The best of luxury advent calenders

Image from Pixabay

December is nearly upon us which means one thing... CHRISTMAS! And for me, the best bit about Christmas is the build-up to the 25th; the excitement, the high street atmosphere and most importantly, opening your advent calendar every morning. So, here's my pick of the 10 best luxury advent calendars 2016!

Molton Brown

Molton Brown's calendar is perfect for those who love their creams, gels and skincare products.

No7

No7 never fail to impress, with full sized products as well as miniatures worth over £150!

Hotel Chocolat

For those who love a traditional advent calender, with calender options of milk, dark, white and caramel!

NYX

My absolute fave in makeup brands, this advent calendar is definitely on my list!

Chase Spirits

You can't go wrong with vodka and gin, and this advent calendar offers so many flavours for you to try.

Lookfantastic

Skincare, makeup and brushes galore this year. The Lookfantastic calender also boasts full sized products.

Lego

Let your inner child out with a Lego calender!

Topshop

Topshop's calender is always a best seller, 24 items of jewellery... what's there to miss?!

Benefit

This calender is a must if you love Benefit's products and a great way to try products you've always wanted!

Diptyque

Twenty-four of the most beautiful candles and diffusers - a treat if you can afford it.

The love of lipsticks

I can't leave the house without a lipstick, it's definitely the one makeup item that I love. With so many different shades, colours and types, any one you choose will be sure to make a statement.

Summer is the perfect time to invest in that great lipstick; with most lipsticks having SPF and lipstick being one of the makeup items you can wear all year round, even when you aren't wearing foundation.

So, here's just a few of my must haves when it comes to lips:

• Red Lipstick

A red lipstick is perfect for pairing with tanned skin and instantly glams up any outfit. Brilliant for day time with simple white clothes or to brighten up a summer night. My favourite is Bobby Brown's Sweet Nectar.

• Nude Lipstick

For when you want to make a statement with your eyes. A nude lipstick looks good but doesn't look too much. Again, Bobby Brown's Pink Apricot Shimmer gives that bit of gold glow but is subtle enough for when you want to tone it down.

• An every-day lipstick

I make sure I wear lipstick everyday and pink is usually the safest colour to go for. My must have is MAC's Sweetie but for when I want it to last longer and look more matte, I go for my all-time favourite Smashbox's Primrose.

• Lipgloss

I haven't always liked lip gloss as I prefer a matte look to my lips but when I received a lip gloss set for Christmas, I started to like the look a bit more. My favourite is Soap and Glory's lipgloss crayon in Raplumzel. The darker shade is lovely by itself or on top of lipstick.

• Lip liner

I never thought about lipliner really until I went into MAC and realised how many people lusted over making their lips look fuller (thanks, Kylie Jenner). I adore MAC's Soar liner but for everyday use, it has to be Rimmel's Exaggerate in Eastend Snob.

The test: Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit

From J-Lo to Pixie Lott, Taylor Swift to Millie Mackintosh, contouring is everywhere at the moment. But can good contouring be done on a budget? I purchased this Barry M contour kit to try out the latest trend - and to see if contouring can still look good without breaking the bank.

I started by applying just a thin layer of my every-day foundation. You can either contour underneath or on top of foundation and I found this set works better on top. The easy-to-follow steps inside the kit make it so easy to contour the right shade in the right place. However, you only need a tiny bit of the creme on your brush/sponge - it goes a long way!

This was half way through putting on the creme, I'd only done half my face! It is easier to put it all on first, and then blend, so you can see what you have done and make it symmetrical on both sides. You can add more once you have blended, to get your desired look.

After blending and adding a bit more, I was more than happy with how it looked. The creme is really good and gives you a lovely golden glow, perfect for summer and nights out. The only small downside would be that for my skin, the highlighter is a little too dark, but adding concealer sorted this out.

I then added bronzer onto my cheeks and mattifying powder onto the highlighted sections.

For only £6.49, I definitely achieved the look I was hoping to and would recommend this product to anyone looking for a budget, good quality contour set!

     

Face

Foundation: No.7 Beautifully Matte

Concealer: Rimmel Hide the Blemish

Contour: Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour kit

Powder: Maybelline Matte Maker 

Bronzer: Soap and Glory Peach Party

Eyes

Brows: Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in black/brown

Eye liner: Soap and Glory Supercat

Mascara: MAC Studio Fix Boldblack Lash

Lips

Liner: Rimmel Exaggerate in 'Eastend Snob'

Lipstick: Smashbox Be Legendary in 'Primrose'