Advent calendars aren’t what they used to be, are they? As a kid my mum always used to buy me a Dairy Milk advent calendar, but this year she bought me the “25 days of beauty” advent calendar from No7.
As much as I appreciate this gift, I am still disappointed she didn’t get me a chocolate advent calendar… If you’re reading this mum, shame on you! (just joking – I really appreciate this gift)
How much does it cost?
Before I jump into the products, it’s probably worth telling you that this advent calendar costs £42 – but the products inside are worth over £170! This is an incredible saving, and is an excellent present for someone or even for yourself if you want to treat yourself at Christmas.
Where can you get it?
Getting your advent calendar is fairly easy; you can order it online. You can also register your interest in the product in advance to gain access to a 24 hour exclusive pre-sale.
I saw some press coverage about the box being so popular last year, with over 100,000 people signing up to gain access to the pre-sale, that they had warned customers that they might sell out… clever marketing tactic to be fair, but my mum ordered two online and she didn’t even have access to the pre-sale.
Products in the calendar
No7 Skin Illuminator
Now that I’ve opened so many boxes, I can’t remember the exact order the products came in, but I couldn’t forget the first present I opened…
The full-sized No7 Skin Illuminator.
This was an amazing present to receive on the 1st December, and after putting it on my Instagram story, my thoughts were echoed by others who have bought this product in the past.
The illuminator can be used underneath your make-up to help your natural radiance, and it really does give you the best natural glow. Others that I have spoken to about the product have also used it in different ways including using it over your makeup as a highlighter, and using it in the summer on holiday as your basic make-up look.
This product is usually £12.50 in stores, so receiving this gift in the advent calendar is an absolute dream!
Eye Products
No7 Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil Black
I very rarely wear eyeliner, unless I’m going for the smokey eye look, but this may occur considering it’s Christmas. Because I rarely use eyeliner, I don’t own a good one! For this reason, I was extremely happy to receive the No7 Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black.
I was also impressed that this pencil was provided in Black, as this is probably their most popular shade (I expected them to give us a random colour that didn’t sell as well as Black).
This was a great addition to the advent calendar, being another full-sized product, and worth £7.50.
No7 Intense Volume Mascara in Black
I have been using Urban Decay Mascara for a few years now, and don’t think I’ll ever stop using it, but this full sized No7 Intense Volume Mascara in Black will be a back up in my handbag from now on.
Again, I was pleased that they had given us this in Black, because it also comes in brown and navy too. And, at a normal price of £10, it was a good addition to the advent calendar.
No7 Lash Impact Lash Serum
This gift wasn’t actually placed inside the advent calendar, it was left in the store… you open a voucher that needs to be taken in store to collect your No7 Lash Impact Lash Serum. Again, very cute marketing tactic to get you into the store to potentially spend more money!
I have never heard of Lash Serum, and having this free gift (worth £16) is something I am going to use religiously for the next 8 weeks to see if it actually works.
I have naturally long lashes anyway, but being able to use a product that will enhance them even more would be an absolute gods send.
I am very excited to see if this product works, and will feedback in 8 weeks!
No7 Stay Perfect Eye Shadow Voucher
So, this was another one of those vouchers that you have to take in store to get your present, which is obviously a bit annoying. But, with this one I am very excited to visit the store to explore the range of colours they’ve got, test them, and choose which one I want.
I do think that a level of personalisation to this advent calendar makes it unique and special just for you. The No7 Stay Perfect Eye Shadow comes in 20 colours and costs just £7.
When I went in-store to pick out the colour that I wanted, I was disappointed by the limited colours available, as a lot were out of stock. I was looking for a light pink colour that I could use as a blending eyeshadow, but that didn’t really go to plan. I ended up buying the shade Cinnamon, which is a nude-y brown colour.
No7 Stay Precise Felt Tip Liner
Does anyone else have their favourite brand of liquid liner that they swear by? Me too; I use the Revlon Colour Stay Liquid Liner and I have used this for years. Hence, I was a bit hesitant as I’ve never had a good experience with other brands, let alone felt tip liners.
