ASOS has released its 2022 beauty advent calendars and I got to try one to see whether it would make a perfect Christmas gift. Advent calendars have moved on from the traditional chocolate offerings and beauty versions are becoming increasingly popular.
Instead of opening the little card window to reveal a chocolate treat, many beauty brands are now giving skin care, makeup and hair care products as treats to count down to Christmas. ASOS in particular is a favourite among shoppers, and last year it's Face + Body 24 Day Calendar sold out pretty quickly thanks to its array of offerings from the likes of Clinique, Charlotte Tilbury, Estee Lauder and more.
But is this year's calendars up to scratch, and is it worth the £85 price tag? I've tried out the 2022 ASOS Face + Body 25 Day Advent Calendar to hopefully answer this for you, and I want to add a spoiler alert now before I dive into the contents.
READ MORE: Best beauty advent calendars 2022: Elemis launch, shock Amazon news, latest prices and deals
So let's get into whether this advent calendar deserves a place under your Christmas tree.
ASOS Face + Body 25 Day Advent Calendar
First impressions - packaging
Similar to last year's presentation, this 2022 version comes in a glossy card box containing 25 colourful, patterned boxes, all of which can be recycled. It's presented in a bright, pink striped patterned tote bag. I miss the patterned scarf from the 2021 version but ASOS promises something special and different for this year's version.
And that's because the 2022 Face + Body advent calendar has 25 days, so 25 boxes to open whereas last year only had 24 days, so I'm already excited to get to the big finale.
The 25 dated boxes are layered on top of each other in the box, with the dates one to 14 on the top layer, and dates 15-25 underneath. The bigger boxes are for the dates, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17 and 25. What I enjoy about this calendar is that the box sizes are true and reflective to the product inside, there's nothing worse than opening up a big box to find a tiny product inside.
Contents - Olaplex, MAC and more
Number one started out with a bang because it contained my favourite lipstick, in my favourite shade. I'm talking of course about MAC's most popular product, the Velvet Teddy lipstick. I actually have just run out of this shade, which works well all year round, so I'm glad I now don't have to fork out another £16 for this.
The big reveals didn't stop there either because the next two boxes were right up my street. Number two contained Elemis Pro Collagen Night Cream, which I've heard rave reviews about and next up after that was a Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara.
I've always wanted to try Bobbi Brown's mascara but have often stuck to MAC's Stack mascara, and although this one is a miniature size, coming in at 3ml, it actually works out perfect for me as a travel mascara, enabling me to leave my MAC one at home.
Out of the all the products, the one I'm using the most at the moment is the Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel. It's in a tiny bottle, 15ml, but you don't actually need to use that much. I'm not surprised the bottle is in one of the smaller boxes though because this usually costs £35 for a 250ml bottle.
The gel works as a lighter alternative to a face wash and is soap-free, and suitable for all skin conditions. It gently rinses away toxins and leaves my skin smooth and clean every time I use it. It's light-weight and mild enough to use every day too.
Scrunchies also appear in the advent calendar and while this may disappoint some beauty fans, they get a welcoming embrace from me as they are exactly the one's I need for my hair. Because I get my hair bleached blonde I need scrunchies and bobbles that won't damage the bonds while it sits in a tight ponytail, so I was really pleased to discover the Invisibobble Slim Sprunchie Duo in True Golden.
This leads me onto the biggest surprise of the advent calendar, Olaplex.
If you have blonde hair then you will have no doubt heard of Olaplex, especially if you get your hair coloured. Olaplex is expensive. The hair care brand has products that treat the hair after its exposed to bleach and other heat damage.
I spend a fortune on Olaplex shampoos, conditioners and the No 3 hair protector, which reduces breakage and visibly strengthens hair, improving its look and feel. Every few months I spend around £28 for a bottle and even opt for an Olaplex treatment at the salon too which costs extra. So I loved discovering that behind number 18 sits Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask in a 20ml bottle.
I've never tried the mask before but after a couple of uses I've discovered it has the same conditioning effect as the No3 protector, meaning that I can now save some money with this 20ml bottle. It may not last long but you don't need to use an excessive amount, but it does depend on how damaged your hair feels.
