It’s that time of year again, friends! And after the last few months, it’s fair to say that we all deserve a treat. Shopping for Christmas gifts can be a tough gig, especially when your loved ones seem to already have a number of lovely things in their possession.
So, to take the guesswork out of the situation, why not consider an advent calendar? Not only does an advent calendar treat your special someone to 12 or 24 days of gifts but it takes the decision-making process out of it for you. You pick one thing, and your loved one is gifted with many things. Sounds like a pretty good outcome to us!
For those beauty enthusiasts in your life, you can’t really go past a skincare or makeup advent calendar. A number of the best beauty brands bring out advent calendars each year, including Charlotte Tilbury, Lush, MECCA MAX and L’Occitane, so you can’t really go wrong. Keep reading to discover the best beauty advent calendars to buy this year.
Kiehl's Heritage Icons Set
With possibly the coolest advent calendar packaging this year, the Kiehl’s Heritage Icons Set ($179) is one you don’t want to miss. This baby features 12 of Kiehl’s iconic products — its greatest hits, if you will — so you or a loved one can sample the best of the best from the brand.
ecotools 12 Days of Beauty Bliss Advent Calendar
For those who need a top up in the makeup brush and beauty tools department, the ecotools 12 Days of Beauty Bliss Advent Calendar ($64.99) is the best way to do this. The calendar is filled with interchangeable tools like a pencil sharpener, makeup remover cloth and foldable brow razor.
By Terry Jewel Fantasy Advent Calendar
The By Terry Jewel Fantasy Advent Calendar ($337) is filled with 14 makeup products and 10 skincare goodies in mini-to-go and full-size versions. This luxe gift includes favourites like the Baume de Rose Hand Cream and the Ombre Blackstar Cream Eyeshadow in the shade Bronze Moon.
Disney Minnie 12 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar
While a chocolate advent calendar is delicious, the little people in your life might also enjoy the Disney Minnie 12 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar ($20). This gift is filled with sweet beauty goodies like lip balms, bath bombs and hand cream.
Target 15 Day Bath & Body Advent Calendar
Target’s 15 Day Bath & Body Advent Calendar ($30) is a great way to count down to Christmas and enjoy a little self-care at the same time. This calendar is filled with pamper essentials like hand cream, bubble bath, shower gel and bath bombs.
Go-To Skincare 12 Days of Go-To
Go-To Skincare’s 12 Days of Go-To ($150) advent calendar is a great gift for those who love simple and effective skincare. Packaged in a fun and festive box, this calendar contains some of the brand’s most popular products including the Transformazing sheet mask and its facial oil called Face Hero. It also contains fun extras like eyebrow tweezers, a shower cap, exfoliating mitts and a silk eye mask.
Lancôme Advent Calendar
Filled with 24 mini sized products, Lancôme’s Advent Calendar ($250) is valued at $1082 — amazing value! This calendar is filled with cult products like the Lash Idôle Volumising Mascara and the Advanced Génifique – Youth Activating Face Serum.
Diptyque Holiday Advent Calendar
Insert a little luxury into the lead up to Christmas with the Diptyque Holiday Advent Calendar ($659). Filled with 25 pieces, including 11 candles, this is the best way to try all of Diptyque’s most coveted products.
MECCA MAX Maxed Out 12 Piece Mini Must Haves
MECCA MAX’s Maxed Out 12 Piece Mini Must Haves ($65) is a makeup lovers dream. This calendar includes blush, bronzer, lip balm, cream eyeshadow and brow gel — just to name a few.
ASOS Face + Body 24 Day Advent Calendar
The ASOS Face + Body 24 Day Advent Calendar ($150) contains 24 beauty staples, including 15 full-sized products, across the categories of skincare, makeup, haircare, body care and accessories.
Revolution You Are The Revolution Advent Calendar 2021
Revolution’s You Are The Revolution Advent Calendar 2021 ($80) is the perfect gift for you or a loved one who is taken with all things beauty. In this calendar you’ll find lip products, eyeshadows and brow products.
Clarins 24 Day Advent Calendar
The Clarins 24 Day Advent Calendar ($160) allows you to open a beauty surprise each day of December until Christmas Eve. Clarins fans are going to love the mix of products, which includes the SOS Hydra Mask, the Tonic Bath Shower Concentrate and the Hand and Nail Treatment Cream.
Huda Beauty House of Huda 12-Door Advent Calendar
Huda Beauty lovers rejoice! Curated by Huda herself, the House of Huda 12-Door Advent Calendar ($268) features a mixture of skincare and makeup, including one of three Obsessions palettes.
