🎄 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

When the RHOBAC get our day in the sun I will curate a calendar that's just facial cleansing products, all full size. It's my favourite category of product for some reason. It might be a 12 day as maybe 24 would be overkill.

I'd price it at £100. Not sure how I'd achieve this price point with all full size - beg, borrow, steal??? Nevermind the details though. Obviously this is my fantasy calendar with things I like so sorry to the oily/combo people who may be side eyeing this creation.

Day 1 - Elemis Cleansing Balm - Big drawer with one of those mega tubs to start the calendar with a bang. Also 2 x soft face cloths, a headband and wash cuffs - all with the RHOBAC logo of course.
Day 2 - Glow Recipe Avocado Cleanser
Day 3 - Banila Clean Zero Pink Cleansing Balm
Day 4 - Skin 1004 Centella Cleansing Oil
Day 5 - Kate Somerville Goats Milk Cleanser
Day 6 - Beauty of Joseon Cleansing Balm
Day 7 - Beauty Pie Happy Face Cleansing Gel
Day 8 - Omorovicza Foaming Cleanser
Day 9 - Biodance Collagen Cleansing Oil
Day 10 - Elf Cleansing Balm
Day 11 - Augustinus Bader Cream Cleansing Gel
Day 12 - Big Drawer containing;
Tatcha Camelia Cleansing Oil
Tatcha Cleansing Balm
Tatcha Rice Cleanser
Tatcha £20 gift voucher

Just realised I meant to include the Then I Met you Cleansing Balm - maybe I'd put that in instead of Elf but I wanted to include a couple of frangrance free so maybe not. Maybe if Mr Augustinus Bader says no to full size that can go in instead.

Help please, oh BAC experts. Which AC is it that has the Jo Malone Woodsage fragrance in it? I'm trying to make a shortlist but I've gotten myself awfully confused!

@RainbowZebraWarrior It’s the Look Fantastic fragrance calendar.

@OvaHere That cleanser calendar sounds amazing. I’d also add the Farmacy Green Clean/Heimish All Clean balm (interchangeable), the Axis-Y quinoa gel cleanser and maybe the Anua heartleaf cleansing oil.

Just delurking to say thank you to @BakeOffRewatch for the threads, and to everyone for the comments. I only ever buy H & B calendars, but I still love these threads every year.

My fantasy calendar would be serums and moisturisers (I’ve got a backlog of cleansers) and then useful but in some way luxurious things like shower gel, deodorant, shampoo/conditioner. I don’t want oils because I’m oily enough already, or random hair treatments as I’m always in a rush when I’m washing my hair. Boring I know.

I think I may have the Anua in my stash (could be just the foam cleanser). I couldn't get on with the Farmacy balm - it was always lumpy. I do want to try the Heimish one at some point.

Harrods has arrived!! Now need to tuck it away until Dec to avoid one day ripping into it!
Ohh for me a fantasy calendar would be cleansing balms, serums, tatcha and a nice bath and body oil. For me i cant have enough cleansing balms, i love trying new ones!

Oh we have a new thread. I thought you had all gone quiet! 😃

I didn't even realise there was such a thread on here.

I am gutted that I missed that Harrods fragrance one.

I think for me Space NK is looking the best. Although I'm really intrigued by the boots one. I've had some really good boxes from them this year and I feel that they've really upped their game.

Last year in our house we had Cult, boots (the bigger one for eldest dd) and the asos one for the youngest dd

No dispatch notification for me yet :( but really I don’t need it until 1 December so Harrods have some time to dispatch them.
I am in London the weekend of 6/7 September will the fragrance bun fight be finished by then?

Neither did I! Am catching up now...

I might have missed an announcement but I think Harrods have been very quiet on confirming an in store calendar release date. I asked in H beauty on Friday but they were also coy- said not allowed to sell before 1st September but didn’t give anything more concrete. I kind of got the impression they had them already in store 🤷‍♀️ . If it were 1st September, that’s a Monday and I’m back at work so not a chance - I’m so glad I managed to buy online!

Thank you so much for this. I thought it was the LF fragrance, but couldn't find anything online from Beauty Detective, etc, but distinctly remembered the Jo Malone bottle. I usually screenshot. Everything is starting to merge, despite me keeping notes.

Some of the proper unboxing videos have started to appear on YouTube for those who enjoy watching.
Planning with Crystal has Liberty and Miss Boux has the Harrods Beauty one.

Thank you. I've just watched it, her thoughts on the mac lipstick are the same as mine, it definitely should be earlier in the box so you can get plenty of use out of it in December. I think December is the only time I'd wear a red lipstick. I think I'm definitely going to get the Harrods one and that has just convinced me even more.

Mintd box calendars available to buy. 2 versions £170 and £178

I’ve just bought the EL ANR eye serum that I use daily and the Hello Sunday gift set from LF with their 40% off and using code EXTRA10 and will give them to DH to put in my DIY a/c. I also went via TCB as they are accepting the LF code today, plus have an extra £3 off. (🤞it tracks!)

Prior to ordering I looked at my horde/stash again and am filled with horror. I have industrial quantities of cleanser, primer, hand cream, but still seem to run out of my EL serums and eye creams every other week 🙀

I am very much leaning towards I can’t have a ‘real’ a/c this year, because I need to use up the stuff I already have!

I do get through a lot of perfumes though, so might still go for the LF fragrance one.

This thread always reminds me how different we all are and the things we are looking for, the video made me realise this one definitely isn’t for me.

Can I ask another favour please? If anyone spots / hears of the Squishmallow Micromallows AC launching again, can you shout up. John Lewis (among others) sold it last year and I think it came out about mid Sept. Iirc the price was £25. Sold put pretty quickly and folk are still trying to flog them on ebay for £100.

Looking forward to the Boots reveal on Thursday.

Ignore my previous request. Just spotted its available to pre order on Amazon. Price has gone up this year from £25 to £60!

Which one are you leaning more towards? I originally rejected the Harrods one, but the serums and moisturisers are a big pull for me.

John Lewis is currently top of my list as have really got into fragrances this year and there are some in there that are on my list.
I have spent most of the last year swapping and changing my skincare around and have got to a place where I am happy and know what my skin likes and doesn’t, anything with Vitamin C, Retinal etc is a big no and have started to get into kbeauty skincare so the Boots Skincare is on my maybe list depending on the reveal.
I have a substantial stash and really don’t need anything so am also seriously considering buying the bits I want off Vinted etc and letting my husband put one together for me.

I like JL but think it would have been better if it included a full size serum. I get that they are probably trying to keep the cost down, but there are lots of relatively inexpensive items that I would rather receive instead of 3 eye creams and 4 lip balms/oils. For example, I like travel size Micellar water and dry shampoo which are useful for holidays. I also like things like cleansers and eye makeup removers which I get through quite quickly. I wish that they would include more of these sorts of things, alongside the big ticket items, instead of just adding repeats.