No 7 Beauty Advent Calendar// Day 1-12 Review

I really wanted a beauty advent calendar this year after finding out about them way too late last year. I was really torn between the Body Shop one and the No7 one. With Benefit, I found that most of the things I want to try, I already own through various kits. I decided on the No7 one as I thought there would be more chance of getting makeup- which I love- as opposed to bath stuff - which is okay but nothing to get excited about.

Day 1 - This calendar really started off with a bang. Whilst my friend text me to tell me that she got paper clips with her Benefit advent calendar, I text her back to her that I received a highlighter- but not of the stationary kind. I received a sample of the Skin Illuminator Radiance Boosting Beauty Fluid. I use this just on my cheek bones to create that festive glow, however some people like to use it all over, under their foundation. I was definately happy with this product and I think, although a sample, it will last ages.

Day 2 - I love a good lip product, so when I recieved this High Shine Lip Crayon in the shade Daydreamer, I again was very happy. The shade is very similar to my beloved Brave by Mac.

Day 3 - The next was a makeup brush - the Eye Colour brush. I like receiving makeup brushes but I just don't think this one is very good. It feels cheap and synthetic and I don't know what I would actually use it with.

Day 4 - I received some Youthful Eye Serum. I haven't used an eye serum before and you can use it under an eye cream so I'm excited to try this,

Day 5 - I actually love the colour of the polish that was behind day 5. I've already used it and I quite liked the formula so it's possible I would by more in the future. The shade is Highland Mist.

Day 6 - To be honest, I'm never that happy to receive mascaras, simply because I have so many. This one is okay and it gives a very natural lash look, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Day 7 - I don't often buy single eye shadows because I'd much rather buy a palette. These shadows are £7 on their own, so a nice treat. However, the shade isn't really festive or that unique for me to get excited about. It's a neutral grey/ taupe colour that I don't think I'll use very often as I have all the neutrals I need in my Naked palettes. I wasn't happy about how scratched up the packaging was either.

Day 8 - I got the Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliater. This is a perfect size to take travelling. I currently use a Soap & Glory exfoliator but it's a bit rough for me, so I'll happily try this to se if it's any better,

Day 9 - Protect and Perfect Intense Day Cream was nice in the calendar. My skin has gotten so dry lately, so I'm hoping the 'intense' is true and it will really hydrate my skin.

Day 10 - I got the Blissful body wash. I said earlier that bath stuff didn't excite me, but this smells so lovely, and again is perfect for travelling. I'm actually really excited to use this.

Day 11 - I got the Beautiful Skin Eye Makeup remover. I don't use eye makeup remover and tend to just use a micellar water. I tried this yesterday and wasn't impressed at all, but I'll give it another go, or at least til it's all gone. I think I'll get maybe a weeks use out of this.

Day 12 - This is the only thing I've received upto now that I've tried before. I liked the Stay Precise eye liner but found it dried up fast.

Upto now, I've been really happy with this advent calendar and I think it's been worth the £35. Did you get the No7 calendar? What do you think?

W7 Makeup

W7 is a brand I've always felt a bit iffy about. I mostly see it in shops such as Poundland and B&M and felt it was simply a cheap brand of makeup that simply could not compare to other drugstore giants such as Maybelline and Rimmel. However, since blogging, I've come to be a bit more open when purchasing cheaper makeup brands, knowing that there are hidden gems out there. I still can't fathom that one of the most praised concealers in the beauty blogging world is a Collection 2000 and costs £4!

With that in mind, I've recently began experimenting with W7. I own 5 products, 2 I bought myself from Fragrance Direct, the other 3 included in a goody bag at a beauty blogger event. I think W7 are mostly known for their dupes- I see a lot of products that highly resemble highend products. Whether this is intentional or not, I don't know. But looking at the Naked Nudes palette, I can see where they got their inspiration from.

I will start with the 2 products I purchased myself, the first on these being the Honolulu bronzing powder. As you can see, it looks a lot like Benefit's Hoola. Same style of packaging, similar names, almost same shade of product. I bought this as someone said it was a dupe on a youtube video (forgot which blogger, sorry) and although I'm not a massive bronzer fan, I simply could not resist buying this product to see if it really was a dupe. I own a small sample of Hoola from the Best of Benefit kit released in Boots at Christmas time and decided to swatch them to compare. I think Honolulu is a tiny bit darker although they look almost identical on the photo. I'd say Honolulu is slightly more orange toned but when used in small quantities and thoroughly blended out, I'd say it would be almost impossible to distinguish between the two.

Left - Hoola, Right - Honolulu

The second product I bought was Candyfloss. The description on the box says this is a brightening face powder, but I wouldn't use this all over my face. It has a slight shimmer to it, so I suppose it could be used as a highlighter but I prefer to use it as a blush. It isn't that pigmented but you can build it up. Like Honolulu, the packaging resembles that of a Benefit blush, although I've never owned a Benefit blush so I couldn't compare it in terms of colour. I know W7 have a few other boxed blushes out and they are definitely something I would consider buying.

The next three products I received in a blogger goody bag. I received this Lashtastic Mascara* which I've seen in B&M retailing for £1.99. The packaging is just typical mascara packaging, resembling offerings from Maybelline and Rimmel. It's bright and cheerful and I have no problems with it. The wand is very different to any other mascara I've owned in that the bristles are very short. When applied to my lashes, it does not really make a difference. My lashes feel short and stubby, and I wouldn't favour this over mascara's I already own, as I feel it doesn't alter the appearance that much. However, last summer I worked with frozen food and they didn't really allow excessive make up on. In times like that, when it's inappropriate to wear a full face of makeup, I think this mascara would be perfect.

I also received this Creme de la Creme cream blush in the shade 'Heavenly.' * As you can see from the swatch, it's very bright, however, I find that with a lot of cream blushes. I'm not entirely sure how to apply cream blush, so I simply use my finger to blend it onto my cheeks. If you have any advice, then please leave a comment as I'm clueless. This blush is very pigmented, so only the smallest amount is required or you'll end up looking like CoCo the Clown. I feel it applies quite well, although I don't favour it over my powder blushes. The packaging is simple enough, a plain black case with a see through lid of you can see the shade. Not the prettiest, but not the worst. This retails at around £3 on amazon, so for that price, I think it's brilliant.

The last product I received was a Puff Perfection cream powder in the shade 'True Touch.*' First of all, I want to say that this is way too dark for me, so I don't feel like I could give an accurate review, however, there are a few things I could comment on. First of all the packaging, like the cream blush, is quite plain, but it clearly states what it is. A bit of the gold writing has already began to rub off though, even though I haven't really been using it, so that's not so good. The product comes with a 'puff' which is simply a thin layer of sponge and as you can see the product appears quite orange. I may look at using this as a bronzer, but other than that, I can't see myself ever using this product. This retails at around £4, so not too expensive. If I purchased this in my actual skin tone, I may change my mind.

Overall, I don't think these are bad products, but I also don't think they're the best. The boxed blushes are definitely worth buying and trying out though. I also really want to try the light diffusing concealer as I've heard a lot of people say it's a dupe for the YSL one.

*Products received in Hull Blogger Goody Bag, but all opinions are honest.