Hey guys! Today we have a Fall Advent Calendar from Etsy! This is the last Fall related advent calendar and then the holiday calendar season will start tomorrow, November 1st! There is just one item in the calendar that I really wasn't expecting! Let me know what you think about this box! Love ya 💖
I think maybe add some pre-wrapped candy with the packets of hot chocolate that you can put in them and do unflavored oatmeal and like one of those individual nuts in it would be perfect. I like that they gave you so many not just one, but I think that does kind of go with that fall vibe, oatmeal hot chocolate type thing and I understand not re-packaging it because of food safety issues they'd have to have licenses for that body products you do not need a license and you don't need to have someone come to your house and inspect your kitchen and your handling of the food
I’m so excited to see what you get! I’ll be doing my Aldi Calendars again this year but I open one day at a time for 24-days I guess my version of Vlogmas 😅❤
Oatmeal?! I mean...I guess I could see if it was some kind of artisan, organic, bougie oatmeal in a burlap sack that was tied with a sweet gingham ribbon but some Quaker oats?!
If I paid over $100, for that advent calendar, I would be very unhappy. Especially, to get Quaker oatmeal pack, and Nestle hot chocolate pks! That's ridiculous!
So per the notebook ( and a quick google 😂) it would appear that warm records equal warm memories so warm “memories, written down now, will be fresh again, when you open the book in several years.” Quite a sweet saying I think
Based on the look of the soap and items, I would guess semi-handmade, as in, they use premade soap bases, premixed scents and oils, and very basic lotion/salt/wax bases. But repackaged and mass produced wouldn't surprise me either, given, well, the oatmeal.
Ok as an Etsy seller, that DOES handmake my items, I’ve found numerous people abusing the average customer’s understanding of the meaning of handmade being made by hand with assumed context in conjunction to made by small business, made one by one in small batches, sold by same small business or by second party in support. The legal technicality of the word handmade in retail literally only means it only has to be manually assembled or altered by human hands at some point. This literally can mean a one person painstakingly constructing, assembling & adding little finishing touches of a single item at a time all the way to mass produced in a factory, parts machine constructed one after another in one or more factories, but workers have to put it together physically by hand, often a small easy to do detail is added like a bow or like a face on a snow man figurine painted giving that little handmade one at a time feel. It also allows for imperfect items usually not sold if people know it’s mass produced but that people find as endearing when they think it’s unique & individual details. You’ll start to notice a series of tags used together by actual small businesses that actually do make their products the way consumers think it means bc of this handmade, handcrafted, homemade, madeathome, craft, crafted, craftedbyme, madebyme, lovingly, madewitove, and more. These tags can contradict the technicalities of legal use of handmade & the more of them in the same realm but referencing what it means to most people the more likely it’s actually handmade. Sucks we have to do that. The same goes for the term made in the US. Our laws only state that the product must be altered in the US before sold as finished ready for sale product. So in the example of eyeshadow palettes, the packaging & the eyeshadow pans, and product pressed into those pans can all come from China as individual parts to one end product but once in US they are glued in the packaging and legally made in US. Again misleading to the average consumer to think that everything in production from start to finish happened in the US. I’ve seen so many brands make a massive mistake that I see like a red flag but I look for their oversight of marking these handmade & made in US but also put China under manufactured, produced and made in or a combination of US in one part but contradicted in another. Etsy has specific guidelines to use those hashtags and deceptive marketing is reportable. I understand that in most markets now, the raw materials are processed in China & in reputable facilities simply bc of the U.S. closing down factories here bc bc of high cost of production. So it’s just about impossible to not have one or more vital supplies or materials produced in China, natural raw material processed into useable forms like the mineral composites of mica from stone to powder or any vital chemical tbh or medication. So I get that. I get that majority of packaging is also made in China. But in every other stage of production by a business is made and produced ion their location wherever it may be. But that’s a far cry from gluing a pan in an empty space in packaging and claiming the same. I’m not ok with consumers mislead by technicalities when sellers would still have sales if honest & gain appreciation honesty but rather more sales knowing using loopholes that ultimately mislead the average consumer. There’s so many tips to avoid this but it’s sad you have to know this at all.
You are a far nicer, understanding and forgiving person than I will ever be, if it paid over one hundred dollars and got 2 packs of Quaker oatmeal & Nestle hot chocolate I'd be heated. Small business or not there should still be value and quality. Thanks for the video, you look gorgeous as always.
I took an idea from you tonight , stopped at TJMaxx and bought stuff to make my own advent calendar. By the time I open this stuff in December I will have forgotten what I purchased. I am sure to be happier with the items, as I chose them all. Hopefully this will stop me from buying stupid crap. hahaha
My husband and I do something like this. We have a wood reusable advent tree. We set a small limit and buy tiny gifts for each other (like 3 items, $10 total) and we buy a bag of little mini candy bars. He fills the even numbers for me and I do odd numbers for him. We fill most days with candy but 3 different days have a slip of paper that lets the other person get one of the 3 small gifts we bought for them. 😁
@@Alexandria-Ryan Hi Alexandria! I also had an idea to repurpose those reusable calendars - using it as a way to rotate your makeup/skincare samples and minis/even nail polish and jewellery - like something to rediscover every day! I'm going to do this with mine starting January and I'll try to replenish it every month.
