LOOKFANTASTIC BEAUTY ADVENT CALENDAR 2019 {REVIEW}

I jumped on the Beauty Advent Calendar bandwagon back in 2016 with a disastrous calendar from Essence that I purchased here in South Africa and it was a complete waste of money and one I won't repeat.

The following year 2017 I opted for the Marks & Spencer advent calendar, which was great and as always their beauty advent calendars offer excellent value for money.

In 2018 I was lucky enough to have two, which was wonderful, again the one was from Marks & Spencer and it housed a good selection of products and the other was from the online beauty website Feelunique, which was more expensive than the M&S, but

it was well worth the extra spend.

Beauty Advent Calendars are "big business" in the UK and the choice is endless and just continues to grow each year, unfortunately here in SA the pricing of these imported calendars make it somewhat prohibitive and to be honest don't offer good value for money.

As you can tell I just love having a daily beauty treat in the run up to December 25th

I personally prefer a multi brand calendar, as it allows you to experience a wide variety of

brands as well as products that can range from nail products to make-up, skincare, body products and even hair care and I just love trying new brands.

For 2019 I bought the Lookfantastic multi brand calendar and I don't regret
my choice at all.

Here are my thoughts on the Lookfantastic 2019 Beauty Advent Calendar.

I have decided to list the products according to my likes and dislikes:

These products are the reason I decided to buy this calendar, as I've always wanted to either try these particular products or brand:

Morphe 9A Palette (9 pan) | worth £12.00

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream 30ml | worth £50.00
Illamasqua Nude Collection Liner – Raw | worth £16.00
Rituals The Ritual of Ayurveda Dry Oil 50ml | worth £11.00

OSKIA Renaissance Cleansing Gel 35ml | worth £23.00
First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads 20 | worth £14.00
Avant Skincare Moisture Surge Overnight Treatment 50ml | worth £85.00

Mellow Cosmetics Liquid Lip Paint – Tehran | worth £11.00

Delilah Cosmetics Eye Brow Pencil | worth £22.00

Neal’s Yard Remedies Wild Rose Hand Cream 50ml | worth £10.00
Bio Effect EGF Serum 5ml | worth £42.00

Molton Brown Fiery Pink Pepper Bath and Shower Gel 100ml | worth £10.00
Emma Hardie Moisture Boost Vit + C Cream 20ml | worth £19.60

These products I have experienced already, but I'm happy to have again:

Omorovicza Queen Of Hungary Mist Limited Edition 30ml | worth £15.00

Eyeko Lash Alert Mascara 4ml | worth £10.00

Filorga Meso-Mask 15ml | worth £12.60

Rodial Dragon’s Blood Lip Mask (1 mask) | worth £6.00

Sadly I've already tried these product, as I've received in previous calendars.

Unfortunately that's why I didn't buy the M&S again as it has become very repetitive in terms of brands and product inclusion:

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day (PhD) 5-in-1 Styling Treatment 30ml | worth £5.00

Prai Throat & Decolletage Crème (15ml) | worth £9.00

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer 40ml | worth £12.00

Sleek MakeUP Highlighting Palette – Solstice 9g | worth £9.99

Eyeko Lash Alert Mascara 4ml | worth £10.00

Filorga Meso-Mask 15ml | worth £12.60

These products I was a little disappointed with their inclusion:

Caudalie Vinopure Clear Skin Purifying Toner 50ml | worth £4.00
Luxie 121 & 141 (2 brushes) | worth £10.00
Lord & Berry Black Eye Liner | worth £10.00
Bubble T Limited Edition Bath Bomb | worth £5.99

 For £79 it contained a good selection of make-up,skin and haircare products

worth £400.

 It has introduced me to several brands that I have never experienced before and even a couple that I have never heard of before, whilst some products have even been on my "Lust List".

The packaging of this calendar has been the best so far, as it's made from a strong cardboard and each product was individually wrapped in blue tissue paper,so you felt like you were opening a Christmas gift everyday and each drawer contained a product information card.

The two doors on this large box even have a magnetic closure and you can be sure that I will be recycling this box for many years to come.

Let me know in the comments below if you had a Beauty Advent Calendar

this year and if so which one....

OMOROVICZA QUEEN OF HUNGARY MIST {REVIEW}

The name OMOROVICZA keeps popping up on many overseas beauty blogs and obviously its piqued my interest, so what better product to try first than their bestseller in the form of the

Queen of Hungary Mist   

As with many overseas brands, that we don't get in South Africa, I always try to give you a brief overview of the brand and its beginnings and this one is quite interesting and fairytale like.

