Festive Foodie Friday - Chocolate Bark

Okay, I'm going to apologise for actually calling this recipe, I'm not giving you quantities, a precise method or even the exact ingredients, this "recipe" can be tailored to suit anybody, any occasion and to be honest whatever you have in the cupboard.

If your house is anything like mine at the moment, then it's probably full to bursting point with two things, cheese and chocolate! I guess you could add cheese to this but that would probably be slightly weird! This is a great way of taking a bit of that excess chocolate and transforming into something just that little bit different

Chocolate bark or chocolate slabs as they're often known are everywhere at the moment but they can be quite expensive, which is strange considering how easy they are to make. All you need is some chocolate and some toppings of your choice. Here's how I made mine...

First up line a shallow tin or oven tray with some greaseproof paper or parchment.

Then melt your chocolate, you can use what ever kind of chocolate that you like, I'm using milk chocolate with just a touch of white swirled into it. Always be careful not to overheat your chocolate, and just a tip if your melting white chocolate, add just a touch of coconut oil which seems to stop it going lumpy.

The bulk of my slab is going to be made with milk chocolate, so pour your melted chocolate onto the greaseproof, and spread it evenly with a spatula or a palette knife. You needn't be too precarious about the shape, but try not to make it too thin.

I then swirled my white chocolate through the bark, covering it up slightly to create layers when it breaks.

Then go mad and sprinkle your bark with whatever you fancy here I'm using chopped up pieces of vanilla fudge, pecan nuts, toffee popcorn, white chocolate chips, mini vegetarian friendly marshmallows, popping candy and edible glitter!! Press your toppings down gently into the melted chocolate. When you've pimped your chocolate leave it in a cold place for a few to set (sorry for the lighting change but by the time mine had set it was dark!!)

Once it's set break it up into shards, and then you can either serve it and eat it straight away or you can keep it in an airtight tin, in a cool places for a few days depending on your toppings.

You really can make your bark your own, you could keep it healthy and use dark chocolate, dried fruit, nuts and seeds, or you can make it more adult or dinner party friendly, with a mixture of dark and milk chocolate, with dark chocolate coffee beans, or broken up after dinner mints. It goes with out saying that you could make it completely child friendly and cover it with chocolate beans, chocolate buttons, or jellies, or you could even add broken up biscuits and cookies, and it goes without saying that make a festive bark, and use an orange flavoured chocolate or cover a milk or plain chocolate bark in broken up candy canes, or gingerbread biscuit crumbs, or even pretzel sticks or salted peanuts!

Whatever ingredients that you use though, this is a super quick and easy sweet treat, to make as a treat for the family, as an emergency Christmas gift or as an alternative to the mince pies for Santa x
Don't forget to have a look under the recipes tab just under my blog header to see plenty more festive food ideas and sweet treats x

Get Your Sparkle On With The Nails Inc Sparkle Like A Unicorn Beauty Gift Set

So time is running out before the big day, and I don't know about you but I'm feeling a bit stressed, the shopping is done, and most of the presents are wrapped but the house still needs a deep clean and I'm still waiting for a few presents to arrive. It's a super stressful time but sometimes you just need to take a step back and take a few moments out for yourself, which is exactly what I did this morning, I popped a sheet mask on and lay on the bed for a few minutes and forgot the world for a while,  well after I'd taken a selfie though, obviously!

The mask that I put on comes in a kit that would make a great last minute gift for the beauty junkie in your life or even as a sparkly, mystical new year, treat for yourself.

Over the last 12 months or so, no brand has embraced the unicorn trend more than British brand Nails Inc, with the introduction of their Dirty Unicorns polish collection, some of their QVC UK exclusive colours that I've already mentioned, and their fabulous Sparkle Like A Unicorn Nail Polish Duo (review coming soon!), but the kit I'm going to share with you today, offers you a few things from Nails Inc that you might not have seen before. The Nails Inc Sparkle Like A Unicorn Beauty Gift Set not only gives you the chance to try two new and exclusive mini unicorn inspired nail colours but it also gives you the opportunity to try out a couple of new products from their ever expanding beauty line.

Now we all know that Nails Inc are famous for their nail polishes, their speedy manicure and anything and everything to do with the hands, feet and nails but did you know that they've now branched out into both skincare and make up? Well they have, and given the brands heritage and it's background it probably isn't that much of a surprise, at the moment it just seems to be face masks and lip things but who knows what else is to come.