In my opinion, felt tip liners just aren’t wet enough to give the same definition as what a proper liquid liner could. That’s why this product just didn’t do it for me. I personally preferred the eyeliner pencil that was given to me earlier on in this calendar, and feel that this gave me a stronger colour than the felt tip liner. On the plus side, the No7 Stay Precise Felt Tip Liner retails at £8, so not bad for a free gift!
Face Creams
No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day Cream
I turned 25 this year and as a nice welcome to my mid twenties my mum bought me the whole No7 Early Defence range including a day cream, night cream, eye serum, and eye cream… so I’m already very familiar with their skincare products.
The No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day Cream comes as a 25ml sample, with the full sized product being double the size and costing £25. Having this sample size is a great way to test the product, and is perfect for traveling.
Having already used the Early Defence range (which I love), I found this day cream a little oilier than I would like.
No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Night Cream
Similar to above, the No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Night Cream comes in the calendar as a 25ml sample, with the full sized product being 50ml and costing £25. Again, a little too oily for my skin, but perfect for taking on holiday with me when room is tight in the suitcase!
No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum
The No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum in the advent calendar was only a very mini 5ml sample, but the full sized one on the Boots website is £34. Whilst it was one of the smaller gifts, it’s a great opportunity to try before you buy.
Having a mini serum is going to be very handy, especially when traveling abroad without checked baggage!
No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Eye Cream
The day time alternative to the above is the No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Eye Cream, again, as a small 5ml sample. The full sized product is 15ml and costs £18.
No7 Radiant Results Revitalising Daily Face Polish
I think everyone has their own skincare regime, including their personal favourite face washes. It wouldn’t be my first port of call to look at No7 for face wash, but this stuff smells so good!
The No7 Radiant Results Revitalising Daily Face Polish comes as a 15ml sample, but is normally sold as 100ml for £9.
Considering that I already use No7 face creams, I’m wondering whether this daily polish will work well with my existing regime and compliment the products I already use…
No7 Laboratories Line Correcting Booster Serum
This product is just a 3ml sample, with the full sized No7 Laboratories Line Correcting Booster Serum being 15ml and costing £38.
The directions for use state “apply directly to lines and wrinkles every morning and evening”… I don’t actually have too many wrinkles yet, but maybe this product will help prevent them!
Nail Products
No7 Gel Finish Nail Colour in Midnight
Full sized No7 Gel Finish Nail Colours are £7.50 in stores, and come in a range of colours. The colour we received was Midnight, which is a dark blue/navy with a bit of shimmer/glitter in it. However, when I first opened it I thought it was Black, which is a colour I would actually wear.
Unfortunately, midnight blue isn’t a colour I would usually opt for… I love to get my nails done at the salon, and have acrylic nails every time I go. Normally I would choose a red or nude colour. Nonetheless, it’s a colour I can try out!
No7 Nourishing Nail & Cuticle Care
I opened this product early on in December, and I seem to have misplaced it since then… whoops. My mum bought the advent calendar for both my sister and I, so perhaps I will have to give her one a try!
As mentioned above, I do usually go to the salon to get my nails done so I would usually just have the products used on me that they stock in their shops.
If you’re interested in the No7 Nourishing Nail & Cuticle Care you can purchase it on their website and it costs just £6.
Skincare
No7 Instant Results Revitalising Peel-Off Mask
I love a good peel off face mask, and this one was an absolute treat when I opened it to see it was bright orange and glittery!
The sachet of No7 Instant Results Revitalising Peel-Off Mask contained a decent amount of liquid, and easily covered two faces (my boyfriend reluctantly used some too!)
The mask went on so easily and dried within 10 minutes. I peeled mine off first and then peeled off my boyfriend’s, but unfortunately he had quite a bad reaction to the mask and his face went completely bright red where the face mask was. I really liked the face mask though – so maybe just avoid if you have sensitive skin.
The full sized product is actually sold in a tube rather than a sachet, and costs £13.
No7 Revitalising Hydrogel Eye Masks
This is a product that I can’t wait to try out… the No7 Instant Results Revitalising Hydrogel Eye Masks are usually sold as a pack of 5 for £15, which isn’t too bad!
