🎄 2025 Style and Beauty Advent Calendar Discussion ***SPOILERS*** THREAD 4

[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

Thread 3: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5396898-2025-style-and-beauty-advent-calendar-discussion-spoilers-thread-3

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/5389635-beauty-chat-freebiesgifts-with-purchaseoffers-thread-four

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

Finally settled on Glossybox. Thanks to the pp that gave the discount code. Took it down to £81 (code is 10OFF). There's a few DOD, I've never thought about replacing them but will definitely be doing that this year.

Hi everyone! I loved being on these threads last year and have only just started looking at AC’s. Can’t believe there are so many posts already! Can anyone give me the verdict so far re what’s looking the best ones this year?? Thank you!

ps always fancied Liberty cos I love the box, verdict on that?

The thing that these threads have shown is that we're all after something completely different. I've gone for the Harrods one as I really like the idea of sampling luxury even if they are teeny tiny pots, but some other people want a calendar where the products are going to last a while and they don't need to buy anything beauty related for a while (though we all know they will 🤪).

From being on here, I'd say the favourites are Space Nk (even though it has a ton of lip products), Cult beauty, Glossybox and Liberty. John Lewis and Fenwick seem to be closing the gaps in recent days though.

I think I'm going to get the Harvey Nicks fragrance. There's around 8 I'd either like to have (already sniffed them) or would like to try, and after seeing the resale price of some of the fragrances from other calendars, I think with p&p as well, I'd end up paying almost the £175 that the calendar costs. I'll have to just try to sell the ones I don't like. Obviously though it's the big hitters that I'm wanting 🤣

Sculpted by Aimee 12 day advent seems to be live now and looks beautiful. VC15 takes 15% off.

Wow this is a busy thread!
After spending far too many hours looking at various calendars yesterday I have decided to DIY.

My main problem is that I really only want skincare this year and I’m a bit fussy about ingredients. I already have too many perfumes and candles and I wear the make up that I wear iyswim and not bothered about trying new stuff. The filler bits like keyrings and socks etc piss me off too 😳

I’m going to refill my H&B one from last year as it had a good mix of different sized boxes. I have an Emma Hardie travel set, a rituals travel set and a k-beauty trial set (mix of full size and minis) to break down and will put a few full sized products in too. I might ask dd1 to get me a couple of surprises too and get her to fill it for me to it’s more exciting to open. It probably costs far more to do it this way but at least I know I like and will use everything.

Cant guarantee I won’t buy the H&B one again though as it’s really good value and I got it for £18 last year with stacking codes and coupons!

Like JoRaRaRa says, everyone has different ideas as to what makes a great calendar. I love skincare and don’t wear a lot of makeup up. I also love trying luxury brands that I couldn’t justify splurging out on myself, so Harrods is the best one for me. There might be lots of 15ml sizes, but with the expensive creams, a little goes a long way.
Space NK is always popular as is Cult Beauty. CB is too make up heavy for me. Liberty is also a popular choice, especially if you like trying new fragrances as that one is quite fragrance heavy.

I didn't recieve an e mail , realised in June, contacted them who said it prob gone in spam but could see I hadn't spent so the re sent .

Anyone thinking of buying the fragrance shop advent calendar, don't -unless you want to pay £150 for a load of unknown cheap perfumes. Very few known brand names in there, lots of 'fillers' - this is one of the worst addy cals I've seen for the price so mine is going back.

Holding out for perfume shop's offering which last year was great in content and excellent value.

@namechange0998776554799000 wishing you good luck this week.

I decided to do what some of you pros do and put a spreadsheet together and I’m glad I did!!
I’ve already got Liberty and sold a couple of the fragrances I know I won’t like and that one is coming out top for me ( based on want/ would use/ sell), it’s only really 4 perfumes that I won’t use and as I’ve already sold 2 it’s a good deal.

i had planned on getting Space NK but actually there are almost £400 worth of products I’d look to get rid of and the only things I’d love are the Medik8, the Westman Atelier blush and the Tatcha, a few things I’d use but far too many hair and lip products I think.

John Lewis is going to be my other purchase, I love Le Labo, the mascara looks amazing, I use pro marine cream and medik8 and like the look of lots of the skincare products. Not nearly as many dods here so I’m holding out for that. I also have a £100 voucher I was given when I left work so a bargain!!

thanks for all the help and ideas everyone, and happy Sunday!

Some spoilers on the Shiseido FB site for their a/c. I am not on FB, but if anyone can read the page/see more, could you post any details?

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?storyfbid=1174080974756021&id=100064623882620

From the picture I saw, it looks better than last year. Unfortunately I already have that large sunscreen unopened from the summer, so that would be a DOD for me. However, if that’s the same lipstick as last year and the Ginza perfume, I would be interested.

Out on Thursday, I think. Shiseido currently have a good GWP, so if it stacked with that, it would be nice.

