Senior Social News Reporter Danielle Kate Wroe managed to get her hands on the coveted 12 Days of Lacura Advent Calendar from Aldi and gave her honest thoughts…
Is it me, or have the prices of beauty advent calendars gone crazy this year? Liberty’s is retailing for £275, Sephora’s offering is £225. Want a Dior one? It will set you back £570, and even Boots has one for £150. In a world where many are struggling to pay their heating bills, it feels uncomfortably materialistic. Especially when, let’s be honest, you probably want a maximum of 10 of the products and are going to palm the rest off on family and friends as gifts.
If you’re also having similar thoughts about the prices of advent calendars, Aldi’s 12 Days of Lacura may be just the under £20 saviour you needed.
Available from Sunday, October 26, the calendar won’t be around for long so you’ll have to be quick.
If you want to avoid spoilers, look away now, because I’m about to tell you everything you’ll receive if you manage to get your hands on this advent calendar.
Without further ado, this is everything behind each of the 12 doors on the 12 Days of Lacura Advent Calendar…
1. Lacura Silky Kajal Eyeliner in shade Matte Black, 1.2g
Can you ever have too many eyeliners? I think not. This one is a creamy formula in a pencil, and while it’s not my go-to – I much prefer a liquid liner for a sharp cat-eye – I definitely will give this a go for a more smoked-out appearance. It feels like good quality, and it’s a good size for any makeup bag.
2. Lacura Vitabase Moisturising Primer, 15ml
I have seen people all over social media raving about this primer, so I can’t wait to see whether it lives up to the hype. It’s meant to be a Bobbi Brown dupe (it certainly looks like one at a glance), allowing makeup to effortlessly glide over the top. It even smells gorgeous with a lavender spa-type scent.
3. Lacura Tinted Lip Oil in shade Berry Bliss, 2ml
Perfect for on the go, this teeny tiny lip oil is the sweetest shade and will look good whether you’ve got a full face of makeup on, or you’ve decided to go bare-faced for the day. A lovely deep berry pink, the texture isn’t annoyingly sticky, so you’ll be able to bear wearing it morning ’til night.
4. Lacura Silk Scrunchie
A silk scrunchie in an Aldi Advent Calendar? Yes, a thousand times! This is perfect for tying your hair up at night before you put your satin bonnet on. It’s super stretchy, so will fit even the thickest of hair, and can easily be popped on your wrist too in case you need to tie your hair up during the day.
5. Lacura Dramatic Lash Mascara in shade Black, 6ml
As somebody who is incredibly fussy about mascaras, I’m intrigued to use this and see what it has to offer. Put it this way, if it doesn’t coat the top of my eyelids with mascara near my eyebrows, it’s a win from me! The wand is a slight hourglass shape, which I do enjoy, so I’ll have to give it a try! But it’s a perfect mini for any makeup bag.
6. Lacura Liquid Luminizer and Highlighter in shade Champagne, 2.1ml
A good highlighter is one of my favourite makeup products, and this liquid product certainly seems to fit the bill. Again, it’s super small, so when it runs out, I’ll be gutted, but the pigment does seem to be pretty high with it. It’s worth noting, however, the product specifically advises against keeping it away from the eyes, so it’s best to use another product for your inner corner glow.
7. Lacura Illuminate Setting Spray, 32ml
Probably the product I’m most excited to try, this product is extremely Charlotte Tilbury-esque in its execution. The product looks extremely luxe until you take the cap off, but, at the end of the day, it’s what’s inside that counts, and if it keeps my makeup locked in place from morning until night, then it’s definitely saved me a pretty penny compared to the brand it’s similar to.
Be warned, however, when I sprayed it onto my hand to check what type of texture it was, it came out quite heavily. So, make sure you spray it far away from your face and one pump at a time.
8. Hair clips
If you’ve done your hair but need to do your makeup, the last thing you want to do is tie your hair back, as your hairstyle will go totally flat. That’s why clips like these are so important and handy to have in your kit.
9. Lacura Sweet Blusher in shade Peachy Pink, 2.1ml
In the same packaging as the highlighter, this blush is a gorgeous dark pink shade. Trust me when I say a little of this will go a long way. You don’t want to add too much and accidentally ruin your base makeup, so keep the product to a minimum. But this is a must-have.
10. Lacura Hair Oil, 25ml
This is a product I use regularly anyway, so I was pleased to see it in the Advent Calendar. A dupe for the Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil, which will set you back £35 for 50ml, it’s, in my opinion, a similar product, and I love using it a few hours before I wash my hair to give it a pre-wash treatment. A great product, and it’s also ‘infused with honey extract’.
11. Lacura Collagen Lip Oil, 8ml
Another Charlotte Tilbury dupe in the mix, the collagen lip oil even has a similar dispenser to its more expensive counterpart. They recommend on the packaging that this product can be used over the top of lipstick for shine, and this is exactly what I’d use it for. I love a lipstick and lip oil or balm combo, they’re just the best. A personal favourite of mine is the Dulce De Leche Aldi lip balm. It’s SO heavy on the brown pigment, and looks like a brown gloss when I’ve got my favourite brown lipsticks on.
12.Lacura Scalp and Body Scrub, 50g
The perfect way to pamper yourself, this is a nice way to end the advent calendar! Plus, it’s great the product is two in one, and scalp scrubs always go that extra mile to ensure your hair is clean and feels fresh.
Final thoughts…
If you’re looking at the advent calendars in the beauty-sphere this year and feeling slightly fatigued, don’t worry, me too. But if you want a little something for yourself to perk up those chilly December days that won’t break the bank, I’d definitely recommend this.
The packaging is lovely, it’s great for gifting, and has a variety of products in there with shades to suit everyone. You can pick it up while you’re doing your big shop, and although it doesn’t have those cult brands you know and love in it like the more expensive ones do, if you’re feeling flush thanks to treating yourself to a much cheaper advent calendar, you can use that money to get the products you would’ve actually used anyway! You know it makes sense…
LaCura’s 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar will be in store from October 26, while stocks last…