Dude, if the oatmeal was in one of those soup mugs with a spoon attached, that at least would have made it more appropriate for taking up a while day of the calendar.
The oatmeal and coco packages feel like a " Oh no, I need a few filler items. Look in the kitchen for emergency goods because I either didn't get a collaboration with the companies that promised to give items" or you ran out and just put something in the packages type situation. Also, I don't know for sure, but I think you're supposed to boil the potpourri in a pot to release the scent. Love your videos, maybe do all the smaller advent calendars together in one or two videos.
i also love supporting small businesses as well as getting handmade items! but i think if i spent $90 on an advent calendar, i'd be super upset about getting oatmeal and hot chocolate for two of the twelve items. it just doesn't make sense to me to put those things in a $90 box
Agreed! Like Nestle is the opposite of a small business and can be found all over the world. So many small businesses make amazing hot chocolate too!!!
Heck, even the actual bath salts were underwhelming with how tiny the jar was.....I mean, I usually put a good cup of my salts in the tub when I use them..... That tiny little jar wouldn't do squat and you'd probably barely even smell it!
@@bethlovesthingsNot only is Nestle the opposite of a small business, they’re a really awful company who’s done (and continue to do) some truly terribly things. I’m not great at not buying this or that due to personal reasons but I do try my very best not to support Nestle via purchasing their products. (Which is actually quite difficult as they own TONS of other brands/companies, many of which you’d never expect to be the case.) So, yeah, Nestle isn’t a small business but they are an AWFUL company who’s done genuinely HORRIFYING things. (And they show 0 signs of discontinuing those practices!)
You are the CZcams Advent calendar Queen. You and you alone stand out as the Advent calendar guru that tells us everything we ACTUALLY want to know, or would actually say, about an Advent calendar. LOVE IT!
I had a shave soap that smelled like a floral basement in the best possible way. Let's go with floral wine cellar instead lol. I forget what the actual scent was called, but it was supposed to smell like that, not like a batch that went bad. So it is possible, but I have no idea how they did it.
Even a sheet mask instead of the oatmeal would be better. Then it feels more like a self-care calendar. The hot chocolate would be nice as a day 2 with a few little candy canes to flavor them.
Individual packs of things are usually labelled "not for individual sale". It's a violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and is illegal to sell items like the oatmeal and cocoa. Extra side note that Nestle is a horrible corporation. They have a dark history and deserve zero dollars of support.
They probably get around the labelling rules by only selling/pricing the box as one item with contents. That’s how manufacturers can sell multipacks in units of one box.
@@amandagreen4332Multipacks of food items will always have the nutritional info and ingredients of all items on the outside of the box. That's why it's illegal to resell individual packs out of a larger pack, because they aren't individually labelled with the nutritional info and ingredients which is required by law.
When the Nestle rich hot chocolate came out, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Only an hour or two ago I was at Wegman’s and passed by the same hot chocolate for $1.89 per 8-pack box.😅
Ok I'm no longer a Wegmans shopper since my partner moved from Buffalo to Toronto with me so I am not in WNY as much but I wanted to join in on the Wegmans solidarity
Ooh, I really wish you'd do an advent calendar or subscription box from your shop! I'd love that soooo much. With you wide experience in both subjects and actual training/business background, this would be a perfect fit!
The special part of that oatmeal is that those 2 packs are part of a larger box of Quaker Oats. Did they individually sell what's not supposed to be individually sold?
I love that you threw in a bit of your expertise here, Alexandria! When I see something like this package, I kind of expect there to be a theme. Maybe it's just the marketing manager in me, but if they'd rearranged the days a bit differently, they could have easily marketed this as a self-indulgent bath night. Ya know: make some hot cocoa while the tub fills, grab your journal and a pen, light a candle, break open the handmade soap, have the body butter on standby for after, pour in the bath salts, and relax and soak while the mask refines your skin. Not sure where the red herring of the oatmeal would work in there though, but all of it could have been better arranged with the ultimate being a (bigger!) jar of bath salts on the 12th day. Missed opportunity imho. 🤔
I do love the handmade small business calendars. Having a very small business myself, I love to support others and also see what's out there! There were some cute things in this one, but the sizes were really small for the price. The oatmeal freaking killed me. I can totally get behind the hot chocolate, but the oatmeal....
Girl, you are so diplomatic and sweet! It's absolutely okay to say they messed up that box putting instant oatmeal and hot coca in there! 😂😂 Seriously, that was borderline tacky! ❤❤❤❤❤ It made me laugh and roll my eyes at the same time! 🤣🤣🥴🥴🙄😁
Right?! That's what I said! A nice big mug with like a chocolate dipped stir spoon and some candy canes or peppermint candies and a pack of marshmallows or something, even a few squares or Ghirardelli chocolate.... With gourmet hot chocolate packs at least!
I never would have guessed oatmeal, anything edible was out of the question for me lol. I was expecting this box to have more of a specific theme but it was pretty random. I guess the listing should have given it away but the oatmeal and hot chocolate were especially random. But I’ve never seen handmade soap any bigger than the one in this box. I have one that’s lilac and gooseberries scented (like Yennefer from the Witcher series 🥰) and it’s the exact same size and definitely doesn’t look like fudge
When you pulled out that oatmeal 😮 … No way any of us could have guessed that or the hot chocolate packs at the end. Smh. You were so kind and gracious w your final thoughts and gentle suggestions. Lol. I would have been emailing the company for a refund after the oatmeal. Don’t matter what else in the box.
