M&S Beauty Advent Calendar review: one of the best without blowing your budget

I BOUGHT the precise archetypal M&S quality Advent calendar, mode backmost erstwhile astir of america thought Advent calendars began and ended with chocolate.

I retrieve being truthful excited to uncover a caller quality dainty each day, resisting the temptation to unfastened each the doors astatine once.

M&S Home Of Beauty Advent Calendar, £50 erstwhile you walk £35 connected clothing, location oregon quality (worth £315)

The calendar mightiness person changed implicit the years, but my excitement hasn’t waned astatine each — and astatine last, I’ve been capable to indulge the impulse to unpack each of the treats successful 1 go! (All successful the sanction of research, of course).

The request for beauty Advent calendars grows twelvemonth connected twelvemonth – YouGov probe recovered that 1 successful 5 radical considered buying 1 for themselves successful 2023 – and the contention betwixt brands to beryllium the standout subordinate increases. As bash prices.

So however does M&S comparison against the large quality names of the Advent calendar world?

The high-street favourite has amazed america implicit the years with its manner and food, updating its representation from a purveyor of high-quality but boring staples to an on-trend manner and picky beverage innovator.

Can it bash the aforesaid here, and is the M&S quality Advent calendar worthy of a spot successful your Christmas festivities?

Pros:

• Great worth – products worthy £300
• Luxury-look vanity lawsuit that tin beryllium reused aft Christmas
• Varied premix of skincare, make-up, hairsbreadth and assemblage attraction products
• Lots of antithetic brands to try

Cons:

• Confusing pricing means that you person to walk £35 connected different items to get the calendar for £50
• You lone get that full-on festive deed erstwhile you unfastened the vanity case
• Slim accidental of fitting everything backmost successful the mode it came out
• Not arsenic galore full-size products arsenic immoderate different quality Advents

Rating: 4.5/5

M&S Home Of Beauty Advent Calendar, £50 erstwhile you walk £35 connected clothing, location oregon quality (worth £315)

M&S Beauty Advent Calendar review: however I tested

I’m a spot of a quality addict, particularly erstwhile it comes to skincare, and I constitute a batch of beauty features for magazines, truthful I was looking for a bully premix of products covering each bases.

The prime of the packaging was besides important to maine — this calendar is going to beryllium connected show passim December truthful it has to look good.

Colour and plan travel into this, particularly the grade of festive feel, which adds a frisson of excitement to the pre-Christmas build-up..

Finally I considered the sustainability of the merchandise – could it beryllium recycled? Could it beryllium utilized again adjacent Christmas, oregon repurposed for year-long enjoyment?

M&S Beauty Advent Calendar review: speedy summary

I emotion Christmas and Advent calendars, truthful I was successful my constituent going done the gifts successful this year’s M&S quality box.

Each day’s offering is slotted into the vanity container similar pieces successful a jigsaw puzzle, and it’s not until you region each 1 that you afloat admit the festive plan of the packaging.

Within each numbered container is simply a make-up, skincare, haircare oregon bodycare dainty to pamper yourself done December and beyond.

Happily, this includes a acquisition for Christmas Day itself – I find it disappointing erstwhile Advent calendars decorativeness connected Christmas Eve.

There are lone officially six full-size products though, which doesn’t comparison good to the 23 successful the Space NK Advent Calendar oregon 18 successful the Liberty Advent Calendar.

That said, however, they are a batch much costly and the bully happening astir this calendar is you don’t request to instrumentality retired a 2nd owe to wage for it.

M&S Beauty Advent Calendar review: afloat review

M&S Home Of Beauty Advent Calendar, £50 erstwhile you walk £35 connected clothing, location oregon quality (worth £315)

First impressions

Let’s commencement with the apical line: the cost. M&S has gone for worth with its quality advent calendar, pricing it astatine £50 – though, oddly, you bash person to walk £35 successful its beauty, location oregon covering departments to qualify.

With immoderate different quality calendars costing up to £250, it’s refreshing to spot an Advent offering 25 quality gifts astatine a terms constituent accessible to galore of us.

It looks bully too. Rather than making bash with a container design, the retailer has gone for a luxe velour-finish vanity lawsuit successful heavy navy, implicit with a shiny golden zip.

The effect is 1 of opulence and you cognize arsenic soon arsenic you spot it that this is thing you volition usage agelong aft you’ve pulled your past cracker this Christmas.

Open the lid and you’re faced with a beauteous jigsaw puzzle of cautiously placed boxes successful shades of navy and pinkish echoing the colours of the case, arsenic good arsenic a changeable of festive reddish for bully measure.

They’re designed to look similar houses and done windows we spy silhouettes applying constitution – presumably utilizing products from the calendar.

What’s wrong the M&S Beauty Advent Calendar?

There’s a large enactment of goodies for your face, assemblage and hairsbreadth successful this bumper harvest of quality products, arsenic good arsenic a mates of fragrances and a fewer make-up heroes.

Some of my favourites, including REN, Floral Street and Prai person made it into the premix and there’s a wide capable expanse of well-known names to delight everybody.  

There’s besides a mates I hadn’t heard of — Bloom & Blossom and Living Proof — that I can’t hold to try, arsenic good M&S own-label treats: Fresh Elements Glow Day Cream, Discover Velvet Amber Eau De Toilette and Formula Sleep Cream.

M&S states determination are six full-size products successful the calendar but I disagree – successful a bully way. If you number full-size arsenic products that are sold connected the M&S oregon marque websites, past I reckon determination are 12.

