive skin.

What does SLS stand for?

Sodium Laurel Sulphate (also Sodium Laureth Sulfate) is an inexpensive and widely used chemical found in many products we use on a daily basis: shower gel, toothpaste, shampoo etc.

What actually is it?

SLS is a detergent and a surfactant, so essentially it cleans and foams up to create the kind of lather we have come to expect from our shampoos, cleansers and shower gels. The more bubbles the better right?! Wrong. SLS can be highly irritating to the skin, scalp, gums and so on. It is a harsh chemical and therefore far better suited to cleaning your kitchen floor than your face. Go and compare the ingredients in your shower gel and floor cleaner and you’ll see what I mean! I wear gloves when I am cleaning to avoid the chemicals coming into contact with my skin, so why would I put unnecessary chemicals on my face?!

Won’t I miss the bubbles?!

Nope. We have been trained to think that bubbles equate to cleanliness, but as soon as you tell yourself that a product doesn’t need to lather up to clean effectively, you will get used to it and be pleased with the results. If you want bubbles stick to champagne.

How can I avoid SLS?

The good news is that because the world in general is starting to become more aware of the ingredients in food and beauty products, many manufacturers have started to create SLS-free items. In fact any brand worth its salt in terms of using high quality natural ingredients wouldn’t even consider using floor cleaner in its face washes! I have only tried a few items, but here are some SLS free products at high street prices worth a look:

Yes to Carrots/Cucumbers shower gels

My lovely sister bought these for me from Waitrose when she found out I was on the hunt for SLS-free products. They are fantastic, smell great and last a really long time! They are 95% natural, Petroleum, SLS and Paraben free and cruelty-free.
£7.99 for 500ml 
www.yestocarrots.com 
Find a UK stockist here.

L’oreal Ever Riche No Sulphates shampoo

Shampoo is a funny one to review as the results vary so much depending on your hair type. First and foremost it didn’t irritate my hands which is a bonus, and the first few times I used it the results were great. It is surprisingly thick and almost lathery for a sulphate-free product so a good first one to try. However, although my hair is thick in volume, the individual strands are quite fine and poker straight, therefore the heavier consistency started to weigh it down. My verdict? If you have dry, thick or course hair and like a very moisturising shampoo this might well be for you. If you have fine hair, give it a miss. Another point to consider; it may be sulphate-free but L'Oreal is never going to be a go-to brand for healthy, natural ingredients.
£5.99 for 200ml 

www.loreal-paris.co.uk

The Body Shop Rainforest Shine Shampoo

The Rainforest Shine Shampoo is free from silicones, sulphates, parabens and colourants. Instead it contains pracaxi oil, caméline seed oil and Community Trade olive oil, sugar, and aloe vera. This shampoo works much better for my hair type. It cleans it nicely and I then leave my hair in a towel until it is 80% dry before blow-drying with a large round bristle brush. The result? Very shiny hair and a happy scalp!

For other hair types they also do Volumising, Moisture and Radiance versions.
£2 for 60ml, £4.50 for 250ml

www.thebodyshop.co.uk 

Unlike other ingredients we have discussed this month, there is no scientific evidence linking SLS and cancer, so I'm not suggesting you throw all your shower gels in the bin! However, if you have any trouble with skin irritation, or simply want to lessen the amount of chemicals you are putting onto your body, SLS-free is something to consider. Especially when you can find good products on the high street. And if the result is shiny hair that needs washing less frequently, who's complaining?!

I haven't eliminated SLS from my skincare routine entirely but, if I am stressed and my skin is feeling sensitive, I keep well away and it certainly does the trick for me. Unfortunately there are still one or two products that contain SLS that I really like which leaves me in a bit of a quandary... 

For lots more information about SLS visit slsfree.net

Have you tried any good SLS-free products? We would love some recommendations!