Beauty advent calendar season is here, and 2023’s offering is something special indeed. As we’re sure you’re well aware, in the world of beauty, we’re always looking ahead, so we’re already excited for the ultimate countdown—the Christmas advent. Soon enough, we’ll be seeing Christmas adverts on the TV and lights going up along high streets across the UK. Yes, it’s early, but we think you’ll forgive us for getting ahead of ourselves once we reveal the subject at hand. Beauty advent calendars have grown in popularity over the last few years, and for many brands and retailers, including Liberty, NET-A-PORTER and Cult Beauty, the beauty advent calendar has become one of their most in-demand launches.
In fact, beauty advent calendars have proven so popular over the past few years that you’ve got to be quick if you want to get your first choice. Our inboxes started to fill up way back in July with imagery and press releases from some of our favourite brands, each message pertaining to their beauty advent calendars. Considering now is about the time people actually start thinking about Christmas, we decided to make it easier for you to find the best beauty advent calendars by listing them all in one place. We’ve laid everything out from prices to products, so keep scrolling to discover and shop (providing you’re quick enough) the best beauty advent calendars this year has to offer. But first, let’s answer a few of your burning beauty advent-calendar questions…
The demand for beauty advent calendars has skyrocketed in recent years, which has tempted many a brand and retailer into creating a beauty advent calendar of their own. Some of the most popular include Liberty, NET-A-PORTER, Harvey Nichols, LookFantastic, Marks & Spencer, Charlotte Tilbury, Jo Malone London and Cult Beauty, to name but a few.
Some beauty brands start as early as September (some waiting lists even open in August) but by mid-October most brands have released their beauty advent calendars. Right now, almost all of our favourites have waiting lists open or are available to order. Certain calendars sell out quickly—including Liberty, Charlotte Tilbury and Cult Beauty—so don’t wait if you get your hands on the one you want.
We’ve found a wide selection of beauty calendars that cover all your makeup, skincare and self-care needs. NET-A-PORTER’s beauty advent calendar offers luxe skincare from Dr Barbara Sturm and Augustinus Bader, whilst Jo Malone, Liberty and Diptyque offer up a selection of makeup, fragrance and candles. Dedicated brands feature their very best products, whilst e-tailors like NET-A-PORTER and LookFantastic let you try a variety of brands during your countdown to Christmas.
Release Date: Available nowPrice: £250Worth: £1043Product Count: 29, including 20 full-sized productsBehind the doors of Liberty’s 2023 beauty advent calendar, you’ll find a selection of some of the most sought-after products from its iconic beauty hall, worth over £1040. Amongst them is an array of cult favourites from the likes of Augustinus Bader, 111Skin, Dr Barbara Sturm, Sunday Riley and Byredo, to name but a few. Plus, 20 of the 29 products inside are full-sized. This is a beauty advent calendar with serious clout in the industry—every single beauty editor wants one.
