The only thing exciting about peeling out of your cosy warm bed on a freezing winter’s day is the excitement of a little treat in the advent calendar. Now, imagine that little chocolate treat that just about lures you out of hibernation, was a little present; different each day and a complete surprise.
Sounds like the best way to wake up, right? And that’s exactly how all the big brands are planning to build up to Christmas this year. With more alternative advent calendars than ever, you will have a job choosing what exactly you want to wake up to each day! From candles to booze to beauty products, they’ve got you pretty much covered no matter what you’re into. There are so many to choose from, all ranging in price, so you can find the perfect advent calendar to suit you.
I completely love this idea and I am having the hardest time deciding which one I am going to go for, but to help I have compiled a list of a selection of my faves along with their contents – so if you are hoping for your advent treats to be top secret then this is a huge spoiler alert!!
The Book of Makeup Magic – Charlotte Tilbury | £150
This one is very high on my wishlist. I was super excited when I found that Charlotte Tilbury had joined the advent calendar hype and created The Book of Makeup Magic. It’s a typically gorgeous Charlotte Tilbury style box, with 12 magical makeup cabinets inside, offering both full-size and miniature products. The advent calendar is a great way to sample Charlotte’s makeup magic before buying full size products, and will be available to get your hands on from November.
Magic Cream
Take It All Off (mini)
Wonderglow (mini)
Multi Miracle Glow (mini)
Supermodel Body (mini)
Goddess Skin Clay Mask (mini)
K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick (mini)
Matte Revolution Lipstick
Lip Magic
ROCK ‘N’ KOHL Eye Liner (mini)
Nocturnal Cat Eyes Eye Shadow
MAGIC NIGHT CREAM (mini) – launched Jan 2016
YOU Beauty Discovery – You Beauty | £59.95
Although spending £59.95 on an advent calendar as opposed to the usual chocolate bargain seems like a serious spurge, this advent calendar is one of the best in terms of value for money, as the contents are worth a major £330. This year’s calendar has been carefully curated by the YOU Beauty team to ensure that behind each of its 24 windows is a generously sized treat guaranteed to make your day more beautiful.
NUXE, Crème Fraiche® de Beauté Mask (50ml)
Molton Brown, Frankincense & Allspice Hand Wash (100ml)
Cowshed, Cow Pat Moisturising Hand Cream (50ml)
Sally Hansen, Complete Salon Manicure™ Christmas Collection* (14.7ml)
High Definition, Bronzer in Light-Medium (9g)
ila, Bath Salts for Cleansing (50g)
The Konjac Sponge Company, 100% Pure Konjac Facial Puff Sponge in white (Full Size)
Heaven Skincare, Bee Venom Eyes (15ml)
ESPA, Optimal Skin ProSerum & £15 Voucher (8ml)
TEEEZ, Read My Lips Lipstick in Roulette Red** (2g)
Lipcote, The Original Lipstick Sealer (7ml)
Pixi, Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black/Noir (0.8g)
Roger & Gallet, Fleur de Figuier Replenishing Body Lotion (50ml)
Burt’s Bees, Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream (20g)
Caudalie, Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum (10ml)
The Vintage Cosmetic Company, Slanted Tweezers – Rosie Spot (one size)
Lanolips, Purse Size 101 Ointment (9g)
Benefit Cosmetics, Roller Lash Mascara (3g)
Bee Good, Youth Enhancing Plump & Firm Moisturiser (15ml)
Philip Kingsley, Body Building Shampoo & Body Building Conditioner Duo (75ml each)
REN, Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial (15ml)
Age Defy+, 24 HR Brightening Moisturiser (10ml)
Rodial, STEMCELL Super-Food Glam Balm Multi (25ml)
RITUALS, Mini Under a Fig Tree Fragrance Sticks (50ml)
The Ginvent Calendar – Gin Foundry | £114.95
“Behind each of the 24 windows lies a different sample of fantastic gin. There are market leaders and artisanal treats alongside new brands and even some hard-to-find gems.” What a great way to build up to Christmas; a 3cl individually labelled and wax-sealed surprise gin for a tasty tipple each evening! Another awesome thing about this is that if you didn’t fancy drinking one each day, you can always save them up and have your own tasting evening from the comfort of your home. This one is a must-have for all gin lovers.
