Ciaté Mini Mani Month Beauty Advent Calendar Review Christmas 2017

Over the last few years, it's become a tradition of mine to countdown the days 'til Christmas with a beauty Advent calendar, and it's one Christmas ritual I've really come to love. I love the daily custom of opening a cardboard window, box, or drawer and discovering a new beauty treat inside; it makes each day of December feel like Christmas morning.

In the past, I've treated myself to calendars filled with beauty products, but this year, I decided I wanted to go with a nail polish calendar since I have more lotions and potions than I know what to do with. After much deliberating, I chose to go with the Ciaté Mini Mani Month nail polish Advent calendar, and as I already have it in my hands, I thought I'd review it for you, and give you my first impressions of it. I've actually been meaning to review this calendar for weeks, but I've not been up to taking photos lately, so apologies for the delay. Please note, this post does contain spoilers including photos of the contents, so if you want the contents to remain a surprise, you might want to give this review a miss.

So, the much-coveted Ciaté Mini Mani Month nail polish Advent calendar has returned for Christmas 2017 with a glamorous new design, and a fresh set of contents.

This year's calendar has been given a London theme, with iconic London landmarks like The Shard, The London Eye, Big Ben, and Piccadilly Circus illustrating the front of the Advent calendar in gorgeous shades of purple, pink, salmon, and silver, on a cream background dotted with stars. Nestled among the buildings you'll find a Ciaté London shop, bottles of Ciaté London nail polishes, and a handful of star-topped Christmas trees, with exciting city signs advertising nail bars and other wonders of the city on the buildings above. It's not a design you'd expect to see for the festive season, but the modern design is pretty and tasteful, and suits the fashionable London brand perfectly.

The calendar opens like a book, where you'll discover twenty-four numbered boxes following the same theme, each with a different nail treat waiting inside. On either side of its spine are twelve boxes in the same shades of purple, pink, salmon, silver, and cream, with a different design on each one. Some are simply numbered, a handful are also decorated with a pretty pattern, and others feature an illustration such as a Christmas tree, red telephone box, hot air balloon, or sausage dog along with the number. There's also an inspiring celebrity quote, words to live by, or helpful tip from the Ciaté team on the back of each box, so not only do you get to count down to Christmas with a different nail treat every day, but you also get some words of wisdom to help you start the day off with a positive mind set.

I love that the gifts are presented in separate boxes instead of behind traditional cardboard windows like Ciaté Advent calendars used to be. Not only does it make the daily ritual feel like Christmas morning every day because you get to open a present each day, but they're easier to open without tearing, so the calendar will look attractive on display throughout December. If you're careful with them, you could even reuse the calendar again next year, and fill the boxes yourself!

Inside the twenty four boxes you'll find twenty four Ciaté nail treats to count down the days 'til Christmas with, including nineteen mini paint pots (featuring four new and exclusive shades), one full size paint pot, one mini nail treatment, one dazzling nail topper, and a nail file. Unlike previous years when the Mini Mani Month calendars contained a lot of nail caviars and glitters, this year they've filled the calendar with twenty nail polishes, done away with the caviars, and added just one pot of glitter, which is fantastic. I don't know about you, but I can't be bothered with the time, patience, and effort needed to use nail caviars and loose glitters, and was always underwhelmed when I found them in past Advent calendars. When I'm paying for a nail polish calendar, I want it packed full of gorgeous new nail colours, so I couldn't be happier that this year's calendar is almost entirely filled with paint pots. It's exactly what I was hoping for.

With the boxes being so easy to open without damaging the calendar, I couldn't resist taking a peek at all of the products hidden inside when the calendar first arrived, and let me tell you, there are some seriously beautiful nail shades in this set! Everything is so gorgeous. There are bold reds, festive greens, pretty purples, glamorous golds, plenty of beautiful iridescents, and so many other gorgeous shades, mostly from the new and improved Gelology creme nail paint collection. There are less nudes and more colourful shades than in the past, so of course, that's makes this calendar a winner in my book! I'm so impressed with the selection of nail shades included in this Advent calendar; I think it has the best selection of colours yet.  I can't wait to try them all this December.

Here's a full list of the twenty four Ciaté nail products and nail shades included in the calendar.

The calendar features:

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in After Party

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Beach, Please!

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Cabaret

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Desert Lights

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Maybe Baby

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Midnight In Paris

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Moondust

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Moonlight Whispers

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Mostly A Minx

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Palm Springs

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Part Time Mermaid

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Reign Supreme

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in Roll Up Roll Up

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in The Naked Truth

♥ 5ml Gelology Mini Nail Paint Pot in What the Shell?

♥ 5ml Mini Nail Paint Pot in Champagne Kisses

♥ 5ml Mini Nail Paint Pot in Cosmic Love

♥ 5ml Mini Nail Paint Pot in House of Mirrors

♥ 5ml Mini Nail Paint Pot in Locket

♥ 13.5ml Full Size Nail Paint Pot in Showtime

♥ 5ml Gelology Top Coat

♥ 5ml Nail Treatment Nail Super Hero

♥ 5g Glitter Nail Topper in Big Top

♥ Nail File

Look how gorgeous they all are! Every shade looks so dreamy.

You'll also find a good glimpse at the nail shades included in the calendar on the back of the box, along with the ingredients, and some fool-proof advice on how to use the products.

I've not yet tested or swatched any of the paint pots as I want to save that pleasure for Advent, but I've been a big fan of Ciaté nail paints for years, and I can tell you the formula handles like a dream, dries quickly, and is long lasting. I usually find Ciaté polishes remain chip-free for at least four or five days, which is far longer than most other nail brands I've tried. (And believe me, I've tried a lot). They're well worth the investment.

What I didn't know until I purchased this calendar is that the brand is vegan friendly, not tested on animals, gluten free, and free of parabens, so they're kinder to your nails, health, animals, and the environment than other nail brands. You can purchase with a clear conscience knowing no animals were harmed to make this Advent calendar, and that Ciaté are committed to a sustainable future. How great is that?

Ciaté's Mini Mani Month Advent calendar retails for just £50, which is fantastic value for money (especially as the full size paint pot is worth £12 alone), and one of the most affordable beauty Advent calendars available this Christmas. You can purchase it from Ciaté, ASOS, Marks and Spencers, and Sephora now, but you'll have to be quick because it's sure to sell out fast. (FYI, it's currently on promotion at Ciaté and ASOS)!

Overall, I think this year's Mini Mani Month is a fantastic Advent calendar. The design is attractive, the contents are amazing, and the price is very reasonable for twenty four nail products. I can't wait for Advent to arrive, so I can start opening the boxes, and try all of the gorgeous goodies inside. My nails are going to look so good this December! 

I'll be revealing what I find inside each box over on my Instagram during every day of Advent, so be sure to give me a follow if you want to see what I unbox. I'll likely do a review of the products with swatches after Christmas here on the blog, too, so keep your eyes pealed for that!

Will you be counting down to Christmas with a beauty Advent calendar this year? If not, how will you be counting down to Christmas?

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