Words by Siobhan Grogan
Forget chocolate. Get in the festive spirit early this year with a bumper box of beauty treats that will last long after the tree has been taken down.
From high-end skincare to luxury makeup, beauty advent calendars are packed full of decadent goodies to perk up even the darkest December. With nearly all the big names now producing their own calendars, it’s a great chance to try a range of products before you commit to buying full-size versions, or you might prefer to stick with a brand you love for no-risk rewards. If you fancy a daily surprise, choose a calendar that offers a mix of treats from various lines so you’ll never know what’s coming next. Beauty advent calendars make great early Christmas gifts too – if you can bear to part with them, that is.
Charlotte Tilbury Lucky Chest Of Beauty Secrets
Trust celebrity make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury to come up with the most glamorous advent calendar possible. A treasure chest with jewel-handled drawers, this will look impressive on any dressing table after Christmas and would make the perfect jewellery box.
Inside, there are range of Charlotte’s covetable beauty and skincare products, although sadly only 12 so you won’t have a full month of treats to enjoy. Every one is an instant makeup bag upgrade with stand-out products including a travel-size Beauty Light Wand for a luminous glow, a full-size Hot Lips 2 lipstick in a flattering rose colour and a frankly miraculous Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray to guarantee your makeup stays put.
Price: £160
Worth: £225
Where to buy: charlottetilbury.com
ESPA Wellbeing Advent Calendar
If you’re craving me-time this Christmas, you won’t be disappointed by this generous ESPA calendar, which is crammed with 24 of the brand’s best-sellers. This is particularly well-suited to anyone who prefers skincare over makeup and includes bath oils, exfoliating balms, shower gels and pulse point oils rich in fragrant essential oils. Our favourite skincare picks include the miraculous Tri-Active Regenerating Moisture Complex and Overnight Flow Enzyme Peel, while the Fortifying Bath and Body Oil and Active Nutrients Optimal Body Tri-Serum will turn your bathroom into a spa to while away the winter nights in peace.
Price: £175
Worth: £419
Where to buy: espaskincare.com
LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty Advent Calendar 2023
Christmas will definitely come early if you get your hands on this jam-packed box of goodies from LOOKFANTASTIC. A great option if you want to try new products and discover top-notch brands, it’s one of the most generous beauty advent calendars available this year, with 25 doors to open and 27 products inside – 12 of which are full-size. These include skincare, makeup, haircare and body care treats so you really will get a surprise each day.
Expect cult products and must-have buys inside that will last you all the way through 2024, including an ICONIC London Day to Slay Eyeshadow Palette, NARS Orgasm Blusher, ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Marine Moisture Essence and even a deluxe-sized Aery Living x LOOKFANTASTIC Winter Thyme Candle. With a calendar this good, who needs presents on Christmas morning?
Price: £99
Worth: £565
Where to buy: lookfantastic.com
GLOSSYBOX Feel The Magic Advent Calendar 2023
There’s no risk of being palmed off with miniatures and teeny samples in this extravagant calendar with a surprisingly small price tag. Behind the 25 doors are a vast range of full or deluxe sized products which really make this calendar feel like excellent value, from a Medik8 Micellar Mousse worth £25 to a Ciate I Am Woman Eyeshadow Palette worth £42.
Though there are some big names including ESPA, L’Occitane and Rodial hidden behind the doors, this calendar is also a great chance to try some lesser known, trend-led brands including Floral Street, Grow Gorgeous and Beautypro. There are some unexpected goodies too, including DIY eyelash extensions, Batiste Dry Shampoo, a makeup brush set and even a satin pillowcase, making this calendar as useful as it is indulgent.
Price: £80
Worth: £473
Where to buy: glossybox.co.uk
Rituals Premium Advent Calendar
Not every advent calendar looks exciting on the shelf but this one could easily pass for a Christmas decoration in its own right. Once assembled, it forms a cute-as-a-button winter village with included LED lights to make the windows glow and it looks so good on display, we (almost) didn’t want to open it.
