This year for my birthday I was treated to a No.7 advent calendar by my grandma so I thought I would do a review of the products for the blog. All of these products are available from boots at all times of the year if anyone is interested, and I assume a similar advent calendar will be on the market again next year. *Disclaimer: this is not an ad, I have not been paid in goods or services to post this.*
Day 1: Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum. This product is generally used for anti-wrinkle purposes so for me it wasn't really necessary, however I have been using it on the bags under my eyes and maybe it's my imagination but the skin definitely seems firmer and brighter looking. 7/10, may purchase when I start getting wrinkles.
Day 2: Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day Cream. I love this product. It smells amazing, it feels great on my skin, it's got SPF 15 so on recent winter days when the sun has been out but sun cream is a little overkill your face is still protected and it's hypo-allergenic which is super important if you're as sensitive skinned as me. 10/10, will purchase again.
Day 3: Exceptional Definition Nutrient enriched mascara. I know packaging is superficial but I love the turquoise colour of this mascara. It also has rubber bristles which I like because it tends to make your eyelashes less clumpy. I have naturally quite thick eyelashes so a lengthening mascara is usually more useful to me, and I was disappointed that this didn't do that for me. It did however give satisfactory volume with no clumps so I like it for my lower lashes. 8/10, will probably stick to my usual mascara in the future.
Day 1: Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum. This product is generally used for anti-wrinkle purposes so for me it wasn't really necessary, however I have been using it on the bags under my eyes and maybe it's my imagination but the skin definitely seems firmer and brighter looking. 7/10, may purchase when I start getting wrinkles.
Day 2: Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day Cream. I love this product. It smells amazing, it feels great on my skin, it's got SPF 15 so on recent winter days when the sun has been out but sun cream is a little overkill your face is still protected and it's hypo-allergenic which is super important if you're as sensitive skinned as me. 10/10, will purchase again.
Day 3: Exceptional Definition Nutrient enriched mascara. I know packaging is superficial but I love the turquoise colour of this mascara. It also has rubber bristles which I like because it tends to make your eyelashes less clumpy. I have naturally quite thick eyelashes so a lengthening mascara is usually more useful to me, and I was disappointed that this didn't do that for me. It did however give satisfactory volume with no clumps so I like it for my lower lashes. 8/10, will probably stick to my usual mascara in the future.
Day 4: Airbrush Away Primer. I don't often wear foundation as it makes my skin feel gross but when I tried out this primer that changed. It gave me a light and smooth base which felt great on my skin and made my foundation far more easily applicable. It smells great and refreshing too. 8/10, would consider purchasing again.
Day 5: Protect & Perfect Lip Care. I must say I was disappointed by this product. Despite my lips indeed feeling more moisturised, the texture of the lip care is sticky and uncomfortable on my mouth. This means that I do not enjoy using it despite it's benefits. 4/10, won't purchase again.
Day 6: Makeup Brush. I'm afraid I'm a bit useless at makeup brushes and can never really work out which part of my face they're meant to be used for. I'm pretty sure that this is an eyeshadow brush (and after checking with some friends) that's what I used it for. The soft texture of the brush gave me an easy blend of eyeshadow and I liked the colour of the handle too. 9/10, would purchase again.
Day 7: Matte Mocha Stay Perfect EyeShadow. I love a good nude eyeshadow, and this one exceeded my expectations. It is super pigmented, easy to blend and does not start wandering down your face after 5 minutes. It also has subtle gold sparkles which soften the eye without being too blinding. The only problem I have with single colour eyeshadows is that you can't blend them to suit the shape of you eye as easily as tricolours or palettes. 9/10, would purchase again.
Day 8: Tweezers. These are honestly the best tweezers I have ever used. I got such a good grip on my hairs and my eyebrows have never looked better. I normally feel that after plucking my brows I've missed loads of stragglers but I didn't after using these. 10/10, would purchase again.
Day 9: Beautiful Skin Micellar Cleansing Water for Normal/Dry skin. I love love loved this cleanser from the moment I opened it and saw a that it had a nozzle so you could squeeze out the right amount rather than just blindly pouring loads onto your cotton pad. It only got better from there. I managed to easily remove my makeup without smudging it, and I did not get sore eyes after like I normally do when I remove my makeup. 10/10, would purchase again.
Day 10: Limited Editions Nail Colour in Oyster. I love No.7 nail varnishes and they have always been my go to, especially in the brief periods when my finger nails have been long enough to paint. They give good coverage, are easy to apply and don't chip easily. The range of colours is decent too, and I own several. This shade is very pale, but gives a lovely gold shimmer with pink undertones if you're looking for something subtle. 8/10, too pale for my tastes.
Day 11: Lash & Brow Perfector. I used this on my eyebrows and was pleased that they seemed to be held in shape without feeling heavy or waxy as with a lot of brow products. I didn't really see a difference on my eyelashes to be honest, so I would not recommend this product for that. 7/10, would not buy again.
