Clarins women’s 12 day beauty advent calendar
Buy now £65, Clarins.co.uk
- Number of days: 12
- Products: 12
- Product sizes: Two full-size, 10 minis
- Price: £65
Design
Clarins has played it safe this year, opting for a similar design to last year: a bureau-style box with a different drawer for every skincare or make-up product. It is, however, super festive thanks to the brand’s signature white and red colours and a snowy scene on the front. It’s worth noting that you’re unlikely to reuse the packaging after you’ve finished with it, but it can be recycled.
What’s inside?
Every drawer is filled with one of the bestselling skincare and make-up products from Clarins, so you really are in for a treat.
Those who love the brand’s skincare will be glad to know it's packed full of the good stuff. You’ll find an eye-make-up remover, face scrub, micellar water and even a face mask for the days when your skin is in need of some serious TLC. We think the latter will be a real saviour after a boozy Christmas party.
One of our standout products is the brand’s beauty flash balm (£33, Boots.com) which works wonders on tired and dehydrated skin. If you apply a thin layer to your face and neck before your make-up you can expect to look instantly more glowy – ideal if the cold weather is wreaking havoc on your skin. It also can also be used as a face mask.
Read more: Our verdict on Lush’s Christmas treasure trove
Similarly, we loved testing the lip comfort oil (£19, Feelunique.com) which is thick but not sticky, and was easy to apply. It has a very subtle shimmer and works well over lipsticks.
This moves us nicely onto the make-up offering, of which there were two full-sized products. First up is the supra volume mascara (£23, Selfridges.com), which we found easily created a dramatic eye and is buildable without being clumpy.
The second full-sized product is the lip perfector (£18.50, Johnlewis.com), which is a mainstay in our beauty bounty – it’s moisturising and has an almost gel-like formula. It leaves lips looking smooth, hydrated and glossy, and the applicator makes it easy to apply. What’s more, we found the shade (rose bud) to be a very wearable neutral.
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Other make-up highlights included the crayon khol (£18, Clarins.co.uk) eye pencil, which is ideal if you’re looking to create a smoky eye this party season, but, owing to it being a mini, we found it to be very fiddly to apply. The joli rouge lipstick (£22, Clarins.co.uk) was another favourite, and comes in a lovely rose colour that can be worn as a light tint, but is also very buildable.