Boots 24 Days of Luxe Beauty Advent Calendar 2026 review: “A generous mix for £150”

RRP at time of testing: £150 | Check price at Boots

What Mumsnet users say

My verdict

Beauty Advent calendars can be hit and miss. There’s nothing worse than spending more than £200 on one, only to find products you don’t recognise or, worse, something brilliant that costs far too much to replace once it runs out.

Boots is one of Britain’s best-known high-street names and has been a go-to for family beauty and skincare for years. Its Luxe calendar follows the same formula: familiar brands, practical products and a £150 price that sits well below many prestige calendars.

Mumsnet user NC543210 was already feeling confident before this year’s launch: “I was really impressed with them last year and bought a couple for stocking fillers. I have a feeling Boots is going to be good this year.”

This year’s calendar contains 27 products, 19 of them full-sized according to Boots, with a claimed value of £710 (well, £709.59 to be exact). 

It’s a large calendar, but it’s slim enough to sit on a mantlepiece during Advent

The contents back that up. There’s skincare from Caudalie, Estée Lauder, Ole Henriksen and Laneige, make-up from Huda Beauty, NARS, MAC and Benefit and a strong haircare line-up. The full-sized Aveda shampoo and conditioner stand out, especially when so many calendars offer bottles barely big enough for one wash.

Mumsnet users have been tracking beauty Advent calendar launches since early July. The discussions already run across several threads covering spoilers, discounts, stock alerts and detailed breakdowns of the contents. Boots has had the same scrutiny as the rest.

The general verdict is positive. Mumsnet user PunnyCyanBear called it “a banger”, praising the number of full sizes and the mix across make-up, skincare, haircare and body care. NewNewYork paid about £125 after combining a workplace discount, app offer, extra points and cashback, while IlovePond had built up enough recycling points to cover most of a Boots calendar. The £150 ticket price isn’t small, but Boots does at least give bargain hunters several possible routes to soften it.

After opening it myself, the appeal is obvious. The range is broad, the brands are recognisable and there are fewer obvious filler products than I expected. I’ve got reservations about the random Fenty shade, a few repeat offenders and the slightly tinsel-like design, but this is a generous calendar that should work well for someone who wants premium products without tipping into Liberty or Harrods territory.

How I’ve tested the Boots Luxe calendar for 2026

I personally received the calendar for review and assessed its packaging, presentation, contents and value. I’ve also begun testing selected skincare and body products, although it’s far too early to pretend I’ve used all 27. 

My skin is dry and sensitive and my hair is thick and curly, so I’m introducing new formulas gradually.

It’s easy to open and easy to get into every drawer - there’s no faffing about

I also compared Boots’ product and value claims with the published contents list and drew on Mumsnet users’ experiences of ordering the calendar, finding discounts and deciding which products they would use. 

After all, beauty Advent calendar value is personal. A £65 eye cream is only worth £65 to you if you want it on your face.

What’s in the 2026 Boots Luxe Beauty Advent Calendar?

There are 27 products across 25 drawers, and Boots marks 19 as full-sized. That’s two more products and two more full sizes than the 2025 Premium version from Boots last year. 

By my count, there are nine skincare products, nine make-up products, five hair products, two body products and two fragrances. Returning brands include MAC, NARS, Fenty, Caudalie, Laneige and Estée Lauder, but I couldn’t find any exact product-and-size repeats.

One of the make-up products, the Fenty Gloss Bomb Stix, comes in one of two shades. 

My top picks from the calendar

• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask: a full-sized pot in Sweet Candy and the sort of easy, useful product that won’t require me to rethink my entire routine.

• Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm: another full size and a practical inclusion. A cleanser isn’t the most exciting drawer, but it’s one I know won’t languish untouched.

• Caudalie Vinoperfect Brightening Dark Spot Serum: more than six years living in the desert has wreaked havoc on my skin, so a full-sized brightening serum aimed at dark spots is considerably more exciting to me than it sounds written down.

