Forget chocolate countdowns, beauty advent calendars are the festive tradition that adds a touch of luxury to the Christmas period. From Liberty and Harrods to LOOKFANTASTIC and Elemis, these calendars can include everything from premium skincare and cult make-up to pampering staples and men’s grooming essentials.
Treating yourself to a beauty gift every day of December is a decadent way to countdown the season but tends to come with a hefty price tag. Enter M&S’s offering.
A sell-out hit year after year, the high street stalwart is offering an indulgent edit of winter beauty essentials from household names such as Benefit, Clinique, Ren, Percy & Reed and Living Proof. The calendar costs just £50 when you spend £35 in-store or online on beauty, home and clothing (which is easily done, thanks to M&S’s stellar autumn fashion collection and new homeware).
Spanning haircare, skincare, body care, fragrance and make-up, the line-up boasts an overall value of more than £300. Plus, it’s packaged in a velvet vanity case.
From my review to the full line-up (spoilers ahead), here’s your lowdown on the M&S beauty advent calendar for 2024.
How I tested
To find out if M&S’s offering remains one of the best affordable Christmas countdowns, I delved into the calendar’s contents well before December (someone had to do it). Assessing the variety of products inside, the range of brands, packaging and value for money, here’s my verdict on M&S’s beauty advent calendar for 2024.
M&S beauty advent calendar 2024
M&S’s curated line-up of 25 beauty gifts includes haircare, make-up, body care, skincare and fragrance, with 11 full-size products and 14 travel-sized minis. Unlike other brand’s offerings, M&S’s is packaged in a navy velvet vanity case – which is far more useful than the boxes that most advent calendars come in. I still use my vanity case from last year’s calendar as storage and for travel, so I’m pleased to have another one in the mix.
Packaging aside, there is a lot to get excited about here. When it comes to haircare, it’s your chance to try 75ml travel-sized versions of Color Wow’s colour security shampoo (£21.50 for full size, Marksandspencer.com) and conditioner (£21.50 for full size, Marksandspencer.com). The duo is deserving of its cult status, with the formulas freshening up colour while leaving hair shiny and sleek (after all, the brand’s creative director is none other than Kim Kardashian’s stylist Chris Appleton).
There’s also a full-size Percy & Reed’s tame that mane smoothing blow dry cream (£20, Marksandspencer.com), which fights frizz before hair styling. Meanwhile, Philip Kingsley’s elasticizer (£21 for full size, Marksandspencer.com) needs little introduction, with the popular formula adding bounce and volume to dull hair – the perfect pick-me-up during party season. Another hair highlight is a 60ml Living Proof PhD five-in-one styling treatment (£28 for full size, Marksandspencer.com). I was late to the party with this one but it’s a new go-to for adding volume before blow drying, without that dreaded tacky feeling.
The mini premium skincare offering lets you sample some seriously good products, including Clinique’s take the day off balm (£34 for full size, Marksandspencer.com). This gentle formula is solid but turns into a silky oil upon application, immediately melting away any face and eye make-up. Then there’s Ren’s gentle cleansing milk (£25 for 150ml, Marksandspencer.com), which soothes and cleans skin, thanks to its nourishing blackcurrant-seed-oil-infused formula.
The make-up line-up is smaller but offers stellar value for money, with Benefit’s fan fest mascara (Marksandspencer.com) worth £27 alone. The curved brush helps give volume and length from root to tip, with the black finish creating a doll-eye effect. The Pixi kohl eyeliner (£12, Marksandspencer.com), meanwhile, boasts a precise tip for lining along your lid and waterline, for a smoky eye, and Dr PawPaw’s ultimate red tinted lip balm hydrates your pout while adding a subtle red stain.
The 30ml L’Occitane shea hand cream (£9.50, Marksandspencer.com) is a nice mini to throw in your bag for nourishing your hands on the go, while Cowshed relax bath and body shower duo (£38, Marksandspencer.com) has a soothing lavender scent that elevates your shower time.
Helping your nails look fresh, you’ll also find two Nails Inc polishes (in cranberry red and lilac-hued nude). Nails Inc’s polishes are some of the best drugstore varnishes you can buy, as they don’t chip as fast as other formulas.
M&S has gone viral for its perfumes of late (see the sold-out Le Labo santal 33 alternative), and the calendar gives you a taster, with the velvet amber eau de toilette (£10, Marksandspencer.com), which is said to be reminiscent of Chanel’s iconic no5 scent. Plus, you’ll find the warm and sweet Floral Street vanilla orchid eau de parfum (£29, Marksandspencer.com) inside the calendar.
Buy now £50.00, Marksandspencer.com
The verdict: M&S beauty advent calendar 2024
From fragrances and make-up to elevate your festive looks to skincare and body care to combat the effects of one too many parties, the M&S calendar is surprisingly cheap for just £50. Haircare and make-up are where the calendar really excels, with generously sized products, including Color Wow and Benefit, adding to its value for money. Available now, make sure to snap up one up before it inevitably sells out.
Is LOOKFANTASTIC’s beauty advent calendar this year’s best value for money?
