Hey guys! We are still getting through these Advent Calendars! I am going to try to have them all done by the end of January! Let me know what you guys think of these calendars! For one of them I think it will be the last time it appears on the channel. Let me know your thoughts! Love ya💖
Love your presentations and critique whether they are advent calendars or sub boxes! Keep on, keeping it real and cool. Glad you are feeling better. Bless you Ren 💚🦴🐕🐾
I think the Essence calendar is pretty good value for the money. 24 items for $35 is ~$1.46 per item. 10 makeup items, 3 nail polishes, 2 skin care items and the other smaller stuff seems like a much better deal than some of the more expensive calendars out there. And with the range of make up items, it does cover most of the face better than just 10 lipsticks. I think a young teenager would be happy with this haul.
@@xorayne_ On the USA website: $3 for the nail polishes ($9), $2 for the nail stickers, $2 for the sharpener, $2 for each brush ($6), $4 for the lipsticks ($8), $2 for the Bomb Gloss, $5 for the mascara, $4 for the highlighter, $4 for the blush, etc... That is over $35 and only accounts for 14 of the items. The calendar gives you better value than the money spent. Whether or not the product is good or "worth it" is immaterial. If you bought all the items separately it would cost more than $35, so it is objectively good value. But, it is all good if you don't agree.
Agreed! I love the Essence one and get it every year. It's pretty cheap and is always holiday themed, with products made just for the calander (I think at least). Better than most!
I love how Alex said she was being kept company by someone who wouldn't be named and the next second Tater pops up like "what do you mean I'm not being named in this video?" I looked over at my dog when the noises started up to be sure she wasn't the one making them, then thought yup, Tater's still on lockdown when I saw she was sleeping, lol.
The orangewood sticks are handy for cleaning up around your nails. You can wrap a little bit of cotton ball around the end, dip it in nail polish remover, and get the polish off from around your nails once you’re all done (that’s how we used them in nail tech school!)
This is also my fav cleaning technique for hard to reach areas on the floor in the bathroom, take a dowel or wooden handle of something and wrap it with a rag and scrub away at the grout/ baseboard/ around the sides of the toilet without killing your lower back. ❤
Shelters will even accept used makeup. I used to volunteer at one in the rough part of Vancouver (east Van) and the women love any type of makeup and perfume and yes even used. We are talking about people who have nothing to their name
I live in a shelter currently and the women in the shelters LOVE to get this kind of thing. It really brightens their day, expecially around Christmas when they are all missing their families. Thanks again Alexandria for the donations you make to the shelters. I can say it really does make a difference in their lives!!!!
I totally get the puppy not wanting the door closed. My cat is the same. She sits there and yells when doors are closed. I can’t even close the bathroom door all the way unless she’s distracted. I’m surprised she lets me keep the front door closed.
My cat's the same way.😂 She follows me into the bathroom, jumps on the counter, & purrs while I pee. I've tried closing the door, but the wailing & mrowing are incessant. Plus I can see her paws under the door, which makes me giggle & distracts me from my intended purpose. 🤭
Since having my kids, I haven’t gone to the loo on my own in well over 25 years. I don’t even bother with the door unless we have company. While our kids are now out on their own, I get a dog staring at me. The performance anxiety is real. 😂😂😂
@@Sorchia56 Haha! I absolutely can relate. My favorite use to be "Mum what are you doing in there?". Once my boys left the cats would do everything from paws under the door to running into it on purpose. 😂😂
Love the advent calendars no matter the time of year! Could you maybe put two bins under your setup one for donate and one to keep? Maybe to help contain everything as you go through items and can quickly toss into the appropriate bin? Also congrats on the wedding!!!
Great idea! You could even add an extra bin or two if you needed-maybe a trash or recycling bin and a smaller bin for items you’re giving to specific family members (like the rose stuff!)
Hey 😊 Essence is a german brand and our "big day" when it comes to Christmas is the 24th, so that's why there is no door number 25 😊 and on the 6th of december we celebrate "Nikolaus" so most German adventcalendars tend to fill this day with something more special also 😊
I liked that you showed everything/ most things in the NYX box at the end of the unboxing altogether. I like seeing it all grouped together afterward to give you a better idea of the value.
You know I'm addicted to advent calendar unboxings when I already know what in the nyx because I followed a girl on TikTok doing this very calendar 😂🤣 I don't even wear makeup either! I just love advent calendars. Also I love your dog he's so freaking cute 🥰
tbh most of their products have always been geared towards tweens/teenagers, it's only recently that the quality of some of their products has improved enough for "grown up" use
Tater scared the daylights out of me the first time he made his presence known. I was in a room by myself with headphones on and it sounded like one of my animals were in the room with me. It took me a minute to realize it was on the video, not in my room. 😂 I hope Tater is doing better.