My three favourites from this year’s offering - Laneige, Caudalie and Clinique

And my least useful products

• Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Ultra Blur Mini: this appeared in several calendars in 2025 and I’m unlikely to use it. I prefer a setting spray.

• Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Or Golden Shimmering Multi-Purpose Dry Oil: it’s full-sized and valuable, but personally I’m not a fan of shimmering oil.

• Mamonde Calming Shot Azulene Ampoule: another full-sized product, although less immediately useful to me than the Caudalie or Laneige options.

First impressions of the Boots Luxe calendar

It’s very festive, although the design is a little tinsel-like. Boots has used the same celebratory look across its Luxe, Skin (£70) and Scent (£90) calendars this year. They clearly belong together, although the metallic design won’t suit anyone hoping for subtlety.

The box is large at 45.5cm wide and 42cm tall, with 25 drawers containing 27 products. It looks substantial enough for a £150 gift, but it isn’t trying to double as a keepsake jewellery chest. I’d rather Boots spent the money on the contents anyway.

Plus - and probably the most important part of any calendar - is that it’s slim enough to sit atop a fireplace or shelf during the countdown to Christmas. Unlike LOOKFANTASTIC’s that requires a full coffee table’s worth of space. 

How many full-sized products are in the Boots Luxe calendar?

Boots says 19 of the 27 products are full-sized. I’d agree with that claim, with standard retail sizes including the 125ml Clinique cleansing balm, 250ml Aveda shampoo and conditioner, 100ml Huda Beauty setting spray and 200ml Amika leave-in conditioner.

The design across all three Boots offerings this year is cohesive

In my opinion, it makes the calendar more useful. Minis are good for discovering something new, but a full bottle of shampoo, conditioner or shower gel can actually become part of your routine. 

The trade-off is storage: this is a lot of product to absorb at once, so check the list against what’s already waiting in your bathroom cupboard. Or have a box dedicated somewhere like I have with the products you plan to use once your current ones have run out. 

Are there any fragrances inside Boots’ Luxe calendar?

Yes, but fragrance doesn’t dominate the calendar. There’s a full-sized 90ml Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 91 Perfume Mist and a 10ml Floral Street Wild Vanilla Orchid Eau de Parfum.

That’s a sensible allocation for a mixed beauty calendar. You get enough scent to justify the category without paying for eight perfumes you may never wear. Check the notes before buying if sweet or floral scents aren’t your thing. For me, I’m loyal to my Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb and am not easily persuaded to try something new. 

Boots’ Luxe Advent calendar: what about the make-up shades?

Most of the shades are fixed and lean towards familiar neutrals: MAC Soar lip pencil, MAC Mehr lipstick and NARS Orgasm Crave. The ICONIC London palette includes blush, bronze and highlight shades, which gives you more room to mix and adapt than a single fixed complexion product IMO. 

The gamble is the Fenty Gloss Bomb Stix, which arrives in either Fu$$y or Fenty Glow (I received the latter) . Both sit in fairly wearable pink or nude territory, but random allocation is still a little irritating. A full-sized make-up product has very little value if the colour doesn’t work for you. Though, luckily, the shade works alright for me. 

Hair products inside the Boots Luxe calendar

Haircare is one of this calendar’s strongest categories. It includes full-sized Aveda Rosemary Mint shampoo and conditioner, a 200ml Amika Hydro Rush leave-in conditioner, a 95ml Wella leave-in mask and a 50ml Color Wow smoothing treatment.

For my thick, curly hair, the Amika leave-in and Wella mask are the most promising. The matching Aveda pair is also a rare treat in a beauty calendar, where shampoo often appears without conditioner.

Anyone with very fine hair or a scalp that dislikes richer products should inspect the formulas first, but there’s enough variety here to share or pass on anything that doesn’t suit.

