Advent Calendar

Catrice The Great Christmas Advent Calendar (2024) Review & Unboxing

By Maychiri's Thoughts - November 30, 2024

Welcome, welcome! 
 
Oh I am excited to finally start opening this luxurious Advent calendar by Catrice, named “The Great Christmas Advent Calendar”!
 
 
I’ve been waiting for about a month and a half, counting down the days until I could finally open the first ‘door’! I haven’t had a Catrice Advent calendar in a hot minute, the last one I had was the 2022 DIY one, so when I saw this calendar I knew I that this would be the Advent calendar for this year. Interestingly, it’s not comprised of retired products, unlike the 2021 and 2022 DIY calendars; instead, it features all new items – 24 of them, to be exact! And full size, as well! For 50 euro, I think this is a very good value, and since it’s all themed around the same theme, you’ll have a coordinating full face set by the end of it. I cannot wait to see what I’ll get! Let’s pop the champagne and start the journey! 
 
 
Oh, also, I will be regularly updating this page each day, as I consolidate my thoughts on each product and try them on!
 
 
 
Packaging: this calendar is HUGE! I was barely able to carry it home because it’s damn near half my entire height! Well, maybe not half, but it’s quite wide, which makes it look larger than it really is. However, its true size only becomes apparent once you assemble it. Oh, right, let me first walk you through the calendar! The calendar is, at first sight, a usual Advent calendar; it’s rectangular and has little ‘boxes’ that you open each day until the 24th. 
 
 
 
 
But that’s not all – this calendar has to be assembled first! It’s easy, the side flaps need to be opened and the little piece on the bottom of each inserts into the holes on each side of the main body of the calendar. And presto – now you have a high-brow Christmas party! So much gold! Gold chandeliers, gold glittery curtains (want!!!)... and people having the time of their lives, in black silhouette form. Oh and a giant Christmas tree as well, I suppose. The side flaps feature those black silhouettes, but they are also hidden on some of the ‘doors’ that you’ll open... which ones? Time will tell! The body is vivid, intense red with gold accents, which is perfect for the theme of this calendar. It’s really in-your-face red, and that fits, red has always been one of the colours associated with Christmas, after all. 
 
 
 
I also love the purple accents, the design is super luscious and well-designed, aesthetic wise. Quality wise, it is excellent, as well! Although it is made out of cardboard (except for the inner reinforcement, which is plastic), it is super sturdy and doesn’t bend or damage easily. And thank god that the doors cannot be opened accidentally! I don’t want too many spoilers ahead of time. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The back is where you’ll find information about every single item in this calendar: PAO, ingredients, country of origin – if applicable, of course, as not all products have all of these. You can also see what is included in this calendar, which is a major spoiler, but I like to have this so that I can decide whether to even buy the calendar. If you don’t want spoilers, just don’t look at the back! 
 
 
 
Now, the numbers are scattered all around on the body; I get that this adds a sort of scavenger hunt like vibe, but it can be very annoying searching for minutes on end for the right number. Luckily, the numbers are printed in solid gold colour, so they pop. Oh, and I almost missed this – don’t forget to check the backdrop, as days 13 and 19 are there! It’s weird to me that they are placed there, but I guess, why not use it if you can, right? 
 
 
The individual doors take a bit of willpower to open, which is better than if they were loose. Oh, also, the letters A-X DO NOT correspond with the matching numbers, as I thought, so it doesn’t completely spoil everything, as who knows what is in each box. So like, an A for design and quality!
 