Release date: 20 October, 2023Price: £275Worth: £1132Product count: 15. NET-A-PORTER has switched up its advent calendar offering for 2023 with this very chic lantern, which is brimming with ultra-luxe beauty, jewellery and accessories that will make the countdown to Christmas all the more magical. Inside are 15 full-size and miniature surprises, which are packaged in a lantern-shaped box illuminated with LED lights, so you can keep it as a decorative lamp long after the festive season is over. It’s worth over £1300, with beauty brands such as Augustinus Bader, Dr Barbara Sturm and Pat McGrath included. Plus, the jewellery surprises are such a nice point of difference, including Lié Studio’s sterling silver Classic Oval earrings, which will see you through party season and beyond. This one is launching mid-October, so keep your eyes peeled.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £350Product count: 25. Did someone say luxury? Jo Malone’s beauty advent calendar is one of the most coveted, and 2023’s take definitely won’t disappoint fragrance fanatics who have previously invested in the brand’s iconic calendar. This year’s has a gingerbread design weaved into the brand’s iconic cream and black packaging, and is so stylish you’ll want to leave it on show well into next year. It features colognes, candles, soaps, creams and even a full-sized 30ml fragrance, plus seasonal scents you’ll only find at this time of the year.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £260Worth: £1020Product count: 30 including 22 full-sized products. Fortnum & Mason’s advent calendars exude luxury, and 2023’s offering is no exception. Worth over £1020, you’ll find 30 luxe surprises nestled amongst the blue drawers, including a whopping 22 full-sized products from brands such as Aqua di Parma, Aromatherapy Associates and Le Bouche Rouge. The calendar itself makes a beautiful keepsake to re-use year after year.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £189Worth: £551Product count: 25. Elemis is a favourite amongst beauty editors, and you’ll be sure to find many cult products behind the 25 doors, including results-driven serums and cleansers in travel sizes, and a very special full-sized surprise on Christmas day, which is worth £94 on its own.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £99Worth: £565Product count: 27 including 12 full-sized products. LookFantastic’s beauty advent calendar has sold out for several years in a row, so you’ll definitely want to add your name to the pre-order list. It features products across makeup and hair, but we think the skincare offering is particularly special, with items from the likes of Elemis, Eve Lom and Medik8 inside.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £250Worth: £1300Product count: 45 including 24 full-sized products. Harvey Nichols is back with another advent calendar, and the luxury retailer did not hold back. The 25-day countdown is filled to the brim with cult products galore worth over £1300—when you consider the calendar is only £250, that’s a pretty good deal. Amongst the whopping 45 products inside (including 24 full-sized surprises) you can expect to find favourites from Hourglass, Escentric Molecules, Dr. Barbara Sturm and Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £225Worth: £1000Product count: 39 including 20 full-sized products. Worth over £1000, Cult Beauty’s advent calendar is a hard one to match this year. If you manage to get your hands on one, consider yourself lucky—the brand’s beauty advent calendars have been known to sell out in under two hours. You’ll find 39 products to lust over behind the doors—20 of which are full-sized—from chic brands like Votary, Byredo, Ouai, Augustinus Bader and more.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £390Product count: 25. Is it an extravagant splurge? Absolutely. However, this one from Diptyque is guaranteed to keep your fragrance needs met for a really long time. Containing a selection of 25 candles, perfumes and body products, there isn’t a single product in here that you won’t use up in its entirety. This year, the calendar features three limited-edition Christmas scents to discover.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £220Worth: £1094Product count: 33. The edit of products in this beauty advent calendar couldn’t be more up our street. Containing some of our favourite products ever, including Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream, Refy Brow Sculpt and Dr. Barbara Sturm Clarifying Serum, it’s a beauty-lover’s dream.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £250Worth: £1000Product count: 25 including 21 full-sized products. Harrods advent calendar is one of the most anticipated each year, and 2023’s addition is no exception. It’s worth an incredible £1173, and you can expect to find brands like Aromatherapy Associates, Bioeffect, Gisou, Dr. Barbara Sturm and more inside. This will sell out fast.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £200Worth: £520Product count: 24. December can be a hectic month, so you totally deserve this advent calendar from Templespa, which contains £520-worth of products to help you take some time out for self-care in the lead-up to Christmas. There are 24 skincare and bodycare treats housed inside the beautiful box, as well as 13 full-sized products and four limited-edition surprises.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £187Product count: 24 including eight full-sized products. Rituals has spoiled us with four different advent calendars this year, but the Premium Advent Calendar pictured here is the showstopper. You can assemble the box into an adorable winter-wonderland village (complete with lights) with little houses that contain plenty of Rituals fan favourites, from reed diffusers to candles and bodycare. This will certainly take pride of place in the countdown to Christmas. If you’re looking for something more affordable, Rituals also has the Classic Advent Calendar (£88), Deluxe Advent Calendar (£121) and the Ultimate Mens Gift Box (£99), which are equally as covetable.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £195Worth: £921Product count: 31 including 16 full-sized products. Consistently one of the most in-demand beauty advent calendars, John Lewis’ option lives up to our (extremely high) expectations. It has products from Charlotte Tilbury, Sunday Riley, Votary, Elemis and Bobbi Brown, so opening each drawer is set to be a luxurious experience. Amongst the products are 16 full-sized surprises, as well as the chance to win city breaks for some lucky recipients.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £189Worth: £1000Product count: 36 including 23 full-sized products. With Sephora now firmly on British shores online and in bricks and mortar, we’ve been waiting for its highly anticipated advent calendar offering for this year. Worth over £1000, this really is the gift that keeps on giving. True to its reputation, Sephora brings the best of cult brands including Drunk Elephant, Sarah Chapman, K18, Sunday Riley, Ilia and so much more. Of the 36 surprises inside, 23 are full-sized. Our advice? Run, don’t walk. We’re also really impressed with the Sephora Collection Premium Advent Calendar (£80), which features all of Sephora’s own-brand fan favourites from sheet masks to makeup and perfume.
