holiday highlights: essence advent calendar (reveal and mini reviews)

It is always difficult when the holiday season ends. All of the twinkling lights seem to dim as the reality of day to day life takes over once more. Instead of putting off various adult responsibilities, it is time to tackle that neglected to-do list and get back on track. Sigh. As a way of extending some of the seasonal wonder, this week is dedicated to holiday highlights posts. These often focus on Christmas themed products, decorations, makeup looks, and so on. To start this week of holiday highlights, it is time to take a look inside the Little X-Mas Wonder Advent Calendar from essence. Keep reading for a reveal and some mini reviews.

Before revealing the different products included in the Little X-Mas Wonder Advent Calendar, it is important to highlight the packaging. This comes in ultra colourful cardboard with advent doors that open to reveal a beauty related item. The packaging has different shades of purple, pink, green, and orange, with a large snow globe shaped design on the center. Something fun? Behind each door is a beauty product and a positive affirmation. On the inside of the door is a little something sweet to start the day off on the right foot. In case you are in need of a little positivity today, here is a list of the included affirmations:

You are amazing. You are strong. You are gorgeous. You are brilliant. You are outstanding. You are a queen. You are beautiful. You are magical. You are powerful. You are unique. You are lovely. You are brave. You are golden. You are inspiring. 

You are wonderful. You are fearless. You are smart. You are stunning. You are heartwarming. You are charming. 

You are wow. You are magnificent. You are precious. You are perfect just the way you are.

I love the extra dose of happiness and positivity this advent calendar offers with the colourful packaging and positive affirmations. As for what is inside the calendar? According to the brand, the advent has 24 limited edition surprises that focus on makeup, nails, skin care, and beauty tools. As you can see from the photo above, there is a wonderful variety of items included in this set. My husband thoughtfully gifted this advent calendar to me this holiday season - and I had such a fun time opening it each morning. It is time to take a closer look at the products included in the calendar and share some mini reviews. 

Skin Care Items. The Little X-Mas Wonder Advent Calendar had a nice assortment of products, including a handful of skin care related items. There is the Moisturizing Hand Butter, which is enriched with shea butter, sweet almond oil, and vitamin E. This has a beautiful fresh scent, absorbs quickly, and leaves the skin feeling more hydrated. Next are the Unicorn Hydrogel Eye Patches, which are pink and unicorn shaped under eye gel patches. These have hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. The patches are similar to others that I have tried, but the pink unicorn design is a definite bonus. Another item in this calendar is the Hydrating Face Mask. This has "moisturizing glycerin for radiant looking skin." The single-use face mask was an unexpected addition in this calendar, but it was a nice addition to my holiday season. The scent is light and pleasant and my skin felt nice afterward. The fun part? The mask has this pearlescent golden kind of finish. It is so well themed to the holiday season. Lastly, there was the Sweet Lip Scrub, which is intended to gently smooth and nourish the lips with shea butter and vitamin E. This has a sweet scent and works well. It exfoliates but doesn't feel too harsh. The skin care items were effective, thoughtful, and fun. 

Beauty Tools. This essence advent calendar also came with a lot of different beauty tools. There is the Mini Nail Buffer (which has different sides to shorten, shape, smooth, and polish), Travel Sponge Case (to hold makeup sponges while on the go), Precise Powder Puff (a soft little puff to apply powder products), Styling Lash Brushes (reusable brushes to make sure the lashes look flawless), Iridescent Eyeshadow Blender Brush (with soft bristles and a cute star shape on the end), Creaseless Hair Clips (in a cute pearlescent design to hold back the hair during makeup application), and Soft Concealer Sponges (to apply product in small areas). Out of all of the beauty tools included in this advent calendar, my favourites are the Christmas tree shaped concealer sponges and the eyeshadow brush with the star on the end. These are so nicely themed and really made the calendar feel special. I also really love the travel case for makeup sponges, because it is a practical item to have on hand.

Nail Items. There were also some nail related items inside, making it possible to create a seasonal nail look. There is the Ballerina Nail Polish (a soft neutral pink), Sparkling Top Coat (a fabulous top coat with flecks of purple and gold glitter), and Jolly Nail Stickers (holiday themed nail stickers). These nail items can be used together to create a fun holiday look or can be used separately. The Sparkling Top Coat is a favourite that has been added to most of my recent nail polish looks. The flecks of glitter look beautiful with the different polishes in my collection. It is easy to use, dries fairy quickly, and has a dramatic finish. As for the nail stickers? These are wonderful. I love that there are wreaths, Christmas trees, candy canes, presents, and other symbols of the season. There are also flowers, bows, stars, and hearts, which can be used throughout the winter months. 

Everyday Essentials. In addition to all of the other products in the calendar, there were some essentials that can be used regularly. The first is the Creamy Lip Balm, which has a star shape in the center. It is creamy and smooth, but not the easiest to apply given the packaging. Next is the Under Eye Setting Powder, which is fabulous. It sets the under eye area well and has a Christmas tree pattern printed into the powder. The little festive details really make this essence advent calendar feel special. The last essential item is the Transparent Brow Wax Pen, which is intended to shape the brows and keep them in place. It has vitamin E and shea butter. Essentially, this is a simple wax pencil, but it is effective at keeping my eyebrows set. 

Makeup, Makeup, and More Makeup. Now for the extra fun stuff. While all of the different items in this calendar were fun and exciting...it is the makeup items that made me especially happy. The first item shown is the Luminous Blush-Lighter, which is supposed to create "luminous rosy creeks for a stunning X-mas glow." This warm rosy pink is beautiful and makes the skin look glowy and fresh. Next is the Jelly Cheek Tint, which comes in a warm berry colour. I have been reaching for this one a lot over the last little while. The product applies nicely and the colour is ultra flattering. Then there is the Pearly Lip Glaze, which is a gloss with a pearly shimmer. It doesn't offer colour, but the gloss is smooth and doesn't stick at all, making this a lovely addition to my makeup collection. Then there is the Glowing Highlighter Stick, which is a creamy golden highlight that can quickly be added to any makeup look. There was also the Jumbo Eye Crayon included.  The colour is this beautiful golden shimmer. This is without a doubt my favourite item in the advent calendar, because the colour is stunning, application is quick, and the eye crayon doesn't crease throughout the day. The advent calendar also had the X-Mas Juicy Bomb, which is a lip gloss scented like cherry and vanilla. I love the sweet scent and the fact that the gloss isn't sticky or uncomfortable on the lips. And now for the last item, the Slim Kajal Pencil, which is a warm golden liner. This is one that I have been using on the inner corner and along the lower lash line for an extra pop. The makeup items (and all of the other items) in this calendar really wowed. 

The Little X-Mas Wonder Advent Calendar from essence was an absolute delight, day after day. The variety of products was impressive...as was the overall quality of the products. There were a lot of standout items. It has been a real treat to put these different limited edition essence products to use in the last little while. This was one of my favourite advent calendars ever.

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Did you open any advent calendars over the holiday season? Are you a fan of essence products?