🎄 2025 Style and Beauty Advent Calendar Discussion ***SPOILERS*** THREAD 3

[BakeOffRewatch]

Annual Style and Beauty Advent Calendar discussion thread. First AC reveal this year was 23rd June. First luxury reveal was 2nd July.

Thread 1: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5360770-2025-style-and-beauty-advent-calendar-discussion

Thread 2: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5388836-2025-style-and-beauty-advent-calendar-discussion-spoilers-thread-2

The regulars on the thread mainly discuss luxury BAC and this dies down by September when everyone has purchased and forgotten the contents. Then it goes into discussion on what’s selling out, what hasn’t and what deals and discounts to be had on ACs in the lead up to December. Then in December we move onto AC opening threads!

There’s a separate thread for GWP, discounts and other deals here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5338957-beauty-chat-freebiesgifts-with-purchaseoffers-thread-three

A thread for the Liberty Beauty Drop here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5253698-liberty-beauty-drop-spoiler-from-the-despatch-date-part-9

MN has a great Christmas board for deals and early gift buying here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/christmas

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LUXURY MULTI-BRAND

Cult Beauty - partial reveal so far beautyadventcalendar.net/cult-beauty-advent-calendar-2025/
£265 Fortnum & Mason - full reveal www.fortnumandmason.com/2025-fortnums-beauty-advent-calendar
£250 Fenwick - full reveal beautyadventcalendar.net/fenwick-advent-calendar-2025/
Flannels - only a cracker so far beautyadventcalendar.net/flannels-beauty-cracker-2025/
£250 Harrods - full reveal www.harrods.com/en-gb/p/harrods-of-london-the-harrods-beauty-advent-calendar-2025-000000000007826118
£250 Harvey Nichols - full reveal www.harveynichols.com/harvey-nichols/harvey-nichols-beauty-advent-calendar-2025-42956-232485/
John Lewis - later in the year probably October
£275 Liberty - full reveal https://www.libertylondon.com/uk/pre-order-liberty-beauty-advent-calendar-2025-000839831.html
£250 Selfridges - full reveal cloud.mail.selfridges.com/beautyadventcalendar25
£260 Space NK - full reveal beautyadventcalendar.net/space-nk-advent-calendar-2025/
Vogue - later in year probably September issue, £350 last year

HIGH STREET
Anthropologie
ASOS
Beauty Bay
The Body Shop https://www.thebodyshop.com/collections/beauty-advent-calendars
Boots
Elle
French Pharmacy
Glossybox
Holland & Barrett https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/info/beauty-advent
Jarrolds
LIB Latest In Beauty x Stylist
Lush £125, £179, £205, https://www.lush.com/uk/en/c/christmas-advent-calendars
L’Occitane
LookFantastic £105 https://www.lookfantastic.com/c/waitlist/advent
M&S
Next
Revolution Beauty £50 https://www.revolutionbeauty.com/uk/en/gifts/advent-calendars/revolution-beauty-makeup-advent-calendar-2025/1868648.html
Sephora https://www.sephora.co.uk/c/beauty-advent-calendar-waitlist
Ted Baker
The White Company

BUDGET
Aldi
Sainsbury’s

SINGLE BRAND BEAUTY
Arran £85 https://arran.com/products/advent-calendar
Charlotte Tilbury
Elemis https://uk.elemis.com/advent-calendar-2025-sign-up
e.l.f.
Gruum
Jo Malone
Liz Earle
Lumene
Neom https://neomwellbeing.com/pages/neom-wellbeing-advent-calendar-sign-up-page
Shisheido https://www.shiseido.co.uk/gb/en/newsletter-advent-calendar.html

BATH & BODY
Ciaté
Cowshed
Rituals

JEWELLERY
Oliver Bonas
Liberty
Accessorize

FOOD
Bonne Maman jam
Degusta
Paxton and Whitfield cheese
Fortnum & Mason Tea and Biscuits

MEN’S
Liberty

FRAGRANCE
Acqua Di Parma
Diptyque
Fragrance Shop
Harrods fragrance
Harvey Nichols fragrance
L’Artisan Parfumier
Jo Loves https://www.joloves.com/pages/advent-calendar
Jo Malone
Penhaligons
Perfume Shop
Sniph
Space NK fragrance

K-BEAUTY
Stylevana
Yesstyle
Stylekorean

Hi,

For those contemplating the GB a/c, Quidco are offering 3% c/b but I am assuming using the 10OFF code negates that. Might be worth a try, though.

For the GB, GB is a vouchercodes VIP so technically £2.50 voucher back.

My cash back has tracked with Quidco - £1.82 as well as the 10% off Glossybox calendar

I’m torn with the fragrance ones. LF has some of the old favourites, whilst HN has some exciting looking new ones. I don’t know whether to just hold out and see what SNK offer.

Do we know when SNK goes on sale or preorder?

Yes the mumsnet BAC detectives were right again! Fingers crossed for both of us in un subscribing! Really glad overall to have a calendar sorted provided it arrives in one piece!

