An honest review of the Cult Beauty Advent Calendar

The time has finally come for me to review the Cult Beauty Advent Calendar. I have been postponing this article for quite some time as I wanted to gather my thoughts. While I had some beef with Cult Beauty in the past, I am totally over that so rest assured that no matter what happened in the past, it will not affect the integrity of this review.

With that being said, here we go.

Cult Beauty Advent Calendar Review

Delivery

The Cult Beauty Advent Calendar was delivered in a brown cardboard box with a huge Cult Beauty logo on the front. The box was reminiscent of classic Cult Beauty packaging. I was quite curious to see how the calendar would be packaged as I never got anything other than the traditional packaging from Cult Beauty – you know the one, the box in a plastic bag. So even though the odd beauty goody bag managed to fit in a bag, the calendar surely could not and it did not.

The outer packaging was nothing impressive, but that is not very important. What matters is that the packaging was not very helpful in protecting the contents and the amount of bubble wrap helped, but it was just barely enough. Maybe they should invest in boxes that are a better fit for these type of products? There was room for the calendar to move around which is not okay.

Also, the huge logo on the box was not something I was particularly fond of in this case as it can attract attention. Usually packages are safely delivered, but you never know.

Not that important at the end of the day, but in this case the packaging plays an important role in ensuring that the product makes it way to the owner in one piece and it is in perfect shape to be displayed.

Calendar Box

The Cult Beauty Advent Calendar comes is a cute little box. Yes, little. This calendar is around half the size of all the other calendars that I purchased this season. However, I really love the design and how well it fits with the colours in my bedroom. I managed to almost hide the box in plain sight. Truly in love with the exterior of the box. However, inside, there are 25 really small drawers which I cannot see myself reusing.

Another thing that I did not particularly like was the font used for the numbers. It looks cute, don’t get me wrong, but I find it so hard to spot the right drawer. I might have poor eyesight which cannot be fully corrected by spectacles, but it is still not that bad… It is just a detail, but I feel like everything matters.

Alpha H – Liquid Gold (50ml)
Natasha Denona – Mini Bronze And Glow (4g)
Dr. Barbara Sturm – Deluxe Eye Cream (5ml)
Odacite – Aventurine Kiss Lip Serum (2ml)
Glow Recipe – Travel Size Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer (20ml)
Ouai Haircare – Deluxe Leave In Conditioner (25ml)
Paula’s Choice – Travel Size Skin Perfecting 2% Bha Liquid Exfoliant (30ml)
Therapie – Travel Size Protect Bath And Body Oil (30ml)
Drunk Elephant – Deluxe T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum (5ml)
Augustinus Bader – Discovery Size The Rich Cream (15ml)
Virtue – Perfect Ending Split End Serum (20ml)
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare – Deluxe C + Collagen Deep Cream (15ml)
Iconic London – Full Size Iconic London Illuminator in ‘Original’ (13.5ml)
Sunday Riley – Deluxe Good Genes Glycolic Acid Treatment (8ml)
Lixirskin – Deluxe Vitamin C Paste (30ml)
Beautyblender – Beautyblender Bubble (Single Sponge)
Susanne Kaufmann – Deluxe Moisturising Mask (15ml)
Shani Darden Skincare – Deluxe Texture Reform (10ml)
111skin – Deluxe Space Defence Bright Eye Lift Gel Nac Y2 (7.5ml)
Laura Mercier – Travel Size Translucent Loose Setting Powder In ‘Glow’ (9.3g)
Huda Beauty – Power Bullet Matte Lipstick In ‘El Cinco De Mayo’ (3g)
Nudestix – Nudies Bloom In ‘Cherry Blossom Babe’ (7g)
Milk – Cooling Water (34g)
Jo Loves – White Rose And Lemon Leaves Votive Candle (35g)
Fresh – Deluxe Soy Face Cleanser (20ml)
Patchology – Flashpatch Illuminating Eye Gels (1 Pair)
Zitsticka – Single Killa (1 Patch, 1 Swab)
Hourglass – Deluxe Veil Mineral Primer (3.6ml)
It Cosmetics – Deluxe Confidence In A Cream (7ml)
Anastasia Beverly Hills – Travel Size Brow Gel In ‘Clear’ (2.5ml)
Zelens – Deluxe Transformer Instant Renewal Mask (10ml)
Nars – Deluxe Powermatte Lip Pigment In ‘Starwoman’ (2ml)
Too Faced – Deluxe Damn Girl! 24-Hour Mascara (5.7ml)
Omorovicza – Deluxe Miracle Facial Oil (5ml)

The calendar contains 25 drawers, however a few more products as you can see above. The 25th drawer contains 10 products which is really unlike every other calendar on the market. It is quite a nice surprise.

Now, let’s have a serious talk about the products and their sizes. While there might be 30+ products included in the calendar, their sizes are not that big. Sure, some products might be considered full sized, but most are quite small. Look, I am going to stop beating around the bush and just say it – this calendar is exactly like a slightly bigger goody bag. The vibe of the calendar is the same as the one of a goody bag, but it just comes in box.

The products themselves are also very similar to the ones we have seen included in the Cult Beauty Goody Bags, but in some cases the sizes of the versions included in the calendar are actually smaller than the ones from the gifts. There are quite some products that have been included in goody bags, but there are also new products that have not been included in either gifts or other advent calendars which is nice.

Overall, I do like the contents and I am not overly disappointed by the sizes, but I don’t really see why this calendar sold out in just a few hours. Sure, the calendar is really cute and Cult Beauty has many fans, but I don’t particularly think this is the best value/price option that was available this holiday season. And with the goody bag the store released just after this calendar sold-out, I see it even less. Of course, some of you might argue that we could have not foreseen the goody bag and to some extent I do agree, however it was almost time for the brand to release one if we take into account historical data.

So while I do not regret purchasing this calendar, I am not head over heels obsessed with it either. I love how well it fits in my room and how well the box was designed, I also love how they have included more than one product in the 25th drawer, but it just does not feel like a big deal overall. Not as big as the rate at which the calendar sold out makes it seem anyway.

What do you think of the Cult Beauty Advent Calendar?

*This article is not sponsored. This article might contain affiliate links which means that BlushSuede will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make any purchases by clicking the links included in this article. However, this does not impact the opinion of the reviewer.