With only a month to go before the first window is opened the best beauty advent calendars are selling out quickly. Here’s our round-up to help you make that important decision
Yes, we know Halloween has only just happened but with our minds turning to autumn nail designs and more hydrating skincare, the hype around Christmas beauty advent calendars 2023 has begun and is on a roll. So much so that lots of calendars have already sold out - yes, we're looking at you Space NK and Look Fantastic.
But never fear because there are plenty of others out there with lots to go round depending on whether you're looking for super luxe options, budget-friendly calendars, one for your bestie, the man in your life or even the teenager in your life.
So enjoy our round-up of some of the best Christmas beauty advent calendars 2023 out there, and everything you need to know about them to make that purchase decision a little bit easier.
Price: £180
Value: £205
Windows: 12
Available from: now
What’s inside: A mix of established and classic products and some new finds too. This calendar is everything your hair needs. There are shampoo and conditioners, dry shampoo, scalp treatments, hair oils and a shower gel too.
Why you should buy it: If you are a hair obsessive then this beauty advent calendar is perfect and will keep you stocked up with products for months. Also a great calendar to gift someone else as it’s suitable for all hair types so very universal. 10 per cent of the proceeds of the calendar are going to the Amazon Rainforest (the source and inspiration for many of the ingredients used in the products) preservation and carbon sequestration.
The heritage one: L’Occitane Advent Calendar
Price: £62
Value: £122.50
Windows: 24
Available from: now
What’s inside: Containing 24 of the brands best-selling products, this is a great way to either discover them for the first time or stock up on already loved lotions and potions. The products span skincare, body and shower, hair and hands so you’re opening up a mix of deluxe and travel-size version of their iconic Immortelle Divine Cream, Verbena Shower Gel, Shea Butter Hand Cream and the Almond Solid Shampoo.
Why you should buy it: The calendar itself not only look gorgeous - there’s a pop-up olive tree in the centre to represent the Provençal landscape where L’Occitane comes from but it’s made from recyclable and completely sustainable materials. Plus you also get free next-day delivery if you buy it online.
The one for the man in your life: Harry’s Christmas Cracker Advent Calendar
Price: £99
Value: n/a
Windows: 24
What’s inside: Everything your boyfriend, husband, partner, brother, dad etc. could possibly want and need. We’re talking razors, razor stands, nail clippers, shower gels, eye cream, face cream, shaving cream, face wash and gift bags too.
Why you should buy it: As well as brilliant products inside, Harry’s is donating £10k to Shout, a free and confidential messaging service that helps those struggling with their mental health during the holiday period and any other time.
The super luxe skincare one: Dr Barbara Sturm Advent Calendar
Price: £450
Value: £1118!
Windows: 24
Available from: now
What’s inside: Housed in the beautiful jewellery-box style case are 24 of the brand’s best-sellers. A mix of deluxe, mini and full-size products including the iconic Glow Drops which instantly transforms the skin to make it look luminous and healthy. You’ll also find cleansers, serums, hand cream, SPF, body cream, lip balm and even a gentle detangling comb.
Why you should buy it: If this is within your budget and a Dr Barabara Sturm fan already then you are getting a lot of products for almost a third of the price so in that sense it’s value for money. This is a luxe beauty advent calendar for a luxe budget.
The Beauty Editor approved one: Latest in Beauty x Sunday Times Style*
Price: £175 BUT we have an exclusive GTG code to get £30 off making it £145!
Value: £700
Number of windows: 24
Available from: now
What’s inside: With a staggering 19 full-sized products and five deluxe-sized products this is an absolute bumper beauty calendar. In the mix you will open up products from Charlotte Tilbury, Aveda, Votary, Living Proof, Sam McKnight, Oskia and Tatcha. All housed in a festive red calendar.
