In 2022 I'd bought the larger version of this advent calendar and loved it. I used all the products and went back to buy more. So in late September, when their social media started advertising The Body Shop Christmas countdowns I rushed to get one.
You can read about last years advent here LINK
I had problems purchasing the 2023 Advent calendar when I went to the store. They had them and I was shown them when I asked however the manager said they weren't allowed to sell them yet. I expressed how I'd seen it on their Instagram page and he agreed to let me have it.
I purchased the smaller of the three Advent calendars as I found the prices were more than the previous year. I used my in store loyalty coupons to reduce the price to $95. This year there were 3 versions to choose from. I chose the smallest. Last year's was medium and priced at $99.
There it sat while I anticipated December first.
The packaging is not as nice in the smaller box as the other boxes or the previous box. The 3D figures inside do not stand up when you open the box. They are supposed to stand up to present a Christmas diorama but they don't unless you fiddle with it. That makes it a hard box to display. Each item inside the box is in its own numbered box. Each of those had details as to how the ingredients were ethically sourced. While that's something to think about it's also not necessarily something you need on items themed to Christmas.
The entire box can be reused or recycled. I recycled each individual box as I don't have a use for little boxes nor a place to keep them until I'd need to reuse them. At this time, I'm unsure if I will keep the large box or not. it's currently housing the excess items. I did keep the 2022 version and use it to store my make up and other beauty items.
I don't find the design or pattern of the box to be particularly festive and neither were the contents. This entire box was blue, does have a Christmas pattern and themed diorama inside and even though blue is my favourite colour, it doesn't exactly scream Christmas, especially when closed. This was a flaw I found in the previous calendar as well. The Body Shop does have "festive" scents but it seems they only have them in store closer to Christmas and they don't use them in the calendars. Instead, it seems, the calendars are a mixture of what might assume to be their popular products or items they'd like to influence us to buy.
How dirty do they think I am?
If you followed along on my Instagram or Facebook page you'll know that there were several repeats of certain products. This alone has made me determine to not purchase this again. There are 6 shower gel/creams, 4 hand cream/balms, and 2 bars of soap. I don't know about others but that's a lot. There was only 1 lip product. I also found there was zero in the form of a facial moisturizer while there was tea tree cleanser and toner there was nothing for the follow up routine. Was this a marketing ploy? So I'd have to purchase the remainder if I liked it? Who knows.
Another inclusion in this box was what I'd call a shower buff. The fabric is not very soft and it's quite small. I don't think it would be easy to use and I'm not even sure if I'd call it a travel item. I'd say this was the worst item in the box.
My favourite item in this 24 day countdown was a hair clip. The other favourite items were the Shea shampoo and conditioner as well as the Tea Tree toner and cleanser.
This calendar retails at $95+ CAD but the website touted it was worth far more. That's approximately $3.95 a product for the 24 day advent calendar.
As stated above, I won't purchase this again. I will use the items but, yes, I am disappointed. I would recommend the larger box but again beware of the repeat products and don't expect fun festive scents because they aren't in there.
Did you get the Body Shop Advent Calendar? What did you think of it? Do you have any recommendations of other beauty calendars to try? I'd like to hear what they are to plan for next year!
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