Day 12: Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Night Cream. The partner product to the day cream from day 2 has a slightly denser texture so doesn't feel as immediately refreshing. It did give the same good hydrated feel after it had sunk in, and if you suffer from extremely dry skin I would recommend pairing the two. However, for skin like mine that only gets a little dry in winter, it is not really necessary. 8/10, won't buy again.
Day 13: Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion Exfoliator. I love having exfoliated skin, it feels so much softer and cleaner and doesn't get as spotty. However, up until I tried this product I had not found an exfoliator that did not give me a huge rash all over my face. This product was the perfect solution as it is designed for sensitive skin. It also made the night cream useful, as it is important to moisturise after exfoliation. 10/10, would buy again.
Day 14: No.7 Match Made Gift Invitation. I loved this idea so much. I struggle so much to find a bronzer that doesn't make me look like an Oompa Loompa so professional help was so useful to get one that actually looks good. I also think this is great for including a wide range of women in the target market for this calendar. The woman in Boots was super friendly and suggested the 'Maple' shade for me. It looks great and was really easy to blend into a healthy looking glow or for contouring with. 9/10, would buy again.
Day 15: Wheatsheaf Stay Perfect EyeShadow. This eyeshadow has the same fantastic properties as the Matte Mocha one from day 7 but is a much paler colour. This is nice for a subtle look or for blending with a darker colour. 10/10 would buy again.
Day 16: Matte Lip Crayon in Raspberry Red. I already owned two No.7 Lip Crayons before I opened this one because I love how easy they are to apply and to get an accurate line at the edge of my lip. The two I had before were 'High Shine' rather than 'Matte' which gave a subtle gloss like cover while this one gave a bright colour. While I tend to prefer subtle lips, the raspberry red is beautiful. Matte also makes my lips quite dry so I think I'll stick to the shiny ones in the future. 8/10, would consider buying again.
Day 17: Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil in bronze. Another product which I already own! I love this eyeliner, especially in summer when I want to add a hint of colour to my eyelids without the heavy feel of an eyeshadow. This bronze gives a soft metallic shimmer which is flattering to all eye colours and shapes. The pencil gives a smooth application and doesn't smudge. 10/10 would buy again.
Day 18: Stay Perfect Liquid Eye Liner in black. I must say I was disappointed by the size of this product. The amount of eyeliner was tiny and if bought costs a lot for what you are given. That being said, it was extremely easy to apply and gave a beautiful dark line with crisp, unsmudged edges. Removing this eyeliner was also pleasingly easy. 7/10, the size means I would not buy this again.
Day 19: High Shine Lip Gloss in Naturally Nude. This is another product which I had previously owned although I had a peachy summery colour. These glosses are really pretty and not too sticky which is why I love them, especially for a natural look. 9/10, would buy again.
Day 20: Beauty Blender. I generally prefer brushes for blending, but the flat edges of this sponge make it easier to use than your average blender. I liked it's soft texture too, so I think I like it almost as much as brushes. 9/10, would consider buying again.
Day 21: Powder Brush. As I said before, I don't know much about makeup brushes but I'm pretty sure this brush is for powder. If I'm right it was very good. Very soft and gives a good blend. 10/10, would buy again.
Day 22: Limited Editions Nail Colour in Teal. See day 10 for my comments on No.7 nail polishes. This teal colour is gorgeous, one of my favourites. I have bought this colour before and will happily buy it again it's beautiful. 10/10.
Day 23: Mink Stay Perfect EyeShadow. The final piece of the trio of eyeshadows in the calendar! Lovely when blended together or for a pale shimmery bronze. 10/10, would buy again.
Day 24: Limited Edition Nail Colour in Bronze Gold. I personally don't like super metallic nail varnishes much, so this colour wasn't the best for me. I also find that No.7's metallic polishes chip more than the block colours so that's a pain too. If this is your taste in colour though, it gives a good coverage and isn't too thin so it may be worth a purchase for you. It should be noted though that on your nail the varnish is a paler bronze colour than in the bottle. 7/10, won't buy again.
Day 25: Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Eye Cream. Sadly the end of this overall amazing calendar was a bit of a let down. I had been hoping for a more exciting product if I'm 100% honest. I was not impressed by the product, as I could not really see any effect from it. It did have a light tint to it to slightly cover dark circles but could not compete with a concealer. I thought the serum from day 1 was more effective for this job. 4/10, would not buy again.
Overall impression: I loved this advent calendar and hope to get another one next year! The products were great quality and good sizes, and the majority of them were things I would buy again. I also liked that this was a 25 day calendar, as opening an extra gift on Christmas Day is always a joy. The problems I had with it were minor and there were only a couple of products which weren't to my taste. Definitely would recommend this product, 9.5/10.
