Why I don't hate beauty advent calendars...
There's been a backlash against them of late, but there's a few reasons they could be a pretty smart buy...
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When beauty advent calendars first launched some years ago we loved and marvelled at them. What a change from the cheap chocolate advent calendars of our youth and how wonderful that we now get to have an advent calendar as adults!
There’s no denying that - they are, like so many facets of the beauty industry or any capitalist endeavour - aimed at selling us stuff we may or may not need. But that’s the crucial point to note here; beauty advent calendars are great if you…
Like trying new products, but don’t want to buy full size ones.
You travel a lot, and use minis for those trips - and struggle with using refillable pots etc. (They aren’t always disability or neurodivergent friendly for example.)
You pick the right one, and you know from the outset you’ll use 90% of what’s in it, and you’ll regift the rest.
Want to split the cost of them with friends - this is a SMART move!
I get to see a LOT of beauty advent calendars for work. These are the ones I’d personally buy and why….just click the links to read more about them.
Cowshed £248
There’s a lot to love here - the gorge reusable hamper, the useful spa-like products, the sleep mask. What’s epic is that most of the products are actually full-size, making this pretty good value and worth the price IMHO. That also makes it easy to regift anything you don’t want and it brings a little bit of Soho House into your home. I’d be chuffed to get this TBH.
Jo Malone London, £360
If you’re a Jo Malone fan - or a fan of floral, nature-based scents - then this is a great intro to the brand to find your new favourites. Jo Malone London scents are pretty inoffensive and rarely ‘out there’ so there’s relatively little chance anything will make you want to hurl. I would defo use are the Velvet Rose & Oud Cologne Intense (9ml), English Pear & Freesia Body & Hand Wash (50ml), Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense (9ml) and the Pomegranate Noir Mini Candle. There’s a mix of more summery scents and darker ones for the cooler months too, and honestly a couple of these in some tissue paper is a great gift for somebody if you don’t love any of the scents.
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I’ve had one of these before and there’s several reasons it’s very useful. The products aren’t tiny mini’s like with many advent calendars, they’re kinda medium sized so are very useful for travel and gym bags etc. They also cover face, body and make-up so there’s a bit of variety and in this world of flashy new brands, I’ve rarely been disappointed by a Clarins skin/body product in particular. This is one of those calendars that is genuinely useful.
Sephora £199
I’m lucky to get sent a number of advert calendars each year - and this is undoubtedly one of the ones I keep. Why? Because it’s filled with 24 products that are good, and feel exciting - even to a seasoned beauty editor. This year I defo I want to try the Makeup By Mario Rosy Glam Quad Eyeshadow Palette , Huda Beauty Original Liquid Matte Lipstick Full Size - Bombshell and NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment Dragon Girl. Great brands and a decent price for what you actually get.
This one IS expensive - but if you’re a fragrance fan it could be well worth it, because you could get years out of this box of mini scented treats. The packaging is delightful and retro, and my faves are the mini Halfeti EDP, the gorgeous Al Ula eau de parfum Empressa body wash and Maduro Leaf scented candle . There’s a lot to love in here - and you could even go halves on it with somebody, or a partner.
Bobbi Brown £160
As far as useful make-up, wearable shades and top quality products go, this Bobbi 12-day calendar is pretty spot on. There’s 3 full size products included and the travel sizes are epic for small make-up bags and gym bags etc. I fully rate it - and the products would suit plenty of skin tones too (if anything doesn’t….regift!)