This upcoming holiday season you should let a subscriber make an advent calendar for you! Raphael Gomes does that frequently and they tend to be great videos! It would be awesome to see what a subscriber would pick for you compared to what you typically get from a purchased advent calendar!
Tater is adorable! Dog mom with a fur baby who is epileptic, so I understand the “no running free” rules from the doc! 😂 Try a baby playpen for the kid. For some reason mine felt like that was some kind of ‘freedom’ compared to being in a room with the door shut? 😊 Love your videos, thank you for the laughs and shared!
i would totally get the essence one as like a gift for a teenager. it's not something i would find interesting, but for someone just starting to build their makeup collection who wants to try a variety of things at once, it's a super reasonable price. the nyx one might be better to like split with a couple friends who have different tastes in makeup so you're more likely to find use for all the products, but it's definitely not as good for the price.
About the wooden sticks... I am a nail technician and I use then every day in my nail salon. They aren't splintery typically and are actually more gentle than a metal or plastic cuticle pusher. They are disposable so it also guarantees no transfer of debris or bacteria from one client to another. They are great to slide under the stickers uou had trouble with and can assist in pressing down the edges. It also is great to wrap cotton around to clean up polish that has gotten on your skin. Cleaning under the nails is easy with one of those, too. If nothing else, keep one in a Baggie in your purse and you can use it as a toothpick in a pinch.
Don't ever say sorry again. I love hearing him. It is such a soft whimper trying to get your attention, lol. Love his appearance too 😍 ❤️ Your a mom, and it's harder to do the right thing for your babies. When they tug at your heart none stop xo. Big hugs.
I graduated 20 years ago, this coming May and I am having a hard time accepting that fact, given that the 90s were just 10 years ago, lol. I love Tater and his whines and moans. His is just so dang cute. My pug was that way. She would whine and if she was ignored, she would start to howl until you gave her attention.
I was listening to the radio on the way home and the DJ mentioned that Usher's album Confessions came up 20 years ago. I shook my head and said "what? no." out loud in the car by myself lol
@@herefishyfishy13 Oh god, I listened to the radio for once last September and the DJ was like, "Here's an oldie but a goodie!" My brain immediately thought, "Oo, they're going to play something from the 50s!" Nope. It was Backstreet Boys. Then the guy said the song (Backstreet's Back) came out 25 years ago and I had to go lie down. I refuse to believe it's been that long.
Hi Alex, just wondering if you still use your po box that's listed in your about info? As for organisation...maybe you should get some storage draws, one for donations, and the rest divided up by lips, eyes, cheeks, etc, and at the end of each video you puthem straight in the right drawers so things don't get muddled up. I'm chronically messy and this kind of system but for my art supplies has really been helping me. I tended to not put things away right away because "I'd only have to get it out again to be using it again tomorrow", and a year later the same tubes of paint would be sitting unmoved in that same spot. For the value, it seems essence would be great for a young teen, it has everything they need. A tip on the nail stickers, some good pointy & angled tweezers are your friend there. They glittery top coat looked quit pretty. I'd steer clear of the lipstick that burned, straight in the bin. Might be something in the colour changing formula. Idk why NYX seems to limit its calendar so much, a quick look at their site and they seem to have some really interesting products: a good range of coloured eye liners, electrolyte infused lip gloss, plant-based glitter eye shadows, liquid eye shadows, smokey eyeliner (looks like it has a little brush on the end, but it's also listed as new, still, they could have previewed it in the calendars), and something called fat oil lip drip which i guess is a tinted lip oil it claims can keep your lips hydrated for upto 12 hours...the blurb is so cringe on it, I love it lol. They also have an Avatar (the blue aliens not the last airbeds anime) inspired range with things like bioluminescent lip gloss, biolume highlighter sticks, eyeshadow & cheek palletes, and an ultra hydrating setting spray. Not really surprised not to see the Avatar stuff in a calendar, I guess, but I'm soncurious as to whether they really are "bioluminescent" or if they even glow in the dark like I would expect from a name like that. There's also the owing standards like mascara and eyebrow stuff, and various differing sizes of eye shadow pallettes. So yeah, there's so much they could have done to mix it up a bit. Though, it think if you were just at the start of your make up journey it'd be a great way to quickly grow your stash of lip products and single shadows ranging from daily wear to glamming it up. But it's hard to make that work without the little extras. They eye shadow primer makes a lot of sense, for sure. Hope Tater is on the end and you get some good sleeps soon. I also joke things at your stores are coming along back to normal too. Feels like you've had a rough two months time to turn the corner.
I'm with you on the 7 lip balms at my bedside...I have an entire set of soda-Lip Smackers, a blistex, a blistex balm and a baby lips at my bedside, because...that moisture, you can feel it leave your lips and enter the air! I swear it!