I'd be so mad if I got oatmeal! The maple flavour is also the only okayish one IMO. That plus hot chocolate would have been okay with the cozy fall theme in a $25 box, but not $100. Etsy is so hit and miss these days.
You are the sweetest. I would be so annoyed if I got oatmeal and hot chocolate packs. Not even the fancy packs, either. I love how poised and encouraging you are towards them. It is so refreshing and helped remind me kindness always wins.
They could've made their own instant oatmeal and hot chocolate for fairly inexpensive. Packaged it in a little paper bag with a label. Cost would be a bit more but you could do it.
I fully expected it to be bath salts I honestly could’ve never guess strawberry oatmeal…..uhhhhhhhhh especially for that price range Edit - honestly I think it would’ve been better just as a 10 day calendar instead of 12 with 2 random items
They could have at least got like, pumpkin spice or maple flavor to fit in their fall theme as opposed to one of the quintessential early summer fruits 😒
2 weeks late but the dried nature is definitely for a simmer pot! boil it all and let it simmer in some water and it will make the house smell real nice.
I’m making sure to watch all the adverts so you can pay for the calendars! The box, I couldn’t justify the cost for the products, personally. Especially with two packets of instant oatmeal and three instant hot chocolate packets. Wow, just wow. What was the thought process there?! 🤔 It was fun watching your reaction though 😂. I am going to look for the Library spray or Book spray for my library. I had no clue any such spray existed, I’m almost giddy!
Spireside makes a Gothic library wax melt that you should try! I often mix mine with another called 'alchemists fire' and the two together are heavenly.....I also recommend voodoo bayou and ghostly attic......my house smalls amazingly earthy with hints of leather, Amber, and old books!
I hope you left a 1/2 star review with a link to your video. 😂. Edit: you are SO kind and I love the notes you offer for the seller. Your hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed, and you bring a sparkle of sweetness and friendliness to my day. ☺️✨ As someone else in this video's comments said, Happy Adventween! 🎉🎁
Oatmeal and hot chocolate?! I'd be so mad getting them in a box! Absolutely no thought went into that, whatsoever. It says "I've run out of products/budget, so I'll just shove something cheap in there", to me! 😬
Looks like they include instant packs of hot chocolate in orders of mystery books, quite popular! But I agree that maybe shouldn't be like a "day" in an advent calendar
The fact that I was eating strawberries n cream oatmeal while watching this and I had literally no idea that you'd get it in your advent calendar is scary, like HUHHHHH freaky coincidence.
For the library scent I imagine., the scent of leather from leather bound books mixed with the wood from the floor to ceiling and lined rows of bookcases. My happy place!🥰💜📚
I would not have guessed oatmeal. A rice and seasoning mix was my second thought after bath salts. Something seasoned with fall in mind, just adding water (and some seasonal vegetables?).
I totally agree with your assessment. The oatmeal and the hot cocoa were a big miss imo. I could even forget the mumbo jumbo on the journal that makes no sense if all the other items were hand made, quality items. Even the dried “potpourri” kind of cheapened it for me a bit but even THAT could be forgiven if the two food items were really nice hand made, well presented creams or bath items, or even a 2nd candle! They could’ve done better. I always love to watch you unbox anything, but the advent calendars are my favorites 😊 I can’t wait!! 🎉 hope you have a great rest of your week and keep right on shining! 💖💕 💫
I think it could be super fun if you could add testing clips in between days to show if the soap lathers or how a product works so we can get an idea if we’re interested in purchasing!
When forums were a thing, on the forum I was on we would make each other Advent Calendars just like this. We’d fill in a questionnaire and make a calendar for someone and someone different would send us a calendar.
I feel like this is like an advent calendar link to a book so they're like a book that corresponds with it. That's the only thing I can think of why it's so weird.
Threw me off with the oatmeal and hot chocolate. There are small companies that make those. You frightened me a bit because I thought you were going to taste the gingerbread soap. Love your channel. 💕
I never ever would have guessed oatmeal in any calendar and certainly not a $170 one. Sephora didn't even to that. I think advent calendars are so over-priced it's ridiculous. This from the woman who during insomnia and a moment of insanity bought the Elemis calendar which was $280 (US). They are based in London. Ok, off to finish this box of "hopefully it doesn't get worse than oatmeal". Love you girl ❤❤
I felt so guilty spending that much money on myself that I didn't open it for a week. I love it. I love the feel and scent of the products. I'm happy now and really enjoy it! It is expensive! ❤@@WillSing4TP
The bag with the dried flowers is for a “simmer pot” for on your stove. I make these all the time from my rose bush out front of my house and fresh herbs
I love that you look things up when you don't know what they are especially as I don't normally know either so saves me doing it later 😂 great video Ally can't wait for Xmas Advent calendars! I look forward to it all year and don't watch anyone else open them. Honestly I tried last year and they were just boring I couldn't even finish their videos 🫣
A handmade lip balm in strawberries and cream or hot chocolate heck..both would be better than the instant packs. Otherwise it was nice, but on the expensive side.
