Ciate Mini Mani Month

A part of me feels like I can't bring myself to say the 'C word'. It's hard to believe that Christmas is only 62 days away and it feels like yesterday when it was the middle of summer and I was laid with a golden beach beneath me sipping a Strawberry Daiquiri in Ibiza. I can still remember last Christmas as if it was last week. The decorations went up late as always, the irish family got really drunk and I couldn't stop drooling over my brand new Pandora bracelet, which subsequently got stolen a few months later when I was in London for my birthday. As a child, Christmas was always my favourite time of year and if I didn't have an advent calendar I'd turn from nice little girl, to someone deemed to be on the naughty list. As a grown up I still like to have an advent calendar, but the majority of chocolate delights are marketed for children. As much as I can still act like a small child when I want to, I think 'Forever Friends' isn't really my style.

 When I discovered that you can buy beauty based advent calendars I knew I had to have one this year. 

There are so many beauty advent calendars on the market and it isn't easy to choose which one to get. Some of them are far too overly priced and a lot of them even if they are worth it are still quite pricey. I purchased the Ciate Mini Mani Month from QVC for £37.50, which is really reasonable considering Selfridge's are selling them for £42.

If you have never heard of the brand Ciate before, they are a British nail polish brand that specialises in wonderful colours with a long lasting finish. I'm very picky when it comes to nail polishes and since I'm always busy I need something that won't chip. Ciate have always been my go-to brand and I find them to be the best non chip nail polishes I have used. I remember them releasing this advent calendar last year and being overly jealous as I watched bloggers open their doors to reveal an array of beautiful mini paint pots. This year it will be me opening my advent calendar and I'm far too excited. 

If you're not a fan of nail polish, there are many other beauty calendars available from different retailers.

Benefit will be bringing out their 'Count to Love' set which is made up of 24 different Benefit samples and costs £50. I would love this advent calendar, but for me it's far too pricey for such small products. If you've never tried Benefit before this calendar gives you the opportunity to try almost the whole range, but if you're a diehard Benefit fan I think it's better investing in one or two full sized products.

If you would like a selection of high end cosmetics the Selfridges beauty box will be the one for you, but expect to pay premium prices. The Selfridges beauty box has 24 different products from Lancome to YSL, but costs £84. If you have the money to splurge i'd say go for it as you would get lots of lovely treats, but for the average young beauty enthusiast I think this will be far out of their price range.

The You Beauty Box is great for premium beauty products, but at a lower cost than the Selfridges box. This includes more niche products and some brands that are not always well known, but it's worth it for the discovery. If there's any other beauty box i'd love besides my Ciate one it's this.

If you're on a tight budget and you're simply looking to sample a few new beauty products, the Boots beauty box will be up your street. This box costs £30 and includes a variety of items from their Seventeen range, perfume samples, nail inc and many more. I love the look of this box and would definitely like to try it at some point, but I'm unsure whether the products inside it would be worth my while.

Finally, the Babor box is something I stumbled across online and I've never heard before. I thought I'd mention it as I haven't seen it considered if any other beauty advent calendar posts. The Babor box is full of collagen boosting liquids and creams for those seeking eternal youth and beautiful skin this Christmas. This 24 day course retails at £164, but buying this set will save you over 50% as it is priced at £64. 

Which advent calendar would you choose?