Susanne Kaufmann Advent Calendar 2021
Susanne Kaufmann’s Advent Calendar 2021 ($824.32) is filled with tonics, serums and creams that are deliciously luxurious.
Kiehl's Holiday Limited Edition Advent Calendar
The Kiehl’s Holiday Limited Edition Advent Calendar ($149) includes 24 surprises and is perfect for the skincare devotee. Some of the products featured in the calendar include the Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Creme de Corps — two fan favourites from Kiehl’s.
YSL Beauty Luxury Advent Calendar
Luxury beauty lovers, this one’s for you! The YSL Beauty Luxury Advent Calendar ($495) includes 17 mini, six full-size products as well as one gift, to give you 24 days of holiday goodness.
Sephora Collection Holiday Vibes Advent Calendar Makeup Skincare & Bath Set
Count down to December 24 with the help of Sephora Collection’s Holiday Vibes Advent Calendar Makeup Skincare & Bath Set ($99). This baby is filled with makeup, skincare, accessories and bath products and the packaging of the calendar comes from sustainably managed forests. We love!
Clinique 24 Days of Clinique Set
Clinique has collected some of its best skincare and makeup goodies and compiled them into the 24 Days of Clinique Set ($174). Fans of the iconic brand are sure to love this assortment of products.
Jo Malone Advent Calendar
Jo Malone’s Advent Calendar ($689) allows you to countdown to Christmas in style. Featuring some of the brand’s most-loved scents as well as exclusive products, which you’ll find in either mini or 30ml size.
The World of La Mer Advent Calendar
With a total value of $994, La Mer’s The World of La Mer Advent Calendar ($725) is packaged in a limited-edition keepsake box and contains 12 days worth of goodies. Each day you’ll discover one of La Mer’s iconic products, like The Eye Concentrate and the Crème de la Mer.
Ciaté London Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar
Celebrate the festive season with Ciaté London’s Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar ($99). Filled with 23 mini versions of Ciaté’s most loved products, including its best-selling Plant Pots — nail polishes created with 80 per cent natural origin ingredients — and its Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer, which refines pores and hydrates skin to create the perfect base for makeup. This beauty is available at MECCA from October 28.
Adore Beauty Luxury Advent Calendar
The Adore Beauty Luxury Advent Calendar ($99.95) is filled with 12 travel-friendly mini-sized skincare, haircare and makeup essentials, valued at over $250. Featuring cult brands like Ultra Violette, Benefit, Estee Lauder and Lancôme, you or your loved one is sure to appreciate the little luxuries of this calendar.
Selfridges Beauty Advent Calendar 2021
UK department store Selfridges has released its Beauty Advent Calendar ($340) for 2021 and you won’t be disappointed. This calendar includes products like Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Hyaluronic Serum, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty’s Pillow Talk Mascara and the Huda Beauty Cleansing Balm. Selfridges offers shipping to Australia so you can experience the goodness for yourself.
LACURA Skin Science Caviar Illumination 12 Day Advent Calendar
LACURA Caviar is the beloved affordable skincare brand stocked at Aldi and this year, you can get your hands on the LACURA Skin Science Caviar Illumination 12 Day Advent Calendar ($29.99). This gift features 12 goodies from the LACURA range, including day cream, night cream and eye mousse. You can get your hands on this baby in-store at Aldi from Wednesday, October 20.
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Charlotte's Beauty Dreams & Secrets
The Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Charlotte’s Beauty Dreams & Secrets ($295) is perfect for the luxe skincare and makeup lover. Filled with three full-sized and nine travel-sized products, this gift includes cult favourites like the Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk and Charlotte’s Magic Cream Moisturiser.
Amazon Beauty 2021 Advent Calendar
Filled with 24 days of beauty, skincare and hair goodies, the Amazon Beauty 2021 Advent Calendar ($99.99) is a treat for the festive period. With products from your favourite brands like Weleda, Olay and Rimmel, this calendar is worth over $370.
Glasshouse Fragrances Advent Calendar
Bring a little bit of magic to your Christmas with Glasshouse Fragrances Advent Calendar ($250). This luxurious gift is filled with 24 mini versions of your favourite Glasshouse products. Scent lovers will revel in the assortment of candles, hand creams, shower gels, body lotions and eau de parfums.