Thanks

on reflection I think selfridges has tried too hard to be 'all things to all people' and there's quite a few things in there I'm looking to sell on Compared to last year's offering it's definitely not as good in my opinion. Lots of hair stuff and eyelash stuff. The fragrances are ok but as selfridges are big on fragrance and don't do their own frag cal I think I would have preferred more frag and less hair stuff. And the false eyelash kit is a bit bizzare!

I know all advent calendars are trying to be 'all things to all people' to a certain extent but the selfridges one somehow felt a lot more random than the liberty one.

It is just about ok for the price and as I can sell any unwanteds on ebay/vinted not too much of a risk for me but it's not one I'd blind buy put it that way.

I watched the unboxing of the Selfridges advent and decided it wouldn’t be for me as there seems to be too much makeup (I only wear make up occasionally for a night out and don’t tend to use blushers), too many hair products, and then the random false eyelash kit.
I look more for nice skin care which it seems to be lacking, although it does have the AB eye cream.
It seems a lot of people love the contents, so all down to what you look for in a calendar.

I did fancy trying the Ex Nihilo perfume that it contains though so have just bought that from Vinted to add to my Harrods advent.

I’m also veering towards the John Lewis AC but need to scrutinise it and see if the products I really like in it are worth £235 or more.
Any AC where this isn’t the case is a definite No and mickey take for me.

@pinkchampagne1 most of them have a lot of make up this year. Potentially this could be about shifting trends away from the clean beauty/skincare focus that developed during the pandemic. It could also be a way of cutting the production costs of calendars without hiking the prices too much as make up has a huge mark up.

I don't mind too much as I like a bit of make up but it's been overall a disappointing year for skincare. Very few good sized day/night creams.

I'm also seriously considering JL so I'd love to know your thoughts. As it releases at the end of the month it's a bit more convenient. I'm really not sure I want to spend the money on SNK on Tuesday - I mean, I will if SNK is 'the one' but not sure it is.

I may need to do with SNK what I did with CB and just power through the FOMO. 😂

That’s interesting you said that about veering away from the pandemic trend of no make-up. I’m definitely noticing this with clothing and accessory fashion - getting so many emails with promo marketing and fitted bod con shift dresses and collars are all the main items. From Reid’s and Boden. And bags for work that will go day to night. It’s nice in a way that after five years culture is dropping its pandemic influences.

So my order is:
Liberty
Fortnums
look fantastic or Boots
I’m in big trouble if M and s is good.

Ideally I should get 2.. no more, (no way!).

I wanted to love JL and I know this is silly but I'm put off it because it has the exact same bobby brown product as a few years ago and it's not my colour.
How to hold a grudge 😅 I accept there will be products that aren't suited to me but when it's the exact same colour option as 2022 or 23, it irks me more.

I hadn’t thought of that, but it could explain the shift from lots of good quality skincare to more make up.
I don’t mind a little make up like a nice lipstick (not red) or lipgloss and eyeshadow, but some contain 2 or 3 different blushers which would be wasted on me as I very rarely wear it. Mascara is another thing I seem to have a stash of as I only wear very infrequently.

I love good skin care and use every day so this was why Harrods was the best fit for me. It seemed to offer more skin care than the others, albeit in smaller sizes, and just a little make up and hair care.

That also hasn’t dawned on me. I’ve really noticed the increase in make up this year which has put me off most of the calendars. I do wear a bit of makeup but am very very specific in what I like and woukd never use most of the things in the calendars. I also only use cleansers a couple of times a year if I’ve worn foundation, and prefer to use soap and water on my face. But I adore the lovely creams and fragrance, and always use the hair are products too. My HN calendar is out for delivery today so I’m going to replace the DODs in my Liberty calendar and sell some of the other things. The Le Labo perfume is definitely not being put away in a calendar - it’s too nice not to be used straightaway!

When i started reading through the JL contents there were 2 different hair oils and then the SDJ bumbum cream at the top of the list and that was enough for me to stop looking.

I like make up up in the calendars as long as theyre not funky colours that companies are just trying to get rid of because they're not selling which i think is often the case. What i don't want is lots of hair products and there seems so many this year. Multiples of hair oils, hair masks, hair serums, scalp serums in the same calendars. Then there's shampoo and conditioners. They're handy for weekends away but not really interested in them other than that.

Don't know if it's already been posted but the French Pharmacy have opened the wait list now to be notified when this year's calendar is available. £195 which is at the limit of what I'd want to pay, but last year's looked really good so I've signed up.

https://beauty-detective.com/the-french-pharmacy-advent-calendar-2025/

@XiCi agree on the hair products. They are not that likely to suit me so I really don't want lots of them in a calendar.

French Pharmacy is out later this week:

https://thefrenchpharmacy.co/products/the-french-pharmacy-advent-calendar-limited-edition

There’s a waitlist. It says sold out, but they may not have updated their site from last year.

@JustWhatIAlwaysWanted - my cross-post was in limbo!

It looks nice.