The Omorovicza journey began over 2,000 years ago, when the healing properties of Hungary's thermal waters were discovered and the first thermal baths were built.

At the turn of the millennium, Stephen de Heinrich de Omorovicza was living in Budapest when he first met US diplomat Margaret, Chief of Staff at the US Embassy in Hungary.

Stephen took Margaret to the baths his family built. The couple observed the healing powers of these waters on their skin and decided to embark on a quest to harness its curative power within a range of skincare products.

The Queen of Hungary’s water was the 'original' perfume, formulated in Europe at the command of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary. Legend has it that the water was ‘created’ 

as a beauty treatment which was so successful that it led the king 

(aged just 25 years) to propose marriage when she was nearing the end of her life…

The Omoroviczas revived a 14th Century beauty recipe, originally devised for 

Queen Elizabeth of Hungary, to create this purifying, toning and protective facial mist, adored for its phenomenal rejuvenating properties. 

Starring Hungary’s mineral-rich thermal waters (the earth’s crust is thinner there, which is why the waters are jam-packed with skin-beneficial elements), 

this mist delivers these precious waters’ magical, healing properties to your skin’s lowest levels, where the minerals kick-start repair and stimulate regeneration.

It can be sprayed at any time on face, body and hair. 

Hold bottle at least 6 inches away and keep out of eyes. 

The mist does not contain alcohol.

It can be used as a daily toner or to mist skin mid-flight, pre make up or anytime 

of the day, just to maintain moisture levels.

As with all of these types of facial mists, they're "nice to have" products if your beauty budget allows and whilst I found this one to be particularly luxurious, refreshing (thanks to the Orange Blossom/Rose and Sage) and pleasant to use, it is on the pricey side.

Now that I have tried I personally feel that this product is a little over-hyped and I'm not too sold on the "precious water with magical healing properties" spiel, however it is their best selling product with a cult following, but to be honest I still prefer my beloved Caudalie Beauty Elixir and it's way more affordable.

To read my full review

I would love to know in the comments box below if you have ever used and what 
you think of this facial mist.

OMOROVICZA

QUEEN OF HUNGARY MIST

30/100ml

R

N/A

£

20/55

$

-/90

PENHALIGON'S QUERCUS EAU DE COLOGNE {REVIEW}

Seeing that it's the week before Christmas here is another of my favourite fragrances and again one that I have never shared or reviewed on my blog, despite it being in my life for some years now.

Penhaligon's is not a mainstream fragrance collection, but rather a bespoke, niche collection of quintessentially British fragrances using the finest and most expensive raw materials. Penhaligon’s today consults the original recipe books, and still produces in the UK, in the original bottle design. 

It really is like stepping back in time when you enter a Penhaligon's Boutique.Here in South Africa it's only available at Skins Cosmetic.

This is the story of a Cornish Barber* who travelled to London and opened up shop next to Jermyn Street’s finest tailors. Who received the royal warrant and trimmed the Shah of Persia’s beard.

Founded by William Penhaligon, who arrived in the vibrant capital city of London in the 1860’s to seek his fortune and so began what would become an illustrious career. Wildly creative and ambitious, William was inspired by the Scent of neighbouring Turkish Baths on Jermyn Street, creative his first fragrance, Hammam Bouquet, in 1874. Showing his flair for business, William opened his own shop in 1874 selling perfumes and other fragranced delights.

By the end of Queen Victoria's reign, William Penhaligon had been appointed Barber and Perfumer to the Royal Court. In 1903 the business was granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Alexandra. Now, over 140 years later, we are proud to hold two long-standing Royal Warrants from HRH The Prince of Wales (granted in 1988) and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh (granted in 1956).
and as they say, the rest is history. 

Having tried no other Penhaligon's fragrance other than Quercus and I really cannot comment on any of their large collection, each one by the way has a delightful story attached.I fell in love with Quercus from the first spritz and was introduced to the fragrance by my BFF in the UK.

For those interested Quercus is Latin for oak, which happens to be the British national tree.

Quercus declares itself with a light burst of citrus and basil, supported by a heart accord of jasmine, cardamom and muguet that is sweet, spiced and supremely delicate. The greenness of the basil persists into the surprisingly resilient musk and sandalwood base notes. These are warmed through with moss and patchouli to create elegant, strong and uplifting cologne.

In a nutshell Quercus is a modern and invigorating cologne that can be enjoyed by both men and women. QUERCUS is also my go to on those cooler days and it's always my fragrance companion on Winter overseas trips.

PENHALIGONS

QUERCUS

EAD DE COLOGNE

100ml

R

2224

£

100

$

144