 
Clearly, this Advent calendar’s theme is the roaring 20's, Great Gatsby, and the rich upper class of that period. Hence ‘the Great (...) Calendar’; as in, ‘The Great Gatsby’. I love this! I’ve always had a sort of fascination with art deco style, I always thought it was really stunning and so full of character. So I really enjoy that this whole calendar is made to look like a bougie 1920’s Christmas party! The red and gold colour combo is a classic one for this art style, but it also looks so luxurious – and it’s also Christmassy, at the same time. And the pop-up display is resplendent! It isn’t just the outer packaging that is art-deco themed, the products inside the calendar are, as well. I would like to have a mansion that has this style in the living room/foyer. Without spoiling too much here, I will say that the colours are highly evocative of art deco and the 1920’s ;) . So expect lots of gold, purple and red, as befitting of a high upper class Gatsby inspiration! Ngl, this is making me want to play Simcity 3000...
 
 
I will mention this here: in case you missed out on this Advent calendar, and still want to experience the Golden Age of Hollywood, Catrice still have something for you! There is a new limited edition, called “Festive Treasures”, that follows this Advent calendar in design. It’s not a huge LE, but it has everything you’d need to create a full makeup look: eyeshadow & face palette, eye pencils, liquid blushes and lipsticks. The colour story is a bit different than this calendar’s; it’s much rosier and more purple, but it has the same art deco design. And it also has a hairband because...?? So check that out if you are interested in more art deco! But be quick as it will be gone sooner than you know, like all Essence & Catrice LEs!
 
 
 
[SPOILERS AHEAD]

 
So, this is a 24-day Advent calendar, so it is stuffed with products! Of course, like with most Advent calendars, not everything is the same... value, shall I say. There’s always some filler – which is quite obvious here. The use of filler products helps keep the price down, especially when everything is full-size already. Though yeah, it doesn’t feel too good to open a day and get something that is obviously filler. 
 
 
Anyways, here are the products inside this calendar, listed as they are in the back, along with my predictions when they’ll be opened. 

 
Alright, there’s about 4 items that I would consider filler (face jewels, glitter nail foils, hair clip, emery board file); that’s 4/24, which isn’t such a bad ratio of filler/useful items. I certainly think they tried to make it worth your money, but filler is always necessary. Of course, the star of the products is the Eyeshadow Palette- I cannot wait to see it in person, though I may be waiting a loooong time until I open it! I like how there’s a variety of both makeup and skincare. Eye and lip patches, and the lip mask will ensure that your undereye and lips are hydrated and supple. Also, a variety of items for nails, the colours of the nail polishes look like they’ll go so well together; just imagine it, purple base and then shimmery gold tips! And the makeup seems to be coordinated in colour, so if you use these products to make a whole look, it should look very cohesive. I will make a few makeup looks with as many products as I can near the end of December and show them here! It should definitely be good for New Years. Often, Advent calendars lack variety of items, but this one is a proper charcuterie board, which is awesome!
 
 
 
To save space with this already long review, I will review each item in its own separate page. Don’t worry, I will link to them here!
 
 
I.
 
Let’s keep the party going, shall we? With the first item, hidden in the bottom right. Oh... this isn’t the lip mask, as I thought. It’s a highlighter! That’s 0/1 on predictions for me... nice start lmao! Click here to read the full review, and I mean 100% complete!



II.

Ooh, would you look at that – I managed to guess correctly! Day 2 is hiding the Under Eye Brightener! I’m now 1/2 for correct guesses, not bad! Click here to see what this  “under eye brightener” is like! And man, the now-complete review gives you the full run-down of it!



III.

Well... I couldn’t be more wrong with my prediction! I thought I would be getting a hair clip today, but nope. Ah, so this is where the first lipstick is hiding! So, this is the first of two Full Shine Lipsticks, and the lighter of the two (C01). Click here to read my thoughts on this luxe lipstick! Now, this review is complete!



IV.

Annnd... I was wrong. Again. Hahaha. Day 4 isn’t an eyebrow brush – it isn’t any kind of brush at all! It’s actually a Lip Liner, in the shade C01, to match the lipstick! Actually, this is kinda genius on Catrice’s part... to put both parts of a lip set one after each other, I just think it would make more sense if the order was reversed and the lip liner was the first one. Anyways, click here to read the full review, as usual!



V.