Glossybox UK have a brilliant YouTube video of someone using the products from the advent which I thought was fab and gives you a real feel for the products inside if anyone is interested Although it is very long so give yourself a big window if watching it

GB is better than I first thought, but still quite a few DOD for me:

Clips
Sponge and holder
Masks x several
Setting spray - yuk
Deodorant balm - double yuk!
Avant
Aveeno

I suppose I could take the above stuff out, but that’s a lot of substitutions and I really don’t need any more mascaras or lip/eye pencils either, (although I have no objection to them as such).

There are also quite a few small sample/freebie sizes.

However, the palette looks good, as do the lip and nail products. I like the little Rituals diffuser and the perfume looks interesting, (although the name puts me off).

Should I lift the boycott or not?

Thing is, I can’t have multiple calendars this year - partly due to cost, but mainly because I have far too much already and I am getting overwhelmed. If I get this one, then, unless M&S’s is spectacular, then that would be it for me. Ditto the LF fragrance. One or the other, or wait to see what else becomes available and risk missing out.

I wish all companies would list their contents at the same time.

I have just checked my Harrods beauty AC delivery and recommend anyone who hasn’t, to do so.

I ordered 2, for myself and a gift. One of the boxes is bashed in one corner and the paper a little torn on the edge.
On the plus side, the other one has a duplicate of something that I wanted, in place of something that I wasn’t too fussed about. But yes, definitely do check them or you could be disappointed

I’m watching the video - thanks @Puravida23

Weirdly GB have left my subscriber discount on my account.

Tempted now…

I’ve been busy I’ve lost track of calendars!
wgats the general consensus of what people are getting?
I usually get selfridges, I have plenty of vouchers but not blind away
I have plenty of liberty beauty drop money but not sure
tell me what you are all buying!!

Hello! I’ve been lurking and am torn between the glossybox or Look fantastic calendar. Is there a clear winner do you think?! I’m new to this beauty advent calendar game 😊

If I’ve learned anything from these threads it’s that we all have different expectations from an AC. Some lean more towards skincare, others towards make up. Some want staple products they can try and purchase again, others like the chance to try stupidly expensive items that they will never buy again (I’m a bit of both 😅)
Personally I was leaning towards LF, but I think I have ruled it out in favour of another more expensive AC

Is it awful? 😐

Totally! I've bought GB for DD so it wouldn't be for me but it will suit her really well as a teenage girl.

Oh, that is a good video - fascinating to watch!

Well it’s certainly unique. And very strong! This is not a fragrance for a shrinking violet. People will smell you coming!

Yet another Harrods blunder! How is it that they manage to mess up so badly every single year? What kind of incompetent fools are in charge of advent at Harrods?! RHOBAC need to step in and take over.

Harrods 🤦🏻‍♀️they’re just awful!! It’s debacle after debacle!!!
I’ve also ordered Glossybox, thank you! When I reviewed, there were a few products I really wanted to try, few I’ll use for the DIY calendar I’ll do for my sister and I’ll pop some on Vinted. @IlovePond i know the balm sounds random but it’s actually fantastic, I use it, no nasties and nice smells ( and lasts!), it’s one of the reasonsI bought as it’s £20 a tube ( lasts a long time!)

Love that Diptyque candle…that and Pomander are my favourite.
They used to I believe, they have all become a bit more stingy now though!

Thanks @2025istheyeari - I am tempted by the GB with the unexpected discount, but I think it would be silly given I don’t have anyone who would want my DOD!

I have tried selling unwanted stuff on eBay with mixed results, (the UKLASH serum from the Elle box went within minutes of posting for what I paid for the box, whilst other lovely stuff gets totally ignored!)

I suspect the stuff I definitely don’t want from GB wouldn’t sell and I already have loads of unused mascara and eye/lip pencils.

I think I have talked myself out of both LF fragrance AND GB now!

Mine is a bit bashed in the corner, I think it's been chucked about a bit in the post. Not enough to complain though. It did need a bit of a tidy up though, the tissue paper from the drawers was sticking out all over. I've also changed some of the drawers around 😊
Which item did you get 2 of? I was hoping I'd get 2 of the valmont and not the red lipstick, but my dream didn't come true 😕

That would be my dream too. I was hoping for the red lipstick or teeny SPF to be replaced with another Valmont cream, but I wouldn’t be that lucky!

My Harrods was also bashed and wrinkly in the top left corner! My mum checked contents for me but I may have to double check myself now as she wouldn’t know what there’s meant to be and would probably not notice duplicates 😀

I quite like this one. If it was £50 I'd probably have already bought it.

Crumpled box people - your premium calendar was expensive! Last year my Liberty box (bought on pre-order) arrived with a little crumpled corner. I sent them a message with pictures because I was disappointed and I’d never have chosen a damaged box myself. I actually asked for a replacement box which they said wasn’t possible and gave me £20 back. It was worth the message.