My other favourites in the calendar include, ELF's lip plumping lip gloss in pink paloma, it really plumps up the lips and doesn't get that sticky, Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, I can actually feel it tightening my skin during application, ThisWorks In Transit Camera Close Up, it gives the skin a lovely matte finish acting as a perfect primer base for foundation, but doesn't feel like its blocking your pores.
The big surprise - Revolution
This year there are 25 days and with that ASOS promised a big surprise for the box of 25. It's the biggest of the boxes in the calendar and that's because it contains multiple goodies from the makeup brand Revolution.
These include; Revolution's Superdewy Liquid Highlighter in Pink Lights, Re-Loaded Palette in Velvet Rose, Mini Infinite Fixing Spray, Extra Hold Brow Glue and Revolution's Mini Baking Powder in Translucent.
This is a nice addition to the end of calendar as you are actually getting more than one item. The eye-shadow palette is a generous size too and contains all the colours you'll need for autumn nights and a festive party. The extra hold brow glue is possibly too extra though, after an hour of using it on my eyebrows it made them turn quite sticky and stiff, not a good look.
However the fixing spray and liquid blush highlighter have helped enhance my makeup look, and the spray is definitely a good contender to my MAC 24 hour fix setting spray, in fact I feel as though it makes my makeup last that little bit longer and has a lovely coconut smell too.
Cost - is it worth the money?
At £85, the ASOS Face + Body 25 Day Advent Calendar is £10 more than last year's calendar. However, I feel it's definitely worth it because you get more products in this year's version. It also includes products that come with a hefty price tag when bought on their own.
MAC's lipstick is priced at £16 normally for the Velvet Teddy colour, and Charlotte Tilbury's Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil is usually £25 for the 8ml bottle. Yes that's a bigger bottle than the calendar one, but it's still pretty pricey to buy on its own.
Olaplex usually charges £28 for the 100ml size of the bond repair moisture mask and Look Fantastic has the 20ml version for £5.20. The Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream 25ml costs £13.99 on its own and the Elemis Pro-Collagen Night Cream is normally £102 for a 50ml pot.
Negatives and verdict
There are a couple of negatives here but not enough to sway me away from buying. I would probably not have as many facial oils in the calendar next time. The calendar includes Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil but also has the facial drops of the Earth Harbor Marina Biome Brightening Ampoule. Both don't need to be included and I would rather have the Charlotte Tilbury item.
I would like to see a little variation on the masks too, the two contained in the calendar are slightly different, one being a facial mask and the other a heated eye sleep mask, they are still slightly similar.
Overall I would recommend this calendar as a treat for yourself or a gift for that special someone. It's amazing value for money and offers some great bands that can be often too expensive to buy on their own.
ASOS Face + Body 25 Day Calendar (£85):
Neom Bedtime Hero Travel Candle 75g
Revolution Superdewy Liquid Hightligther - Pink Lights
Revolution Re-Loaded Pallette Velvet Rose
Revolution Mini Infinite Fixing Spray
Revolution Extra Hold Brow Glue
Revolution Mini Baking Powder - Translucent
Adaptogens & Coconut Water 59ml
Dr Paw Paw 7 in 1 It Does It All Hair Treatment 100ml
Sleek Face Form Blush 5.7g
BYBI Booster Serum 15ml
MasqueBar Brightening Sheet Mask with Vitamin C
ELF Lip Plumpling Lip Gloss - Pink Paloma 2.7ml
Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe
Earth Harbor Marina Biome Brightening Ampoule 1oz
Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask 20ml
Psychic Sisters Mini Face Roller - Opalite Crystal
Popmask Sleep Over Self-Warming Sleep Mask
Carmex Cherry Pot Lip Balm 3ml
Le Mini Macaron Mini Nail Stickers
Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil 3.5ml
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream 25ml
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 15ml
Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara 3ml
ThisWorks In Transit Camera Close Up 20ml
Rituals Sakura Body Cream 70ml
MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick 3g
Iconic London Light and Glow Duo in True Golden 2 x 4g
Invisibobble Slim Sprunchie Duo in True Golden 7g
Elemis ProCollagen Night Cream 15ml
Oskia Renaissance Mask 15ml.
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