Cult Beauty Advent Calendar 2023 Review

Recently, I got my hands on the Cult Beauty Advent Calendar 2023, and today, I want to share my initial impressions of its contents. Firstly, I want to mention that the calendar is really, really huge and gorgeous. It’s packed with 39 products valued at over £1000, making it the largest one from Cult Beauty yet. And secondly, I love the cosmic design for this year! It looks super cool and unique. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at what’s inside this Christmas treasure!

SAIE Glowy Super Gel in Starglow (Full Size worth £22.00) – a water-based multipurpose illuminator that hydrates and visibly brightens for a fresh, dewy look. I’ve been wanting to test this product for quite a while,  and I’m really pleased that it’s part of the Cult Beauty Advent Calendar. This product is fantastic, it provides a beautiful glow to the skin and sets the perfect base for my makeup.

Jo Loves A Home Candle Roasted Chestnuts (70g, Travel Size) – a limited-edition scented candle with notes of candied vanilla and earthy sandalwood. I absolutely love Jo Loves candles, and this one is no exception. The scent is amazing, it reminds me of the Christmas market. Love it!

Medik8 Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye (Full-Size 15ml worth £42.00) – an all-in-one evening eye treatment that works to visibly lift, smooth, and brighten the eye area. The formula is enriched with 0.03% twin-encapsulated retinaldehyde and ceramides. Having used it for several months, it proves to be as effective as the face cream. There’s a notable improvement in my fine lines.

KINSHIP Supermelt Vegan Lip Jelly Mask (Full Size 10ml worth £19.00) – exfoliating and hydrating lip treatment. Enriched with sunflower oil, agave extract, coconut oil, hyaluronic acid, watermelon seed oil, acai sterols, moringa seed oil, and fermented papaya extract.

HAIR GAIN Hair Gummies (Full Size, 60 gummies worth £29.99) – a chewable hair growth supplement. These delicious gummies are formulated with anagain pea shoots, vitamins, and minerals for healthy hair. You only need to take two gummies daily, but they taste so good it’s hard to stop eating them.

HUDA BEAUTY Cheeky Tint Blush Stick in Coral Cutie (Full Size worth £23.00) – a buildable cream blush that melts into skin. I enjoy this blush! Its smooth texture is great, and the colour is perfect for summer, but it might not be the best choice for winter.

SUPERGOOP! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 30 (Travel Size 15ml worth £17.00) – a fragrance-free mineral sunscreen that provides SPF 30 protection. It’s a decent, sheer, and lightweight sunscreen that works well under makeup. However, it occasionally causes me irritation, so it’s not my cup of tea.

SUMMER FRIDAYS CC Me Serum (Full Size 30ml worth £65.00) – a rich, vitamin C and niacinamide serum that visibly brightens, improves skin tone and texture, and reduces the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation. The formula is also enriched with peptides (palmitoyl tripeptide-1, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7), green tea extract, orchid extract, melon extract, apple extract, apricot extract, coffee extract, black tea extract

In the next window, we have two products:

• Paula’s Choice Clear Cleanser (Travel Size 30ml) – a gentle face wash with salicylic acid that helps reduce breakouts, remove excess oil, and sweep away dead skin cells. I really like this cleanser, it keeps my skin clean and doesn’t dry it out.
• Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum (Deluxe 3ml worth £85.00) – a hydration serum with hyaluronic acid. It’s a great product that provides intense hydration and makes my skin look plump and full when I use it. But oh my god, this sample is so tiny that it almost makes me laugh.

Dr. Levy Switzerland R3 Cell Matrix Mask (Full Size 50ml worth £69.00) – an anti-ageing face mask. The formula is enriched with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, retinol, Prickly pear extract, fermented pumpkin, ceramides, vitamin C, cotton seed oil. I love this product! It might have a slightly dense texture, but the results are outstanding. After a single use, my skin radiates smoothness, softness, and a fresh glow.