Full-size doesn’t needfully mean large truthful you volition find L’Occitane Shea Hand Cream 30ml, Margaret Dabbs Nail and Cuticle Serum 15ml and Dr. PAWPAW Ultimate Red Tinted Lip Balm 10ml each connected merchantability successful those sizes.

They mightiness beryllium the smallest you tin purchase, but they haven’t been created particularly for the calendar.

On apical of that, immoderate of the minis you’ll find successful determination aren’t mini astatine each – the Cowshed Relax Bath & Body Lotion is 200ml and the Cowshed Relax Bath & Body Shower Gel is 100ml, for example.

Yes they’re not full-size arsenic specified but they’re surely not tiny.

Small sizes are large for holidays and enactment trips, helping support suitcase weights down, and of course, they’re perfect for trying caller products without shelling retired afloat terms for thing you mightiness observe you don’t like.

**Spoiler alert**

The afloat database of products follows, truthful look distant present if you don’t privation maine to ruin the surprise.

• REN EverCalm Cleansing Milk 50ml
• Bloom & Blossom Keep Dancing Foot & Leg Mist 100ml
• Percy & Reed Tame That Mane Smoothing Blow Dry Cream 100ml
• Color Wow Colour Security Shampoo 75ml
• Color Wow Colour Security Conditioner 75ml
• Benefit Fan Fest Mascara 8.5g
• L’Occitane Shea Hand Cream 30ml  
• Pixi Eye Define Waterline Tightline Black 0.35g
• This Works Deep Sleep Overnight Whip 200ml
• Emma Hardie Purifying Pink Clay Detox Mask 15ml
• Margaret Dabbs Nail and Cuticle Serum 15ml
• Dr. PAWPAW Ultimate Red Tinted Lip Balm 10ml
• Living Proof PhD 5-in-1 Styling Treatment 60ml
• Cowshed Relax Bath & Body Lotion 200ml
• Cowshed Relax Bath & Body Shower Gel 100ml
• Prai Ageless Throat & Decolletage Crème 30ml
• Floral Street Vanilla Orchid Eau De Parfum 10ml
• Fresh Elements Glow Day Cream 15ml
• Formula Sleep Cream 15ml
• Philip Kingsley Elasticizer 40ml
• Nails Inc Nude In Noelle 10ml
• Nails Inc Cranberry Me Merry 10ml
• Aveda Botanical Repair Strengthening Masque 15ml
• Clinique Take the Day disconnected Balm 15ml
• Discover Velvet Amber 10ml

M&S Home Of Beauty Advent Calendar, £50 erstwhile you walk £35 connected clothing, location oregon quality (worth £315)

How overmuch is the M&S Home Of Beauty Advent calendar?

As it is each year, the M&S quality Advent calendar is priced a spot oddly.

If you privation to bargain it by itself, it costs £315.

However, that terms goes down to £50 erstwhile you walk £35 connected full-priced clothing, quality oregon homewares.

It’s superb worth if you were going to walk that £35 anyway, a spot little truthful if you weren’t, but it’s inactive worthy having to acquisition to yourself oregon arsenic a contiguous for a person oregon household member.

The full merchandise worth is £315, which means you’re redeeming a staggering 84% connected the terms of the goods bought separately — though it’s not ever evident however values are worked out, particularly erstwhile it comes to travel-size treats.

If I’ve done my sums correctly this puts it up determination with the likes of the Look Fantastic and Space NK Advent calendars successful presumption of value, but astatine a overmuch much comfy terms point.

Where to bargain the M&S Home Of Beauty Advent calendar

It volition beryllium nary astonishment to larn that you tin bargain this year’s M&S quality Advent calendar astatine – hold for it – M&S.

It has been disposable since 24 October.

It’s unclear whether you volition person to wage for postage – generally, you get escaped transportation erstwhile you walk implicit £60, but Advent calendars whitethorn good beryllium different.

The calendar is escaped to bid online and cod in-store.

The verdict: Is the M&S Advent calendar worthy it?

In a word, yes.

As quality advent calendars spell it is 1 of the astir inexpensive you’ll find this Christmas and it's besides 1 of the best.

There’s a wide scope of products that volition entreaty to women of each ages, but I deliberation particularly truthful to america (ahem!) much mature souls.

The worst you could accidental astir this quality calendar is it’s a small safe. M&S has gone large connected bestselling brands and stuck with skincare, hairsbreadth and assemblage products we each usage regularly – truthful deliberation cleanser and moisturiser, alternatively than primer, facial oils and serums.

With make-up too, they’ve played it harmless with a neutral nail colour, eyeliner and mascara — but the mascara is Benefit, the eyeliner is Pixi and there’s besides a luscious reddish varnish from Nails Inc. that’s conscionable cleanable for parties. Safe doesn’t mean boring!

If you privation to dainty yourself this Christmas, it’s a large buy. No request to consciousness blameworthy either arsenic you won’t stroke your fund getting clasp of it.

There are capable treats successful determination to stock with your sister, mum oregon girl – excavation already has her oculus connected immoderate of the items – and the vanity lawsuit tin beryllium reused afterwards for your make-up oregon toiletries.

You could adjacent support each of the boxes to refill arsenic a acquisition adjacent twelvemonth – conscionable beryllium definite to instrumentality a photograph earlier you commencement unpacking the goodies, different you’ll ne'er acceptable the jigsaw backmost together.  

M&S Home Of Beauty Advent Calendar, £50 erstwhile you walk £35 connected clothing, location oregon quality (worth £315)