AFK Cosmetics has two advent calendars per year, one in the summer and one during the holiday season. This advent calendar’s theme was centered around the women of the Studio Ghibli universe, with the inclusion of Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle as well (I can see why since he’s so stylish and elegant!). I’ve always been curious about this advent calendar, but never really wanted to buy one until I saw the theme for this summer; Studio Ghibli films are films that I grew up with and love dearly so I was super excited for this box!
Eye Products
Swatches were done over Urban Decay Potion Primer on the left, Too Faced Glitter Glue on the right.
Lusheeta: Tan pink base with a green-gold duochrome shift; by Innocent + Twisted Alchemy. Inspired by Sheeta from Laputa: Castle in the Sky. An absolutely gorgeous neutral with a twist!
A Way to Co-Exist: Deep purple with a red/copper shift and chunky green glitter; by Hello Waffle Cosmetics. Inspired by Nausicaä from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. A surprise hit for me, especially considering that I don’t like or wear purple eyeshadow often. The shift and glitter really make this a wonderful color.
Satsuki: Pale yellow with a major rose gold shift; by Shiro Cosmetics. Inspired by Satsuki from My Neighbor Totoro. My pictures don’t do this justice, but the rose gold shift is definitely there. I had originally dreaded this color, by upon swatching it I fell in love with it.
Mei: Fuchsia with white sparkles; by Shiro Cosmetics. Inspired by Mei from My Neighbor Totoro. This is a very bright color and not one that I would usually wear (luckily it’s lip safe!).
Witch in Training: Charcoal-grey with gold and red shimmer; by AFK Cosmetics. Inspired by Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service. Unfortunately, I liked this color the least. It wasn’t very impressive to me even over glitter glue and I really can’t see myself wearing it.
Face Products
Just Like Starlight: A pressed shimmery silver/light pink highlighter with a blue duochrome; by AFK Cosmetics. Inspired by Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle. An absolutely gorgeous color that makes me feel like a fairy!
Sucrose: A matte dark burgundy blush that has a ton of sparkles and chunky glitter; by My Pretty Zombie. Inspired by Arrietty from The Secret World of Arrietty. This is very much a “couture” type blush for my skin tone so I probably won’t use it very often. Luckily, this is eye and lip safe so I might experiment with it in different ways.
Lip Products
Princess of the Wolf Gods: A dark brick red with very mild red shimmers; by AFK Cosmetics. This was inspired by San from Princess Mononoke. I really like this color! It’s sheer enough to allow you to build it up, yet still delivers a good color payoff regardless. Plus, this is comfortable to wear as well.
Chihiro: A sheer pink gloss with golden shimmer; by Blackbird Cosmetics. This was inspired by Chihiro from Spirited Away. I love this color, as it literally looks like my lips but more ~shimmery~ and magical ✨ and it is also not overtly tacky or sticky like most glosses are. The only problem I really have with this is that it isn’t very moisturizing for me.
Osono: A lip balm; by Epically Epic Soap Co. This was inspired by Osono from Kiki’s Delivery Service. (Yes, I seriously attempted to swatch this even though it came out clear. Oh well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )This smells/tastes kinda like vanilla sugar cookies to me; it’s a perfect match for Osono who runs a bakery in the film! I really love this lip balm’s formula as it’s moisturizing and comfortable without feeling heavy. I’ll definitely check out Epically Epic’s other lip balms in the future.
Perfume Oils
Ponyo: A perfume oil by Smelly Yeti Perfumery; inspired by Ponyo from Ponyo. This scent is all peaches and happiness, with just the right amount of tartness to balance it out! It’s perfect for the summer time and I enjoyed this immensely. Notes from Smelly Yeti’s website: Coconut pulp, sweet peaches, beach air, with a dash of apricot and the barest hint of salty seaweed.
You Who Swallowed A Falling Star: A perfume oil by Sixteen92; inspired by Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle. This scent is mainly incense (and perhaps something along the lines of sage or dried flowers? Really IDK). It’s overwhelming to me straight out of the bottle, but seems to be a bit more pleasant once I’ve worn it for a hour or so. I’m still not a big fan of this scent, but I might age it to see what happens. Notes from Sixteen92 (which I found from a reddit thread): Dark stone fruits, glowing embers, night rose, sweet sandalwood, plum blossom.
Overall I was quite happy with the items included in the advent calendar. While some products weren’t really what I would normally buy for myself, I still loved how the products were put together according to the theme. Can’t wait for next year’s box! 🎁
Ethereal and Serene 
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