GreenPactAlchemy should be ashamed, IMO. I know that I would feel like a thief charging so much and giving so little, that oatmeal would have made me livid. You are so nice about it, that's like you, but as a person who loves Etsy and a former small business owner I could never. Also want to say that I don't watch anyone else's advent calendar unboxings, love you and yours so much :)))
Hey guys! Today we have a Fall Advent Calendar from Etsy! This is the last Fall related advent calendar and then the holiday calendar season will start tomorrow, November 1st! There is just one item in the calendar that I really wasn't expecting! Let me know what you think about this box! Love ya 💖
The oatmeal sent me over the edge! I peed my pants a little!
I'm so excited for advent calendar season ❤ my favourite time of the year
I think maybe add some pre-wrapped candy with the packets of hot chocolate that you can put in them and do unflavored oatmeal and like one of those individual nuts in it would be perfect. I like that they gave you so many not just one, but I think that does kind of go with that fall vibe, oatmeal hot chocolate type thing and I understand not re-packaging it because of food safety issues they'd have to have licenses for that body products you do not need a license and you don't need to have someone come to your house and inspect your kitchen and your handling of the food
I’m so excited to see what you get! I’ll be doing my Aldi Calendars again this year but I open one day at a time for 24-days I guess my version of Vlogmas 😅❤
my guess is very small crystal rocks.
Oatmeal?! I mean...I guess I could see if it was some kind of artisan, organic, bougie oatmeal in a burlap sack that was tied with a sweet gingham ribbon but some Quaker oats?!
😂😂😂 Seriously. Lmao 🤦🏻♀️
@@sweettea9960 Same with the cocoa...y'all didn't have a festive holiday bag y'all coulda put those in?! I mean!
Never in a million years I would expect that.
That’s the best description of a bougie oatmeal I’ve ever seen. 😂😂
@@beckychamp8508 Thank you, I do try ❤️
If I paid over $100, for that advent calendar, I would be very unhappy.
Especially, to get Quaker oatmeal pack, and Nestle hot chocolate pks!
That's ridiculous!
Agreed!
💯 Exactly Correct
Agreed!
I agree, but I do now want chocolate oatmeal
For the price I’d at least expect to get the whole box of oatmeal and cocoa packets 😂
So per the notebook ( and a quick google 😂) it would appear that warm records equal warm memories so warm “memories, written down now, will be fresh again, when you open the book in several years.” Quite a sweet saying I think
thank you i was looking for the meaning
Pretty sure they did a Google translate and messed up the saying completely , but pretty sure that is the gist of it
Now that's a Temu notebook if I've ever seen one 😂
I have a suspicious feeling that the "handmade" items in the jars are mass produced things bought cheaply and passed off as handmade.
I have that same exact feeling. It’s so hard to find TRULY handmade items on Etsy now. It’s overrun with drop shippers, art thieves and resellers.
@@BowbafetteThis!! Etsy is so bad now
Based on the look of the soap and items, I would guess semi-handmade, as in, they use premade soap bases, premixed scents and oils, and very basic lotion/salt/wax bases. But repackaged and mass produced wouldn't surprise me either, given, well, the oatmeal.
I’m truly offended by the oatmeal. Why? Nestle chocolate packets! Why?
Ok as an Etsy seller, that DOES handmake my items, I’ve found numerous people abusing the average customer’s understanding of the meaning of handmade being made by hand with assumed context in conjunction to made by small business, made one by one in small batches, sold by same small business or by second party in support. The legal technicality of the word handmade in retail literally only means it only has to be manually assembled or altered by human hands at some point. This literally can mean a one person painstakingly constructing, assembling & adding little finishing touches of a single item at a time all the way to mass produced in a factory, parts machine constructed one after another in one or more factories, but workers have to put it together physically by hand, often a small easy to do detail is added like a bow or like a face on a snow man figurine painted giving that little handmade one at a time feel. It also allows for imperfect items usually not sold if people know it’s mass produced but that people find as endearing when they think it’s unique & individual details. You’ll start to notice a series of tags used together by actual small businesses that actually do make their products the way consumers think it means bc of this handmade, handcrafted, homemade, madeathome, craft, crafted, craftedbyme, madebyme, lovingly, madewitove, and more. These tags can contradict the technicalities of legal use of handmade & the more of them in the same realm but referencing what it means to most people the more likely it’s actually handmade. Sucks we have to do that.
The same goes for the term made in the US. Our laws only state that the product must be altered in the US before sold as finished ready for sale product. So in the example of eyeshadow palettes, the packaging & the eyeshadow pans, and product pressed into those pans can all come from China as individual parts to one end product but once in US they are glued in the packaging and legally made in US. Again misleading to the average consumer to think that everything in production from start to finish happened in the US.
I’ve seen so many brands make a massive mistake that I see like a red flag but I look for their oversight of marking these handmade & made in US but also put China under manufactured, produced and made in or a combination of US in one part but contradicted in another.
