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The 2018 beauty advent calendars to add to your wishlist
Pretty much every beauty brand is bringing out an advent calendar these days (take a look at 2017’s calendars here to jog your memory) this year’s offering is bigger and even better than before.
These are the ones that have caught our eye, arranged from cheapest to most expensive.
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Revolution Advent Calendar, £30
Doors: 24
What’s inside? This beloved beauty brand may be budget but this 24-door calendar is still full of great value with something for everyone inside, including two palettes (one of which is a new colourway of their bestselling Re-Loaded eyeshadow palette), gleaming highlighters, lip glosses, brushes and more.
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M&S Beauty Advent Calendar, £35 when you spend £35 on clothing, home and beauty in-store
Doors: 25
What’s inside? Worth over £250, this calendar is chock-full of the department store’s most sought-after products. Spanning nails, hair care, body care, fragrance and skincare from the likes of Philip Kingsley, Stila, Eyeko, Pixi and Filorga, it’s the calendar that’ll have something for everyone.
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Sleek Can’t Wait Another Day Advent Calendar, £39.95
Doors: 25
What’s inside? An amazingly affordable selection of the brand’s bestsellers. Highlights include mini versions of its Twist Up Lip Pencils in a range of different colours, three i-Divine Eyeshadow Palettes and its Glitter Eyeliner in Steel. It’s going to fly off shelves.
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Soap & Glory Advent Calendar, £40
Doors: 24
What’s inside? We always keep a watchful eye out for Soap & Glory’s Christmas gift sets (always crowd pleasers) as well as its highly anticipated calendar - and this year’s doesn’t disappoint. Containing 24 of the brand’s cult skincare and makeup products to cover everything from foot creams to body scrubs and lip glosses, it’s a pampering treat that reaches a range of beauty bases.
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Amazon 2018 Beauty Advent Calendar, £40
Doors: 24
What's inside? A mixture of deluxe and full size products from the e-tailer's virtual beauty halls. We're talking Pai Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser with muslin cloth (a GTG team go-to), a Real Techniques makeup brush, Max Factor False Lash Epic Mascara and Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream. We'll stop there though as we don't want to spoil all the fun.
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No7 Advent Calendar, £42
Doors: 24
What’s inside? Some serious power players from the brand’s wide-ranging portfolio of products. Ones that have caught our eye are the 5ml Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum and Eye Cream, tweezers and 7ml Lash Impact Lash Primer. Worth £177, it offers up some of Boots' best products.
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The Body Shop 24 Days of The Enchanted Advent Calendar, £45
Doors: 24
What’s inside? A bevy of travel and full-size products to put some bliss into your bathtime. Favourites include an Almond Milk and Honey Body Butter, Vanilla Delight Bath Bomb and 100 per cent vegan Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask. Worth £85, it’s the perfect pick for anyone looking to give their bathroom shelf a sweet-smelling makeover.
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Ciate Mini Mani Month 2018, £50
Doors: 25
What’s inside? Paint the town red (or any other colour) during party season with this colourful calendar that provides a mini polish for any occasion. From holographic to glitter to pared-back pastels, it’s pretty much got every finish covered.
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ASOS Advent Calendar, £55
Doors: 24
What’s inside? A treasure trove of ASOS beauties from the likes of MAC, Coco & Eve, Sand & Sky and Bobbi Brown. Bringing the e-tailer’s website to life, it’s one that’s likely to get snapped up quick.
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Paul & Joe Christmas Collection 2018, £56
Doors: 12
What’s inside? A flurry of feline favourites - limited edition lipsticks, face and eye colours, a hand cream and foundation primer are just a sample of the treats inside. There’s even a card case too.
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Latest in Beauty Advent Calendar, £60
Doors: 24
What’s inside? You’ll find an assortment of beauty treats (worth over £255) and expert tips behind each of this calendar’s gold-trimmed doors. Brands featured include Oskia, Aromatherapy Associates and The White Company and this year’s winter night inspired design gives it an extra magical touch.