I always got my preteen now teen daughter the NYX calendar. She loves them. I think it's perfect for someone who is younger. I always get them on sale too. They have really good sales at ulta on them.
The essence one has similar items each year but not the exact sames. It might have a lip product but it's whatever was popular at the time the calendar was designed. A highlighter and a blush but it's not the same shade or product each years. AND, they do limited edition only in the calendar for the packaging for them, and they're usually unique to each year. Yes, there's always the nail file etc. but they're never the same ones. What is usually even more bang for buck is the DIY box. One year we bought the sister brand Catrice's DIY and the Essence DIY boxes and ended up with like five or six eyshadow palettes and with so much makeup we probably still have some around, unused. I'd put Essence on par with Makeup Revolution of London. It does suit the nordic taste and style more.
I actually like the Nyx calendar. The glosses are the perfect size and you can pop the shadows in a small make-up bag. However, I can see how it can get boring with all the repetition especially if you don’t like the shades.
I remember when the NYX calendar had all full size lip products one year. Then I bought it the following year and was let down with the smaller size ones. I still use the single shadows though.
That NYX theme is all over the place it’s like a bunch of board members just threw out a bunch of random ideas & the boss was like yes let’s do it all 😂
I'm so glad you brought some attention to Tater. I thought I was losing my ever loving mind. I paused the video, trying to gear where the baby was coming from 🤣🤣🤣
Have you thought about doing a decluttering/organisation video with all your makeup and stuff from calendars? I think that would be very interesting to watch and that sort of videos are also popular at the moment. I would looove to see all the items from this year's advent calendars unboxing and you organising them for donations, use etc. Best wishes and love your videos😊
My friend had a Nyx advent calender like five years ago, stuff still looks the same 😂 Back then 1/3 of the lip projects were metallic liquid lipsticks in the most horrendeus colours so in some sense we have come a long way.
Essence is a fairly popular brand in the UK. I mainly see it in a shop called Wilkos (kinda like target) it is pretty cheap stuff so the £35 price tag makes sense. I'm surprised there wasn't more nail products because that's what I recognise the most from them (honestly i use the little nail stickers a lot) but in terms of quality it's kinda lime a step up from pound land/ dollar tree makeup 😅
tbh a lot of their products have been improved lately, the hype the mascaras get is totally justified (some are misses but overall their mascaras are great) but yeah, it's obviously a teenager/young adult oriented brand still
I've been using their Liquid Ink liquid liner for over 10 years and it's just the best, deep black, precise application, non-irritating, waterproof, stays put.. I get asked by people what liner I use and they are always surprised when I pull out the cheapest available one.
Hi! Not sure if you’ll see this or not, but I remember you asking for video requests on a recent update video and would LOVE to see a tutorial of how you did your wedding makeup (maybe like a wedding day/ honeymoon reminisce and story Time too- like get ready with me style) and then what you would change (like if something wasn’t as long lasting as expected, etc and product reviews). I hope to do my own wedding makeup and will take any tips/ tricks and advice you have!
That first calendar looks more like one for teen girls (or younger). A little bit of everything for beginners to try. Interested to see what the next one has in it. Ookaay...lip glosses and eye shadows. Neither as fun or as interesting as some of your other calendars, but my tween-age granddaughter would probably love either one!! Regardless of that, your mix of lip cremes looked very nice!!🥰
I'm watching this video to calm my heart rate after my pup, jellybean, just had a horrible seiezure. She is in the kitchen currently recouping...I cannot be with her right now because when she comes to, she gets extremely aggressive and relentlessly attacks anyone she lays eyes on 😭 and she's a pitbull so it's very hard to deal with. But your voice calms me and I love the distraction. Because I'm so worried and scared and heartbroken with what my sweet girl is suffering with, and that I cannot control it 💔 but I know you are going thru the same thing and it brings me some comfort and strength. And before this, your videos have been favorites of mine for years too...thank you so much girl..hugs!
I wanted to say thank you as thanks to your reviews I got the benefit 12 day calendar and I'm so pleased with the value! Thanks again for your dedication and consistency. It makes the content better each year, having old videos to compare and contrast. Your work is great and unique 👌 thanks again!
The NYX calendar theme is "Mrs. Claus goes out for a girls night while Santa is working the sleigh, has a few too many, and now she's working that back"....but make it glam
I have a couple of the essence brushes and I really like them tbh. Especially the blending and the angled eyeliner brush🙈 but to be fair I don't know if those are the same ones as in the calendar
Not me thinking you're babysitting to then realize it's poor sweet tater😔 I'm sure he will get use to this new way of life. You are such a good Doggy Mom ❤️
You definitely need to search the soft matte lip cremes because I find they really don’t match the color of the tube! Stockholm is the most perfect nude imo I used to wear it almost every day!!!!
