Advent calendars are no longer children’s stuff, but are just as popular with adults as with small creatures. Even the “big ones” want to reward their patience until they receive presents. To really shine on Christmas Eve are chocolate
2022 was the birth year of the Flaconi Advent calendar for men. That’s a good thing, because when it comes to beauty and care, men still have some catching up to do. For unkempt men who wanted to change that, the Flaconi Advent calendar was a formidable entry point, as it offered a great price-performance ratio and a wide range of products to try. As a reminder: Back then, Flaconi promised a goods value of 390 euros and almost kept the promise and all that for a price of 70 euros!
In total, the star came to a value of 365 euros in the 2022 test. The calendar contained really high-quality products such as a day cream from Dr. Barbara Sturm or a niche fragrance by Francis Kurkdjian. This year the online beauty retailer is even advertising a product value of 400 euros, but the calendar has become more expensive, costs 99.99 euros – and of course we’re taking a closer look again.
>> Advent calendar for men
Before we do that, however, let’s first look at the design of this year’s Advent calendar for men. And not that much has happened. Flaconi again relies on a somewhat bulky rectangle with Christmas decorations. The only notable difference compared to last year is the color. Instead of fir green, the Flaconi Advent calendar 2023 is navy blue. The design may not send Dekofuchse into storms of celebration, but it doesn’t have to, because as we know, it’s the inner values that count. Isn’t that right, dear fellows?
Inside there are 24 small boxes that need to be opened. Flaconi himself reveals what’s in the calendar on his website. We opened all the boxes once and draped the contents on the table. To do this, we have selected the cheapest prices for the individual products in a price comparison. Of course, there are also some small packs that are not available in stores. If this is the case, we have determined the price per milliliter of the product, calculated it based on the size in the calendar and rounded the result. You can see the result per product in the list. This is followed by an assessment of the result and then we will look at our highlights. Spoiler alert: If you want to be surprised, you should skip the list.
If we add up all the prices, we get a goods value of 294.45 euros. It sounds disappointing at first, as 400 euros were promised, but it should be said that Flaconi was based on the manufacturer’s recommended retail price and we always took the cheapest offer from a price comparison, regardless of the retailer. If we wanted to buy the products individually, we would have to add at least 30 euros in shipping costs, which comes to 324.45 euros. This means that the calendar still does not keep its promise. But still 99.99 (90.99 euros with voucher) a reasonable to good price for the content. By the way, the calendar was even cheaper around Black Friday last year.
Now it gets personal, because we come to the tester’s favorites, who from now on also writes more personally in the first person. I’m forgiven, as are my chosen favorites. Because I chose two moisturizing products from the calendar because I suffer from dry skin on my face and hands in the cold season. I’m already prepared for my hands, but finding a cream for my face is the bigger challenge and thankfully the calendar includes the Facial Moisturizer from Recipe for Men and the Hydra Gel Cream from Manupgrader.
I don’t really know which of the two I like better. In my opinion, the Facial Moisturizer is better for everyday use as it absorbs a little quicker. It also takes away a little more of the shine on the skin because the cream has a mattifying effect. The Hydra Gel, on the other hand, feels like a moisturizer for the skin, but takes longer to absorb. The gel feels wonderfully invigorating and the feeling of tension on your face has disappeared. Nevertheless, I prefer to use it when I don’t have to leave the house immediately. Both are a blessing for dry skin.
Let’s come to the perfume: My dear Scholli, this is a floral scent was my first thought before I was enchanted by Marfa Fleurs Bohèmes from Memo Paris, which is quite special. I’m usually more attracted to opulent scents like Haltane from Parfums de Marly or sometimes woody classics like Eight
Imagine it’s spring, you’re on a trip and you’re sitting in a café, smoking a Parisienne and watching the people rush to work, drowning in their smartphones and just as you’re losing faith in the frugal joy of As you seem to lose yourself, the person of your dreams smiles at you as you pass through the budding flowers and rays of sunshine. First you’re irritated, then shocked, and then saddened that you’ll probably never see him or her again. Or maybe yes?
Your journey is now really beginning and that’s exactly how Marfa Fleurs Bohèmes feels when you first apply it. What I probably like about the scent is that the floral start fades away after application and it becomes a little woodier without losing any of its freshness. I can’t predict how the trip will turn out for you, but if after reading this you think I should wash my head again, don’t worry: I’ve already done that with the American Crew Daily Cleansing Shampoo and afterwards especially soft and easy to style hair. I scrubbed my face again with the Charcoal Face Scrub from Rituals and I was back to my senses and in rainy Hamburg.