Cosmic Beauty Advent Calendar – SELFRIDGES | £95.00
If you’re looking for luxury in your 2015 advent calendar then look no further. This Cosmic Beauty Advent Calendar from Selfridges is filled with 24 of only the best miniature products for high-end lovers. It is heavily Lancome-influenced with other brands including YSL, Viktor and Rolf and Keihl’s making an appearance. Ideal if you are looking to stock up on luxurious mini products for your handbag or for travelling.
YSL Forever Youth Liberator Serum 7ml
YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer 10ml
YSL Black Opium EDP 7.5ml
Emporio Armani Diamonds Rose 5ml
Giogio Armani Si 7ml
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser 30ml
Kiehl’s Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate 5ml
Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate 2ml
Kiehl’s Creme de Corps 30ml
Lancome La Vie est Belle EDP 4ml
Lancome Douceur Galateis Cleanser 50ml
Lancome Hypnose Mascara 2ml
Lancome Advanced Genefique Serum 7ml
Lancome Rouge in Love (379N) 1.65ml
Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover 30ml
Lancome Renergie Multi-Lift Day Cream 15ml
Lancome Visionnaire Day Cream 15ml
Lancome Douceur Tonique 50ml
Lancome Absolue BX Day Cream 15ml
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion original 2ml
Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil (classic)
Advent Carousel – Yankee Candle | £31.99
What an awesome alternative for those who want to jump on the non-chocolate advent trend but have enough make-up and beauty products to last a lifetime. Stunningly packaged in a carousel style exterior; this advent calendar is far more aesthetically pleasing than the usual rectangle of flimsy cardboard. It is stunningly detailed and filled with 24 seasonal tea lights and votive candles. What a perfect festive gift or treat, crammed with glorious Christmassy scents. Each tea light has a burn time from 4 to 6 hours, with the votive candles containing a burn time of up to 15 hours.
Candy Cane Lane
Winter Glow
Snowflake Cookie
Icicles
Bundle Up
Spiced Orange
Party Poppers – Benefit | £34.50
There’s always a lot of excitement around the Benefit advent calendar, and rightly so. A must have for bene-babes; this 12 days of Christmas style calendar may not have a treat for each day as it did last year, but it is packed with a great selection of Benefit’s best sellers and cult faves worth £79.17.
The POREfessional PRO balm
BADgal lash volumizing mascara
Lollitint poppy pink lip & cheek stain
Ooh la lift undereye brightener
They’re real! lengthening mascara
They’re real! remover
Rockateur famously proactive face powder
High beam complexion enhancer
Total moisture facial cream
Hoola ultra plush lip gloss
Sugarbomb ultra plush lip gloss
Watt’s up! soft-focus highlighter
Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar – Liberty London | £149
After the sell-out of Liberty’s debut in the advent calendar world last year, they are returning again with another beautiful, limited edition treasure trove of treats for us. Crammed with some amazing premium brands, this one is priced at £149, but definitely worth the price-tag with a value of over £400. This calendar is beautiful both inside and out; the gorgeous paisley drawers are also something of a keepsake and ideal for your makeup and beauty goodies in the New Year.