The Essence one I think is really good value. Their mascaras are awesome. Im buy this brand for Christmas this year - if this is they type of things you get in it…
The essence one looks pretty good. I actually like essence as a drugstore brand, they aren't ground breaking or anything but they do staple makeup items really well.
That was too funny! I thought I’d watch this video first then eat my lunch. When I heard those noises I thought it was my tummy rumbling and it was little Tater! I laughed so hard x x x
It's disappointing that NYX doesn't give out any more of their other products. I absolutely love their liners and I've heard so many good things about their brow products. (It's on my list of things to get)
The nail stickers are easier to maneuver if you use those super pointy tweezers (I forget what they’re called but not the slant ones). Clear top coats (not a shimmery topper) will help to cure the lacquer and prevent dents and fingerprints.
I love the shadow and lips showing up rather than stickers and other paper product items. the skin care I can use, lip scrub too...but the things that seem to be for pre-teen or teen use maybe they should put an age group on those calendars and the same goes for some marketing sub-boxes! Maybe I have said too much. LoL
I have lip products everywhere and then forget that I have even more in the same place but hidden in a container. It's like they multiply and then laugh when I find them. Now my tweezers are the opposite; I can't find them and then I'll find three sets all at once a month after I buy a new set. 🙃
2020 I got an Essence calendar. I thought it was a good deal for $40 until I realized I paid $60. Also, it’s crazy when you realize your 25th college reunion is next year. I have no idea when that time passed.
I was going through my yearbooks the other night and realized I was in first grade twenty years ago when I met a good friend of mine and felt very old lol
Hey guys! We are still getting through these Advent Calendars! I am going to try to have them all done by the end of January! Let me know what you guys think of these calendars! For one of them I think it will be the last time it appears on the channel. Let me know your thoughts! Love ya💖
Is it the first comment? Is it?
The more advent calendars the better!!
Love your presentations and critique whether they are advent calendars or sub boxes! Keep on, keeping it real and cool. Glad you are feeling better. Bless you Ren 💚🦴🐕🐾
I love advent calendars!! I would pick the Essence one just bc it's cheaper lol 😆 Hope yall are doing well?! 🧡
Down to dash means good to go N Pole North Pole I think you have it with the 2000s music video thing
Tater wailing like a tragic Victorian orphan that's never had a good day in his life cracked me up. I'm so glad he's doing well.
bruh i was scrolling through all my open tabs wondering where the crying baby was coming from lmao went to the comments to see if im delusional or not
@@lotte_is_tired at first I thought it was my dog!
@@thekawaiislartibartfast42 thought that the 1st one was a baby 😂🤔
That 💯 seems like a good back story for Tater 😂
I actually paused the video on the first whine to make sure my baby wasn’t crying 😅
Tater popping up into the frame right after you said you wouldn’t name him is one of the most adorable, hilarious things I’ve ever seen. 😂
He’s like “Me!?”
I think the Essence calendar is pretty good value for the money. 24 items for $35 is ~$1.46 per item. 10 makeup items, 3 nail polishes, 2 skin care items and the other smaller stuff seems like a much better deal than some of the more expensive calendars out there. And with the range of make up items, it does cover most of the face better than just 10 lipsticks. I think a young teenager would be happy with this haul.
most of the stuff wasn’t worth $1.46 so it’s not a good deal at all
@@xorayne_ On the USA website: $3 for the nail polishes ($9), $2 for the nail stickers, $2 for the sharpener, $2 for each brush ($6), $4 for the lipsticks ($8), $2 for the Bomb Gloss, $5 for the mascara, $4 for the highlighter, $4 for the blush, etc... That is over $35 and only accounts for 14 of the items. The calendar gives you better value than the money spent. Whether or not the product is good or "worth it" is immaterial. If you bought all the items separately it would cost more than $35, so it is objectively good value. But, it is all good if you don't agree.
@@fernbrisot325 I agree with you, it has a better selection. It's a cute small gift for a tween.
Agreed! I love the Essence one and get it every year. It's pretty cheap and is always holiday themed, with products made just for the calander (I think at least).
Better than most!
actually,Essence has pretty good quality stuff for the price.
I love how Alex said she was being kept company by someone who wouldn't be named and the next second Tater pops up like "what do you mean I'm not being named in this video?" I looked over at my dog when the noises started up to be sure she wasn't the one making them, then thought yup, Tater's still on lockdown when I saw she was sleeping, lol.
The orangewood sticks are handy for cleaning up around your nails. You can wrap a little bit of cotton ball around the end, dip it in nail polish remover, and get the polish off from around your nails once you’re all done (that’s how we used them in nail tech school!)
