A busy mum has revealed how to bag a popular eye serum for just £8 by purchasing the Symbiosis London Eternal Starlight Advent Calendar, which contains 12 skincare essentials valued at £988 when bought individually. The calendar is available for £109, but Manchester Evening News readers can reduce the price to £98.10 by entering the discount code STARLIGHT10 at checkout.
What's inside the calendar
Inside the calendar, beauty lovers will find cleansing gel, exfoliator, lip scrub, serum, moisturiser, night treatment, and both eye and face masks. The mum, who tested the calendar for the Mirror, said it amounts to a complete skincare routine in a single package, making it ideal for those with hectic schedules.
As a new mum, she found the set perfect, with no elaborate twelve-step routine to navigate each morning. She noted that not one of the twelve products aggravated her sensitive skin, and they helped her establish a straightforward routine effortlessly.
Standout products and customer reviews
She was particularly taken with the Rose + AHA In-Depth Detoxifying and Oxygenating Mask, which requires no rinsing off and left her skin feeling supple and nourished throughout the day. Priced at £97 on the Symbiosis London website, the mask works to purify pores and absorb impurities and excess sebum, according to the brand.
The mask is also popular with Symbiosis customers. One reviewer said: "This mask is amazing! Smells so lovely and leaves my skin feeling super smooth and fresh. Love the fact you don't need to wash off too." A second wrote: "Just what my skin needed. This mask is amazing and just what my skin needed. I have been using this as a night mask."
Mixed results and overall value
However, the Collagen + Isododecane Instant Perfecting Primer failed to win her over, as she wasn't fond of its watery consistency and felt it did little to smooth her complexion. She was also not particularly keen on the rose fragrance featured in several of the products.
The cleanser and scrub worked wonders in restoring her complexion after a hectic city break, while the night treatment and overnight eye serum had her waking up looking well-rested despite broken sleep with her little one. She appreciated how swiftly each product absorbed into her skin, leaving behind no tacky residue or greasy finish.
She plans to rotate the Hyaluronic Acid + Shea Butter Ultra-Rich Regenerating Night Treatment with Marks and Spencer's Ultra Peptide Night Cream, which retails at £27. While she felt the product sizes could have been more generous given the calendar's price point, they are perfectly suited for travelling.
On the whole, the Eternal Starlight Advent Calendar represents solid value for money, with each product working out at roughly £8.18 apiece when using the discount code.
