So last Christmas I decided it was time to invest in a beauty advent calendar for me and my daughter. I thought it would be a cute way for us to countdown to Christmas and as she has become more interested in beauty it seemed like a good way to try different products.

I purchased the LookFantastic beauty advent calendar, one for each of us. Being an organised person I ordered these in September after reading reviews online and deciding which would be the best range of products. Ordering was a smooth process, the money was instantly taken to pay for the advent calendars with a note saying they would be dispatched once they became available. I then started seeing influencers sharing the advent calendars online so made contact to find out when we would be receiving ours as this made me think they were ready for dispatch. I was told they were not yet ready and it would be a few more weeks. This experience wasn’t great and there was quite a wait for the calendars to come. As a paying customer you would have expected to be getting yours at the same time.

When the calendars came they were really large. The design last year had a drop down front with two sliding compartments on the side. The design looked expensive however having purchased two finding space to store both and be able to slide out the side compartments was quite difficult.

It was great to even get a gift on Christmas Day.

When I bought the advent calendars one of the things I wanted to do was check whether they were value for money so each day I tracked each item and looked for the comparable cost for each item. Below will detail what was received each day and the cost associated. The advent calendars cost £100 each. It also included free delivery.

Day 1

We started strong on day one with the Medik8 toner along with a £30 voucher. Even though the voucher sounds great I didn’t use this as it could only be used on specific products which I didn’t need. The Medik8 toner retails for £32 so this was an expensive product to start the calendar. It was also a full size product which I wasn’t expecting.

Day 2

This was a travel body smoothing wash from This Works. Perfect for travelling to keep the weight down in the case. This retails for £10.

Day 3

Another travel size product which was shampoo and conditioner from Wella Professionals. This retails for £10.

Day 4

This was another full size product of the Ordinary Eye Serum. Having used a few of the Ordinary products these are always really good at helping to restore your skin and making it feel more fresh. This retails for £19.90.

Day 6

Another full size product from the Glow Hub of a lipgloss. This retails at £10.

Day 6

It was time for some scent and this day was the Sol De Janeiro 90ml spray which excited my daughter as she loves these products. My daughter stole both of these before I could take a picture. This retails at £24.

Day 7

This was a travel version of First Aid our skin face cleanser. This retails at £5.

Day 8

A travel version of the Estée Lauder Advanced Night repair serum was included. This retails at £16 for the travel size. This is a great size to try a new product for the first time and the serum itself only needs a small amount.

Day 9

A travel size hair growth serum from The Nue co was on this day. This can be added to the scalp to help healthy hair growth. It retails for £7.

Day 10

A full size primer from Avant Skincare was included. This retails for £84. I am not sure that I would spend that amount of money on a primer when shopping so it was good to try something that would normally be outside of my price range.

Day 11

A travel size Rituals candle was in the drawer this day. This smells beautiful and looks lovely. This retails at £17.

Day 12

A full size 100ml Aveeno daily moisturising body lotion was included. This retails at £4. I really like the Aveeno products as they help your skin feel more nourished and smooth. The other good thing about these products is that they are good for sensitive skin.

Day 13

A full size Mac lipstick was today’s treat. The colour of this lipstick is so versatile more in the nude palette with a hint of pink. It is silky and feels smooth on the lips. The shade was Hug Me. This retails at £24.

Day 14

A travel size product from Colour Wow raise the root thicken and lift spray 50mls. This retails at £12. I have recently become addicted to the Colour Wow range and whilst more expensive than other hair products they really do what they say. As I have thick long hair this lift spray wasn’t really needed as my hair already has a lot of volume.

Day 15

Double the joy this day as two products were included. Travel size Peter Thomas Roth masks. These retail at £20.

Day 16

It was nice to get something to apply the make up that was being received. This day was the Trigwell cosmetics powder puffs. They retail for £14.99. I really appreciated the iridescent box which created a lovely rainbow effect when photographed.

Day 17

We all need some SPF in our lives to prevent further wrinkles and skin cancer. This day was the travel size Ultrasun anti-ageing lotion with SPF30. This retails for £12.

Day 18

Another full size product from Ciate London which was the blusher. The shade is Sweet Kiss and would suit most skin tones. This retails at £20. I really like the packaging and the addition of sparkle within the blusher.

Day 19

I was really happy to see an Elemis product which was the Pro-Collagen Marine Cream. This was a travel size at 30ml which is still a good size to try the product. The scent of this is so refreshing and lovely. Only a small amount of product is needed and leaves your skin feeling soft and rejuvenated. This retails at £64.

Day 20

A travel size Grown Alchemist facial exfoliant was in the drawer this day. This was a 12ml. This retails at £16.

Day 21

A full size Iconic London prep set spray was included. This retails at £25. This helps with setting your make up and provides a dewy complexion.

Day 22

A full size satin eye mask was included from Brushworks to help you get to sleep ready for Santa coming. This retails at £7.99.

Day 23

A travel size ESPA treatment oil was included. This retails at £25. This helps with the youthful glow to try and convince Santa you deserve more gifts as you are a child :).

Day 24 – Christmas Eve

Finally it was Christmas Eve, a Shiseido eye mask was included to help relax and get that early night ready for Santa. This retails for £11.

Day 25 – Christmas Day

After all the excitement of opening gifts from Santa there was another gift with the final day of the advent calendar. This was Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Palette which includes 14 shade. This retails at £48. I really like Anastasia eye palettes and was first introduced with going to Sephora in Orlando. The good thing about this palette is that the colours will suit most skin tones and hair colours. The palettes always have some sparkle eyeshadows along with matt to help you blend and create beautiful eyes. As the palette also contains a mirror and brush this is easy to take with you on travels and create lots of different looks. This was a great end to the advent calendar.

Overall the advent calendar contained brands that I would normally purchase, for this alone the £100 cost was well worth the investment as a lot of the products have prevented me needing to buy new ones. It was also great to have new products that I haven’t purchased before as it has introduced me to new brands. Some of the brands seem outside of my price range and when using them they don’t add anything that I don’t already have with the products I currently use.

The mixture of products was also nice to see as I didn’t know what to expect when buying. Skin products, along with make up and tools was a helpful way to fill up the beauty draws.

I feel that the calendar helped to enhance our build up to Christmas with us excited each day to see what product we would be getting next. It brought some sparkle and joy to our festive season.

If you sign up for LookFantastic they will give you advance notice to sign up ready for the 2025 Advent Calendar. It is worth signing up so that you are one of the first to know about the calendar then you can make your decision if it benefits you to purchase.

You can sign up to LookFantastic here: https://www.lookfantastic.com