This kit gives you the opportunity to try one of the face masks from their Face Inc line, and in keeping with that whole unicorn vibe the kit contains the Sparkle Like A Unicorn Illuminating Sheet Mask

I do love a sheet mask and this one is ideal for stressed and tired winter skin. Designed to revive tired and dull skin and improve the appearance of fine lines and pores, this sheet mask contains vitamins B3, B6, and Mulberry, Lemon and Green Tea extracts.

In theory a mask printed with a unicorn design should be super cute, but I still think they make you look like a horror film extra! All you do is remove the mask from the packaging, press it on to the skin, and then relax for 15 minutes to let the ingredients do their thing, then you just take it off and rub the excess liquid in the skin, and then go about your day feeling revived and refreshed.

This was a really decent quality mask some I've tried rip before you even get them out of the packet but although the paper / fabric felt soft to the touch this one was quite substantial. The mask was also absolutely soaked in liquid, it felt nice and wet and it felt really cooling on the skin and my skin definitely felt simultaneously both revived and refreshed after I'd removed it. This mask is available separately and retails at £5.

As well as their new Face Inc skincare line, the team behind Nails Inc have also introduced a new range of lip products, now the label on the product in my kit says Lips Inc, but I've also seen the line referred to as Inc.redible, but whatever the name of it this kit contains a full 5.3g size of their fabulous Lip Trippin Iridescent Strobe Lipsticks.

To say this is stunning is an understatement, all of the lipsticks in the Lip Tripping range have that oh so trendy, duo chrome or colour flip, almost 3D appearance.

The shade you get in this kit is _Unicorn Tribe, now I can't find this specific colour separately but the shade Friyay Feeling looks very similar. Although it looks more like a dark metallic, iridescent purple in the tube, when it's swatch and when it's on the lips, it's a very blue based, pink, lilac shade shot through with an almost blue, purple iridescence.

It looks pretty out there but it's still pretty wearable. Despite the fact that it's full of coconut oil, it's not the creamiest lipstick that I've ever worn but it wears well and it's a really unique and unusual colour. As I say I can't find this exact shade name but these lipsticks usually retail at around £8

Finally this kit contains the thing that Nails Inc is most famous for, it's nail polish of course, and the colours in this kit tone in perfectly with the lipsticks and the whole sparkle like a unicorn vibe

Not the most flattering picture but on the left you have Unicorn Vibes, a clear polish that is full of  silver, rainbow and holographic glitter and on the right you have Unicorn Dot Com, a pink, purple foil. You can wear both on these colours individually and you can also use Unicorn Vibe over the top of this colour, or on top of any other colours that you have. My own nails are shocking at the moment so I've bought the plastic ones out so you can see how pretty these polishes are. As per usual I've used two coats of polish and no top coat, and for the last swatch I've used one coat of Unicorn Vibes over two coats of Unicorn Dot Com.

The pictures above were taken without a flash but I also took some with the flash, slightly out of focus so you can see the sparkle x

These polishes are only 5ml each compared to Nails Inc's normal 14ml but they are still a good size and they do appear to be exclusive to this kit.

This set would make a lovely but at the same time it's a lovely one that you could treat yourself too if you've still got a few parties to go and you feel as though you need to get your sparkle back! As well containing some really pretty nail polishes this kit also gives you a chance to try some of Nails Incs newest introductions and based on this set, I can't wait to see what they have to offer in 2018. The Nails Inc London Sparkle Like A Unicorn Beauty Set retails at £19 and is available from the Nails Inc website, and from Nails Inc stockists including Debenhams, and John Lewis.

Climbing Out Of My Fragrance Comfort Zone With Mont Blanc Lady Emblem Elxir*

Every person has their quirks, something that they always do or say, my mum can't live without lipstick and applies it on average once an hour, and I can't live without my perfume! Even if I'm not leaving the house and I'm having a truly lazy day, I always apply a squirt or two of fragrance to my pulse points to lift my spirits, and although it sounds a touch weird, to make myself feel complete.

I've loved perfume for as long as I can remember and some of my longest standing childhood memories are of the musky type fragrances that my grandma used to wear, and of my mam kissing goodnight and leaving the room in a haze of YSL Rive Gauche, or Mystere by Rochas. Fragrance in my young eyes made a woman more glamorous and special, and although I now inwardly cringe at even thinking that, as soon as I was old enough I wanted to be part of that.

