Hi!
Last year, I did a post on the 2016 Look Fantastic Advent Calendar breaking it down to see if it was worth the €95 price tag, so I thought I'd do it again with the 2017 one. The theme for 2017 was "Beauty in Wonderland", and the box was once again massive - this time, it came in the form of a mini storage tower, including a lift-up mirrored compartment on the top and four decent sized pull-out drawers.
Once again, it was filled to the brim with items sold by Look Fantastic on their site.
In no particular order, here's a detailed look at what was inside:
Look Fantastic Contour Brush | Full Size | Value: €9.00
Magn!tone London Wipe Out MicroFibre Cleansing Cloth | Travel Size | Value: €7.20
I've used both of these, the contour brush is good - it's much lighter than it looks, and it's nice and soft. I brought the cloth on a recent night away, not realising that it's recommended you run it through the wash first - it removed foundation and waterproof mascara without too much scrubbing but as with all of these cloths, my face didn't feel clean and I think it'll be living out the rest of its life as a screen wipe.
Dr. Botanicals Moroccan Rose Superfood Facial Oil | Half Size, 15ml | Value €41.70
Balance Me Flash Cleanse Micellar Water | Travel Size, 30ml | Value €3.15
Oskia London Renaissance Mask | Travel Size, 10ml | Value €12.80
I've been using the Facial Oil for the past few weeks - it doesn't seem to be making any kind of difference but it's a pleasant product to use. It reminds me of the Skin Chemists serum that I mentioned in my empties earlier in the month, only less tacky. I haven't used the other two yet, but I'm looking forward to trying that Oskia mask.
High Definition Eyeshadow Palette in 002 "Foxy" | Full Size | Worth €33.95
Model Co Instant Brows in "Light/Medium" | Full Size | Worth €16.45
Ciaté Fierce Flicks Eyeliner in Black | Full Size | Worth €13.45
The eyeliner is lovely, really easy to use. The eyebrow pencil was too light for me, and I found the crayon a bit thick. There was a little double ended brush included with the palette but I didn't find it much use so discarded it. Here's a look at the shades:
There's not a hope in hell that I'd recommend it for over €30, it's nice but it's no nicer than Catrice or Essence. It's just a nice neutral palette.
Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy | Travel Size 25g | Worth €4.75
Bellapierre Banana Setting Powder | Full Size | Worth €15.30
Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm | Sample Size 4ml | Worth €4.25
The hand cream is lovely, but takes a little while to sink in compared to my favourite Body Shop ones. I haven't used the Banana Powder yet, and the nipple balm is fabulous. It has really helped to improve the condition of my lips, and a tiny bit goes a very long way (good job, because the sample is tiny).
Molton Brown Gingerlily Body Wash | Travel Size 100ml | Worth €7.80
Korres Wild Rose Advanced Repair Sleeping Facial | Travel Size 16ml | Worth €12.20
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream | Travel Size 15ml | Worth €28.20
Caudalíe Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet | Travel Size 15ml | Worth €8.60
The Molton Brown is lovely, I really like the brand and it's not something I'd buy for myself so I'm always happy to see it appear in a box or calendar. The scent wouldn't be my favourite but it's still nice. I haven't used the Korres facial yet, and both the Marine Cream and Sorbet are fine - I can never see a massive difference no matter what I use, but both products are pleasant to use and smell nice.
This Works in transit camera close-up | Travel Size 15ml | Worth €13.30
Illamasqua Lava Lips in "Vixen" | Full Size | Worth €23.45
Doucce Maxlash Volumizer Mascara in Black | Mini Size | Worth €?
I've used this primer before, and I like it. The lipstick is fine, I think the marbled lava effect is a bit gimmicky, but this is a nice neutral very pale red/pink. The mascara - I can't find any info online (it seems to crop up a lot in beauty boxes). For me, the brush was too big - it just gave me very clumpy spidery lashes.
Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist | Travel Size 30ml | Worth €19.50
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream | Full Size | Worth €11.95
James Read Gradual Tan | Travel Size 30ml | Worth €5.70
The mist, to me, smells a bit Febreze-ish. I know it's popular and it's based on the first ever perfume water, but to me it's a wallop of Granny followed by nothing. Is it a perfume? Is it a facial mist? The scent doesn't last long enough for it to be perfume, but it's too scented for a facial mist. I didn't like this. The First Aid Beauty cream is gorgeous, I'm a fan of the brand anyway and I really like using this on my legs. The James Read tan is full of glitter and I wish they'd stop including it in beauty boxes, not everyone wants to a) tan, or b) be seen from Space.
Grow Gorgeous Scalp Detox | Travel Size 50ml | Worth €9.20
Redken No Blow Dry Airy Cream for Fine Hair | Travel Size 30ml | Worth €3.70
Moroccanoil Treatment | Travel Size 15ml | Worth €9.00
I haven't used the scalp detox yet, because I'm really lazy when it comes to washing my hair and I just haven't remembered to try it. I used the Redken treatment once but as it's designed for fine hair, it didn't really seem to do much for my very thick frizzy locks. It left the ends looking slightly like wet dog, but I'll give it another go before I give up on it. I was happy with the Moroccanoil, a little goes a very long way and it's a great treatment.
Pixi by Petra Hello Glow! Kit | Full Size | Worth €24.00
This kit contains a liquid illuminator, blusher & highlighter duo, and a glossy lip plumper. I won't use this, nor have I opened it, so if you'd like to win it I'll be giving it away on either Facebook or Instagram later this week.
The products in the 2017 calendar come to a total (approximate) value of €338.60, plus the mascara. The box cost €98 delivered. The 2016 one came in at around €350, so there's not a whole pile of difference value wise. I feel like the focus was on expensive skincare this year- which is fine, I like getting the opportunity to try brands that I wouldn't otherwise be able to try, but it leaves for a boring enough calendar if you're more interested in makeup.
I don't know if I'd be rushing to pre-order again this year, I think the novelty is wearing off and I'd like to try something less expensive, like the Marks & Spencer one. If you bought this too, what did you think? Or what was your favourite product from the box?