The Christmas advent calendars for skin care and make-up are back better than ever, owing to high demand year on year. Advent calendars are often sold out long before the ‘big day’, with some now available in September, and many brands offering a waitlist for those who really don’t want to miss out.

In previous years, I detailed these offers in December, but readers were disappointed the calendars were often sold out by the time of publication, so hopefully highlighting them earlier this year will mean we all get our hands on the one we want.

The public know a good deal when they see one, and these calendars generally offer exceptional value in the hope that once you’ve tried the various contents, you will love them and become a regular customer of that brand. This relatively new phenomenon has proved beneficial for both companies and customers. There are options to suit all budgets, so here is a small selection to tempt you if you don’t already have a favourite brand.

Luxury
I won’t devote too much space here, as I suspect these are for the minority. My top three high-end choices are:
• Liberty of London at £260 (worth £1,205)
• Harrods at £250 (2024 price, worth £1,599)
• Fortnum & Mason for £265 (worth £1,080)
While they may not fall within your budget, they still offer great value in the luxury market.

Marks & Spencer
The M&S beauty advent calendar contains 11 full-sized and a variety of travel-sized products presented in a stylish navy velvet vanity case. Touted as one of the best value offerings, it costs just £50 when you spend £35 in store or online (easy to do during gifting season), and is worth over £300.

Boots
With various offerings to tempt you, Boots is a destination in itself, as all the cosmetic counters will be offering their own versions for both men and women. Boots’ own-brand options include a 24-day skincare calendar for £65 with 16 full-sized products (worth £242); a 24-day beauty calendar for £99 with 12 full-sized and 12 travel-sized products (worth £365); and their No7 ultimate 25-day beauty calendar for £175 with all full-sized products and a value of over £514.

Liz Earle
With 12 carefully selected products, including their award-winning Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser, this is a great option at £79 (worth £178). With two full-sized products and ten miniatures, it’s a great oppotunity to test the Liz Earle products before committing to the full-sized versions.

Other options
It’s worth spending time online finding the best fit for you – whether you like a specific brand, or a particular selection of products appeals to you, these beauty and skincare calendars offer an incredible opportunity to stock up on top brands at a fraction of the usual price.
Some other brands with great offerings include Clarins (£155), Charlotte Tilbury (£170), John Lewis (£195), Bobbi Brown (£160) and Space NK (£250).

These calendars are very sought-after, so if you’re thinking about investing this year, make sure you get organised and don’t miss out!