BareMinerals MINERALIST Gloss-Balm in Heart (Full Size worth £22.00) – a nourishing lip gloss and balm hybrid made with naturally derived fruit oils to provide glossy shine with the hydrating feel of a balm. I’m pleased with this lip gloss – it avoids the sticky feel, has a balm-like texture, and a beautiful color.

HERLUM Copa Dew Oil (Full Size 50ml worth £29.00) – a lightweight oil enriched with Amazonian copaiba, British blackcurrant, olive squalane and cold-pressed rosehip and buriti oils. Copa Dew is blended with an uplifting scent made from upcycled apple oil and notes of white tea and cedarwood. This nourishing oil leaves the skin feeling soft and has an amazing scent.

In the next window, we have three hair products:

• Hair by Sam McKnight Happy Endings Nourishing Balm (Travel Size 30ml worth £22.00) – a styling and conditioning hair cream with pro-vitamin B5. It works to define, defluff, and defrizz all hair types and create texture. The cream is lightweight and has a fresh, lovely smell.
• Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Bluebell Therapies Woods (Travel Size 75ml worth £23.00) – a limited-edition deep-conditioning hair treatment with the scent of bluebells. I’ve been using this product for years, and I love it. It makes my hair smooth and manageable. The limited-edition scent is wonderful.
• Amika Hydro Rush Intense Moisture Leave-In Conditioner (Deluxe 30ml) – a leave-in conditioner with hyaluronic acid and squalane. I’ve tried it a couple of times, and I think I like it. This conditioner helps to hydrate and smooth my hair ends without making it look greasy.

Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector (Travel Size 30ml) – an intense pre-shampoo hair treatment infused with patented Olaplex Bond Building technology, created to strengthen damaged hair. It’s one of my essential haircare products that keeps my hair healthy, soft, and manageable. I absolutely love it and am always happy to receive it in beauty boxes and advent calendars.

The Seated Queen Cold Cream (Travel Size 30ml worth £22.00) – a three-in-one formula that will transform routines – multifunctional as a cleanser, facial and overnight mask. Enriched with prebiotics, probiotics, shea butter, squalane, apricot oil, grape seed oil, jojoba oil, barogo oil, and wheat germ oil. It offers a rich consistency—thick and luxurious without being cakey. My neck and décolleté are my preferred areas for application.

Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream (Travel Size 15ml worth £71.00) – an intensely hydrating moisturiser powered by patented TFC8® that’s clinically shown to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation. Initially, my combination skin made me apprehensive about trying this thick cream from Augustinus Bader. However, I soon discovered its suitability as a night cream, particularly through the winter months. The result was noticeably moisturised, nourished, and brighter skin that looked enhanced overall. I like it, although it is very pricey.

Natasha Denona Bronze & Glow Duo (Travel Size 4g worth £17.00) – a travel-friendly duo of a highlighter and a powder blush in a rich bronze shade. The bronzer in this duo is gorgeous. It blends beautifully and the color is lovely.

In the next window, we have five products:

• Cult Beauty Compact Mirror with Christmas print (Full Size worth £10.00) – a basic mirror with Cult Beauty’s seasonal print.
• Byredo Mascara Astronomical (Deluxe) – a volumizing mascara. I haven’t tried it yet, but it promises to be long-lasting, volumizing, and thickening. It looks super cool, and I love the packaging design of Byredo Makeup products, so I’m excited to try this one.
• RÓEN Eyes on Me Eyeshadow Palette (Full Size worth £43.00) – a palette of shimmering rose gold and copper eyeshadows. Unfortunately, this one is a miss for me (my apologies to RÓEN). Despite using a primer, it tends to crease after a few hours of wear, and the color story isn’t to my preference.

19/99 BEAUTY Precision Colour Pencil in Barna (Full Size worth £19.00) – a multi-use makeup pencil in a deep charcoal brown shade. It’s a great product! I already have one in the shade Neutra, and I really enjoy using it. It glides on effortlessly and is easy to apply without any smudges. Additionally, it’s long-lasting and very pigmented.

Benefit Fluff Up Brow Wax Clear (Travel Size worth £13.00) – a brow-texturizing wax. An excellent product that keeps my brows fluffy and natural-looking without any tacky feeling. It’s easy to use and it doesn’t leave any white residue. I really enjoy using it.