My first experiments with perfume were interesting to say the least, I didn't seem to understand the concept of the less is more philosophy, so I can imagine a few people secretly held their noses when I walked into the room! Over the years thankfully my tastes and my application technique have become, lets say a little bit more refined. I still have way too many bottles of perfume, but I'm probably a bit more choosy about what I buy than I used to be.

Although I have a few different types of scents in my collection, the majority of perfumes that I buy tend to fall into the floral and powdery description, sometimes with a tiny bit of fruit thrown in. I know a lot of women now love heady, heavy and more masculine fragrances, and even out and out foodie scents but I'm not one of them, if it's soft, floral, pretty and powdery though then it's probably got my name on it!

Fragrance is a really personal thing and members of the same family can have rapidly differing tastes in scent. More often than not though you like what you like and you're generally not willing to step outside that comfort zone and try something new. In the run up to the big 4-0 though I'm trying to be braver in all areas of my life and take a few risks, and not just step, but jump headlong out of my comfort zone, so over the last few months I've trying out a fragrance that's quite different from what I would normally wear.

If you're into your fashion and style than you will no doubt have heard of luxury goods brand Mont Blanc. Founded in Germany in 1906, and named after the famous mountain in the Swiss Alps, Mont Blanc were initially famous for producing high quality fountain pens, and writing implements before branching into the wider luxury goods markets and introducing a range of high end leather goods, and watches. all of which incorporate their sophisticated star logo.

Whilst I'd heard of the brand and their very high end watches I didn't actually know that they also produce a select range of both men's and women's fragrances, the newest of which is Mont Blanc Lady Emblem Elixir.

Right, where do I start? well I'm going to start with the factors that draw us into a fragrance in the first place, it can be an advertising campaign or it can simply be the look of the box, and the bottle itself.

The first indication that this really is a luxurious product comes from the box itself, which is respondent in a beautiful metallic rose gold, beautiful, but only a taster of what is to come.

Open the box and you're greeted by a small piece of glass sculpture. The weighty glass bottle is designed to replicate the 43 faceted cut Mont Blanc diamond. The bottom half of the bottle carries the rose, pink gold tone of the box through with an almost mirrored metallic finish. where as the top half of the bottle is clear and the amber liquid shines through for within.

The lid itself is clear and resembles a cross between a flower with multiple petals and the Mont Blanc star logo, with the Mont Blanc logos also embossed in the rose gold tone spray atomiser

This bottle just screams class and sophistication, the on trend rose gold finish, and the chunky, heavy weight sculptural quality means that this is a bottle that you would be proud to display on your dressing table even when it's empty! (don't keep your fragrances in direct sunlight though).

So the box is beautiful, and the bottle is exquisite but what about the fragrance inside, well it's clear that Mont Blanc haven't just used the bottle as a distraction, the perfume inside is rich and decadent.

Described as a floral, Lady Emblem Elixir is a complex and heady woody, floral containing amongst other things damask rose, iris, and orange blossom, with hints of black pepper, sandalwood, lychee and patchouli.

I'm rubbish at describing scent but I definitely initially get some fruity and floral notes, with then dry down to something a little bit headier, and warmer, which lasts well on the skin. It's a lot deeper and heavier than a lot of the fragrances I wear but it's really grown on me. This sounds a pretty strange way of describing it but the best way I can describe it to someone who obviously can't smell it for themselves is to imagine all the scents mingling as you walk through a beauty haul or a duty free shop, and whilst it would be nowhere near as strong or as heavy as that, hopefully that will give you some idea of the complexity and all of the different notes and layers within this scent.

I think this fragrance would actually appeal to lot of people, I like it and my mum who prefers a heavier scent can also appreciate it's beauty and individuality.

Fragrance makes an amazing present for any occasion and whilst it is always tempting and probably the safest option to buy something you know that your recipient will love, don't be frightened to try something new especially if you know the person really well, and the scents that they like and dislike. I've received a few "surprise perfumes" over the years and whilst I haven't got on with them all I have discovered one or two that have became staples in my own fragrance wardrobe. Buying something new is obviously a risk but if your recipient loves it then you will be the best boyfriend, friend or auntie that there is, and if they like florals with a twist then maybe Mont Blanc Lady Emblem Elixir could be something worth trying.