Release date: 26 October, 2023Price: £45Worth: £340Product count: 25 including 11 full-sized products. Buckle up for this one and mark your diary for 26 October when this one launches. It’s worth £340 but can be yours for just £45 when you spend £35 or more on M&S clothing, home or beauty in-store or online. This year, brands include Benefit, Nuxe, REN, Phillip Kingsley and This Works to name but a few, and the treats come housed in a beautiful vanity case that you’ll reuse time and again. This one usually sells like hotcakes and is widely considered to be the best beauty deal of the year.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £160Worth: £225Product count: 12 including two full-sized products. We can always count on our favourite makeup artist to turn our beauty dreams into a reality, and Charlotte Tilbury’s beauty advent calendar is as lust-worthy as ever. It contains every hero item from the expansive collection, including a travel-sized tub of best-selling Charlotte’s Magic Cream and a full-size Hot Lips Lipstick in Glowing Jen. We need it.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £235Worth: Over £1000Product count: 33. Space NK has outdone itself with its beauty advent calendar this year. It’s a journey through some of the retailer’s favourite products, and the 25 drawers are bursting with cult favourites. You can expect to find goodies from brands like Boy Smells, JVN, Olaplex, 111Skin and Charlotte Tilbury to name but a few.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £450Worth: £1118Product count: 25 including three full-sized products. Dr. Barbara Sturm’s skincare line is one of the highest-performing we’ve ever tried, and boasts an incredibly impressive A-list fan base. Whilst this beauty advent calendar does have a higher price point, we think it’s the perfect way to try out some of the brand’s cult products, allowing you to hone in on the items you genuinely love afterwards.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £90Product count: 25. The ASOS Beauty Advent Calendar never disappoints, with brands such as Caudalie, Charlotte Tilbury, Neom and Sol de Janeiro inside the 25 boxes.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £570Product count: 24. Possibly the most beautiful advent calendar of the lot, behind each of the 24 windows you’ll find a Dior beauty surprise, including a mix of the brand’s beloved fragrances, bath and body products, skincare and makeup. We’ve got our eyes on the best-selling miniature La Collection Privée fragrances and the assortment of Dior candles. Christmas just got a whole lot chicer.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £170Worth: £485Product count: 24 including 21 full-sized products. MAC fans, rejoice: The advent calendar is back. Worth over £485, the MAC advent calendar might be the biggest money saver. Each day you’ll find another MAC favourite, including the cult MACStack Mascara, Hyper Real Serumizer and many more surprises.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £175Worth: £273Product count: 25. The highly covetable White Company beauty advent calendar is back for another year, so you can count down to the big day in festive spirit with 25 days of best-selling scents. We think this one will sell out quickly.