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Birchbox Advent Calendar, £65
Doors: 24
What’s inside? An assortment of Yuletide trinkets from the likes of Sand & Sky, Benefit Cosmetics, Pixi and OPI to name but a few. A little warning - this one sold out in less than 24 hours in 2017, so expect it to go fast this year too.
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Green People Beauty Advent Calendar, £75
Doors: 12
What’s inside? The brand’s first-ever advent calendar is jam-packed with certified organic makeup, skincare and haircare heroes including three full-size products. Worth £125, it includes goodies such a 10ml Damask Rose Facial Oil, full-size Black Volumising Mascara and 10ml Day Solutions SPF15 Day Cream.
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Feelunique The Little Beauty Parcel, £75
Doors: 24
What’s inside? 24 deluxe beauty minis from an incredible line-up of the e-tailer’s premium and most wanted brands. We’re talking classics such as Lime Crime Diamond Crushers, Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, Filorga Time-Filler, Ren Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic...the list goes on. With its fairytale design, it’ll take pride of place on your bookshelf.
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Clinique 24 Days of Clinique, £76
Doors: 24
What’s inside? A beauty-based version of miniature heroes from one of our favourite skincare brands. From a mini Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion to travel-friendly Pop Lip lipsticks and even a blush brush, it has everything your clutch bag could desire.
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Kiehl’s Beauty Advent Calendar, £79
Doors: 24
What’s inside? A well-picked collection of skin, hair and body care hero products from the brand’s male and female line-ups. Highlights include a Midnight Recovery Facial Oil, Avocado Eye Cream, Facial Fuel and Ultra Facial Cream - great for top-ups of your favourites as well as providing ample opportunity to discover new ones too.
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Lookfantastic 2018 Advent Calendar, £79
Doors: 25
What’s inside? A Lipstick Queen Frog Prince Lipstick, Illamasqua Beyond Powder in Deity and Omorovicza Moor Cream Cleanser are just a few of our favourite things inside this highly anticipated calendar. Worth over £300 but coming in at a much more purse-friendly £79, think of it as a compilation of the e-tailer’s greatest hits.
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Bareminerals Out Of This World Advent Calendar, £79
Doors: 24
What's inside? Six loose eyecolours, one mini Well-rested Face and Eye Brightener, a mini Lash Dom Mascara, four medium loose blushes and one Skinlongevity deluxe sample are just some of the beauties you'll find in this Christmas countdown. Containing a comprehensive collection of cosmetics to see you through Christmas, New Year and a good chunk of 2019 too, it's one of the most colourful assortments we've seen.
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Decleor Advent Calendar, £80
Doors: 24
What’s inside? An amazing assortment of skin and body essentials from the brand’s bestselling ranges that’s worth £258. You’ll also be able to uncover three full size products on your way to day 24 too - a Phytopeel Smooth Exfoliator, Hydra Floral Everfresh Eye Gel and Hydra Floral Light Cream. Interesting fact - the advent calendar was the fastest selling Decléor coffret, selling out in just two weeks, with one being sold every eight seconds.
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Liz Earle The 12 Days of Liz Earle, £80
Doors: 12
What’s inside? A dozen miniature botanical heavyweights covering skin, hair and body care. From the award-winning Cleanse & Polish (30ml) to the hydrating Superskin Concentrate for Night (10ml) and nourishing Botanical Shine Conditioner for Normal Hair (50ml), it’s perfect for those looking to mix up their bathtime routine.
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Rituals The Ritual of Advent 3D Calendar, £89
Doors: 24
What’s inside? The baubles on this 3D Christmas tree hold a range of de-stressing treats. From candles to Ayurvedic dry body oils and a Happy Buddha belly body cream, they’ll provide a pocket of calm in the chaos. It even has Christmas lights on it too.
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L’Occitane x Castelbajac Paris Luxury Advent Calendar, £89
Doors: 24
What’s inside? Worth £112, this brightly coloured calendar features 24 luxury miniature products fit for pre-Christmas pampering and New Year’s festivities. Containing everything from the brand’s Divine Cream to its Terre de Lumière fragrance, soaps, body lotions and the brand’s famous hand creams, it’s just the thing to see skin through the cold snap.