Mont Black Lady Emblem Elixir has a recommended retail price of £54 for a 50ml Eau De Parfum but if you like the sound of this fragrance then take my advice and shop around, look hard enough aka at sites like Fragrance Direct and allbeauty, then you might find this fragrance for a lot, lot less ;) Are you hoping that Santa pops a new perfume in your stocking this year? Let me know what you're hoping for or what fragrance you're planning on buying yourself in the January sales ? I'm always looking for new fragrance recommendations and I can't wait to hear your favourites :)

*Press Sample

Nails Of The Day - OPI Coalmates - Holiday 2017

So my nails aren't any longer than they were just over a week but I've got another dark colour to show so in my opinion the length doesn't really matter.

Coalmates is another shade from OPI's 2017 Holiday Collection, Love OPI XOXO. and whilst at first glance the colour in the bottle might appear to be dark and un-festive, in reality it's anything but.

Again none of my photographs will ever do this polish justice so do yourself a favour and pick this one up before it's gone for good.

OPI Coalmates is a beautiful metallic, deep charcoal grey, with is crammed full of multi coloured sparkle, in certain lights it looks almost black, and in others it's almost a silver, pewter shade. It's looking a touch blue these pics but I think the camera is just picking up on all of that fabulous blue sparkle.

Application was a breeze, the first coat was a touch streaky but two coats was enough to achieve full on, glossy, sparkly, smooth perfection.The wear time was also excellent and I managed a good 4 days without a top coat, and because it's just sparkle and not glitter it was also pretty easy to remove.

I know dark polishes aren't for everyone but even if you don't like them, you definitely need a shade like Coalmates in your life. I honestly can't fault it, compared to Feel The Chemistree (read my review here) the application was easy peasy and the colour is truly beautiful. The dark metallic, charcoal, pewter shade, looks incredibly sophisticated on the nails, and the subtle multi coloured sparkle adds just hint of holiday magic. For me this polish is pretty unique I've been wracking my brains to see if I own anything similar and I can honestly say that I don't think I do. I do have a couple of previous charcoal, and black shades from previous OPI Holiday Collections but I don't think any of them have both the metallic and the multi coloured sparkles. I'm definitely going to have a root through my epic nail polish collection and see if I can come up with anything but I'd love to know if you've got a similar colour in your nail polish collection or if you've seen anything similar on the high street - Let me know if you have x

Look Fantastic Beauty In Wonderland 2017 Advent Calendar - Part 1 - Days 1 - 12

I don't know why it is, but at this time of year I always tend to look back at Christmas's past. Christmas has changed so much since I was child, but so many things have stayed constant and one of those is the excitement of opening the doors of an advent calendar and counting down the days until Christmas.

Advent calendars have came a long way since I was a child, my earliest memories of advent calendars were those traditional cardboard calendars, which my mam usually bought from the local newsagent, that were sprinkled with glitter and had a festive image behind each door. I know you can still get them and personally despite their simplicity I loved them, but I just don't think that a lot of today's children would be too happy to get just a little picture in their advent calendar! Things have changed and in a big way!

Being a chocoholic though the introduction of chocolate advent calendars were a big thing for me, - I mean what could honestly be better than eating chocolate for breakfast! erm not much in my opinion, and even at my age both myself and Mummy Lou, always count down to the big day with a chocolate advent calendar or two. Over the last few years or so though I've jumped onto a relatively new bandwagon and I've added a beauty advent calendar to my festive traditions.

Nowadays there seems to be a new breed of advent calendar, the luxury calendar which is almost like an early gift in it's own right. No longer content with just a piece of chocolate, you can now get advent calendars geared towards both children and adults containing everything from beer, to gin, to cheese, to nail polish and LEGO, and this year I've even seen one which contains shall we say, slightly more adult themed toys. What will they think of next? I think it's been well documented that some of these advent and 12 days of Christmas calendars are just plain rip offs but some of them do offer genuine value for money and are well worth picking up,

In the last two years I was lucky enough to get my hands on the M&S Marks & Spencer beauty advent calendar, and whilst this years little house themed version looked amazing and is probably their best one to date I decided to try something different. As I say advent calendars have become more like presents in their own right, and my lovely mummy kindly offered to buy me a calendar as part of my Christmas present I was pretty much spoilt for choice. My initial aim was to get the QVC UK TILI Advent Calendar but it sold it in seconds creating all manner of problems for QVC's poor social media team, so instead I went for the Look Fantastic Beauty In Wonderland Advent Calendar.