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel (3 treatments) – fast-acting two-step AHA/BHA peel pads that combine five acids and 12 antioxidants to enhance radiance, smooth fine lines, refine pores, and improve tone and texture. It has been a staple of my skincare for years, and I love it. It makes my skin smooth and radiant, controls blemishes and dark spots, and makes my pores look visibly smaller.

In the next window, we have two products:

• OUAI Scalp and Body Scrub Melrose Place (Deluxe 30g) – a sugar scrub that exfoliates product buildup from your scalp while visibly smoothing out and nourishing dry skin. Absolutely obsessed, the Melrose Place scent from OUAI is honestly amazing. It transforms into a thick foam as it lathers, and although the scrub contains thick sugar granules, it isn’t too rough. The texture is wonderfully pleasant. 
• Elemis Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream (Travel Size 50ml) – a luxurious shower cream designed to cleanse, condition, and soften the skin. Infused with an exotic blend of tahitian monoi oil, tiare flowers soaked in coprah oil and frangipani flowers, this creamy bodycare essential leaves skin beautifully scented and silky soft.

Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream (Travel Size 20ml worth £19.00) – a hydrating, skin-balancing, whipped gel cream, packed with polyglutamic acid, hyaluronic acid, and plum for visibly plump, glowing skin. I was a fan of their banana soufflé and am optimistic this will be a suitable replacement.

Conserving Beauty You Face Oil (Full-Size 30ml worth £38.00) – a luxurious blend of nine plant-based oils that nourish and hydrate the skin. The formula is enriched with cannabis sativa oil, cacay oil, bisabolol, and rice germ extract. I previously acquired this oil through the Cult Beauty Skin Care Christmas Edit 2022. This oil is beautifully lightweight, soothing, and smoothing for my skin. It provides excellent hydration without a heavy, greasy sensation.

Verden Herbanum Bath Oil (Travel Size 55ml worth £46.97) – a rich and indulgent bath oil to care for skin, body and mind. The formula is enriched with grape seed oil, sunflower oil, maracuja oil.

In the next window, we have seven products:

• Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream (Full Size 15ml worth £43.00) –  an eye cream that instantly lifts and firms, diminishing fine lines and brightening the entire eye area. The formula is enriched with squalane, panthenol, acmella extract, hyaluronic acid, palmitoyl tripeptide-5, algae extract, astaxanthin. I wanted to try this eye cream before the Cult Beauty Advent Calendar was announced, and I even bought it, so it’s my second jar.
• Fable & Mane Holiroots Pre-Wash Strengthening Treatment Hair Oil (Travel Size 14.4ml worth £14.00) – a nourishing pre-wash and root treatment oil infused with ashwagandha, a strengthening and thickening Ayurvedic root, and castor oil. It promises to help thicken fine hair while promoting healthy scalp circulation to encourage hair growth.
• Dieux Skin Tattoo Forever Eye Mask (Full Size worth £22.00) – reusable eye masks. These masks go on top of skincare products and help hold gels, serums, and creams close to the skin for better absorption. I love the idea of reusable eye masks. I haven’t used them yet, but I’m really looking forward to trying them.
• Cult Beauty Limited Edition Satin Pillow Case & Sleep Mask Sleep Set in Drawstring Bag Limited Edition (Full Size worth £18.00) – a set of pillowcase and sleep mask with Cult Beauty’s seasonal print.
• REN Bio Retinoid Youth Serum (Full Size 30ml worth £62.00) – a lightweight treatment that helps moisturise and nourish the complexion. This serum combines the brand’s plant-derived alternative to retinol, bidens pilosa, with ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid to firm, even tone and pigmentation, plump, smooth, and improve elasticity, while visibly reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
• VOTARY Super Sensitive Cleansing Cream (Full Size 100ml £55.00) – a cleansing cream formulated with Votary’s unique blend of 21 super seed oils to nourish and soothe. Enhanced with oat extract plus a proven calming complex to support and condition sensitive skin.