Remember the Advent Calendar? Back in the day, the calendars were used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Starting December 1st, as each day passed, each window was opened to reveal an image, poem, or a portion of the story depicting the Nativity of Jesus.
Later, images and poems were replaced by chocolate and small toys. These are the memories from my childhood; anticipating a sweet, daily chocolate indulgence shaped in a little star, teddy bear or ornament. How I loved to pull back the window and find a tiny Christmas tree! It reminded me that the holidays were not that far away.
Today, I have something for the ladies. Who says kids should have all the fun?! Introducing The L’Oréal Luxe Advent Calendar – available October 15th, exclusively at www.loosebutton.com. Behind each window – 23 in total – is a deluxe sample from L’Oréal’s finest suite of brands –
Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani and she uemura.
SPOILER ALERT! I’ve never really liked surprises, and for “research purposes”, of course I had to pop open the entire Advent Calendar. So if you’re the type of person who never shakes a gift to see what could be inside, you may want to avert your eyes. Et voilà! A month’s worth of tiny presents for yourself or someone special.
(In case you’re wondering, I’ve purposely shifted most of the products to the side, or turned them around, so you can’t see the description. Don’t want to spoil all the fun – especially if you’re buying the Advent Calendar for yourself.)
So if I won’t show you the product names, what’s the point of the big reveal? It’s like this. One of the chief complaints I’ve received from readers who subscribe to beauty boxes is that there’s not enough of what they’re looking for – for example, too many hand creams when they want to try out lip colours, or too many repeat samples of hair products. So, take a looksee! The breakdown is as follows –
Five (5) Eye Products
Three (3) Lip Products
Nine (9) Skin Care Products
Six (6) Fragrance Samples
Keep in mind that the above samples are from truly deluxe brands – something I LOVE about this L’Oréal Luxe Advent Calendar. No surprises with quasi-prestige brands you’ve never heard of, and definitely no “filler” products. So how much? The L’Oréal Luxe Advent Calendar will set you back $109, which includes a $10 gift card to spend at www.loosebutton.com towards the purchase of a full-sized item in the calendar.
Would I buy it for myself? Not likely, since I personally don’t have the discipline to wait 23 days to uncover the entire gift, and, I’ve only worn two fragrances for the past 10 years.
Would I buy it for a friend? Absolutely. I love the idea of gifting this to a special friend who is beauty-crazed – yet hard to shop for. And, bonus points for getting your Christmas shopping out of the way for December 1st!
(The Advent Calendar is huge – like 12″x 18″ – so it’s über impressive to present to someone. You know how they say good things come in small packages? Well, in this case, LOTS of small things come in a big package.)
More gift-giving ideas:
– Are you getting married over the holidays? Four words: Best Bridesmaids Gifts Ever.
– Does your child love his/her teacher? Spoil her this holiday with a special treat she’ll never forget.
– Have a teen daughter? Split the Advent Calendar; take the skin care goodies for yourself, and let her steal the makeup and fragrances (she’ll love Giorgio Armani’s Eyes to Kill).
– Are you counting down to a special occasion? Save the Advent Calendar for graduation, prom, or another significant event – and make the days leading up to it FUN!
Mark your calendars to check out The L’Oréal Luxe Advent Calendar – available October 15th, exclusively at www.loosebutton.com.
OMG I’m jumping up and down with excitement!!! I want this so much!!! Thanks for the heads up!!
You’re welcome! I was pretty excited when it arrived in the mail – can you imagine what a wonderful gift it would make?
WANT!!! LOVE!!!
Me too! Get it!
I have always been hesitant about buying a beauty subscription but this just might be the ticket. It’s priced right because I usually see only 2 samples per review I like anyways (the others are cheapies you can find in magazine inserts) and I’ll pay to get Lancome and YSL products. Great review Lena.
EXACTLY! With this L’Oreal Advent Calendar you know that it’s filled the brands you trust!
Wow! That’s cool!
Oh nice!! but the frugal me is coming out now. I think Id much rather have a few months of other ‘monthly’ boxes instead. (like Julep, Birchbox and Loose Buttonbox)
oops – I ment the regular monthly Loose Button as this is a special Christmas offer. :o
I know what you mean :) And I can see where you’re coming from – stagger it out over a few months vs. lumping them all together!
Finally something for the big girls. I really like this idea/
Love it! Yup, it’s just for us!
This is a freaking AMAZING idea! Omgosh its one of those “why didn’t I think of that” times!
I know. I’d like to see this idea extended to product-specific calendars, like lip glosses or nail polishes. In fact, I’d go ga-ga for the nail polish version!
This one got my attention when I saw the email how AWESOME is that GREAT
Isn’t it amazing? Totally in love with the entire concept :)
Words cannot describe how much I love this.
Hahaha you said it – pun intended!
WOW! This is amazing. It’s such a good idea.
OMG what a monstrous gift this would make or my BFFL~!
Isn’t it amazing Nicole and Jas? I love that it’s a gift spread over 23 days – who could ask for more? Great way to treat somebody special.
Love this! However the price is too much for me to buy it.
It is a tad pricey. That’s why I think it makes the PERFECT gift for someone very special :)
Finally an advent calendar for moms and so much better then waxy chocolate.
Oh, the waxy chocolate! Dislike. Actually Lindt has an Advent Calendar which is marginally better :)
Oooooh ~ I want one too! Looks like fun :)
What a fun/great idea! Especially for those like myself who can’t spare to nibble on a piece of not-that-great chocolate everyday (ie. dieting)
Exactly! Mascara is calorie free, girls!
Ahhhh OMG I am gonna die!! I NEED this!!!
Hahaha glad to have introduced you two! Enjoy!
I usually don’t do advent calenders but this one is a must!
Love it, Love it, Love it!!!
wow….this is a great advent calendar
Jenny. Elaine and Denise – I’ve been going through the products and they’re pretty great. The Lancome lipstick is to die for – such a pretty pink, AND it’s full size!
What a fantastic idea. I’d love to get this for my daughter – really cool surprise for her
She would love it Penny!
This is such an awesome gift for my girlfriend — I’ve been agonizing over what to get her for her birthday!
Success! It’s available on October 15th – lucky girlfriend!
Have always celebrated Christmas with a chocolate Advent Calendar for my son, without fail never made it to the window to get that little chocolate. This is an absolutely fantastic gift for the sisters in our lives. Wow, going to have to get one. This would be a fantastic prize on a giveaway for Christmas hint hint hint
Yes! Will definitely work on a giveaway – I’ve been receiving tweets and e-mails from readers asking for the same thing. Fingers crossed!
That is pretty cool. Now everyone is going to want that.
I love this!
Love these grown up twist on the traditional advent calendar. This will have me opening each box with as mush glee as I did as a kid!
OMG I cannot wait to get my hands on one!! Thank you for sharing =)
I’d love an advent calendar full of mini mascaras. :)
I couldn’t resist and got this for myself. I think it is much better than chocolate!