It’s December 1 which means many of us have rushed to open the first doors on our advent calendars this morning - be it chocolate, beauty or in my case, opening one filled with venison treats for my dogs.
Over the last few weeks, Manchester Evening News have been taking a look inside some of the best beauty advent calendars that money can buy - and they’ll save you a fortune on makeup and skincare in the long run.
One advent calendar, from River Island, went on sale for just £35 and contained a whopping £290 worth of products, including top rated brands like Spectrum and Eyeko.
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We’ve rounded up some of our favourites from this year - some of which are still available to buy for a reduced price now that December has begun.
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis previously suggested that beauty advent calendars containing a high value of products inside is a great way to save cash at Christmas. The consumer expert suggested dividing the contents of beauty advent calendars up and giving them out as gifts to different people if you're looking to save cash on buying things individually - a particularly handy hack now that we’ve missed out on door number one.
Here are our top beauty advent calendars of 2022, and ones that are certainly worth keeping an eye on when they launch next year, too.
LookFantastic
The LookFantastic advent calendar was originally £95, containing 26 beauty products behind 25 doors, worth more than £500.
The star of the LookFantastic Advent Calendar is the £59 PMD Mini Clean, followed by a Disciple GuaSha worth £30 and ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Moisturiser worth a whopping £50.
By my count, there are 13 skin and body care products, four hair care products, seven cosmetics and two fragrance items, which makes for a pretty great mix of pamper products.
My personal favourites include the Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm, worth £9.50 and the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Booster, which I’ve also tried in the past.
The calendar went on sale earlier this week, reduced to £75, but a discount code saw shoppers bag it for £71, making it a real bargain. It’s since, perhaps unsurprisingly, sold out.
Our verdict: “The LookFantastic Advent Calendar provides everything you need for your pamper routine throughout December and beyond, offering high end, luxury brands you may not otherwise have afforded or treated yourself to.
“The fact that two of the product total more than the price you pay for the box, it’s pretty good going, and if you happen to come across a product you’re unlikely to use, you can pop it in with someone’s Christmas present to save yourself a bit of cash and spread the festive cheer.”
You can read the full review here.
Glossybox
Filled with 28 beauty products and three dual doors from best-selling beauty brands, Glossybox’s advent calendar was a real treat to unbox. Including brands like Glossier, Milk Makeup, 111Skin and Refy, it was brimming with 14 full size and 14 deluxe minis that would see me through the New Year and beyond.
Priced at £99, the products inside are worth £443 - a huge saving of £358 for shoppers. However, if you use the code GLOSSY40 you can get 40 per cent off, making it just £60.
Our verdict: “Although it’s one of the more expensive beauty advent calendars I’ve been able to analyse this year, it’s one of the best too, featuring`brands and products I’ll genuinely use. There’s a really great variety included from makeup must-haves to TikTok sensations, each door truly holds a moment of beauty joy.”
You can read the full review here .
Arran Sense of Scotland
This bath and body advent calendar is priced at £70, holding £140 worth of indulgent spa-like products that remind you to take five minutes for yourself to unwind. Particularly important after all that Christmas shopping and making sure everything is ready for the big day.
Packed to the brim with classic Arran fragrances and a selection of exclusive products, the advent calendar will provide a little indulgence during the Christmas countdown with 25 extra special treats to be discovered.
Products include shower gel, miniature candles and creamy body lotion as well as hand soaps, shampoo and conditioner in some of their most loved scents, including Glen Rosa, Seaweed and Sage, and Machrie.
While this hasn’t come down in price, the website states that there are less than 30 left , so if you want one, you’ll have to be quick.
Our verdict: "After The Rain is an incredible scent that feels like you’ve run in from out of the drizzle, popped the log fire on and begun to thaw out. It’s a warm hug in fragrance form, and I’m so thrilled to see it behind seven of the doors in this calendar. That’s another fabulous thing about these calendars, is that you can discover new and exciting products for less, before deciding if you want to commit to a full-size.
“With contents worth over £140, the calendar is a wonderful treat for fans of the brand or those who are looking to try a flavour of the beautiful range of products. It feels extremely magical, and the relaxing and uplifting scents are the opportune way to have a moment of mindfulness at the end of the day. They’re all very spa-like, costing a fraction of an actual trip to the spa, too.”
Read the full review of the Arran Sense of Scotland advent calendar here.
Revolution
The Makeup Revolution You Are The Revolution 25 Day Advent Calendar 2022 is worth a whopping £94, but retailed for less than half that, at £45. Now, shoppers can bag a further £13 off, making it just £32 - saving a total of £62 on the price if purchased individually.
The Revolution calendar is designed to set shoppers up with 25 days of ‘ultimate glam’ , including full sized products such as lip glosses, highlighters, eyeliners, accessories and all new exclusive products for beauty lovers this Christmas.
The new and reduced price makes every product inside less than £1.30, which is even cheaper than brands like Natural Collection and 17, but with quality that has seen the brand compared to the likes of Charlotte Tilbury.
Our verdict: “The Revolution You Are The Revolution 25 Day Advent Calendar 2022 is a fantastic beauty advent calendar for those who want in on the trend without spending a fortune. From what I’ve already unboxed, all of the products seem pretty universal for all skin tones, and therefore would make the ideal gift for your loved ones, or a treat for yourself.”
You can find our full unboxing and review here .
M&S
Marks and Spencer’s beauty advent calendar contains 25 hand-picked cult beauty products with seven full size items and a mixture of miniature products too. Whether you're into your skincare, fragrance, makeup or pamper products, the calendar is said to offer it all for beauty lovers.
To bag the calendar for just £40, shoppers do have to spend £30 in store, which is ideal if you were planning to do some Christmas shopping anyway. The advent calendar quickly sold out online, but is still available in some stores.
Our verdict: “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.
“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.”
River Island
The River Island beauty advent calendar 2022 provides nearly £300 worth of makeup and skincare products for around a tenth of the price after being reduced by more than 50 per cent ahead of December. Worth £290, the calendar was initially priced at £79, but was later reduced to £35 – naturally, it sold out pretty quickly after that.
Inside, is 24 boxes packed with cosmetics, skin and hair care products, including 18 full sized products, four travel sized products and two sample sized products to ensure you have the most pampered Christmas countdown.
The set includes some extremely popular names and viral products such as Spectrum, Eyeko and Revolution, with mascaras for flutter-worthy lashes and lipsticks for that perfect pout.
Our verdict: “The Shay and Blue Blood Orange 10ml perfume included is worth £25 alone, while the River Island Amber and Vanilla perfume is worth £16, which exceeds my investment in just two boxes, making everything else essentially free. With 22 more days left to uncover, you can already see what great value for money it is at the newly reduced price.”
READ NEXT:
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I tried the LookFantastic Advent Calendar which gets you over £500 worth of products for under £100
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I tried the Revolution beauty advent calendar and it’s the best budget buy for Christmas
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I tried the Glossybox advent calendar worth over £400 and I'm obsessed with every single product
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River Island shoppers who spent £35 can get £290 worth of gifts ahead of Black Friday
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I tried a £70 bath and body advent calendar that’s cheaper than going to the spa