Why you should buy it: Not only have all the products been chosen and curated by Sunday Times Beauty Editor, Sarah Jossel, so you know you’re getting an expertly picked edit, but we have an exclusive offer for all Get The Gloss Readers to get £30 off the full price until the end of October. That is a lot of top-end luxury beauty goodies that will last you well into 2024 for a great price.
Use code GTGAC30 at checkout to get £30 off for the first 500 people.
The one with the most full-sized products: Space NK Beauty Advent Calendar
Price: £238
Value: £1008
Number of windows: 25
Available from: SOLD OUT!
What’s inside: There is a reason that this is the beauty advent calendar everyone waits for with baited breath, and this year is no exception. It contains 33 products in total and 19 - yes 19 - of them are full size! And in the mix you’ll find all the best brands. We’re talking Charlotte Tilbury, Hourglass, Necessaire, Kate Somerville, Kosas, Olaplex, Boy Smells, Summer Fridays, Rose Inc and so many more.
Why you should buy it: While it is a substantial initial outlay you really are getting amazing value with this advent calendar. There isn’t one dud product in the 33. Nearly every single product has been reviewed and raved about on Get The Gloss this year.
The bath bomb one: Lush Christmas Buds Advent Calendar
Price: £125
Value: n/a
Number of windows: 25
Available from: online and in-store now
What’s inside: bath bombs galore alongside fun and whimsical bubble bars as well as putty like soap and cleansing bars.
Why you should buy this: This is the perfect advent calendar for either the bath lover in your life or to buy as a household so that everyone can elevate their next bath time experience. GTG’s Beauty Director, SJ is buying it for her Lush obsessed daughters to share.
The one you’ll use as a decoration: Rituals Premium Advent Calendar
Price: £165
Value: £295.50
Number of windows: 24
Available from: via the app and online now, in store from October
What’s inside: Tucked into each little house you will find six full-size products alongside really good sizes of items such as their in-car fragrance system, candles, shower gels, body and hand lotions plus a diffuser set.
Why you should buy this: The calendar itself is genuinely so gorgeous you can display it as a miniature Christmas village decoration. And the products inside are some of the brand’s best all of which smell amazing.
The one with that gives back: Cult Beauty Advent Calendar
Price: £225
Value: £1084
Number of windows: 25
Available from: available now
What’s inside: There are 20 full-size products in this advent calendar. That is quite something. And all of the 39 products are from brands you either already use or will have wanted to try. We’re talking Augustinus Bader, 111Skin, Hourglass, Kinship and The Seated Queen. Not only that but hidden inside three calendars are Golden Tickets for a £1000 shopping spree on Cult Beauty.
Why you should buy this: As well as getting a brilliant advent calendar you will be helping with a philanthropic endeavour with your purchase. Cult Beauty will be donating over £60,000 of sales from the advent calendar to the charity, Mental Health UK to help previously marginalised communities close to Cult Beauty’s heart; LGBTQIA+, black and ethnic minorities. Also, for every calendar sold, a tree will be planted via the More Trees initiative.
The Fair Trade one: The Body Shop The Advent Calendar of Change
Price: £59
Value: £119.50
Number of windows: 24
Available from: available now
What’s inside: A selection of substantial sized products including shower gel, hand creams, face masks and the brand’s inimitable body butters.
Why you should buy this: Not only are all the products made from natural and responsibly sourced ingredients but it really celebrates the relationship The Body Shop has with all of its Fair Trade partners from the products itself to the packaging. And talking of packaging, the calendar has been made with repurposed and recycled materials and is recyclable.
The one for cat lovers: Paul & Joe Advent Calendar
Price: £84
Value: n/a
Number of windows: 24
Available from: now
What’s inside: Filled with cute makeup pieces, skin and body care as well as a handy tote bag also emblazoned with .
Why you should buy it: Surely this is the most perfect gift for the cat lover in your life?
The sells out every year one: Jo Malone London Advent Calendar
Price: £350
Value: n/a
Number of windows: 25
Available from: now
What’s inside: Housed in the brand’s recognisable cream boxes are 25 boxes (they are most definitely more substantial than a window) with an overall gingerbread themed design. Each is filled with miniature colognes, scented candles and bath and body products.