Oh my god, I finally got something right! I cannot believe it! Day five is a pair of hydrogel eye patches! This is always a good thing to have, so I am really looking forward to them! Click here to read the full, complete review!



VI.

One quarter of the way till the end! Oh my god... I am on a ROLL! Another correct guess – day 6 is the Cream-to-Powder Blush! Yaas! Hope I can continue this streak... but for now, you can click here to read my full review of this blush, to learn everything about it!



VII.
 
One whole week of 1920’s style celebrations... we are still just getting started, though! Just like how I am getting started with my incorrect guess streak, as day 7 did not have the nail file, it was the Eyeshadow Shader Brush instead! Huh, so that’s where this brush was... this might throw off all the other brush guesses... oh well. Anyways, click here to see more about this brush, now that the review is complete!



VIII.

You know... I really thought that this would be one of the eye pencils... I could really use something for the eyes right about now. But nope, I was wrong, yet again. I was legitimately surprised to see the Matte Liquid Lipstick inside when I opened the door this morning! So I guess you’ll get to read a review of it if you click right here!



IX.
 
Aw... come on... I got the product right, I just got the colour wrong. How can I screw it up this badly??? I should have known that they’d go in order of the colour numbers, from 01 to 03... stupid of me to think it was randomised. Anyways, day 9 already? And, just like I predicted from there being three identical shapes on the calendar – and three nail polishes – this is one of the Nail Lacquer C01, the dark red one! Oooh! Click here to read the review if you’d like! It's top-to-bottom complete now, so there's plenty to see!



X.

Double digits, yaay! This door looks quite narrow and long... is it the eye pencils, finally? Nope – it’s the second Lip Liner, shade C02! If I had a penny for every time I was wrong up till now, I’d be rich, haha! Although, it’s nice to finally complete the set of two lip liners. Click here to read the full review!



XI.

Well, after seeing the first lipstick being followed by the matching lip liner, I realised that my predictions were waaay off. And what did we get yesterday? Yup, a lip liner. So now we are going the opposite direction, and day 11 is hiding the second Full Shine Lipstick (C02)! I was actually kinda right, too bad I guessed it would be C01... half points? Please? Nevermind... click here if you want to see what the darker variety of the Full Shine Lipstick is, now that the review is 100% complete!



XII.

Halfway there! Only 12 more products to go... and that means that Christmas is less than 2 weeks away, yaaay! Day 12’s door was very long; I originally thought it would be one of the brushes, but it’s actually something that makes even more sense to be this long: the 2in1 Nail File! Yeah... this is the first true filler of the calendar, I am actually surprised it took this long! Click here if you wish to see what this emery board is like! The review is now 100% complete, so feel free to check it out!



XIII.

Friday the 13th ... scary! I am a bit nervous about what’s hiding behind door number 13... it’s got to be something flat, like, maybe the nail foils! Is Friday the 13th going to be a lucky one for me, am I going to finally guess something right? HAHA, nope! I don’t even get this right, it’s amazing how much I am failing at this! Oh, but you know what’s hiding inside door 13? Face Jewels! Yay... question mark? This is the second thing that I consider to be filler – I mean, it’s just ‘diamonds’ that you stick on your face. And how exactly am I supposed to even use this? Like, where does it go on the face? Well, that’s all explained in this nifty review that you can read if you click here! Best thing about it is that it is complete now - and it's something alright!



XIV.

There’s three things that are certain in life: death, taxes... and me being wrong with my predictions! See, I thought this would be the liquid lipstick; the door was long enough for it... but it is also long enough for one of the brushes. Of course, I got the liquid lipstick on day 8, so I knew then that I was massively wrong with my prediction. What’s actually inside door 14 is the Eyeshadow Blender Brush! Useful! Click here to see the full review, now that it is complete!



XV.

Guess what? I was wrong yet again! The product I thought was going to be today (Highlighter) was opened on the very first day. So what’s today? A Hydrating Lip Mask! Ooh, that’s going to be very useful! My lips have been feeling more dry recently! Click here to read the full review, as always!



