MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Now that it's officially Christmas, the countdown of Tanya Burr's 12 Day Beauty Calendar can begin!
As with any 12 day calendar, when you're supposed to open it is entirely up to you (within the reasonable of course: nooo...opening everything up on the first day is cheating! But...twiddles foot on ground...I'm a beauty blogger?! Nods approvingly). So whether it's on the first days of December, so you can have all the beauty products at your disposal for any upcoming festivities, every other day to make it last longer, or even sticking to the traditional 12 days of Christmas (because you've only just received it as a Christmas gift to enjoy over the next few days), either way it's going to be a wonderful surprise for any beauty lover out there!
Last year I was fortunate enough to find the Ciaté London Mini Mani Month Calendar for sale in March, so if you still come across this calendar then, you'll know you'll want to pick it up! Personally I managed to snatch this calendar up when it was reduced to £15 (instead of the usual £25); amazing bargain especially since that works out at £1.25 per beauty item - definitely one of the most affordable Beauty Calendars out there (and great quality too, except for the polishes, but more about that below)!
As with any post of this kind this is going to contain major #SPOILERS so if you don't want to know what's in your calendar before you buy then GO NOW, save yourself!!!...If you do, then stay, let's hang out! And you can join me on my first foray into the Tanya Burr Cosmetics line.
In order of appearance, this calendar contains:
1. Lip Gloss in Candy Cane
2. Nail File
3. Mirror
4. Eye Shimmer Pot in Champagne Sparkle (rose gold)
5. Lip Gloss in Berry Pavlova
6. Nail Polish in Glitters and Gold (gold)
7. Glitter Eyeliner in Ice Crystals (silver)
8. Eye Shimmer Pot in Snow Day (white)
9. Matte Lip in Christmas Stocking
10. Glitter Eyeliner in Treasured (gold)
11. Nail Polish in Sleigh Bells (red)
12. Nail Polish in Glitter Rain (silver)
NAIL FILE & MIRROR
Let's begin with the filler presents of the bunch: the nail file and mirror. The former is pretty (my favourite colour) but I already have a metallic Pfeilring Nail File that I swear by and at £9.99 it's well worth the investment (I've just bought a new one after 10 years of usage on my old one, I kid you not!!!). Cardboard nail files are too gritty for my liking, they tend to tear my nails more than anything, and I already have an issue with peeling nails to begin with.
The mirror is cute but I wish it had a cover so you could protect it from scratches in your handbag (keys people!!!! Or as I like to call them; little stabby swords! (we've all been there when it comes to searching into the abyss of the handbag).
NAIL POLISH & GLITTER EYELINER
The whole reason I wanted this Beauty Calendar in the first place was for the red glitter polish (Sleigh Bells), it's beautiful and the formula is amazing!!! As you'll know from my recent Seventeen Colour Carnival blog post I've been looking for a great red glitter for ages, but unfortunately this doesn't cut the mustard because of THE STINK. Now I'm not a novice when it comes to nail polish smells, I've poisoned my lungs with my fair share, but I don't know what it is in all three polishes of this set (or even if it's the same problem with Tanya's other polishes), but they smell incredibly strong, almost like paint thinner/glue. After painting these three swatches for the photos I had to let them dry OUTSIDE, overnight, because I couldn't stand it! (Don't want to try applying it to my whole 10 fingers). Maybe I'm being too fussy, but something that chemical really can't be good for me to be inhaling. So, I'm back where I was, still without my ideal red glitter polish...sniff.
If you're also put off by the smell of these polishes then good dupes for the gold (Glitters and Gold) and silver (Glitter Rain) ones are Essie's Luxeffects toppers in Rock At The Top and Set In Stone respectively (both of which I already own, hence why I'm not heartbroken over those ones).
The glitter eyeliners on the other hand are A-typical glitter eyeliners and I have no real qualms other than they apply a little bit sparse. I know looking at all these beauty products the last thing you would think is "this needs more glitter" but here I am saying the eyeliners could have used more glitter! Or maybe some more pigment in the suspending liquid?
EYE SHIMMER POTS
Now I'm a contacts wearer, so I must admit my experience with loose glitter is pretty non-existent (I mean waterlining was not suggested either and look how far I've come). But these are little pots full of what is essentially specks of scratchy "dust" and I'm a bit more hesitant to dip my foot in THAT pool!
Nonetheless, I've always loved the effect glitter has on the eyes (just not my eyes) and with Snow Day (a white glitter with multi-coloured sparkle, almost holographic) and Champagne Sparkle (a gorgeous rose gold glitter with silvery sparkle), you're sure to dazzle this festive season!
LIP GLOSS & MATTE LIP
And now the bit you've all been waiting for, SWATCH TIME!!!! All of Tanya's lip products smell absolutely delicious, a sugary candy cane scent which is a far cry from her polishes.
Tanya Burr - Candy Cane (Lip Gloss)
Speaking of which, her appropriately named lip gloss. This Candy Cane lip gloss although rather fuchsia coloured in the bottle is much more of a softer pink on the lips. Now I'm not a fan of lip glosses (to many struggles with hair on lip situations in the past) but Tanya might have made me a convert! Very similar to the almost balmy buttery and non-sticky softness of the L'Oréal Color Riche Extraordinaire Lip Colors, I think these are a must try!
Tanya Burr - Berry Pavlova (Lip Gloss)
Again appropriately named, this colour is not as red as the bottle might have you imagine, it's in fact quite a fair bit pink and hence more berry toned. Same gorgeous formula as the one above.
Tanya Burr - Christmas Stocking (Matte Lip)
Christmas Stocking is a super orange-y toned red, perfect for the holidays.
I was very interested to try Tanya's matte lip formula and I could honestly not be more impressed! Similar feeling to the Sephora Cream Lip Stains, which are the Beauty Blogger/Guru World's favourite liquid lipsticks formula and for good reason! This one is right up there too, more velvety and a tad bit more drying, this formula nonetheless might give Sephora Cream Lip Stains some serious competition (plus Tanya's price is a pittance in comparison to the price of those bad boys, I know which my wallet prefers!).
Do be warned though, you'll need some seriously heavy-duty makeup remover (oil/remover combo) to get this baby off your lips (it's what make it so long lasting). But nothing my trusted Lancôme Bi-Facil couldn't handle.
So all in all, what do I think of Tanya Burr's Cosmetics? Pretty fantastic!!! Good quality especially for the price range, other than the minor blip of the nail polish smell I would honestly love to try more from her Cosmetics line (and isn't that the clever point of these calendars? Tasters for a product range).
I have to say my absolute favourite part of all these products has to be the names that Tanya gives them. If I ever had a beauty product line (I can dream people!!!) I hope I could come up with names at least half as good as she does. Honestly there's something quite disappointing when your favourite beauty product doesn't have a cute name to remember it by...cough, Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 107...cough.
So there you have it, a peak in Tanya Burr's 12 Day Beauty Calendar, hope you enjoyed?!
Let me know what was your favourite product?
Have you tried anything else from Tanya's line that I should get my hands on?
What's your makeup go-to for the holiday? Glitter yea or nay?
xxxemma