Why you should buy it: Along with the Liberty London advent calendar this is one of the most iconic and sought after calendars every year thanks to the decent sized products and the fact that all of them are brilliant.
The body care one: Soap & Glory It’s A Pinker Wonderland Advent Calendar
Price: £46
Value: £87.78
Number of windows: 24
Available from: available to buy now
What’s inside: this is a body care obsessives idea of heaven. There are body butters, scrubs, milks and washes galore. There are five different types of mask as well as a scrunchie, nail file, seated candle, cleansing pad and massaging face mitt.
Why you should buy it: Not only is it great value but it contains the sort of products that make this a great gift for any member of the family.
The luxe bath time one: Molton Brown Advent Calendar
Price: £210
Value: n/a
Number of windows: 24
Available from: available to buy now
What’s inside: Lots and lots of gorgeously scented hand washes, bath and body products plus a candle and a Christmas tree bauble too.
Why you should buy it: Not only are the products great but the whole thing has been made using 100 per cent recycled materials, even the ribbon on the front is made from 70 per cent recycled plastic.
The makeup bag filler one: Benefit All I Want Advent Calendar
Price: £145
Value: £281.72
Number of windows: 24
Available from: available now
What’s inside: Everything you need to restock your makeup bag. There are primers, a full-size mascara as well as three fun-size mascara (perfect for popping in your handbag or gym bag), brow products galore and blushers as well as the brand’s iconic Hoola bronzer.
Why you should buy it: This would be a great beauty advent calendar to share with a friend or a colleague so you can divide up the products for who they would suit best.
The refill one: Neal’s Yard Refill Collection
Price: £89
Value: over £165
Number of windows: 12
Available from: now
What’s inside: These are the 12 products that are available in this year’s Neal’s Yard advent calendar. The idea being that if you saved your calendar from last year (or if you saved any calendar from last year) that you can restock it with these products. There are seven full-size products including a pillow mist, hand cream, calming temple salve and hydrating moisturiser and then smaller (but still substantial) sized shower gel, facial oil and bath products.
Why you should buy it: If you’re looking to be slightly kinder to the planet (there is a big eco debate around beauty advent calendars) then this is one way to tap into advent calendars with less packaging and product waste.
The everyday skincare one: 12 Days of Liz Earle Beauty Advent Calendar
Price: £75
Value: 174.50
Number of windows: 12
Available from: available now
What’s inside: A mix of four full-size products including the Cleanse & Glow gel cleanser, a body wash, face mask and a retinol-type skin booster alongside deluxe sample sizes of the iconic Cleanse & Polish, night cream, exfoliating toner, hand cream and more.
Why you should buy it: If you are a regular Liz Earle skincare buyer then this is a great buy to keep you topped-up for the first few months of 2024. Or if you’re looking for to buy something for a skincare lover but unsure what they’re into, all the products in this work for nearly every skin type, every age and gender so you can’t go wrong.
The one for tweens and teens: Makeup Revolution Advent Calendar
Price: £48
Value: over £96
Number of windows: 25
Available from: available now
What’s inside: With the most staggering amount of full-size products - there are 20 in total - this is a brilliant value calendar. Inside you will find lip liners, lipsticks, eyeshadow, pressed powders, contour powder, a blusher quad as well as makeup brushes, powder puff and mirror.
Why you should buy it: All the products come in very wearable and tween and teen appropriate shades and it is unbelievable value for what you get.
The iconic one: Liberty London
Price: £250
Value: £1040
Number of windows: 30
Available from: now
What’s inside: For the first time ever as well as reams of beauty products there will also be a piece of jewellery from designer, Estella Bartlett. You’ll also find 20 full-sized beauty products and brands such as Le Labo, Rose Inc, Augustinus Bader, Sunday Riley and more.