XVI.
 
Less than 10 days left... we are so close to the end, guys! Now, what might this be? It’s a long, slender door... okay, it cannot be either of the two eyeshadow brushes obviously, so this is either the eyebrow brush or one of the eye pencils. It for sure cannot be my original prediction of lip liner, so, once again, I am wrong. Oh, it’s the Multi-Chrome Eye Pencil (C01)! This is the greenish-gold variant; I am not too big on multichrome as an effect, but I am excited to see what the pencil is like! I have quite a few Catrice automatic eye pencils, and they are, generally, quite good! Click here to see the first multichrome eye pencil in action! Also, so, so sorry for missing out on writing this yesterday, I have no excuses, I just lost track of time...
However, the review is finished completely now, so do check it out!



XVII.
 
Oh my... only 7 doors left. Time really flies, doesn’t it? Soon it will be Christmas and I will have opened all the doors... but for now, let’s focus on door #17. I correctly deduced previously that there are 3 identical doors, and that they would have the nail polishes inside... thing is, I didn’t think they would go in numerical order (C01, C02, C03); I thought, for funsies, that the order would be scrambled. So, half points for me because day 17 is the Nail Lacquer, but it’s the champagne coloured one, C02. That also solves what’s going to be under door #23... in due time, in due time. Click here if you wish to see what this nail polish is like, as the review is complete now!



XVIII.

It’s a miracle – I finally predicted something right!! I cannot believe it, after so many days of wrong predictions, I get this right. It was an easy guess, though, as the door was quite large and suggested that some kind of mask would be inside. Indeed, the Hydrogel Plumping Lip Patch was inside. Click here to read the full, complete review.



XIX.

Day 19! I almost missed it as it was hiding on the top part of the calendar, on the opposite side that the Face Jewels were. So, what flat, wide thing will be hiding here? My guess is automatically wrong, as I thought this would be where I’d get the Face Jewels... so close. But the opposite side. Inside door 19 is... the Glitter Nail Foils! Yay... definitely yay, yeah, sure. This is another filler item in my opinion. And one I will not be using actually, for reasons I shall explain in the full review, just click here to read it - the full review is complete now!



XX.
 
Oh my... day twenty already?? So close to the end... I kinda don’t want it to end. But let’s focus; my guess is a bust anyways, so no point even saying what I thought would be here. So I’ll just say it: day twenty is the second Multi-Chrome Eye Pencil (C02)! This is the bluish one, to complement the brass/golden one from before. I will update with the review tomorrow, I’ve been out the entire day and simply didn’t find the time, sorry! Click here to read the full review, as usual!



XXI.
 
Yes... I know I am posting the remaining few days in January... I was - and still am - quite unwell, so I'll catch up! I want to finish this - I truly do! Most of the remaining reviews were written in December, so pardon any outdated phrases! Anyways... 
 
Happy first day of winter! And to celebrate that, let’s open the next door in the calendar, which is #21. This is another long, narrow door, so, the only remaining product that makes sense to be here is a brush. Indeed, this is the final brush, to complete the set of 3 brushes. This is an Eyebrow Brush! Very useful! Even if you don’t use eyebrow powder, you can use this to make eyeliner eyeshadow looks or indeed, use it with gel eyeliner! Now, you may click here to read the review in its entirety, as it is complete now!



XXII.
 
Day 22 is another filler day. I opened the door, and inside was the Hair Clip. Woop. So exciting. I don’t use these, like ever. My hair is fine but there is a LOT of it, so these kinds of clips just slide down my hair in an instant. I will give this hair clip the befit of the doubt, though, and see if it fares any better. Click here to read the full review, which is complete now!
 
 

XXIII.
 
Ah, so close... just one more door! I guessed halfway correctly; I knew this would be one of the nail polishes, I just messed up which colour it would be. I thought the red one would be the last as, you know, Christmas and red and it all goes so well and this is the last nail polish... but it’s instead the Nail Lacquer C03, which is the purple one! Click here to read the full review, and I do mean 100% full!
 
