It’s that time of the year again where the advent calendars line the shelves in the supermarkets and when buying your weekly bits and pieces you have a light hearted debate with your other half about which chocolate calendar is the best. I’m definitely a Cadburys & Thorntons girl, where as Alfie is more of a Lindt kind of guy. Around two years a go we saw the rise of beauty advent calendars and now each year there are so many to chose from it’s almost an impossible decision. If you aren’t familiar with a beauty advent calendar, behind each door up until Christmas you are met with travel (and some times full) sized products that you can try out and use. Definitely a little more long lasting than the chocolate that’s for sure. It’s a great pre-christmas gift or treat and also a nice way to discover new brands and products you might not have discovered otherwise. I’m going to give you a brief run down of some of the calendars I’ve got my hands on this year, and don’t worry, I don’t give away the entire contents, only a few sneak peeks. I don’t want to be ruining the surprise for you!
Selfridges Cosmic Beauty Advent Calendar:
Selfridges is a great place to start if you want something a little more luxury. It includes brands such as Khiel’s, Lancome & Giorgio Armarni and includes a great mixture of skincare and makeup. I love the design of this and it feels super sturdy. The only downside to this is that I feel it has a lot of the same brands and considering Selfridges beauty hall is like a makeup and skincare heaven, I was hoping for there to be a bit more variety and a few more full sized items. I bought one of these for my mum as I knew she would love it and that she would like the brands included in it so I’m excited to see what she thinks! I believe this particular calendar may be sold out now, but there is an alternative on the website!
Ciate Mini Mani Month – £49
Ciate are also well known now for having an advent calendar every year for the nail lovers. I personally love ciate polishes and when they are in mini form, they are even better. I don’t know about you but I find them easier to take away, easier to store and I never finish a full size nail polish. If you, or someone you know loves to paint their nails or doesn’t have much of a collection, this is the perfect starter kit (or everything you’ll ever need kit). The selection of colours are amazing and there are some loose glitters thrown in there for the creatives too! The packaging of this is adorable, it’s a little London scene in winter.
Kerastase Advent Calendar – £79.99
I thought this calendar was definitely worth mentioning as it’s by the brand Kerastase who are known for their premium haircare. It’s jam packed with mini shampoos, treatments and post-wash products PERFECT for trying out and taking away with you in your wash bag. I liked that the doors had the foiling silhouette on them so you get an idea of what might be behind it. I do think this is aimed more towards people who get excited by hair products and I know that isn’t all of us but it’s a great introduction to the brand and the products they have!
Charlotte Tilbury Book of Makeup Magic – £150
I was VERY excited to see this little gem in my PO Box! Charlotte Tilbury is a brand that I love everything about, so seeing that she had released a calendar made me very happy. Unlike many of the others however, this only takes you up to day twelve, which I don’t see as a negative at all, as it’s about the products you receive inside. At £150 this is on the slightly more pricey side, and is up there with the Liberty calendar which is only £1 cheaper than this one. Having only peeped at a few of the boxes so I didn’t spoil it for myself, I was happy with the selection of products that I saw. There is a good mixture of makeup and skincare in travel sizes and a full sized lipstick. You all know how much I love a Charlotte Tilbury lipstick! I definitely see this as a little treat or a nice gift for anyone who is really into Charlotte Tilbury or who you know would love it but has yet to try anything. It feels very special, if you know what I mean?
YouBeauty Advent Calendar – £59.95
This one appears to be the best value for money of all the calendars! At only £59.95 for so many amazing brands, including Philip Kingsley, Burts Bees, Nuxe & Pixi it really is VERY exciting. It also includes a lot of variety and quite a few full sized products too! This is one of the few that I am REALLY very excited to open in December.
LookFantastic The Beauty Secret – £70.00
This is on par with the YouBeauty in terms of variation of brands! There are so many amazing ones nestled away in this advent calendar including Eve Lom, Molten Brown and Rimmel . The box itself is so beautiful and alongside the Liberty Calendar is my favourite. It looks like a big fairytale storybook and even has a little poem on the back that made me smile! This too has some full sized products and I would honestly recommend this one to everyone. It’s a good medium price bracket (for a beauty calendar) and the quality is on par with some of the higher priced ones. I almost don’t want to open it and ruin it!
Johnny Loves Rosie – £55
This is a great alternative for non-beauty lovers. I wanted to share this one as I found it a really cool concept. In each day you receive silver or gold plated jewellery including plain chains & charms, earrings and rings! I was a little apprehensive as to whether or not the jewellery would be something I would wear and I would honestly say that 90% of the stuff was so pretty and went straight into my jewellery box. The only downside to this was I felt the actual packaging was quite flimsy and I struggled to neatly open any of the doors, however the products themselves were splendid!
The Body Shop 24 Happy Days – £60
The Body Shop was one of the first brands I can remember doing Beauty Advent Calendars and every year I have had one! I love the Body Shop and I feel that they have something for everyone and the choice and fragrances are extensive. Full of a great variety of travel sized products. I personally love this calendar. I like all their mini products as they’re great for when you go away. Although mostly skincare there is also a couple of makeup bits but it’s definitely one for The Body Shop lovers out there. You’ll end up smelling divine throughout the month of December.
Tanya Burr Cosmetics Deck The Hauls 12 Days of Christmas Beauty Calendar – £25 (Currently £15 at Superdrug!)
My beautiful friend Tanya Burr brought out a 12 days of Christmas calendar this year alongside lot’s of her new makeup range. As this is only for 12 days out of the month, you could chose to open it every other day up until the 24th or for the first or last 12 days (depending on how good your patience is). This is the cheapest advent calendar in the whole blog post and includes full sized products and eye shadows that can only be purchased within this calendar, meaning it’s great value for money! I also absolutely love the design, it’s so cute.
Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar – £149
The most luxurious calendar of the whole bunch is this Liberty one! It looks absolutely gorgeous and it almost takes your breath away when you hold it in your hands. The design is exquisite and delicate and it feels extremely polished. The brands inside include Diptyque, Aromatherapy Associates & Nars plus many more that are just as exciting. Again this is up there with the best diversity in terms of brands and types of products and if you can shell out the £149 as a December treat then it’s totally worth it, especially as the value comes to over £400.
Yankee Candle Reindeer Carousel Advent Calendar – £31.99
One for my fellow candle lovers out there, the Yankee candle advent calendar! Including tealights and votives this calendar offers some of Yankee candles most festive scents for each day leading up to Christmas, including my new favourite scent Candy Cane Lane. Although I’m not a HUGE fan of the design, I love the shape and it definitely feels Christmassy. It’s also a great price and a good way to sample the scents without splashing out on the bigger jars!
In conclusion, this year is definitely the best year for choice with beauty advent calendars and there is no doubt that many people will be opening these doors every day with excitement and surprise. It’s all down to personal preference when it comes to choosing one, but hopefully this has enlightened you and given you a bit of guidance. So whether you want to stick to your chocolate calendar or switch it up for something different, the choice in endless. I now have A LOT of calendars to share out among my friends and family…and I still need to pick up my trusty Cadburys one too!