Benefit Cosmetics The More the Merrier Beauty Makeup Set
Benefit Cosmetics’ The More the Merrier Beauty Makeup Set ($119) is filled with 12 of Benefit’s best-selling cult products in mini and fun sizes. Each day, you’ll be able to get your hands on products like Benefit’s They’re Real! Magnet Mascara, Hoola Bronzer and The POREfessional Pore Primer.
L'Occitane Advent Calendar
For timeless, effective and cult favourite products, you can’t go past L’Occitane’s Classic Advent Calendar ($99). Filled with shower products, youth-boosting skincare, hand care products and fragrance goodies, this is 24 days of bliss you don’t want to miss.
Palm Beach Collection Advent Calendar
Can’t settle on one candle scent? You don’t have with the Palm Beach Collection Advent Calendar ($79.95). This gift includes 12 mini candles, with 10 scents from the core range and two new festive fragrances of Pink Hibiscus Fizz and Passionfruit Pavlova.
INIKA Organic 12 Days of Botanic Beauty
INIKA Organic’s 12 Days of Botanic Beauty ($199) is filled with a dozen of the brand’s most loved products including the Light Reflect Cream, Certified Organic Lipstick and Avocado Hand Cream. This is the perfect gift for the natural beauty lover in your life (or for yourself!) and is available to shop now.
NET-A-PORTER 25 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar
With 17 full-size and eight travel-size products, the NET-A-PORTER 25 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar ($410) is a cult favourite every year. Containing brands like Dr. Barbara Sturm, 111Skin and Augustinus Bader, this baby often sells out, so if you’re keen on getting one for yourself or a loved one, you’ll have to get in quick.
Lush
Made from reusable and recyclable packaging (including ribbon that is made from recycled drink bottles!), the Lush Advent Calendar ($335) includes 25 vegan products including old Lush favourites like the Christmas Penguin Bubble Bar and Cinders Bath Bomb.
Fortnum Beauty Advent Calendar 2021
Fortnum’s Beauty Advent Calendar 2021 ($419) contains over $1,300 worth of beauty products, with 25 drawers holding 20 full-size products, 16 deluxe samples and one travel-size product. You’ll be able to try products from Sol de Janeiro, Escentric Molecules and Gallinée.
Cult Beauty Advent Calendar 2021
Cult Beauty’s Advent Calendar 2021 ($400) contains a whopping 38 products, which range from cult favourites to new discoveries from brands like Victoria Beckham Beauty, Youth to the People and Briogeo.
To make this calendar even sweeter, Cult Beauty is donating £40,000 (over $70,000 AUD) from the sales to Beauty Backed Trust — an organisation formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that supports beauty professionals through grants, mentorships and masterclasses.
Cult Beauty is also offering free worldwide delivery but you’ll have to be quick to snap up this baby. The first drop sold out super quickly, so head to the Cult Beauty website to join the waitlist for the second round of advent calendar drops.
The Body Shop Beauty Advent Calendars
The Body Shop has three advent calendars on offer this year, the Share the Joy Advent Calendar ($100) worth $136 (pictured), the Share the Love Big Advent Calendar ($160) worth $211 and the Share Love & Joy Ultimate Advent Calendar ($250), worth $375.
These calendars include a variety of mini and full-sized products including best sellers like The Body’s Shop Body Butters and Drops of Youth Concentrate.
LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty Advent Calendar
LOOKFANTASTIC’s Beauty Advent Calendar ($160) is filled with over $765 worth of products including goodies like the Aveda Botatntical Rpair Treatment, NARS Blush in Orgasm and Kate Sommerville’s Goat Milk Moisturising Cleanser. This calendar is due to launch on October 1, 2021, but is currently available to pre-order. You’ll need to get in quick as the LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty Advent Calendar has sold out for six years in a row.
Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar 2021
The Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar 2021 ($475) is the brand’s most successful and fastest-selling product in its 145 year history. Curated by Liberty’s in-house experts, the 2021 offering is filled with products across the categories of body, hair and skincare and is valued at over $1,500.
Feelunique Beauty Advent Calendar 2021
Filled with products from Charlotte Tilbury, Huda Beauty, Emma Hardie and ELEMIS, the Feelunique Beauty Advent Calendar 2021 ($218.96) includes 27 treats for you to try.
Valmont Féerie Beauty Advent Calendar
The Valmont Féerie Beauty Advent Calendar ($669.70) is available from Harrods and contains 12 luxury beauty goodies. These include Storie Veneziane’s decadent fragrances as well as its beloved anti-ageing products.