>> Advent calendar for men
Yes, 99.99 euros is a lot of money for an Advent calendar. But you also get a lot from Flaconi. Well-groomed men who like to try new things are welcome to treat themselves to the calendar. Even beauty newbies are in good hands with the Flaconi calendar. The smaller packs are also practical if you travel a lot on planes. If you want to give a gift to a man who travels a lot, the calendar is also a good choice. The advertised 400 euros cannot be maintained if the prices of the products from a price comparison are used as a reference.
Compared to last year, the calendar has fallen somewhat – in terms of the value of the goods. As far as the products are concerned, there can be no talk of dismantling them, because they are again of consistently high quality and it is simply a pleasure to try them out. You would be doing the Flaconi Advent calendar for men 2023 an injustice if you were to call it an empty advertising promise, because that is not what it is. And with a bit of luck, Flaconi will be discounting the Advent calendar again for Black Friday.
>> Advent calendar for women
This year there is also a women’s edition of the Flaconi Advent calendar. Beauty lovers can look forward to 25 skincare and body care products. The price: 119.99 euros. The manufacturer promises high-quality items from well-known brands such as Augustinus Bader, Babor, Benefit, Kérastase, Laura Mercier, Sisley, Sol de Janeiro and Versace worth over 600 euros. The star checked whether that was true.
This year’s Advent calendar consists – like every year – of a cardboard box. The print is festive in dark burgundy red with shimmering light reflections. Anyone who likes to transform their apartment into a winter wonderland at Christmas time will be happy with the design. In addition to the Christmas tree and Advent wreath, the calendar makes a Christmassy appearance. The 24 surprises are in numbered packages. They lie like puzzle pieces in the frame of the calendar, which is surrounded by a cardboard cover and can be easily moved. Tip: Put the small boxes back in their place after opening them. This means that the calendar remains attractive even after half of the Advent season.
The numbered boxes contain 25 surprises. Flaconi reveals what these are on his website. The star opened all the packages in advance and took a close look at the contents. As with the Men’s Edition, we have selected the cheapest prices for the individual products in a price comparison. The women’s version also contains some smaller product samples that are not regularly available in stores. In such cases, we have determined the price per milliliter for the product, converted this to the product size contained in the Advent calendar and rounded the result up. The costs per product can be found in the list below. We then present our highlights. Spoiler alert: If you don’t want to anticipate the surprise, you should skip the list.
If we add up all the prices determined, we get an amount of 450 euros. Just like with the Men’s Edition, Flaconi doesn’t keep its promise. As a reminder: The provider advertises a goods value of over 600 euros. Even with the women’s version of the calendar, it should be said in fairness that Flaconi refers to the manufacturer’s recommended retail price. For our calculation we always took the cheapest offer from a price comparison.
As my colleague Palm did when testing the Men’s Edition, I’m now switching to the first-person perspective. Because it’s about my highlights, the biggest surprises. First, I have to tell you something about myself: I have a fundamental interest in cosmetic products, perfumes and care creams
I would like to present my top 5 to you here. These include fragrance sticks from Rituals, which have found a place in my bathroom. The smell is very strong and quickly takes over an entire room. That’s why the bathroom is the right place for the aroma bottle. In the long run I would definitely get a headache from the intense perfume. However, the scent and its intensity are perfect for a short stay in the bathroom.
Other highlights include the aforementioned eye and wrinkle creams from prestige brands – for which I am otherwise too stingy (as mentioned at the beginning). Among them is the cream “Nuxe, Merveillance Lift”. This is a concentrated night cream in a 50 milliliter tube. I can’t say whether this will prevent the premature aging of my face, but the belief that it can do it is sometimes enough. What I do know is that the cream smells very pleasant. And since it probably won’t have the opposite effect, I now spread the lotion every evening with a clear conscience on the first (very small) wrinkles of my 30-year-old face. This (picture) has the Super Anti-Aging Eye Cream from Dr. By the way, Barbara Sturm is very necessary when the evening gets longer.
The fifth product from my highlights is the “M2 Beauté eyelash serum”. Since serums have often been recommended to me by professional beauticians and my circle of friends – which of course is not a representative study here – are very convinced of eyelash and brow serums, I often toyed with purchasing one. Now the time has come. Every evening I carefully remove the make-up from my face and apply the serum to my eyelashes. The manufacturer promises up to 30 percent longer eyelashes in eight weeks. Since I’ve only had a week behind me, the results are limited.
>> Advent calendar for women
Maybe you’ve already seen it when reading the highlights: For people like our author who generally enjoy beauty products but don’t like spending a lot of money on cream
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