Etsy has specific guidelines to use those hashtags and deceptive marketing is reportable. I understand that in most markets now, the raw materials are processed in China & in reputable facilities simply bc of the U.S. closing down factories here bc bc of high cost of production. So it’s just about impossible to not have one or more vital supplies or materials produced in China, natural raw material processed into useable forms like the mineral composites of mica from stone to powder or any vital chemical tbh or medication. So I get that. I get that majority of packaging is also made in China. But in every other stage of production by a business is made and produced ion their location wherever it may be. But that’s a far cry from gluing a pan in an empty space in packaging and claiming the same.
I’m not ok with consumers mislead by technicalities when sellers would still have sales if honest & gain appreciation honesty but rather more sales knowing using loopholes that ultimately mislead the average consumer. There’s so many tips to avoid this but it’s sad you have to know this at all.
You are a far nicer, understanding and forgiving person than I will ever be, if it paid over one hundred dollars and got 2 packs of Quaker oatmeal & Nestle hot chocolate I'd be heated. Small business or not there should still be value and quality. Thanks for the video, you look gorgeous as always.
Exactly! It wasn't even a box of oats, just one pack. They should be ashamed
Aww, I've seen you comment on her other videos, and aren't you sweet! I totally agree that she looks gorgeous as usual 🥰
I think she only got one pack of the oatmeal 😅
Instant oats too! Like, if it hade been proper porridge oats that would have been better, but INSTANT OATS? Offensive@@hushedthoughts
Facts 💯
It's like someone said "oops, I ran out of items for this package, let me go raid the pantry and see what I can find"
If they did a homemade hot chocolate and maybe a really nice mug, instead of those 2 flop days, I think it'd be a bit better!
Yeah, or a hand-made lip balm.
Great idea too bad they didn't come up with it 😅
I took an idea from you tonight , stopped at TJMaxx and bought stuff to make my own advent calendar. By the time I open this stuff in December I will have forgotten what I purchased. I am sure to be happier with the items, as I chose them all. Hopefully this will stop me from buying stupid crap. hahaha
Oh my gosh! That’s amazing!! That’s such a fun idea, I might have to borrow it for next year 😂
I love this idea! I know I would also forget what I bought and be surprised each day!😂
Great idea!! My boyfriend and I might do this for each other
My husband and I do something like this. We have a wood reusable advent tree. We set a small limit and buy tiny gifts for each other (like 3 items, $10 total) and we buy a bag of little mini candy bars. He fills the even numbers for me and I do odd numbers for him. We fill most days with candy but 3 different days have a slip of paper that lets the other person get one of the 3 small gifts we bought for them. 😁
@@Alexandria-Ryan Hi Alexandria! I also had an idea to repurpose those reusable calendars - using it as a way to rotate your makeup/skincare samples and minis/even nail polish and jewellery - like something to rediscover every day! I'm going to do this with mine starting January and I'll try to replenish it every month.
When you said oatmeal I thought whoever packaged the box accidentally packed their breakfast 😂
Omg great comment...😂😂😂
Hahaha that made me laugh 😂😂
Right I instantly thought of the Aunt in Christmas Vacation that wrapped her jello mold and her cat.😂
I would have absolutely lost it if they had a spoon for one of the days to go with your instant oatmeal packet 😂
Dude, if the oatmeal was in one of those soup mugs with a spoon attached, that at least would have made it more appropriate for taking up a while day of the calendar.
Imagine if it was plastic (the gold one) aswell 😂
If they had the oatmeal and the cocoa with a handmade pottery bowl and mug then it would have been lovely and all come together for a cozy winter box
The oatmeal and coco packages feel like a " Oh no, I need a few filler items. Look in the kitchen for emergency goods because I either didn't get a collaboration with the companies that promised to give items" or you ran out and just put something in the packages type situation.
Also, I don't know for sure, but I think you're supposed to boil the potpourri in a pot to release the scent. Love your videos, maybe do all the smaller advent calendars together in one or two videos.
That pack of oatmeal was like running out of candy on halloween so you grab the closet thing you see to give to the kid lmao
i also love supporting small businesses as well as getting handmade items! but i think if i spent $90 on an advent calendar, i'd be super upset about getting oatmeal and hot chocolate for two of the twelve items. it just doesn't make sense to me to put those things in a $90 box
Honestly just call it a 10 day countdown
Agreed! Like Nestle is the opposite of a small business and can be found all over the world. So many small businesses make amazing hot chocolate too!!!
@@bethlovesthingsnot to mention Nestlé is in the business of killing babies and stealing water.
Nestle is a terrible company.
Heck, even the actual bath salts were underwhelming with how tiny the jar was.....I mean, I usually put a good cup of my salts in the tub when I use them..... That tiny little jar wouldn't do squat and you'd probably barely even smell it!
@@bethlovesthingsNot only is Nestle the opposite of a small business, they’re a really awful company who’s done (and continue to do) some truly terribly things.
I’m not great at not buying this or that due to personal reasons but I do try my very best not to support Nestle via purchasing their products. (Which is actually quite difficult as they own TONS of other brands/companies, many of which you’d never expect to be the case.)
So, yeah, Nestle isn’t a small business but they are an AWFUL company who’s done genuinely HORRIFYING things. (And they show 0 signs of discontinuing those practices!)
Dried nature is like for a simmer pot. Super popular in the fall to help with humidity and make the house smell nice
You are the CZcams Advent calendar Queen. You and you alone stand out as the Advent calendar guru that tells us everything we ACTUALLY want to know, or would actually say, about an Advent calendar. LOVE IT!
