The Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 is one of two advent calendars on offer for Real Techniques this year, and I knew I had to get my hands on it.
I’ve been a fan of Real Techniques ever since the brand launched back in 2011. The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge is the best affordable beauty sponge, so I was excited about the prospect of twenty five Real Techniques products within a calendar.
If you’d like to see the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2022, click here.
Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021
The Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 is £80, and is said to contain “great gifts” with a mixture of skincare and makeup accessories, for all of your accessory needs.
I did think £80 was expensive for a one-brand advent calendar, but I was intrigued to see what it was like, and I can honestly say, it’s the worst advent calendar I’ve ever had. I honestly don’t know how they get away with charging £80 for a calendar which contains absolutely no way near £80 of contents.
It’s a cardboard calendar, with twenty-five perforated doors. Many of the doors are too small for the products, and there were days I weren’t able to extract a gift from the door as the gift was larger than the door.
Not only were the doors not big enough, but there were doors which weren’t fully perforated, which you don’t expect on an £80 advent calendar.
I had to use the scissors within the calendar to extract the products, and that then broke the scissors, so it was a total fail, and if you had dexterity issues, you’d severely struggle with the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021, as you cannot get the products out as it’s such a poor design.
Keep on reading to see the delights inside the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021…
First up in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 is the Real Techniques 200 Expert Face Makeup Brush . It is a mini size, with a small handle, and usually the mini sizes of the Real Techniques brushes have full sized heads, and just mini handles, but I own the full size Expert Face Brush, and it’s double the size of this, which is disappointing.
Next up in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 are a plain, silver coloured stainless steel scissors. It’s these scissors which I had to use to get the products out of the calendar with, and they broke by day sixsteen, so they’re not the best.
The item, which was impossible to remove from the calendar, was this set of Under-Eye Shields. The door is a very small square, and they come in a big plastic dish, with a lid, so you can’t get them until you’ve finished the calendar.
I actually like these, as I use the paper shadow shields, but reusable shields you can wash and reuse is genius, and they stick to the skin nicely providing you don’t have foundation on, but they were super easy to use, and wash.
Next, in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021, is the Real Techniques Miracle Powder Sponge. This is a microfiber, flocked sponge which feels SO so soft. I’ve never tried this sponge before, but it feels amazing, and so much softer than the original sponge.
The next item in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 is an Face / Eyebrow Razor. It’s a dual-ended razor, with one razor being larger than the other. It’s poor quality, and not sharp enough, so it actually hurt to use, which is a shame.
Then we have a little black plastic stick with a silver ball on the end. It’s supposedly an Eye Cooling Skincare Roller.
The third disappointing product in a row is a very cheap and poorly made hair scrunchie. It’s not stitched all the way round, and you could honestly get ten nice scrunchies for £1 in Primark, so the quality of this scrunchie in an £80 calendar is shocking.
Finally another Real Techniques product, and it’s the Real Techniques 301 Makeup Brush, again with a mini handle and a smaller brush head. This is the Base Shadow Brush, which I own four of, and they’re densely packed, and super soft. This brush has no density at all, it’s more of a crease brush, and the softness of the bristles is definitely not comparable.
Next up is the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, the original sponge, in a pastel pink colour. Thankfully, the sponge is the same quality and material as the original, and it’s not at all disappointing in any way.
Next in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 is a pair of hair clips. They’re random, and couldn’t be removed from the calendar until the end, as the hole was a tiny square. I’m just confused why we’re getting glittery hair clips in a £80 makeup calendar.
Finally another Real Techniques product, and it’s a 30ml mini bottle of the Real Techniques Deep Cleanse Brush + Sponge Cleansing Gel. I’ve tried their brush cleanser before, and it’s really good, and perfect for using with the sponges within the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021.
Next in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 is the Real Techniques Color Switch, which is a small tin, with a piece of sponge, designed to let you clean powder shadow from your brushes, so you can use other shades. Real Techniques don’t sell this, so it’s something they’ve put together for the calendar.
Then we have another colour of the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. Again, like the other, it’s the same quality as the original and works well.
Next, in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021, is a random white flannel. You could use it to clean your makeup brushes, or use it on your face.
Then we have the Real Techniques 402 Finishing Makeup Brush, which is considerably smaller than the full size version, and the bristles are nowhere near as soft either, which is a real disappointment.
Next in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 is the Real Techniques Exfoliating Cleansing Sponge, which is very rough like a scourer, but it is a full size brush. I definitely wouldn’t use this on my face, as my skin’s so sensitive and reactive, but it’s not a filler product, it’s something they sell.
Then we have the Real Techniques 332 Smudge Makeup Brush, and is the only makeup brush in the entire Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 which is the same size and quality of the original, which is really disappointing.
The final sponge, in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021, is another Miracle Complexion Sponge in a lilac colour. Like the other two, the quality is on par with the permanent sponges, and feels nice and soft.
The next item is the Real Techniques Makeup Removal Cloth. It’s basically, a circular version of the Makeup Eraser, or Face Halo, and can both remove makeup, and gently exfoliate the skin, with just water.
Another tiny brush, and it’s the Real Techniques 206 Makeup Brush, and is supposed to be a contour brush, but it’s nothing like the permanent version of the contour brush. The bristles don’t even feel like the usual high quality Taklon bristles we’re used to from the brand.
Then we have one of the biggest disappointments… a spoolie and three eyebrow stencils. Two of which are absolutely identical, and the other is thinner than the handle of a spoolie, so I’m not sure anyone would be using them.
Next in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 is the Face Mask Applicator. It’s a pale pink silicone paddle, which is designed to both apply face masks, and also remove them too. It looks like something you’d slip into your bra for a little uplift, but it’s pretty cool and does look like it’d be perfect for applying face masks.
Next = non-branded silver pair of tiny tweezers.
We then have the last brush in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021, and it’s the Real Techniques 207 Detailer Makeup Brush. It’s tiny, flimsy and is more usable as a lip brush than a detailer brush, and this is a treat for Christmas Eve.
So we’re finally on day 25, it’s Christmas Day, what do we get? An empty sponge case.
The Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 is £80. Eighty British Pounds. I am seriously gobsmacked at how bad this calendar is. It’s full of cheap filler gifts, and the products which are Real Techniques are mostly all poor quality, made with different materials and just terrible quality.
The only decent items in the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 are the five full size sponges, and to buy the five sponges it’d cost £30. So you’re paying £50 for the other twenty items. I have bought so many advent calendars over the years, but the Real Techniques Advent Calendar 2021 is the worst advent calendar I’ve ever had, and for £80, please save your money and buy the ASOS Advent Calendar instead as that’s £75 and gives you so much more for your money.
All images belong to Makeup Muddle.
Hi, my name is Gemma, and I’m the owner of MakeupMuddle.com. I’m a true beauty obsessive, and love writing about anything to do with beauty – I have been a beauty writer since 2012.
As well as owning Makeup Muddle, I also own GemmaEtc.com, and love sharing my thoughts and feelings about the greatest (and not so great) beauty products!