 
 
XXIV.
 
And now... the grand finale! Possibly the least surprising item to find under day 24, as I was expecting this to cap off the grand adventure that was this Advent calendar. Of course, I am talking about the Eyeshadow Palette! Because what would a makeup Advent calendar be without a fitting eyeshadow palette? I am soooo excited to finally get my hands on this! I’ve been waiting for so long, but the time has come! So, for one last time, won’t you click here to read the review?
 
 
 
 
And now, the final chapter ends and the book closes on this Advent calendar. It has been a long 24 days, opening every door, anxiously waiting to see what awaits me inside it – and an even longer time rigorously testing all the products inside and writing all these many reviews. It has been a gauntlet, but I persevered and got through to the end. It feels good to finally finish this, but let’s reflect on the calendar, now that it’s done. Honestly, there were more mid and bad products than I thought there would be. There is also a decent amount of filler, but I ended up enjoying some of it. Like, say, the emery board. It ended up being very useful to me! Or the face jewels, which are spectacular! But there were also a few really disappointing items, like the eye pencils and the under eye brightener. The pencils are pretty much unusable, so, in effect, I had 21 items to use here, not 24 (one extra deducted because I cannot use the nail foils on my sensitive nails). This is not good, this really should have been tested better. But when the items are good, they are GOOD! Like the eye patches and the lip patch! Those were excellent! And the Eyeshadow Palette? Mmm, that is one of the best items in this calendar for sure! Now, I like how most of the makeup is made to fit with each other; for example, the eyeshadow palette goes beautifully with all the lip products in the calendar, and it goes very well with the blush and the champagne nail polish! Or, another example, the liquid lipstick, red nail polish and the blush, they go so well together! Sometimes there’s an odd colour here and there (like the purple shimmer eyeshadow and the purple nail polish, or the blue eye pencil), but it’s mostly pretty colour-coordinated. And all the colours used in the calendar fit with the theme of 1920’s. It’s got that red lip classic thing that you like; we all know that red lips never go out of style, after all! And the eyeshadow palette and highlighter have these stunning gold shimmers that are so expensive-looking – like the Gilded Age of Hollywood! And when talking about fantastic items in the calendar, I mustn’t forget to mention the brushes! They are each amazing in their own right! Nail polishes are also pretty good, but I just don’t vibe with the purple and I don’t like to wear red nail polishes. They nail polishes feel like a step down quality-wise compared to the ICONAILS, but they are mostly quite high quality regardless. So, I like the variety of items in the calendar, the quality of each notwithstanding. Catrice really made sure that you would have a mostly full face of makeup + nail polishes, which is always commendable. But what I especially like is the inclusion of skincare, because makeup isn’t everything. You need to take care of your skin as well! Very well-rounded calendar that, unfortunately, has issues with quality control somewhat frequently, but it is still worth the money. Hell, just for the eyeshadow palette, the liquid lipstick and the lip combos, brushes, and skincare stuff –  that alone, to me, feels worth the money! Let alone everything else that comes with that. 
 
So... this is the end, huh? What more to say? Well, I enjoyed every single day of opening this calendar; every morning felt like a game, seeing whether I guessed right or wrong. And seeing the products in person, rather than just on the picture in the back, is always exciting! Even though I had plenty of highs, there was also plenty of lows here, but I don’t mind them as that’s life – in order to be balanced right, you gotta go through the happy and the sad. Or, with this calendar, through the eyeshadow palette and the eye pencils. I cannot say that I don’t feel some relief finally being done with this, but I had so much fun! And I hope the reviews were educational and thoughtful, I tried my best to give you my thorough opinion of every single item. 
 
This is the end. The bitter, bitter end. So yeah, see you in some new reviews soon!

 
 
Rating (overall): 6/10


Would buy again? YES (despite the quite a few mediocre products)

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