My sister tried these out last week, and they looked really good! I’m hoping they’re not going to cause any irritation on my face though after the face mask debacle… on the front of these it says “suitable for sensitive skin”, so let’s hope not!
No7 Revitalising Cleansing Wipes
I don’t actually use face wipes anymore because of the whole wastage agenda… I instead use bamboo re-usable makeup up remover pads and micellar water. However, these face wipes will come in handy if I get caught off guard!
Lip Products
No7 High Shine Lip Gloss
In a modern make-up world we are trying to move away from shine and stick to all things matte, but more recently I am liking a bit of a shine when it comes to my lips.
This No7 High Shine Lip Gloss comes in 11 colours and costs £9. I’m not sure which colour we were given as it doesn’t say on the bottle, but I would assume it’s either Naturally Nude or Pink Latte. Either way, it’s a colour that I wear almost every day. Very excited to try this one out!
No7 Precision Lips Pencil
To support the above lip gloss nicely, we were also given the No7 Precision Lips Pencil, which retails at £7. The pencil comes in 7 colours, and similar to above, I’m not sure which shade we got as it doesn’t say it on the pencil, but it’s a nude colour – which is perfect for me!
One thing I love about this lip pencil is that it isn’t made out of wood, therefore doesn’t need sharpening! I love that you can just twist it up when you need more, as it’s always a pain if you’re out and your pencil goes blunt…
No7 High Shine Lip Crayon
I don’t have a clue why, but I have always HATED lip crayons. Something to do with them being big and chunky and not precise enough… but, I am completely converted by the No7 High Shine Lip Crayon. This lip crayon is available in 6 colours and costs £9.
I’m not sure why they don’t put the product colour on the lip crayon itself, because again I have no clue what shade they’ve given me…
I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t like the colour, as although it looks nude, I thought it might come out a bit brighter, which I knew I wouldn’t like. Instead, the colour comes out very nude, with a lot of shine, so can be worn as an every day lip gloss.
Other Face Products
No7 Airbrush Away Primer
We were given a 10ml sample of the No7 Airbrush Away Primer, which usually comes as a 30ml tube, costing £16.50.
I love to use primer under my foundation, helping it to last longer, and have used primer from No7, Bare Minerals and Smashbox. What I thought was unusual about this primer was that it came out white, whereas all the other primers I’ve used come out clear… nevertheless it makes your skin super smooth before applying your foundation.
No7 Powder Blusher in Damson Mist
The No7 Match Made Powder Blusher comes in a range of colours to suit all skin tones, but we were given this one in Damson Mist. I’m more of a bronzer girl than a blusher girl, but maybe I should give it a go? For my first time using a blusher though, this is very pink, and for my skin tone I would probably go a couple of shades darker.
Retailing at £9, this is another good gift to have received in this calendar, even if it’s just something I will be trying out.
Smaller Gifts
No7 Slanted Tweezers
Everyone has their favourite pair of tweezers, and since opening these ones, I think they will become my favourites!
The No7 Slanted Tweezers are a perfect size for travel, and are a lovely gold colour as well. Interestingly, I couldn’t find these tweezers on their website, so I wonder whether these have been produced purely for the advent calendar?
No7 Flawless Finish Blending Sponge
I haven’t used a beauty blender now for over a year, as I’ve found better results using a brush to apply my foundation. But, since I’ve now got a brand new beauty blender, maybe I should give it a go again?
The No7 Flawless Finish Blending Sponge costs £7, so I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one.
No7 Eyeshadow Brush
One of the smaller gifts in the calendar was a mini No7 Eyeshadow Brush, which I think is actually called an Eye Contour Brush. The full sized brush can be bought online for £10.
I have a tonne of makeup brushes as it is, but this one looks like it will come in particularly handy when blending my eyeshadow. And, because it’s mini-sized it will be handy when taking make-up abroad or trips away from home.
Summary
Would I treat myself to this next year? Absolutely! I love the fact that you basically get a whole mini skin care range, and lots of other bits and pieces to try out. This calendar contains such a good mix of products, and I would highly recommend to anyone interested for next year!
adventuresxlil 