This calendar retailed at £79, and whilst it certainly wasn't the cheapest one on the market, it certainly wasn't the most expensive of this years offerings either. I have to be honest and say that this is one of the prettiest and most useful calendars that I've seen.

Although the calendar contains images of deer and fir trees it isn't obviously Christmas themed, instead it features a beautifully illustrated fairy tale theme.

The fact that it doesn't scream Christmas means that this calendar can definitely serve a dual purpose. Made of a good quality thick card, this calendar is basically a mini chest of drawers, which will be perfect for storing make up or beauty products, or even crafting supplies, knick knacks or jewellery.

Open the midnight blue decorated, magnetic fastening doors and the surprises just keep on coming. The top section which is empty features a flip top lid, with ribbon hinges and a large mirror. Underneath that are 4 good sized sturdy drawers with white grosgrain ribbon pulls.

The drawers contain 25 numbered, removable boxes, to help you countdown the days until Christmas day. Inside the boxes you gift of the day comes beautifully wrapped in tissue paper which is covered in drawings of beauty products and wording in keeping with the Alice In Wonderland theme such as Love Me, Swatch Me, Apply Me, Use Me, Spritz Me, Lather Me and Smell Me. Every aspect of this calendar has been so well thought out, it would have been so easy to just wrap the products in plain tissue but Look Fantastic really have put a lot of thought into this calendar, and every aspect of it just works and adds to the appeal and the excitement, honestly it really is beautiful and my not the best winter light photos just don't fo it justice!

Okay it looks beautiful, and it's reusable but what's the contents like? Well, it been hard to resist opening all of the boxes at once but I've been good and I'm sticking to my days and my calendar and I'm only opening one box a day. I know I've posting pictures of the contents on Instagram but I thought I'd share the contents with you as well - so this is what the Look Fantastic Beauty In Wonderland Advent Calendar contained on days 1-12

Day 1 - Illamasqua Lava Lipstick - Vixen - 3.6g - Full Size

This first item was a beauty and it was a full 3.6g Lava Lipstick from Illamasqua in the exclusive to this calendar shade, Vixen.

These lipsticks were a limited edition anyways but this colour is an exclusive and it's a beauty I'm not really a red lipstick wearer but at the time of year nothing screams Christmas like a red lippy.

This one isn't a scary red though, there is a bit of white in the marble effect which definitely tones it down a bit, it was creamy and easy to apply and it wore well.

The RRP of the other Lava Lipsticks was around £20 so value wise, this was an excellent start.

Day 2 - Ciate Fierce Flicks Precision Tip Liquid Liner - Black - 1.7ml - Full Size

Day 2 was another make up item, and another full size make up item at that. This felt tip style liquid liner from Ciate retails at around £15. I struggle like hell with liquid liners but I'm going to persevere with this one, it's pretty fine, and it's a proper deep, black.

Day 3 - Grow Gorgeous Scalp Detox Exfoliating Pre-Wash Treatment - 50ml

I know some of you will probably be thinking what is this girl on, but I'm slightly obsessed with hair products, I love trying new things and new brands. Grow Gorgeous is a new brand to me and this slightly grainy treatment is designed to clarify the hair and remove product build up. It contains a combination of white willow, pomegranate fruit enzyme and Castor oil beads. The brand is cruelty free and vegan and the products are paraben and sulphate free. I'll definitely be trying this out soon so look out it in a future empties post. The full size of this product is 190ml which retails at £28 and whilst this is just a travel size it's perfect for holidays and for trying out a new product and a new brand.

Day 4 - First Aid Beauty - FAB - Ultra Repair Cream  - 56.7g

This cream has a bit of cult reputation as a skin saviour. Containing oatmeal, shea butter, ceramides and eucalyptus, this cream is designed specifically for dry, chapped, itchy, and flaky skin. You can use it from head to toe and it's approved for use on skin condition such as eczema and psoriasis. I've been using this on my hands and believe me it is good! Allergy tested with no added parabens, fragrance or colour, this thick white, slightly eucalyptus scented cream absorbs quickly and makes an almost immediate difference. This 56.7g tube retails at around £10 and it's well worth that as a little bit really does go a long way.