"How are they gonna make this smell like mildew?"
I literally died! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I had a shave soap that smelled like a floral basement in the best possible way. Let's go with floral wine cellar instead lol. I forget what the actual scent was called, but it was supposed to smell like that, not like a batch that went bad. So it is possible, but I have no idea how they did it.
Even a sheet mask instead of the oatmeal would be better. Then it feels more like a self-care calendar. The hot chocolate would be nice as a day 2 with a few little candy canes to flavor them.
As someone who despises oatmeal, I would have been livid opening day 2 and seeing that. Especially after spending over a hundred bucks 😅
Halloween isn’t even over yet but I’m so glad advent calendar season has begun! my fav series to ever exist
Wow 2 packets of oatmeal! Perfect with my mask and penless journal. Pairs well with hot chocolate and body butter.
Individual packs of things are usually labelled "not for individual sale". It's a violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and is illegal to sell items like the oatmeal and cocoa. Extra side note that Nestle is a horrible corporation. They have a dark history and deserve zero dollars of support.
They probably get around the labelling rules by only selling/pricing the box as one item with contents. That’s how manufacturers can sell multipacks in units of one box.
I thought this too, is it against reluations tonoutnthe oats a cocoa in. And as a non-paranoid person would never consume what's in those packets.
@@amandagreen4332Multipacks of food items will always have the nutritional info and ingredients of all items on the outside of the box. That's why it's illegal to resell individual packs out of a larger pack, because they aren't individually labelled with the nutritional info and ingredients which is required by law.
They are in violation of fda cosmetic labeling laws as well, it’s really troubling.
In your opinion. I love nestle hot chocolate. I always have some on hand
If you had a glass dish, you could add some stones to the "nature mix", put the candle in the middle and make a pretty table decoration. :)
When the Nestle rich hot chocolate came out, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Only an hour or two ago I was at Wegman’s and passed by the same hot chocolate for $1.89 per 8-pack box.😅
Hello fellow wegmans shopper lol
Ok I'm no longer a Wegmans shopper since my partner moved from Buffalo to Toronto with me so I am not in WNY as much but I wanted to join in on the Wegmans solidarity
@theseinstrumentals Hello!👋🏾
Yo I work there that's crazy
I thought a necklace, but no, you were right, never would have thought oatmeal 😂
You opening oatmeal in this EXPENSIVE advent calendar made me laugh so hard! I have Covid and I think it’s been cured now. 😂😂😂😂
All the items together, including the Oatmeal and Hot Chocolate, made me think of a cozy selfcare weekend with autumn leaves or snow falling outside.
You're REALLY good at describing scents. Perfume companies should hire you!!
The dried nature is probably for you to boil on the stove to release the smell. ❤
But without instructions we don't know and it could leave toxic chemicals in your pots
It does look like a "simmer pot" mixture bit the spoiler page does say pot pourri lol
Yes! That's what I was thinking! My mom always simmered a mix like that around Christmas time.
Your reaction to the oatmeal was hilarious. Parts of the box were great but others were head scratchers
I totally agree! That's a lot! For a few packets of grocery store items thrown in does knock it's value down for me. And I hate oatmeal lol.
Ooh, I really wish you'd do an advent calendar or subscription box from your shop! I'd love that soooo much. With you wide experience in both subjects and actual training/business background, this would be a perfect fit!
Yes yes yes! I would totally Subscribe. Her taste is Excellent!!
The special part of that oatmeal is that those 2 packs are part of a larger box of Quaker Oats. Did they individually sell what's not supposed to be individually sold?
Lol yeah I bet it has "not for individual sale" warning on the side
It begins! Happy Adventween to those who celebrate! 🥳🥳
🎉🎉🎉
Whoo-hoo! Tis the season!🥳🥳
ADVENTWEEN 😂😂😂
This calendar demands that you do self care, including a healthy breakfast and a warm drink to relax before bed. ❤
Alexandria, PLEASE, PLEASE show us how you do your big bun! It is glorious and voluminous, mine always looks like a mishapen, dried up baked good.
I love that you threw in a bit of your expertise here, Alexandria! When I see something like this package, I kind of expect there to be a theme. Maybe it's just the marketing manager in me, but if they'd rearranged the days a bit differently, they could have easily marketed this as a self-indulgent bath night. Ya know: make some hot cocoa while the tub fills, grab your journal and a pen, light a candle, break open the handmade soap, have the body butter on standby for after, pour in the bath salts, and relax and soak while the mask refines your skin. Not sure where the red herring of the oatmeal would work in there though, but all of it could have been better arranged with the ultimate being a (bigger!) jar of bath salts on the 12th day. Missed opportunity imho. 🤔
I’ve used oatmeal in a bath at times to soothe my skin so I guess there’s that….😂
🤣@@chrissiemulligan3436
Oatmeal mask?
I do love the handmade small business calendars. Having a very small business myself, I love to support others and also see what's out there! There were some cute things in this one, but the sizes were really small for the price. The oatmeal freaking killed me. I can totally get behind the hot chocolate, but the oatmeal....