I also do that for eyeliner and eyeshadow! It’s better than a q-tip
This is also my fav cleaning technique for hard to reach areas on the floor in the bathroom, take a dowel or wooden handle of something and wrap it with a rag and scrub away at the grout/ baseboard/ around the sides of the toilet without killing your lower back. ❤
His little cries sound like a baby crying! Omg he is the sweetest!
I love to hear that you donate unused product to shelters. That's such a great use of product and a fun way to give back to the community!
Shelters will even accept used makeup. I used to volunteer at one in the rough part of Vancouver (east Van) and the women love any type of makeup and perfume and yes even used.
We are talking about people who have nothing to their name
I live in a shelter currently and the women in the shelters LOVE to get this kind of thing. It really brightens their day, expecially around Christmas when they are all missing their families. Thanks again Alexandria for the donations you make to the shelters. I can say it really does make a difference in their lives!!!!
I totally get the puppy not wanting the door closed. My cat is the same. She sits there and yells when doors are closed. I can’t even close the bathroom door all the way unless she’s distracted. I’m surprised she lets me keep the front door closed.
My cat's the same way.😂 She follows me into the bathroom, jumps on the counter, & purrs while I pee. I've tried closing the door, but the wailing & mrowing are incessant. Plus I can see her paws under the door, which makes me giggle & distracts me from my intended purpose. 🤭
@@WillSing4TP 🤣
Since having my kids, I haven’t gone to the loo on my own in well over 25 years. I don’t even bother with the door unless we have company. While our kids are now out on their own, I get a dog staring at me. The performance anxiety is real. 😂😂😂
@@Sorchia56 Haha! I absolutely can relate. My favorite use to be "Mum what are you doing in there?". Once my boys left the cats would do everything from paws under the door to running into it on purpose. 😂😂
Same! No closed doors in our house. They act like we've committed the gravest of sins against them.
YASSS!! Advent Calendars from here to 2024, let’s go!! 😆💕
Someone is wanting moms attention so bad and it is stinking cute!!!
Love the advent calendars no matter the time of year! Could you maybe put two bins under your setup one for donate and one to keep? Maybe to help contain everything as you go through items and can quickly toss into the appropriate bin? Also congrats on the wedding!!!
That’s such a good idea! 😊
Great idea! You could even add an extra bin or two if you needed-maybe a trash or recycling bin and a smaller bin for items you’re giving to specific family members (like the rose stuff!)
I could watch these all year round so the longer they go on the better yay!
Hey 😊 Essence is a german brand and our "big day" when it comes to Christmas is the 24th, so that's why there is no door number 25 😊 and on the 6th of december we celebrate "Nikolaus" so most German adventcalendars tend to fill this day with something more special also 😊
it's the same in Finland as we copied a lot of our traditions from Germany 😆
I’m German and was born on the 6th. My mom used to say she was extra bad that year 😂
This here is a petition to give tater more screen time! Him popping up in the frame made me smile so big 😍. We want more tater!
I liked that you showed everything/ most things in the NYX box at the end of the unboxing altogether. I like seeing it all grouped together afterward to give you a better idea of the value.
Tater whining had me all kinds of messed up with me trying to figure out which of my 3 dogs was having a problem. 😂😂
I thought my kid had woken up like 4 times
The eyeliner brush from Essence is actually pretty darn good for your brows. I have several of them and love them to put on my brow pomade!
Do they have Valentine calendars? You should throw them in. Honestly I like to see the calendars after they are a quarter of the price lol
You know I'm addicted to advent calendar unboxings when I already know what in the nyx because I followed a girl on TikTok doing this very calendar 😂🤣 I don't even wear makeup either! I just love advent calendars. Also I love your dog he's so freaking cute 🥰
Omg when tater popped up right after you pointed and said “not to mention any names” that was just too perfect and cute 😂❤
The essence advent calendar looks like something my 10 year old would enjoy.
tbh most of their products have always been geared towards tweens/teenagers, it's only recently that the quality of some of their products has improved enough for "grown up" use
Tater scared the daylights out of me the first time he made his presence known. I was in a room by myself with headphones on and it sounded like one of my animals were in the room with me. It took me a minute to realize it was on the video, not in my room. 😂 I hope Tater is doing better.
This upcoming holiday season you should let a subscriber make an advent calendar for you! Raphael Gomes does that frequently and they tend to be great videos! It would be awesome to see what a subscriber would pick for you compared to what you typically get from a purchased advent calendar!
Tater is adorable! Dog mom with a fur baby who is epileptic, so I understand the “no running free” rules from the doc! 😂 Try a baby playpen for the kid. For some reason mine felt like that was some kind of ‘freedom’ compared to being in a room with the door shut? 😊 Love your videos, thank you for the laughs and shared!
