Beauty Advent calendars

I love to have a beauty Advent Calendar. Such fun to open a window every day and find a little treat to enjoy, even if there is no picture of Ruud Gullitt on a chimney pot  (A Father Ted joke for those in the know). Beauty Advent calendars are big business. Most brands are in on the act. So which one to choose?

This year I've chosen for myself the John Lewis Advent calendar (£149). It's one of the pricier ones, but looking at the list of contents, I would use nearly every item, except perhaps the perfumes, which don't appeal. It's my birthday next month so this will be my present from Mr Mutton. Contents:

Nars Blush Orgasm Blusher, 3.5g  (interesting as I love Nars The Multiple in shade Portofino, but apparently everyone can wear Orgasm so this is a good way of trying it out!)
Laura Mercier Radiance Primer, 15ml (have used this before, it's excellent, and will use it when I'm travelling) 
Chloe Eau de Parfum, 5ml  (No. One to give away!). 
ESPA Tri-Active Advanced Night Booster, 10ml  (oh I always love to try any new night creams or unguents!)
Clinique Chubby Stick, 3g (Full Size) (looking forward to trying)
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, 13g   (sounds good - probably wouldn't use it daily, but let's see)
Benefit Hoola Bronzer, 4g  (I don't much like bronzers but I'll give it a whirl)
Muglar Aura Eau de Parfum, 5ml  (haven't smelt this one, but I like more off beat, artisan perfumes even if that does sound a bit pretentious!). 
Omorovicza Cleansing Foam, 30ml  (this brand is magic!)
This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray, 5ml  (yes, this definitely works, and I need another travel sized one!).
Zelens Transformer Mask, 15ml  (have heard great things about this).
Guerlain Mon Guerlain Eau de Parfum, 5ml  (No no no)
Elemis Papaya Enzyme Mask, 15ml  (have used before, it makes me tingle a bit but that's good, no?)
Bobbi Brown Smokey Mascara, 3ml  (always looking for that elusive perfect mascara)
MAC Lip Intensity Lipstick, 3.6g (Full Size)  (sounds yummy! Full size too!)
Fresh Soy Cleanser, 50ml (Full Size) (another interesting one to try)
Neom Mood Lifting Pulse Point, 5ml  (hmmmm, well, maybe)
Molton Brown Pink Pepperpod Body Wash, 50ml  (not keen on Molton Brown but shower gels for travel are always useful)
Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel, 50ml  (sounds divine, and need to get re-acquainted with Clarins)
Sarah Chapman Morning Facial, 5ml   (looking forward to trying this!)
Ren Ultra Comforting Evercalm Mask, 10ml  (strangely I've never been impressed by Ren, but I'm always open minded with products I haven't tried before)
Original & Mineral Hydrate Shampoo, 50ml  (great - I'm so bored with my usual shampoos!)
Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon, Blacquer, 0.3g (anything with "gel" is usually a no-win for me)
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, 15ml  (love, and the smaller size will go on my travels!)
Hermes Eau des Merveilles Eau de Toilette, 7.5ml  (No - a bit old lady-ish).

I wasn't tempted by the Selfridges calendar this year. Too many mainstream and boring scents. To my mind, an Advent calendar is a great opportunity to try new or unusual products.

The Charlotte Tilbury calendar only covers 12 days so to me it's not a proper Advent calendar.

Another pricey but gorgeous calendar is the Elemis product at £150. It includes a full size Pro-Collagen Marine Cream.

Slightly Less Spendy Advent Calendars 

The L'Occitane calendar is beautiful to look at. For £49 you can't go wrong with the lovely products including 10ml Almond Delicious Hands, 20ml Almond Milk Concentrate, 5ml Repairing Shampoo,
30ml Ultra Rich Body Lotion.

The Marks and Spencer calendar is worth a look because although you have to spend £35 on clothes or home wares, that's easily done  (particularly if you're buying gifts) and then the calendar itself is only £35 and has some nice items from upmarket brands including Nuxe, Stila, Filorga, Ren.

You can't go wrong for a teenager with the Body Shop and they have three beauty calendars to choose from. The cheapest is the 24 Days of Beauty calendar at £45. Or there's the Superdrug Makeup Revolution Christmas Tree at £70 ((was £120).

Sharing this post with Claire Justine's Weekend Blog Hop, Laurie and Ashley's Link Up and Saturday Share at Not Dressed As Lamb.

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Next week on Is This Mutton?

Monday: I'll be featuring Part 1 of the photo shoot I did with two other bloggers, both members of the 5 Over 50 collective, and fabulous fashion brand, The-Bias-Cut.com

Thursday: Birthstone for November is the topaz and we're looking at a beautiful and somewhat forgotten variety, the Imperial Topaz.

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