There’s a beautifully scented Rituals product inside every mini house and eight are full-sized so you won’t feel short-changed. It’s a dream for anyone craving a little festive pampering, containing a mix of body scrubs, hand balms, body lotion mousse, foaming shower gel and four candles for each Sunday of advent. There’s even a car perfume, home perfume and fragrance sticks so you can feel cocooned in luxury long into the New Year.
Price: £165
Worth: £295.50
Where to buy: rituals.com
The 12 Days Of Oskia
Want to prioritise sumptuous skincare over opening doors through December? This is the calendar for you. Oskia’s nod to the 12 days of advent includes a selection of its hero products to celebrate the festive season, all packaged in a smart red vegan leather vanity case perfect for reusing after Christmas. Inside, there are three accessories including a quartz facial tool and ten deluxe travel-sized products guaranteed to revamp your skin.
The brand specialises in cellular skin nutrition using complex actives, liposome technology and patented micro-encapsulation so this is a great chance to overhaul your skincare routine in one swoop, with a cleansing gel, restoration oil, day cream, hydra-serum and more. Whether you can resist opening them all in one go on the very first day of December is another matter.
Price: £170
Worth: £255
Where to buy: oskiaskincare.com
The White Company Advent Calendar
In keeping with the brand’s crisp white aesthetic, this calendar was one of the most stylish we tested and will undoubtedly attract envious glances from any festive visitors. The sleek white box has an elegant wreath design on the front and 25 – yes, 25! – drawers inside, with extra-large ones for the 1st of December and Christmas Day itself.
There are all sorts of delights from The White Company inside including mini home sprays, shower gels, hand creams and body lotions in some of the brand’s irresistible fragrances including grapefruit and mandarin, bergamot and cedar and pomegranate. Best of all, there are three deliciously scented candles and even a silver star-shaped pomander you could hang on the tree for years to come.
Price: £175
Worth: £273
Where to buy: thewhitecompany.com
Macmillan 24 Doors Of Joy Beauty Advent Calendar
Spread a little Christmas cheer this December by investing in this calendar from Boots, which donates £2 to Macmillan Cancer Support with every one bought. It comes in a cheery, brightly coloured box and features a range of Boots’ best-selling products from Soap and Glory, Liz Earl, Champneys, Ted Baker and No7.
There’s a good selection of makeup and body products inside including body butter, sheet masks, lip and cheek tint and eye cream, as well as an eyelash curler and pillow mist. Skincare devotees will be particularly pleased to sample the must-have Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser and the highly-praised No7 Protect and Perfect Intense ADVANCED Night Cream which works wonders on wrinkles and is scientifically proven to provide 24-hour moisturisation while you snooze.
Price: £90 (on offer at £44 at the time of publication)
Worth: Over £167
Where to buy: boots.com
Jo Loves Advent Calendar
It’s no surprise an advent calendar from Jo Malone’s newest fragrance brand is chock-full of divine-smelling treats. Beautifully packaged as a round red and gold bauble, there are 25 products inside including five exclusive Jo Loves x Warner House baubles to add some serious style to your Christmas tree.
There are also a whole range of fragrances, lotions, creams and shower gels inside, including the brand’s newest fragrance Amber, Lime and Bergamot. The Christmas candles are a real highlight, in scents including roasted chestnuts and gingerbread, and – spoiler alert! – there’s even a voucher for a 100ml fragrance included on Christmas Day itself.
Price: £365
Worth: £580
Where to buy: joloves.com
Shiseido Advent Calendar
Planning a New Year skin makeover? One of the oldest cosmetics companies in the world, Japanese brand Shiseido is renowned for its cutting-edge technology and high quality, effective products that deliver noticeable results. This advent calendar is the perfect introduction to its magical range so you can try before you splurge on full-size versions in 2024.
It includes the odd pampering treat including perfumed body lotion and a shimmering non-sticky lip gloss, but it’s the skincare that will really wow you. Expect to be smitten by the BENEFIANCE Wrinkle Smoothing Contour Serum, the VITAL PERFECTION Uplifting and Firming Cream and the iconic ULTIMUNE Power Infusing Concentrate which nourishes and smooths skin and has won a staggering 200 beauty awards for its glow-giving genius.
Price: £160
Worth: £397
Where to buy: shiseido.co.uk