Girl, you are so diplomatic and sweet! It's absolutely okay to say they messed up that box putting instant oatmeal and hot coca in there! 😂😂 Seriously, that was borderline tacky! ❤❤❤❤❤ It made me laugh and roll my eyes at the same time! 🤣🤣🥴🥴🙄😁
Yes! I was looking for this comment! I would be going to that Etsy shop & leaving a very honest review. They should be ashamed of themselves!
Alexandria you are too, too nice. Oatmeal and instant hot chocolate for $95. They could have least put the hot chocolate in a mug. 😢
Right?! That's what I said! A nice big mug with like a chocolate dipped stir spoon and some candy canes or peppermint candies and a pack of marshmallows or something, even a few squares or Ghirardelli chocolate.... With gourmet hot chocolate packs at least!
@@AnotherMADCreationnow ur making me want hot chocolate 😭
I never would have guessed oatmeal, anything edible was out of the question for me lol. I was expecting this box to have more of a specific theme but it was pretty random. I guess the listing should have given it away but the oatmeal and hot chocolate were especially random.
But I’ve never seen handmade soap any bigger than the one in this box. I have one that’s lilac and gooseberries scented (like Yennefer from the Witcher series 🥰) and it’s the exact same size and definitely doesn’t look like fudge
I like the handmade aspect, but I do think it’s a bit overpriced at $100 tho 🤷🏼♀️ I totally agree with you about the oatmeal & hot cocoa💜
Finally the two best times of the year have aligned, halloween and advent calendar season🖤🖤🖤
When you pulled out that oatmeal 😮 … No way any of us could have guessed that or the hot chocolate packs at the end. Smh. You were so kind and gracious w your final thoughts and gentle suggestions. Lol. I would have been emailing the company for a refund after the oatmeal. Don’t matter what else in the box.
Yeah, and those hot choc packets are from the dollar tree-- 6 to a box.
I'd be so mad if I got oatmeal! The maple flavour is also the only okayish one IMO. That plus hot chocolate would have been okay with the cozy fall theme in a $25 box, but not $100. Etsy is so hit and miss these days.
I think the flower ravioli 😂 is a simmer pot. You're supposed to let it simmer on your stove or woodstove to let the aromatics....aromatic?
It means to write down your memories. That is why it says warm record (old memories) record your warm memories.
You are the sweetest. I would be so annoyed if I got oatmeal and hot chocolate packs. Not even the fancy packs, either. I love how poised and encouraging you are towards them. It is so refreshing and helped remind me kindness always wins.
They could've made their own instant oatmeal and hot chocolate for fairly inexpensive. Packaged it in a little paper bag with a label. Cost would be a bit more but you could do it.
The library from beauty and the beast omg it’s a dream!!!
The library in the Biltmore Home in Asheville, NC is GOALS though
I really appreciate how delicately you handled this and how conscious you were that your video could really affect their business. You’re awesome.
I fully expected it to be bath salts I honestly could’ve never guess strawberry oatmeal…..uhhhhhhhhh especially for that price range
Edit - honestly I think it would’ve been better just as a 10 day calendar instead of 12 with 2 random items
I mean at least pumpkin spice oatmeal! 🤣🤣
They could have at least got like, pumpkin spice or maple flavor to fit in their fall theme as opposed to one of the quintessential early summer fruits 😒
@@sherriechampion7979whoops, I responded before I saw your response, but absolutely agree lmao
@@ladymacca88 great minds! 😁😁🤣🤣🤣
OMG I was literally laughing out loud! I cannot believe that someone had the audacity to charge that much for that advent calendar! That’s a shame!
I believe your ‘potpourri’ is for a simmer pot! Just simmer in water on the stove and your house will (should) smell amazing!
2 weeks late but the dried nature is definitely for a simmer pot! boil it all and let it simmer in some water and it will make the house smell real nice.
I’m making sure to watch all the adverts so you can pay for the calendars! The box, I couldn’t justify the cost for the products, personally. Especially with two packets of instant oatmeal and three instant hot chocolate packets. Wow, just wow. What was the thought process there?! 🤔 It was fun watching your reaction though 😂. I am going to look for the Library spray or Book spray for my library. I had no clue any such spray existed, I’m almost giddy!
Spireside makes a Gothic library wax melt that you should try! I often mix mine with another called 'alchemists fire' and the two together are heavenly.....I also recommend voodoo bayou and ghostly attic......my house smalls amazingly earthy with hints of leather, Amber, and old books!
I hope you left a 1/2 star review with a link to your video. 😂. Edit: you are SO kind and I love the notes you offer for the seller. Your hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed, and you bring a sparkle of sweetness and friendliness to my day. ☺️✨ As someone else in this video's comments said, Happy Adventween! 🎉🎁
I hope you reported this scam to Etsy. They might be able to get your money back and kick these people off Etsy so they can keep a good reputation.
I have to agree especially the oatmeal. Love advent calendar season
Nothing, I mean NOTHING, could have prepared me for the oats 😂😂😂
Oatmeal and hot chocolate?! I'd be so mad getting them in a box! Absolutely no thought went into that, whatsoever. It says "I've run out of products/budget, so I'll just shove something cheap in there", to me! 😬
The sad part is there are a million things at dollar tree that would have been better. That could have gotten a basic candle
Looks like they include instant packs of hot chocolate in orders of mystery books, quite popular! But I agree that maybe shouldn't be like a "day" in an advent calendar
Advent.calendar time. I binge these from time to time.