Why you should buy it: Of all the beauty calendars this is the one that sells out the fastest not only because it has amazing products at brilliant value, but because it was the original beauty advent calendar so has a lot of cachet and cult status attached to it.
The makeup obsessive one: Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Lucky Chest of Beauty Secrets
Price: £180
Value: n/a
Number of windows: 12
Available from: now
What’s inside: If you’re a Tilbury fan then this is a great way to replenish your makeup bag as well as try some products you might not have tried before. There’s a mix of full and travel size products such as the award-winning Magic Cream and the Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray as well as two full-sized lipsticks.
Why you should buy it: Obviously the products are brilliant but you also get a gorgeous chest with jewel-adorned drawers that can be reused for makeup storage.
The spa skincare one: Gatineau 12 Days of Christmas
Price: £65
Value: n/a
Number of windows: 12
Available from: available now
What’s inside: If it’s serious skin and body care you’re after this Christmas then this is a great calendar for you. There are four full-sized products included and product wise you have everything from a cleanser to a collagen boosting moisturiser along with the brand’s brilliant gradual tan, eye masks and firming facial oil.
Why you should buy it: If you’re looking for a curated skincare regime sorted from a brand you can trust, this is how to do it.
The beauty meets wellbeing one: Anthropologie Beauty Advent Calendar 2023
Price: £78
Value: £300
Number of windows: 24
Available from: available to buy now
What’s inside: A really clever curated mix of products for your skin, body and mind. There are creams, masks and serums from brands like UpCircle, Bybi, Adaptology and Willowberry. Then there’s body creams and hand lotions from brands like Verden and Herlum as well as a candle, sleep spray, sleep oil and there's even Floral Street perfume in there too.
Why you should buy it: This is a great value calendar that offers a little more than just the ‘straight’ beauty offerings of other calendars out there. There are products included that are just the sort of thing you may need to help get you through the inevitable stresses and chaos that comes in the run-up to Christmas.
The high-street one: Next 25 days of beauty
Price: £95
Value: over £355
Number of windows: 25
Available from: available now
What’s inside: With 7 full-size products from Eve Lom, Nails Inc, This Works, Murad, Iconic London and Beauty Pro you are getting a lot of good beauty products for your money with this one. There’s also a Neom candle, Benefit mascara and Aromatherapy Associates bath and shower oil in the mix.
Why you should buy it: This has such a great mix of makeup, skin, body and hair care brands that this is a brilliant way of trying out some new products. A great one to potentially share with a housemate, colleague, friend or sibling as there really is something for everyone in this one.
The perfume one: Jo Loves Advent Calendar
Price: £365
Value: n/a
Number of windows: 25
Available from: now online and in the Jo Loves London, Elizabeth Street store
What’s inside: There are four Christmas scented candles, six fragrances, three of the genius Jo Loves fragrance paintbrushes as well as bath cologne, hand lotions, bath and shower gels, hair mists.
Why you should buy it: The outer packaging has been designed by iconic British interiors brand, Warner House. It is such a gorgeous keepsake that you could keep the advent calendar as a Christmas decoration to use for years to come. As well as all the gorgeous products inside there is also a voucher for a 100ml Jo Loves fragrance of your choice and five exclusive baubles designed by Warner House to adorn your tree or home.
The one with the most full-size products: LookFantastic Find Your Fantastic Advent Calendar
Price: £99
Value: over £565
Number of windows: 24 but some drawers have more than one item inside
Available from: SOLD OUT!
What’s inside: With a staggering 12 full-size products, this is one very substantial beauty advent calendar. In terms of brands there’s haircare from Coco & Eve and Color Wow, skincare from Eve Lom, Elemis, Origins and Medik8, makeup from Nars, Mac and Iconic London. There’s also a makeup sponge, makeup brush cleanser and a gorgeous candle.
Why you should buy it: From what we’ve seen so far, this is the beauty advent calendar with the most amount of full-sized products. Do you need any other reason?