It’s not a box a day till Christmas but a super holiday haul with all the beauty products you can possibly have and beauty writer Tiffany Lo tried them first-hand
Cult beauty member’s club Beauty Pie has launched an advent calendar alternative this year to give shoppers a Super Beauty Holiday Haul with 14 full-size items worth over £645.
Having taken on challenge to strip out the middleman and retailer markups, the British beauty pioneer offers quality products with affordable prices. While membership starts from £59 annually or £10 monthly, new joiners can try it out for a 60-day free trial to access to their low members’ prices.
Once you sign up for the free trial, you’ll be able to buy the Super Beauty Holiday Haul for £175 instead of £323, all packed in a pillowy, silver drawstring bag. As a Beauty Pie newbie, I was excited to try the award winners and exclusive makeup collaborated with makeup artists.
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To give you an idea of what’s inside the intergalactic spacesuit drawstring bag, this is what you will receive:
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Wrap Star Tubing Mascara in Classic Brown
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Wondercolour Soft Matte Liquid Lipstick in Rosa – created by makeup artist Sam Chapman with Beauty Pie
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Keep This Refillable 4-Shade Eyeshadow Palette in Smoky Plum
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100% Cotton White Spa Headband
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Triple Beauty Perfect Glowy Powder
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Highlighting & Setting Powder Brush 011
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Superactive Capsules Essential Ceramides +
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Superdrops Brightening Niacinamide (10%)
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Japanfusion Pure Transforming Cleanser
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Super Healthy Skin Moisturising Shea Butter Suds Body Wash
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Super Healthy Skin Deluxe Body Moisture Crème
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Super Healthy Hair Always On™ Leave-In Conditioning Treatment
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7-Day Chollagen Kit
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Fleurosa Luxury Scented Candle
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Plantastic Magic Mandarin Hand Cream
It’s the holiday beauty haul to end all beauty hauls. Award-winners. Makeup artist exclusives. Skincare icons. The chicest candle. Sneak previews of new launches.
One of my immediate favourites is the Japanfusion Pure Transforming Cleanser (£10). I used it to remove my full-face makeup and the gel-to-oil-to-milk formula melted the shimmery eyeshadows, volumising mascara and high-coverage foundation in one go. The delicate formula didn’t dry out my skin – no wonder why it’s amassed more than 3,000 five-star reviews.
The Super Healthy Skin Deluxe Body Moisture Crème (£19) is a close second in my opinion. Our skin gets drier when the temperature drops but not all body lotions work to deeply moisturise and maintain soft, supple skin. Infused with cold pressed Hibiscus Flower Oil, which is rich in vitamin E, and Meadowfoam Oils, the body cream is best to use right after shower as it locks in the moisture on damp skin and leaves an aromatic scent of orange flowers.
I also enjoyed using the Superactive Capsules Essential Ceramides+ (£18). Not only because of the aesthetically pleasing packaging, it’s also travel-friendly and easy to use. The teardrop-size capsules give the exact dose you need for the entire face and they help to keep the active ingredients fresh and potent. A branded alternative would be Elizabeth Arden’s Advanced Ceramide Capsules
However, the Super Healthy Hair Always On™ Leave-In Conditioning Treatment is slightly disappointing. With a plethora of hair products available in the beauty market and many being advertised to use as the last step before drying, I was surprised that Beauty Pie’s leave-in conditoner doesn’t have heat protection. It claims to soften, add shine and reduce frizz to your tresses but I think there are better options such as Philip Kingsley’s Bond Builder, which strengthens and repairs split ends.
As for makeup, the new and exclusive Wrap Star Tubing Mascara in Classic Brown – it’s perfect for those no-makeup makeup days with simple tinted moisturiser and a slight hint of blush. For those who are not familiar with tubing mascara, the tiny polymers wrap around your lashes for a lengthening and volumising look. And the best thing is you can take it off with just water – you don’t need to spend money on eye makeup remover. Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara, £12.99, is another tubing mascara option and it’s available in brown.
For a Beauty Pie virgin like me, this is an absolute treat as I get to try makeup, skincare and bodycare at once. But some longtime fan said they were disappointed as one mentioned: “Not a single moisturiser or youthbomb product, and that’s exactly why we love beauty pie, high quality skincare, but there was barely any in this box.”
A second added: “Was looking forward to this and hoping there would be more new goodies. I already have everything included except for three items, and they are makeup colors I would not wear. That said, it is full of superb products and anyone who hasn’t tried will really appreciate them I think!”
Other than Beauty Pie, there are lots of advent calendars available to purchase – from our 12 Days advent calendars roundup to jewellery advent calendars and bath and body Christmas countdowns.