The fact that I was eating strawberries n cream oatmeal while watching this and I had literally no idea that you'd get it in your advent calendar is scary, like HUHHHHH
freaky coincidence.
A little ravioli - I almost chocked on my apple slice. You’re hysterical. Thank you.
Seeds. I just went seed shopping for my niece. 😂😂😂Instant oatmeal??? Wow! Then 3 hot cocoa packs on the last day??? No for me hut I love the journal!
For the library scent I imagine., the scent of leather from leather bound books mixed with the wood from the floor to ceiling and lined rows of bookcases. My happy place!🥰💜📚
Giving Zachary Michael vibes with all those bars IYKYK
I would not have guessed oatmeal. A rice and seasoning mix was my second thought after bath salts. Something seasoned with fall in mind, just adding water (and some seasonal vegetables?).
I think the item for day number two is poprocks! And it is.... oatmeal 😂😂 At least I got the genre right
I totally agree with your assessment. The oatmeal and the hot cocoa were a big miss imo. I could even forget the mumbo jumbo on the journal that makes no sense if all the other items were hand made, quality items. Even the dried “potpourri” kind of cheapened it for me a bit but even THAT could be forgiven if the two food items were really nice hand made, well presented creams or bath items, or even a 2nd candle! They could’ve done better. I always love to watch you unbox anything, but the advent calendars are my favorites 😊 I can’t wait!! 🎉 hope you have a great rest of your week and keep right on shining! 💖💕 💫
I think it could be super fun if you could add testing clips in between days to show if the soap lathers or how a product works so we can get an idea if we’re interested in purchasing!
Ooohhhhh what a GREAT idea! I love this so much! ☺️
When forums were a thing, on the forum I was on we would make each other Advent Calendars just like this. We’d fill in a questionnaire and make a calendar for someone and someone different would send us a calendar.
You should honestly do THE PLOUISE ADVENT CALENDAR 2023!
I feel like this is like an advent calendar link to a book so they're like a book that corresponds with it. That's the only thing I can think of why it's so weird.
Threw me off with the oatmeal and hot chocolate. There are small companies that make those. You frightened me a bit because I thought you were going to taste the gingerbread soap. Love your channel. 💕
I just lost my ish at the oatmeal 😂
The way you turned that body butter FULLY UPSIDE DOWN then SHOOK IT. I had so much anxiety 🥲🥲
I look forward to your advent calendar reviews every year!
I never ever would have guessed oatmeal in any calendar and certainly not a $170 one. Sephora didn't even to that. I think advent calendars are so over-priced it's ridiculous. This from the woman who during insomnia and a moment of insanity bought the Elemis calendar which was $280 (US). They are based in London. Ok, off to finish this box of "hopefully it doesn't get worse than oatmeal". Love you girl ❤❤
$100.70
Thanks for correcting me. I still think it is over-priced. Don't you? @@salemgraves1692
Of all the advent calendars out there this year, the Elemis is the only one I want!😍
I felt so guilty spending that much money on myself that I didn't open it for a week. I love it. I love the feel and scent of the products. I'm happy now and really enjoy it! It is expensive! ❤@@WillSing4TP
The bag with the dried flowers is for a “simmer pot” for on your stove. I make these all the time from my rose bush out front of my house and fresh herbs
Her descriptions of a fancy library makes it seem like it would smell like the public municipal libraries in my country.
I love that you look things up when you don't know what they are especially as I don't normally know either so saves me doing it later 😂 great video Ally can't wait for Xmas Advent calendars! I look forward to it all year and don't watch anyone else open them. Honestly I tried last year and they were just boring I couldn't even finish their videos 🫣
The dried stuff in the bag, I think it meant to stick in a pot of water to make a fragrance while simmering on your stove like a natural potpourri.
A handmade lip balm in strawberries and cream or hot chocolate heck..both would be better than the instant packs. Otherwise it was nice, but on the expensive side.
GreenPactAlchemy should be ashamed, IMO. I know that I would feel like a thief charging so much and giving so little, that oatmeal would have made me livid. You are so nice about it, that's like you, but as a person who loves Etsy and a former small business owner I could never.
Also want to say that I don't watch anyone else's advent calendar unboxings, love you and yours so much :)))
I would hated getting edible items with heavily scented goods
My guess was a handmade necklace. I never would have guessed strawberry oatmeal. 😂
It's my favorite time of the year! ...
You opening Advent boxes.
Yeah, that journal is a dropship item. Classic decorative Engrish
Wow, oat meal for day 2!!! That’s different 😂
The fun begins I love advent calendar season ❤❤❤
You can throw that dried Forest mix in a bath..or a pot w essential oil w hot water and it will make your house smell nice!!!
Girl thank you for buying these boxes! You save so many people from getting ripped off. 💚
OMG I guessed spooky sprinkles for like cupcakes and cookies. I would have NEVER guessed OATMEAL.
Just saw the intro and realised this is gonna be a good one 😂
That unscented "potpourri" you can spray with any scent you like or use your own essential oils to customize to your liking.
It's the most wonderful time of the year!!! I love your advent openings.
Love watching these!
Im so glad you enjoy them!
My guess is seeds or maybe tea?