holiday highlights: charmed aroma and cath kidston advent caledars

Advent calendars are a special part of the holiday season. Some years, there is just a chocolate one to count down the days and other years, there is something a little more elaborate. But no matter what, I like to watch all sorts of advent unboxing videos on YouTube each year. I love the surprise of seeing what is hidden away inside! This year, my countdown to Christmas included a chocolate advent calendar, an Elf themed calendar, a Disney Princess Lego themed calendar, and a Charmed Aroma themed calendar. I was gifted the Elf, Lego, and Charmed Aroma calendars for my birthday in the fall (there is nothing I love more than receiving an advent calendar for my birthday) and was finally able to open them, day by day. However, there was another advent calendar that snuck in at the last minute when I found a discounted Cath Kidston calendar in late December. On a whim, I decided to add it to my countdown. Here is a look inside the Charmed Aroma and Cath Kidston advent calendars...

Charmed Aroma: 12 Days of Jewelry Advent Calendar. The first advent calendar comes from Charmed Aroma. Though the brand sadly closed down the physical locations around me, my mom thoughtfully ordered the advent calendar from their online store and gifted it to me for my birthday. The 12 day calendar claimed to have $250 worth of jewellery from their collections with each calendar being different. This is a calendar that I received last year as well (take a look at that post here.) Though the packaging was wonderfully themed last year, it was more subdued this year. Ah well, it is the accessories that count. I took pictures of the different rings hidden away inside, but apologies for my chipped post-Christmas nail polish.

As you can see from the photos above, there were all sorts of different ring designs included in the calendar. Some of them stood out to me more than others. For example, the heart shaped ring with the blue stones, the crown style ring in rose gold, and that amazing ring with the red stone. (The red stone ring was worn on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was the perfect seasonal add on!) The calendar claimed that there was more than $250 worth of products inside. Based on the Charmed Aroma appraisal numbers, the grand total for the designs above was well beyond that and came in at $610. Again, this is not necessarily their real value or re-sale value, but is based on the Charmed Aroma appraisal numbers on the website. (I have some skepticism about the actual values, but genuinely love their products and am impressed with the quality.) All in all, this was a really great advent calendar with lots of fun surprises. It is always enjoyable to count down the days with accessories! 

Cath Kidston: 7 Sleeps Until Christmas Advent Calendar. It was four or five days before Christmas when my mom and I went out to find some last minute items. (Normally, I am done all of my Christmas shopping really early, but this year was more difficult due to a postal strike that meant several of the online orders I had placed would not arrive in time for Christmas.) While searching for those last minute items, I found a discounted advent calendar from Cath Kidston. It was on sale for $13 CDN because one of the doors had ripped off and been reattached. I was a little hesitant, but the artwork on the calendar was so remarkable that I decided to purchase the calendar. Thank goodness! It ended up being a total highlight of my holiday season. 

Somehow, this was my first time hearing of the brand Cath Kidston, but I have already looked into how to order some of their products once these are all finished. This was a seven day advent calendar and inside there was a scented hand soak, cuticle cream, body lotion, shower gel, hand lotion, and two bath fizzers. The artwork on all of the products is lovely (especially the full size hand cream that has the incredible Christmas themed design) and the scents are outstanding. I have been trying to use these products somewhat sparingly, so I can make them last as long as possible. Each one performs well, smells fantastic, and makes me feel fabulous. This is a brand that absolutely must become part of my regular routine. The calendar was a highlight!

Did you open any advent calendars this year? What kind of calendars do you like the best?