Stuff lurking in your room for a full year is quite possibly the most relatable thing I've seen on UA-cam in a while.
i would totally get the essence one as like a gift for a teenager. it's not something i would find interesting, but for someone just starting to build their makeup collection who wants to try a variety of things at once, it's a super reasonable price. the nyx one might be better to like split with a couple friends who have different tastes in makeup so you're more likely to find use for all the products, but it's definitely not as good for the price.
I love that you donate some of the stuff you get instead of wasting it.I think it is awesome, and tater was cracking me up 🤣
About the wooden sticks... I am a nail technician and I use then every day in my nail salon. They aren't splintery typically and are actually more gentle than a metal or plastic cuticle pusher. They are disposable so it also guarantees no transfer of debris or bacteria from one client to another. They are great to slide under the stickers uou had trouble with and can assist in pressing down the edges. It also is great to wrap cotton around to clean up polish that has gotten on your skin. Cleaning under the nails is easy with one of those, too. If nothing else, keep one in a Baggie in your purse and you can use it as a toothpick in a pinch.
Hello to you and everyone watching I don't ever want these calendars to stop lol, enjoy your week everyone 🥰❤
Hello 🤗 to you as well from Ontario 🇨🇦 Canada I do enjoy her videos very much.
Don't ever say sorry again. I love hearing him. It is such a soft whimper trying to get your attention, lol. Love his appearance too 😍 ❤️ Your a mom, and it's harder to do the right thing for your babies. When they tug at your heart none stop xo. Big hugs.
I graduated 20 years ago, this coming May and I am having a hard time accepting that fact, given that the 90s were just 10 years ago, lol. I love Tater and his whines and moans. His is just so dang cute. My pug was that way. She would whine and if she was ignored, she would start to howl until you gave her attention.
I was listening to the radio on the way home and the DJ mentioned that Usher's album Confessions came up 20 years ago. I shook my head and said "what? no." out loud in the car by myself lol
@@herefishyfishy13 Oh god, I listened to the radio for once last September and the DJ was like, "Here's an oldie but a goodie!" My brain immediately thought, "Oo, they're going to play something from the 50s!" Nope. It was Backstreet Boys. Then the guy said the song (Backstreet's Back) came out 25 years ago and I had to go lie down. I refuse to believe it's been that long.
Hi Alex, just wondering if you still use your po box that's listed in your about info?
As for organisation...maybe you should get some storage draws, one for donations, and the rest divided up by lips, eyes, cheeks, etc, and at the end of each video you puthem straight in the right drawers so things don't get muddled up. I'm chronically messy and this kind of system but for my art supplies has really been helping me. I tended to not put things away right away because "I'd only have to get it out again to be using it again tomorrow", and a year later the same tubes of paint would be sitting unmoved in that same spot.
For the value, it seems essence would be great for a young teen, it has everything they need. A tip on the nail stickers, some good pointy & angled tweezers are your friend there. They glittery top coat looked quit pretty. I'd steer clear of the lipstick that burned, straight in the bin. Might be something in the colour changing formula.
Idk why NYX seems to limit its calendar so much, a quick look at their site and they seem to have some really interesting products: a good range of coloured eye liners, electrolyte infused lip gloss, plant-based glitter eye shadows, liquid eye shadows, smokey eyeliner (looks like it has a little brush on the end, but it's also listed as new, still, they could have previewed it in the calendars), and something called fat oil lip drip which i guess is a tinted lip oil it claims can keep your lips hydrated for upto 12 hours...the blurb is so cringe on it, I love it lol.
They also have an Avatar (the blue aliens not the last airbeds anime) inspired range with things like bioluminescent lip gloss, biolume highlighter sticks, eyeshadow & cheek palletes, and an ultra hydrating setting spray. Not really surprised not to see the Avatar stuff in a calendar, I guess, but I'm soncurious as to whether they really are "bioluminescent" or if they even glow in the dark like I would expect from a name like that.
There's also the owing standards like mascara and eyebrow stuff, and various differing sizes of eye shadow pallettes.
So yeah, there's so much they could have done to mix it up a bit. Though, it think if you were just at the start of your make up journey it'd be a great way to quickly grow your stash of lip products and single shadows ranging from daily wear to glamming it up. But it's hard to make that work without the little extras. They eye shadow primer makes a lot of sense, for sure.
Hope Tater is on the end and you get some good sleeps soon. I also joke things at your stores are coming along back to normal too. Feels like you've had a rough two months time to turn the corner.
I can rewatch your videos over and over and never get bored! I'm definitely with the people who would watch advent calendar unboxings all year round!
I'm with you on the 7 lip balms at my bedside...I have an entire set of soda-Lip Smackers, a blistex, a blistex balm and a baby lips at my bedside, because...that moisture, you can feel it leave your lips and enter the air! I swear it!
I always got my preteen now teen daughter the NYX calendar. She loves them. I think it's perfect for someone who is younger. I always get them on sale too. They have really good sales at ulta on them.
