Beauty advent calendars, though significantly pricier than their chocolate alternative, have in recent years proved increasingly popular. Some have already begun to sell out – so we’re starting to round up some of the best we’ve seen.
Now, obviously they’re marketed as advent calendars but we prefer to view them as a means of grabbing beauty items you’d buy anyway at a fraction of the normal price.
Even if you’re not intending to open an advent calendar day by day, if they work out cheaper than buying products separately they’re great for dividing up as gifts for multiple friends/family members in hampers for Christmas or as birthday gifts throughout the year. So which ones are out now and worth a look? We round them up by retailer below.
We’ll update our list as more become available in the run-up to December. We last updated this list on Fri 10 Nov.
M&S
This year’s calendar is now available for £35 when you spend £35 at M&S with contents worth £250ish, including products from Nails Inc, Nuxe, Eyeko, Ren and more. See our M&S Advent calendar write-up for more information.
Last year, The M&S advent calendar sold out online before the end of November, and was not discounted later so it’s worth picking up soon if it’s something you’d like.
Superdrug
There are currently 10 advent calendars available on Superdrug’s website, and they’re all included in its ‘save on selected gifting’ up to 50% off offer. These range from £8 (norm £16) calendars to a £70 (norm £120) Makeup Revolution Christmas tree* 25-day calendar – which comes in not just any shape, but a very familiar shape for those who got last year’s M&S calendar.
Some examples of mostly own-brand £30 and under calendars include:
- £8 (norm £16) Flutter beauty 24-piece calendar* – Includes mini nail polish, lip gloss and eye shadow etc.
- £12 (norm £24) Bloom ’12 Days of Christmas’ EDT 12-perfume calendar* – Reportedly, some Bloom fragrances are Jo Malone smell-alikes – its advent calendar is £300 so this is a much cheaper alternative. The perfumes are normally £10 for 50ml (making the calendar with £20ish), but they’re also in the half-price offer, so the calendar contains £10ish of perfume.
- £20 (norm £30) Tanya Burr ’12 Sweet Days’ 12-piece calendar* – Includes nail polish, eye shimmer pots, glitter eyeliners and lip glosses etc.
- £30 (norm £50) Makeup Revolution 25-piece calendar* – Includes highlighter, bronzer, lipsticks and an eye shadow palette etc.
£50 for £108+ of Essie nail polish
If you’re looking for a discount on a branded beauty advent calendar, Superdrug has reduced the Essie 24-piece nail polish calendar* to £50 (norm £80). It contains 20 polishes including seven full-sized polishes normally £8ish each, which works out as £56 separately even without the minis and other items in the calendar.
The minis aren’t normally sold separately, but based on a three-piece gift set for £12.99, they’re normally about £4ish each which works out as £52, meaning the set would normally cost £108+ separately.
We asked Superdrug when its ‘Save on selected gifting’ offer on beauty advent calendars ends, and it told us it will run while current stock lasts.
£50 for £139 of Ciaté nail polish
Ciaté were the first brand to bring out nail polish advent calendars, and it’s back this year featuring 22 mostly mini polishes including five new and exclusive colours.
It’s available for £50 at Ciaté* with contents worth £139ish, however, some MoneySavers have spotted it at TK Maxx for £29.99 plus £3.99 delivery.
The Body Shop
Limited quantities of its three calendars are being released now, and although they might show as sold out, The Body Shop told us more should become available.
The Body Shop advent calendars include:
- £45 24 Days of advent calendar* – Includes lip butter, mini shower gels, hand cream etc. It says the contents are normally £88ish.
- £65 25 Days deluxe advent calendar* – Includes body butter, lip balm, soap etc. It says the contents are normally £116ish.
- £99 25 Days ultimate advent calendar* – Includes body butter, hand cream, pollution clearing mask etc. It says the contents are normally £214ish.
Last year, the deluxe calendar completely sold out, but the £45 and ultimate calendars were reduced by 20% on 22 Nov – so you could wait to see if there’s a discount, though you may risk them selling out.
Boots
Last year, the Boots No7 advent calendar had contents that would normally cost £150ish for £39. This year, it’s £170ish for £40, stock has already sold out online but some stores still may have a few calendars left.
This calendar sold out quickly last year and was not discounted later, so it’s worth snapping up if it’s something you’d like. See our No7 advent calendar write-up for full details.
3for2 offer
Boots doesn’t normally include its most sought-after gifts in its 3for2 offer, however, we’ve spied a few beauty advent calendars which you’ll still be able to get in its popular gifting offer. These include:
- £35 Sleek ‘A gift a day’ 25-piece calendar* – includes eye pencil, mascara, eyeshadow, nail polish, lipstick etc.
- £35 Jack Wills ‘Beauty advent calendar’ 24-piece* – includes lip balm, body butter, nail polish, body wash etc.
- £40 Laura Ashley ‘Royal bloom’ 24-piece calendar* – includes lip balm, bath foam, body/hand lotion etc.
- £40 Soap & Glory ‘It’s a Calendar, Girls!’ 24-piece* – includes eyeliner, lip gloss, body wash, mascara etc.
L’Occitane
This year, L’Occitane is offering two calendars at two price points – £49 with contents it says are normally £87ish or £89 with contents it says are normally £129ish. Delivery’s free on purchases of over £35. The main differences are:
- £49 ‘Classic beauty’ 24-piece calendar – contains more shower gel and soaps, eg, verbena, almond and shea butter than the ‘luxury’ calendar.
- £89 ‘Luxury advent calendar’ 24-piece – contains more perfumes and face creams, eg, Immortelle and Divine than the ‘classic’ calendar.
Latest in Beauty
Bespoke beauty box retailer Latest in Beauty is offering a 24-piece calendar* this year for £60 plus £3.95 delivery for contents that it says normally cost £230ish including brands like Bareminerals, Ciaté, Charles Worthington and Moroccanoil.
We’ve Blagged a £10 off and free delivery code, so you can get this calendar for £50 delivered. See our Latest in Beauty advent calendar write-up for full details.
Benefit
The Benefit advent calendar* came out on Thu 12 Oct priced at £34.50 for £76ish worth of mini products. The calendar includes products such as ‘They’re Real!’ mascara, Benetint blusher, Hoola bronzer and ‘It’s Potent’ eye cream, but as of 1 Nov it’s sold out with stock unlikely to return before Christmas.
They may be cheaper after Christmas…
While they’re clearly marketed as pre-Christmas items, these beauty advent calendars can sometimes be found at heavily reduced prices after Christmas – so if you’re not in a rush, you may be able to make a bigger saving in the New Year.
However, stock will be limited and popular calendars have sold out long before Christmas in previous years. Whether you buy now or risk waiting, there are some serious savings to be had compared with buying the same products separately.
Will you be buying a beauty advent calendar? Which is the one you wait for? Let us know in the comments below, in the MSE forum, on Twitter at @MSE_Deals or on Facebook.