Is the Boots Luxe Beauty Advent Calendar good value?

Boots charges £150, the same as last year’s Premium calendar, but the claimed value has risen from about £613 to £709.59. That gives an apparent saving of £559.59, or just under 79%. Boots says the figure is based on separate RRPs for full-sized products and a price-per-ml calculation for the smaller ones.

The top three full-sized products I checked are the Estée Lauder eye cream at £65 RRP, the Caudalie serum at £52 and the ICONIC London palette at £40. Together, they come to £157 before you count the other 24 products. Promotions move around, of course, but that comparison does make the £150 calendar price look credible rather than fanciful.

Naturally, the pooch came over to have a nosey at what I was doing

That doesn’t mean everybody is saving £559.59. You’re only saving money on products you would otherwise buy and use. If the random make-up shade, shimmering oil and several hair products are wrong for you, the personal value drops quickly. If most of the list appeals, though, this is one of the stronger value options at the premium-but-not-quite-luxury end of the market for 2026. 

Sadly, the calendar is sold online only and Boots says it’s available while stocks last. It sold out in 2025, so waiting for a discount does carry a risk. On the other hand, Mumsnet users have reduced the effective price with Advantage Card points, recycling rewards, workplace discounts, new-app offers and cashback. So, if you already use those schemes, do the sums before checking out.

Boots Luxe beauty Advent calendar 2026: who should buy this calendar?

This is best for someone who wants a broad premium beauty mix and will use several categories. Its strengths are haircare, full-sized skincare and recognisable brands. It would also split well between family members, which several Mumsnet users plan to do.

It’s less suitable if you only want make-up, avoid fragranced products or already have a sizeable beauty-calendar stash. The £150 price is good relative to the contents, but it’s still £150. If most of the contents won’t get used, it’s not a bargain.

2026 Boots beauty Advent calendars compared

The Luxe calendar covers the most categories and has the highest claimed value this year. 

The Skin calendar is cheaper, contains 24 products and suits anyone mainly interested in skincare, with Boots claiming 21 full sizes. 

The Scent calendar is a more specialised 12-day option with 15 products, including a full-sized 35ml Givenchy fragrance and a NEOM candle. 

Final verdict: is this the beauty Advent calendar for you this year?

The Boots 24 Days of Luxe calendar gets the important things right. It contains a broad mix of recognisable brands, 19 claimed full sizes and unusually useful haircare. At £150, it undercuts the prestige calendars but still feels like an indulgence.

Want premium beauty without spending a ridiculous amount? Boots’ Luxe is the one for you

There are drawbacks. The packaging won’t win any awards for subtlety, the Fenty shade is random and seasoned calendar buyers will recognise a few regulars. I’d also prefer Boots to let the contents speak for themselves rather than leaning quite so hard on the £709.59 headline. Nobody has ever saved £559.59 by buying 27 things they didn’t want.

Still, there’s very little filler here. My top picks are full-sized, useful and suited to my own routine, while the category mix makes the calendar easy to share if necessary. For someone who wants premium beauty without spending £250 or more, it makes sense.

Five out of five. Very good, very generous and only slightly dressed as a Christmas tree.

About the author

Rebecca is a writer, editor, and content marketing expert hailing from Leeds. Here at Mumsnet, she works to bring parents content that’s designed to make life easier. After birthing and breastfeeding two babies in two years, Rebecca knows first-hand how hard it can be to prioritise yourself when you become a mother. So, she’s on a quest to find the best beauty and fashion products that are both practical and affordable, with the help of Mumsnet user recommendations. 

Outside work, Rebecca balances life as a working mum of two young boys and when she’s not at her desk, you’ll likely find her at a local playgroup, in a nearby coffee shop, or walking the dog up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after extensive research and testing. We work hard to provide honest, independent advice you can trust. We sometimes earn revenue through affiliate links, but this never influences our coverage.

All prices are correct at time of publication.