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Entertainment

Emily Sleight & Sophie Finnegan

'I tried Marks and Spencer's £300 beauty advent calendar to see if it's worth it'

Marks and Spencer Philip Kingsley Aveda Charlotte Tilbury

As Christmas draws ever closer, people will be already thinking about getting the advent calendars in.

And shoppers are raving about Marks and Spencer's beauty advent calendar for 2022 which has 25 hand-picked cult beauty products. The calendar has already been branded the 'most impressive advent calendar in the UK market' with something for all beauty lovers.

Inside there is everything from skincare and fragrance to makeup and pamper products, so there's plenty to choose from. The Christmas calendar has seven full-size items and a mixture of miniature products too - but is it worth the hype?

This particular advent calendar is priced at £300 however you can get it for £40 when you spend £30 on clothing, homeware and beauty. And so Emily Sleight, from the Liverpool Echo has bought and reviewed it so you don't have to and here's what she thought...

I'm someone that doesn't really spend a lot of money on advent calendars at all, in fact, I'm quite happy with a cheap chocolate advent calendar for a couple of quid for a chocolate fix. Last year, I think I forked out about £10 for a Ferrero Rocher advent calendar, but that's as far as I've ever stretched.

I've always loved the idea of beauty advent calendars, and often drool over big brand offerings such as the Jo Malone or the new Charlotte Tilbury advent calendars. Because of the money factor, I've always held back, but getting the M&S Advent Calendar for £40 if you spent £30 sounded much more realistic to me - so I thought I'd dig in.

The packaging

Marks and Spencer's beauty advent calendar is priced at £300 (Emily Sleight/Liverpool Echo)

There's no doubt that this advent calendar is nothing short of beautiful. It has a gorgeous pink and gold design in a sturdy box with really nicely individually packaged products.

The advent calendar has a real weight to it, which shows just how many products you get for your money. Once the top lid is lifted, your top section of products is revealed, with the bottom section of goodies tucked away in a nifty pull-out drawer.

Just one glance at this advent calendar and you can tell that it's an expensive one. What I really like is the fact that it doesn't feel too tacky or plastic, it's just right, and offers the perfect balance of festive and luxury beauty in a box.

The bottom drawer is a little stiff and wobbly, but that could be because it's holding a lot of items inside it. As a whole, I absolutely love the packaging offers femininity with just the right amount of sparkle.

The contents

Considering the advent calendar is priced at £300, I was definitely expecting some luxury brands in my unboxing, and I was not disappointed. It features brands such as Clinique, Ren skincare, Aveda, Phillip Kingsley and Origins.

I was really impressed with the Aveda and Phillip Kingsley product choices which in my opinion are very posh brands. I’d only ever use brands like these on my hair if I’d been to the hairdressers for a treatment, so these options were a really nice treat.

If you don’t want any spoilers on what the full advent calendar contains, I’d advise you to look away now because I’m going to tell you the full list.

The M&S Beauty Advent Calendar contains:

Skincare

Origins Checks & Balances™ Frothy Face Wash
This Works In Transit Camera Close-Up Moisturiser
Emma Hardie Midas Touch Revitalising Cream
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
NUXE Merveillance Lift Powder Cream
Lumene Nordic-C Sleeping Cream
REN Radiance Brightening Dark Circle Eye Cream
PRAI Beauty Ageless Eye Tight Uplift Serum
Ultrasun Lip Protection & Care SPF 30

Bath & Body

Apothecary Meditate Body Wash
L’Occitane Dry Skin Hand Cream
Fragrance Society Hand & Nail Cream

Make up

Clinique High Impact Mascara
Eyeko Limitless Long-Wear Pencil Eyeliner
Autograph Colour Balm Lip Shine in Peach

Nails

Nails INC Be Your Inc.redible Self (in two shades)

Fragrance

Discover Warm Neroli Eau De Toilette
Shay & Blue Black Tulip

Hair

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Deep Conditioning Treatment
Philip Kingsley Body Building Weightless Shampoo
Philip Kingsley Body Building Weightless Conditioner
Aveda Botanical Repair Intensive Strengthening Masque
Percy & Reed Turn Up The Volume Volumising Mousse

The pros

I think there's an amazing range of different products in the M&S Beauty Advent Calendar that you don't always get with some beauty advent calendars. As much as the Charlotte Tilbury one does look amazing, it only contains 12 doors, but the M&S one contains the full 25 which is a massive pro for me.

Although there's a lot of mini products in the advent calendar, it also contains a whopping seven full-size products which again, I think is quite rare. The £40 price tag for when you spend £30 is so easily achievable, and I think it's ridiculously good value for money for the amount you get.

It also looks absolutely gorgeous, which is a total plus for me. Flimsy beauty advent calendars often don't have that 'luxury' feel, but this one ticks all the boxes with a bit of added pink.

The cons

I would've really liked to have a few more full-size products in the advent calendar, but understand that's a bit of a cheeky request. Perhaps I'm being greedy, but some of the mini products wouldn't last me five minutes. The drawer of the box is also a little bit stiff too, but that's not the end of the world.

In terms of brands, I think M&S have got it spot on. I'll be honest, some of these brands I haven't even heard of, but that's all part of trying out new things. For those that don't want to spend the £30 in M&S, I do think £300 is incredibly steep - it's so worth spending that £30 on a bra or an array of yummy Marks and Spencer foods just to get the money off.

The verdict

I'm overall really impressed with this advent calendar. Would I spend £300 on it? Absolutely not, I'd only get this after spending £30 in store - just because I think £300 is a lot of money on an advent calendar.

The product range is really impressive and it offers just the right amount of well-known brands and not so well known brands to help shoppers try out something new. It's exciting, luxurious, and a great way to treat yourself on the lead-up to Christmas.

For those shoppers who fancy a bit of self-care this festive season, the Marks and Spencer advent calendar is so worth it. You can purchase the M&S Beauty Advent Calendar here.

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