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Lumene Advent Calendar, £89.90
Doors: 24
What’s inside? A glow-boosting roster of beauty products inspired by the brand’s Finnish heritage. From its Sleeping Cream to its Purity Eye Drops and Nurturing Body Lotion, it’s the perfect solution for dry skin and limbs this winter.
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Kikki.K Lovers Advent Calendar, £90
Doors: 25
What’s inside? If you love stationery as much as us, then you’ll love Kikki.K’s decked out calendar. Containing a great selection of trinkets to spruce up your desk such as bulldog clips, washi tape, candles and the brand’s signature gold pen, you’ll probably want to open all the doors up at once to make best use of its bounty ahead of the Christmas break.
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Glossybox All I Want Beauty Advent Calendar, £99 (£75 for subscribers)
Doors: 25
What’s inside? 16 full-size products and nine smaller treats from the likes of Nars, Real Techniques and Huda Beauty. Containing over £300 worth of products inside, it comes with a subscriber saving of £24 too - the gifts just keep on coming. It’s the first advent calendar from the brand, and hopefully not the last.
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Beauty Expert 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar, £100
Doors: 12
What’s inside? All the expert skincare you could wish for. The calendar itself doubles up as handy beauty storage (and boy will you need it) and inside you’ll find full- and travel-sized favourites from Elemis, Eve Lom and Omorovicza among other top brands. From serums to cleansers, eye creams to a cult primer, this collection is impressive value.
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Estee Lauder The Beauty Countdown, £125
Doors: 25
What’s inside? Last year’s sold out within days and now it’s back and better than ever. Worth over £283, it features some of the best products that the company has cooked up over the years - goodies such as MAC Strobe Cream, MAC Liptensity Lipstick (which is full-size btw), Origins GinZing Energy-boosting Gel Moisturizer, Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara, Aveda Hand Relief and GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment. It also features some exclusive offers too.
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ESPA Comfort & Joy Advent Calendar, £130
Doors: 25
What's inside? A haul of de-stressing heroes for skin, body and mind worth £145. You'll have to resist the urge to prematurely open up the windows for the limited edition 15ml Tri-Active Advanced Night Booster (day 20), 15g Muscle Rescue Oil (day 16) and 70g Restorative Candle (day 25).
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Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Universe Advent Calendar, £150
Doors: 12
What’s inside? From her ingenious Goddess Skin Clay Mask to Eyes to Mesmerise in Jean and the suits-all lipstick shade, Pillow Talk, you’ll find an expertly curated range of mini and full-size skin and makeup best sellers inside each of this calendar’s drawers. It has all bases covered for party season.
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The Net-a-Porter Beauty Christmas Advent Calendar, £150
Doors: 25
What's inside? One of the most luxurious assortments of products in our edit. We're talking Le Labo Hinoki Body Lotion and Shower Gel, a Chantecaille Gold Energizing Eye Recovery Mask, Charlotte Tilbury Goddess Skin Clay Mask, Sarah Chapman Skinesis Morning Facial, Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil and more.
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The White Company Beauty Advent Calendar, £150
Doors: 24
What's inside? Everything from hand creams to home sprays plus, a £10 gift voucher to spend in-store or online. Containing £258 worth of treats to deck your halls with, it features a great mix of little luxuries.
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Fenwick Beauty Advent Calendar, £150
Doors: 25
What’s inside? Containing a whopping £475 worth of products, this multi-brand pick designed by award-winning illustrator Brett Ryder contains a well-executed mix of makeup, skincare, fragrance, hair care and body care. Featuring travel, deluxe and full-size products from the likes of Aurelia, J.One, MAC and more, you’ll have a hard time deciding what to keep and give away.
Available in-store.