Day 5 - Balance Me Flash Cleanse Micellar Water - 30ml 

I've acquired a couple of these little bottles in the past few months, but as yet I haven't managed to try any of them. I'm a bit of a fan of micellar waters though so I definitely need to give this a go. Containing mandarin essential oil, and pea protein, this liquid is suitable for all skin types, and you can even use it around the eyes. This is a little bottle but it's perfect for travel and for trying out a new product without too much of a risk.

Day 6  - This Works In Transit Camera Close Up -15ml

This is something else that I've got a few of now and again it's something that I haven't managed to try yet but I do love multi use products so again I need to get this used. Victoria Beckham is supposedly a fan of this mask, moisturiser and primer in one, which supposedly hydrates, brightens and evens out the skin.

Day 7 - James Read Gradual Tan H2O Illuminating Tan Mist Body - 30ml

Glitter! Where would we be at Christmas with out a bit of glitter or at least a bit of shimmer. This isn't a body glitter though this is actually a gradual tanning mist from tanning guru to the stars James Read. Containing rose water, hyaluronic acid, and caffeine, this is a clear gradual tan spray that contains subtle gold sparkle which is perfect for the party season and for getting rid of that white / blue leg look. I haven't tried any of James' products before  but this is something that I'll definitely be trying out over the next few weeks. I think that this is quite a new product, so it's great to have it in the calendar

Day 8 - Redken No Blow Dry Airy Styling Cream For Fine Hair - 30ml

Another hair care product and this time something from top salon brand REDKEN. I've never heard about this product before but as someone who more often than not, leaves their hair to dry naturally this little tube could be a godsend. Basically the cream / gel inside this tube is designed to make your hair dry more quickly, naturally, and it' supposedly makes your hair easier to style without heat. I've been prepping my hair for a salon visit tomorrow but once I'm done and dusted I'll definitely be giving this a go next time that I wash my hair.

Day 9 Bellapierre Banana Setting Powder - 4g - Full Size

I know some people hate face powder but I'm not one of them - I love it, my oily skin needs all of the help that I can get and nothing gets rid of that shine quicker than a dusting of face powder. This full size loose powder from mineral make up company Bellapierre is a yellow toned powder, so it doesn't just help you keep your make up in place, it can also act as a colour corrector and help get rid of and tone down redness and discolouration. My skin is prone to a bit of redness and I can't wait to see if this makes a difference. This powder is a full size and retails at around £25 / $35

Day 10 - Oskia London Renaissance Mask - 10ml 

I've got to be honest and say that I'd never heard of this brand before but after finding out about the ingredients and what this mask does I can't wait to try it. OSKIA are a British brand, and this gel like mask which is suitable for all skin types contains a mixture of papaya and fruit enzymes which aims to increase radiance, even out the skin tone and minimise the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles. The full 50ml size retails at £51 so this is easily a £9 or £10 product.

Day 11 - Molton Brown Gingerlily Body Wash - 100ml  

I've used Molton Brown for a long time now, and I remember using this under it's previous incarnation Heavenly Gingerlily. This is one of their longest standing and most popular products, and it's easy to see why. Exquisitely blended with ingredients from around the world this has a slightly unisex scent to me with just a hint of floral. It contains ginger, tuberose, cedar wood and lily, and whether you use it in the bath or the shower a little goes a long way. Although Molton Brown do a larger size, this generous travel size retails at £10.

Day 12 - Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet - 15ml

Although I've tried a few Caudalie products over the years I can honestly say that I've never gone out and bought one specifically or used any of their products for any real period of time, and to be honest I don't know why that is. They are a French brand that base a lot of their products on grapes and grape extracts hence the name Vinosource. This cream gel based moisturiser is perfect for sensitive skin, and with regular use it can help to soothe, strengthen and hydrate the skin, and it can also help to reduce redness. I tried a little bit on day 12 and I was really impressed, I don't like thick and gloopy moisturisers and thanks to the lightweight texture this one absorbed into my skin really quickly and it left it feeling really smooth. The full 40ml size retails at £23. 

Well what can I say so far so good, you've got a good mix of make up items, skincare, hair care and body products, with a couple of high value products and a couple of decent value and sized products. Couple that with the aesthetically pleasing look of the calendar, and for me it's definitely worth the money so far and I'm certainly looking forward to opening the remaining doors. I'd love to know your thoughts on this calendar, and advent calendars in general, did you get an interesting one this year? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to keep an eye on my Instagram for some sneak peeks of what you can expect to see in part 2, which I'm hoping to post on Christmas Eve - eek! x