Ulta Beauty 12 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Hello, and welcome to the first of my reviews on the 2017 Advent Calendars. They may seem a bit pointless, but here's why you should care.

1. They often go on sale after Christmas and if you like the contents, it might be worth scooping them up.
2. Having done advent calendars for multiple years, they tend to be consistent in terms of quality. So if there's one that interests you, watch out for it in 2018.


This 12-day calendar retailed originally for $18, although I saw it on sale in the $13 range once December began. Each of the 12 items are in boxes rather than paper doors (bonus points for that, Ulta), and they come in this very compact container- with a plastic sleeve to keep the boxes in place.

This kit promises 12 items from the Ulta Beauty line- which if you didn't know, is cruelty free. It's also frequently on sale at Ulta, so never pay full price for an item. This brand has been a sleeper lately- lots of really fun and trendy products.

I'd originally planned to make this a second half of the month calendar (I've got five 24 day calendars and three 12-day calendars if I'm counting correctly without going and looking), but one of my favorite YouTubers decided to open it for her Vlogmas. So, I was going to get spoiled.

Here's a close-up of one of the boxes:

And here's the contents of the calendar:

Day One: Metallic Lip Gloss  (0.04oz) Don't see this formula but lip glosses $9/0.16oz $2.25 value
Day Two: Gel Bounce Eyeshadow (0.06oz) Don't see this formula but appears to be full size $8-8.50
Day Three: Glitter Tears Eyeliner (no size) Appears to be close to full size, don't see formula $10ish
Day Four: Face & Body Glitter (0.06oz) Full size $8/0.19oz $2.52 value
Day Five: Tinted Glossy Balm (0.27fl oz/8ml)
Day Six: Duo Chrome Illuminator (0.11oz/3g) This could be Unicorn, full size is $10
Day Seven: Matte Lip Cream (0.04 fl oz/1ml) Full size is 0.12oz/$9. Could be Courageous $3 value
Day Eight: Clear Brow Gel (0.17fl oz/5g)
Day Nine: Bouncy Blush (0.11oz/3g)
Day Ten: Brow Pencil (0.03oz/0.85g)
Day Eleven:Eyeliner & Shadow Crayon (0.05oz/1.5g)
Day Twelve: Face & Body Gems (what a letdown!)

All in all, would I pay $18 for this bundle? If I was looking for shiny things, yes. I do think I used the $3.50 off $15 coupon on it, making it $14.50 for 12 items. And that's really reasonable. I couldn't work out values on all of them because a lot of these aren't on the website.

This wasn't my favorite calendar, nor was it the best value. That said, I'm going to have fun playing with all of my new goodies.