Yes! Thank you for carrying on with these 💙 Hope all has been well with Tater
You should do a makeup decluttering video! I can only imagine all the makeup you have
I think NYX was like “she’s always asking for make up on the advent calendars let’s send her a bunch of eye shadows and lip products”. 😝 j/k
Tater’s little whimpers and appearance are instant serotonin 🥹🥹🥹❤️❤️❤️✨
You’re so critical of the Essence (I know its your style) but for $35 probably best value box yet!!! And a very well diverse box
Awww little puppy in the fluffy bed. I hope Tater is feeling better
The essence one has similar items each year but not the exact sames. It might have a lip product but it's whatever was popular at the time the calendar was designed. A highlighter and a blush but it's not the same shade or product each years. AND, they do limited edition only in the calendar for the packaging for them, and they're usually unique to each year. Yes, there's always the nail file etc. but they're never the same ones. What is usually even more bang for buck is the DIY box. One year we bought the sister brand Catrice's DIY and the Essence DIY boxes and ended up with like five or six eyshadow palettes and with so much makeup we probably still have some around, unused. I'd put Essence on par with Makeup Revolution of London. It does suit the nordic taste and style more.
The whiny Tater is cracking me up. Poor little bubba. Sending him a hug. 🥰
I actually like the Nyx calendar. The glosses are the perfect size and you can pop the shadows in a small make-up bag. However, I can see how it can get boring with all the repetition especially if you don’t like the shades.
Can I just say? She’s such a great Dog Mom! ❤️❤️
The NYX calendar was too funny! Between the images on the calendar and the shade name Working the N Pole I was laughing 😂
I remember when the NYX calendar had all full size lip products one year. Then I bought it the following year and was let down with the smaller size ones. I still use the single shadows though.
I could've swore a baby was crying. I was like "either she's babysitting or she's hinting at something"
If you do another showdown I think it would be cool if you compared them door by door. So day 1 v. Day 1. Love these videos as always ❤️
That would be awesome!
That NYX theme is all over the place it’s like a bunch of board members just threw out a bunch of random ideas & the boss was like yes let’s do it all 😂
“I try to keep at least 7 lip products at my bedside at all times”😂 same though 😂
I am so stoked these get addicting! ❤
Im so glad you enjoy them!
I'm so glad you brought some attention to Tater. I thought I was losing my ever loving mind. I paused the video, trying to gear where the baby was coming from 🤣🤣🤣
Have you thought about doing a decluttering/organisation video with all your makeup and stuff from calendars? I think that would be very interesting to watch and that sort of videos are also popular at the moment.
I would looove to see all the items from this year's advent calendars unboxing and you organising them for donations, use etc.
Best wishes and love your videos😊
My eyes went straight to my night stand when you said you had many lip balms ! I truly understand that need for lip comfort ....I also have several !
My friend had a Nyx advent calender like five years ago, stuff still looks the same 😂 Back then 1/3 of the lip projects were metallic liquid lipsticks in the most horrendeus colours so in some sense we have come a long way.
Taters having a fit bc his mommas doing advent calendars again! Lol! What a doll baby! 😍
Essence is a fairly popular brand in the UK. I mainly see it in a shop called Wilkos (kinda like target) it is pretty cheap stuff so the £35 price tag makes sense. I'm surprised there wasn't more nail products because that's what I recognise the most from them (honestly i use the little nail stickers a lot) but in terms of quality it's kinda lime a step up from pound land/ dollar tree makeup 😅
tbh a lot of their products have been improved lately, the hype the mascaras get is totally justified (some are misses but overall their mascaras are great) but yeah, it's obviously a teenager/young adult oriented brand still
I've been using their Liquid Ink liquid liner for over 10 years and it's just the best, deep black, precise application, non-irritating, waterproof, stays put.. I get asked by people what liner I use and they are always surprised when I pull out the cheapest available one.
Essence’s highlighter is super subtle, which is why I swear by it. It gives a natural glow that doesn’t look streaky or obvious.
Taters timing was just 😘👌
NYX box looks like a blingee throwback
The Nyx one had so much repetition of similar shades / formulas it screamed clearing out last seasons dead stock
Hi! Not sure if you’ll see this or not, but I remember you asking for video requests on a recent update video and would LOVE to see a tutorial of how you did your wedding makeup (maybe like a wedding day/ honeymoon reminisce and story Time too- like get ready with me style) and then what you would change (like if something wasn’t as long lasting as expected, etc and product reviews). I hope to do my own wedding makeup and will take any tips/ tricks and advice you have!