Release date: 5 November, 2023Price: £170Worth: Over £625Product count: 17 including 14 full-sized products. Flannels has done something different this year, and instead of releasing a typical advent calendar, the luxury retailer has gone for a beauty cracker instead. Inside, you’ll find 17 products (14 which are full-sized) from brands including Olaplex, Dr. Barbara Sturm, Charlotte Tilbury and Augustinus Bader.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £450Worth: £604Product count: 25. With its iconic yellow branding serving as a chic exterior, Acqua di Parma’s beauty advent calendar is an absolute must for anyone who considers themselves a fragrance aficionado. Inside, you’ll find products from across Acqua di Parma’s scent collections by way of candles, body creams and, of course, perfumes.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £145Worth: £281Product count: 24. If, like so many others, you’re loyal to Benefit’s beauty products, then this is the beauty advent calendar for you. It contains an edit of the brand’s hero buys from over the years, and our favourites include the best-selling They’re Real Mascara and Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £62Worth: £123Product count: 24. L’Occitane has decided to go big this year, with three advent calendars to choose from. The Classic, Reusable and Luxury options all offer a wide selection of the brand’s products. Snap up the Classic Advent Calendar for £62 to enjoy over £100-worth of Provençal beauty goodies.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £80Worth: Over £473Product count: 28. This is the sixth year that Glossybox has gotten in on the beauty advent-calendar action, and we were certainly excited to see what it has in store. Made up of cult products from so many different brands, it contains something for everyone. Not bad considering it has a total worth of over £473.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £95Worth: £174Product count: 25. Available online now, The Body Shop’s beauty advent calendar is back this year, and it’s better than ever. In fact, The Body Shop has multiple advent calendars to choose from, and each day reveals another beauty treat to ensure you’re buffed, glowing and relaxed by Christmas Eve.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £170Worth: £225Product count: 13. Housed in a chic, red vegan-leather vanity case, this advent calendar contains lots of the brand’s hero products, alongside tools such as a compact mirror and a rose quartz facial massager. From cleansers to serums and masks, it has everything you need to kickstart a great skincare routine.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £65Product count: 12. The perfect pre-Christmas gift for French-skincare lovers far and wide, the Clarins calendar contains 12 cult products to have you positively glowing.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £65Product count: 12. Available now, the Anthropologie beauty advent calendar offers up the best of the brand’s beauty section. From nail polishes to face masks, this countdown will have you preened and prepped for Christmas.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £197Worth: £520Product count: 24. Usually, we’re reluctant to recommend single-brand makeup calendars, as it can be challenging to find one that contains products you’ll actually find yourself using regularly. However, this one from By Terry is an exception to the rule. Not only are all of the products perfect for everyday use, but it is also the perfect way to try out all of By Terry’s cult buys before you splurge on the full-sized products. We challenge anybody to not fall in love with this one.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £95Worth: Over £355Product count: 25. With an impressive and ever-expanding makeup, skincare and haircare offering, Next’s beauty calendar is easily one of the British high street’s most-anticipated gifts. With hero products from Elemis, Bobbi Brown, Eve Lom and more, this calendar is guaranteed to please anyone lucky enough to get their hands on it.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £109Product count: 24. Available now, the Kiehl’s beauty advent calendar features 24 customer favourites, including Creme de Corps, Midnight Recovery Cloud Cream and cult favourite Ultra Facial Cream.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £75Worth: £173.50Product count: 12. For 12 days you can indulge in Liz Earle gifting that’s sure to delight all your skincare needs. This beauty advent calendar lets you unwrap a selection of the well-loved brand’s best products.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £146Worth: £481Product count: 24. Revolve’s beauty advent calendar is seriously impressive. With 24 days of beauty treats from the likes of Summer Fridays, Sol de Janeiro and Supergoop!, we don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to receive this.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £470Worth: Over £571Product count: 12. This advent calendar is definitely more of an investment, but those of you who are fans of La Mer will love it. It contains 12 cult products including the classic Moisturising Cream and Regenerating Serum, to give your skin some serious TLC.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £395Worth: £565Product count: 25. Fragrance advent calendars are a great way of trying out different perfumes before investing in a full-size bottle, and this Penhaligon’s one is at the top of our wish lists.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £250Worth: Over £419Product count: 24. It doesn’t get much more luxurious than this. YSL has created the ultimate luxury beauty advent calendar, with everything from fragrance to skincare and makeup.
Release date: Available nowPrice: £595Worth: Over £829Product count: 23. Another stunning luxury option is this beauty advent calendar from Sisley, which contains lots of the brand’s favourites. It’s not just skincare either, but makeup and haircare as well. What more could you want?
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