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Elemis 25 Days of Beauty, £150
Doors: 25
What’s inside? £345 worth of product. Yes, that’s right. You’ll find a bevy of bestsellers and award-winners, old and new, behind its doors (the brand’s Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm and Frangipani Monoi Body Oil for example) and on day 25, a full-size Pro-Collagen Marine Cream awaits to reward you for your patience.
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John Lewis Beauty Advent Calendar, £165
Doors: 25
What’s inside? Bringing the department store’s famed beauty halls to your bedroom, this calendar boasts the type of haul that could rival Santa’s. Wishlist hits include an amazing combo of services and products including a complimentary 15 minute Elemis facial personally prescribed to your needs, a personalised Aveda hair and scalp camera analysis at any John Lewis Aveda counter (which includes a massage, aroma experience and free samples of your hair prescription!), a complimentary Clarins makeup or skincare consultation, Acqua di Parma fragrance, Laura Mercier primer and This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray...the list goes on. It serves up some serious eye, lip and face candy.
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Molton Brown Opulent Infusions Advent Calendar, £175
Doors: 24
What’s inside? A beautifully scented selection of scents worth £275 designed to take you from bed to bath and beyond. Featuring shower gels, candles, hand washes and more, it also contains a limited edition fragrance and a festive bauble that contains 24K gold too. You’ll be spoilt for choice.
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The Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar, £195
Doors: 25
What's inside? The Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar is one of the most highly anticipated of the year, and it's easy to see why. Containing over £600 worth of product behind its AW18 print doors, it features festive treats such as: Hourglass Caution Mascara (3.5g), Le Labo Another 13 EDP (15ml), Sam McKnight Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist (50ml), Votary Super Seed Facial Cream (50ml), Pixi Glow Tonic (100ml) and Byredo Byredo Blanche Hair Perfume (30ml). The list is spectacular. Seeing as searches for this year's version started as early as January(!), it's no wonder that the beauty team has doubled its stock.
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YSL Beauty Advent Calendar, £195
Doors: 24
What’s inside? A Touche Eclat, mini lipsticks and a Mon Paris perfume are just a handful of the gifts to be found inside this multi-drawer calendar. One that’s certain to put a smile on your face first thing in the morning.
Available exclusively at Selfridges.
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Fortnum & Mason Beauty Advent Calendar, £195
Doors: 24
What’s inside? 24 bestsellers from the store’s Piccadilly beauty halls (14 of which are full size). Containing £625 worth of product from the likes of Chantecaille, Sisley, 111 Skin and Aurelia spanning skincare, makeup, hair care, nail care, colour, bath and body, it covers the mainstream and the niche rather extensively. Be warned though, only 400 have been created so you’ll have to be especially speedy if you want to get your hands on one.
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The 2018 Space NK Advent Calendar, £250
Doors: 25
What's inside? £600 worth of product from the apothecary's bestselling brands including launch of the year, (*drum roll*) Drunk Elephant plus, other trailblazers from the likes of Nars, Eve Lom and Dr Dennis Gross.
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Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar, £250
Doors: 25
What’s inside? This calendar is proof that sequels can be even better than the original. Worth £680 compared to last year’s measly(!) £595, it contains GTG favourites such as a Carnival Edition of Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, Sunday Riley Luna Oil and Sisley Supremya Baume. It’s just as high end and decadent as we hoped for.
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Jo Malone Advent Calendar, £300
Doors: 24
What’s inside? 24 little luxuries to make your Christmas countdown all more beautifully scented. Teasers include (look away if you hate spoilers), a 9ml Orange Bitters Cologne, 9ml Oud & Bergamot Cologne Intense, 35g Pomegranate Noir Mini Candle, 15ml Amber & Lavender Bath Oil and 50ml Peony & Blush Suede Body Creme (my favourite Jo Malone London fragrance).
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Diptyque Advent Calendar, £320
Doors: 25
What’s inside? Think of this as the mothership of fragrance discovery boxes . As much of a treat on the outside as it is on the inside (you’ll want to keep it long after Christmas is over), it’s full of mini candles, fragrances and body care essentials to warm up skin and sitting rooms this festive season.