That first calendar looks more like one for teen girls (or younger). A little bit of everything for beginners to try. Interested to see what the next one has in it. Ookaay...lip glosses and eye shadows. Neither as fun or as interesting as some of your other calendars, but my tween-age granddaughter would probably love either one!! Regardless of that, your mix of lip cremes looked very nice!!🥰
Agree
I'm watching this video to calm my heart rate after my pup, jellybean, just had a horrible seiezure. She is in the kitchen currently recouping...I cannot be with her right now because when she comes to, she gets extremely aggressive and relentlessly attacks anyone she lays eyes on 😭 and she's a pitbull so it's very hard to deal with. But your voice calms me and I love the distraction. Because I'm so worried and scared and heartbroken with what my sweet girl is suffering with, and that I cannot control it 💔 but I know you are going thru the same thing and it brings me some comfort and strength. And before this, your videos have been favorites of mine for years too...thank you so much girl..hugs!
I hear you on the essence brush, but I have to say my essence angle brush is the best I've had and also looks like it is from a kid's kit
I wanted to say thank you as thanks to your reviews I got the benefit 12 day calendar and I'm so pleased with the value! Thanks again for your dedication and consistency. It makes the content better each year, having old videos to compare and contrast. Your work is great and unique 👌 thanks again!
Aww little fur baby 😊
Tater screaming in the background just adds some spice Lmao
Tater is so stinking cute, I love seeing him as you do advent calendars. ❤
I would love an organization/donation video! And I'm SO curious as to what the pile of subscription boxes in the closet looks like now 💙
The NYX calendar theme is "Mrs. Claus goes out for a girls night while Santa is working the sleigh, has a few too many, and now she's working that back"....but make it glam
I have a couple of the essence brushes and I really like them tbh. Especially the blending and the angled eyeliner brush🙈 but to be fair I don't know if those are the same ones as in the calendar
Tater: mother will not let me out of this room and so I will screm 😌
Not me thinking you're babysitting to then realize it's poor sweet tater😔 I'm sure he will get use to this new way of life. You are such a good Doggy Mom ❤️
Use the cuticle sticks to put on the nail stickers😉 Or tweezers
You definitely need to search the soft matte lip cremes because I find they really don’t match the color of the tube! Stockholm is the most perfect nude imo I used to wear it almost every day!!!!
The Essence one I think is really good value. Their mascaras are awesome. Im buy this brand for Christmas this year - if this is they type of things you get in it…
Your baby is so adorably pitiful sounding! 💜💙
I use cuticle sticks all the time. I've never had an issue with splinters.
I'm the same way with lip balm. I have to put it on before I lay down. Nap or over night. I haven't had dry lips in over 12 years
The essence one looks pretty good. I actually like essence as a drugstore brand, they aren't ground breaking or anything but they do staple makeup items really well.
Working the pole is a double entendre. Like a stripper pole and the north pole.
That was too funny! I thought I’d watch this video first then eat my lunch. When I heard those noises I thought it was my tummy rumbling and it was little Tater! I laughed so hard x x x
Wish the nyx one came with like magnetic eyeshadow pans and a palette to put them in
It's disappointing that NYX doesn't give out any more of their other products. I absolutely love their liners and I've heard so many good things about their brow products. (It's on my list of things to get)
The nail stickers are easier to maneuver if you use those super pointy tweezers (I forget what they’re called but not the slant ones). Clear top coats (not a shimmery topper) will help to cure the lacquer and prevent dents and fingerprints.
I swear I am beyond giddy. More so than an adult should be. When I see the blue dot on your pic. I am addicted 💫
All these advent calendars, and I'm sitting here like damn I wished I owed a company so I could show others how to make a good one.
I love the shadow and lips showing up rather than stickers and other paper product items. the skin care I can use, lip scrub too...but the things that seem to be for pre-teen or teen use maybe they should put an age group on those calendars and the same goes for some marketing sub-boxes! Maybe I have said too much. LoL
That rocky road gloss is so pretty on you! The combo was pretty too!
My dog boofing every time Tater whined… best thing 😂
I have lip products everywhere and then forget that I have even more in the same place but hidden in a container. It's like they multiply and then laugh when I find them. Now my tweezers are the opposite; I can't find them and then I'll find three sets all at once a month after I buy a new set. 🙃
same here
My cat watched this video extremely concerned because he heard Tater's whining 😂
2020 I got an Essence calendar. I thought it was a good deal for $40 until I realized I paid $60.
Also, it’s crazy when you realize your 25th college reunion is next year. I have no idea when that time passed.
That’s how long mine is too! ⏳
Alex I have to see this friggin desk how is it storing so much makeup that you're finding items a year later??? Impressive!!
Hey all 👋 I love these advent calendars videos from Ally. They are my favourite!
Black eyeliner comes in all make-up kits! It is the bane of my existence! I prefer my eyes to stay on my face and not walk 5 feet ahead of me.
I was going through my yearbooks the other night and realized I was in first grade twenty years ago when I met a good friend of mine and felt very old lol