Diptyque Figuer or Tuberose 70g candle
Eve Lom Cleanser with Cloth 30ml
Nars Mini Audacious Mascara
This Company Eccentric 03 30ml cased
Hourglass Mini Film Noir Mascara
Liberty Lavender Soap 200g
Dr Sebagh Repair Serum full size
Decleor Aroma Cleanse Essential Toning Lotion 50ml
Ren Moroccan Rose Body Wash 50ml
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 13g
Bigelow Rose Salve 22g
Davines Oi 50ml
Aurelia Miracle Cleanser with cloth 30ml
Byredo Handcream – Bal D’Afrique or Blanche or La Tulipe – 30ml
Malin & Goetz Vitamin E Face Moisturiser 1oz
ESPA Pro Cleanser 50ml
Aromatherapy Associates Renewal Rose Body Cream 40ml
Deborah Lippmann Magic Carpet Ride & Stronger (2 colours) 15ml
Omorovicza Refining Skin Polish 30ml
Margaret Dabbs Nail & Cuticle Serum 30ml full size
Trish McEvoy Instant Eye Lift deluxe
Nuit et Bali Dry Shampoo 35g
Kai Body Lotion 60ml
Surratt Lipslique – Hevyn Rose 1.6g
Kiehl’s Amino Acid Shampoo 30ml
The Beauty Secret – Look Fantastic | £70
‘Twas the night before Christmas and all around the globe,
Girls everywhere were waiting in their cosy winter robes,
To open up this brand new book, and see what they could find,
Greeted by 25 beauty gifts they’ll never leave behind.
Make sure you don’t miss out on this wonderful festive treat,
By picking up our Advent Calendar, be quick…you’ll have crowds to beat!’
As a lover of the Look Fantastic Beauty boxes, I have no doubt that their advent calendar will have some of the best offerings in the market. The fact that the contents are currently top-secret and have not been released makes it all the more desirable and the £70 price tag for over £250 worth of products just gives me all the more reason to indulge.
12 Days of Christmas – Lush | £49.95
This is definitely the one for the Lush fanatics out there. Personally, this advent calendar is probably lower down on my list than others as I prefer the idea of sampling a range of brands and products, and I tend to only dabble in a select few Lush products (although this could be the perfect way to sample their offerings before committing to purchasing). So if you are a homemade product fan this is the ideal way to build up to Christmas; pampering yourself with their quirky bath and shower treats.
Snow Angel Bath Melt
Five Gold Rings Bubble Bar
The Comforter Shower Cream
Avobath Bath Bomb
Celebrate Body Lotion
Butter Bear Bath Bomb
Yog Nog Soap
Golden Wonder Bath Bomb
Holly Golightly Bubble Bar
Yuzu and Cocoa Shower Cream
Cinders Bath Bomb
Dashing Santa Bath Bomb
Jo Malone Advent Calendar – Jo Malone | £260
Jo Malone’s offering in the advent calendar world is, of course, a show-stopper. The price tag is a substantial £260; the priciest calendar I have seen to date, but the product is a limited edition piece and is the depiction of luxury. The beautiful Georgian townhouse design is home to 24 mini colognes and body creams; perfect if you are looking to try out the scents before adding to your Christmas list, and ideal if you love the art of fragrance combining which Jo Malone is famous for encouraging. Here is your very own tool kit to create your unique and personalised scent.
Grapefruit 9ml Cologne
Lime Basil & Mandarin 9ml Cologne
English Pear & Freesia 15ml Body Creme
Grapefruit 15ml Body Creme
Peony & Blush Suede 9ml Cologne
Pomegranate Noir 9ml Cologne
Pomegranate Noir 15ml Body Creme
Blackberry & Bay 9ml Cologne
There will then be a larger Pomegranate Noir 50ml Body Creme gift behind the 24th door!
So there you have it. Just a small portion of the amazing advent calendars up for grabs this year. There are SO many more from an incredible amount of brands including Ciate, No7, House of Fraser, M&S, W7, Cheeky, Makeup Revolution, Boohoo, The Body Shop, Topshop… the list could go on until Christmas!
I will definitely be treating myself to one of these luxury advent calendars for 2015; it’s a very clever and exciting modern twist on the traditional advent calendar that I’m sure will grow in popularity in years to come.
Happy advent calendar hunting!
Do you have any advent calendar recommendations or luxury ones you have been looking at for 2015?
LL x
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