🎄 2025 Style and Beauty Advent Calendar Discussion ***SPOILERS*** THREAD 5

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IF YOU ARE NEW TO BEAUTY ADVENT CALENDARS AND WOULD LIKE IDEAS PLEASE READ THE THREAD FIRST

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

Thread 4: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5403558-2025-style-and-beauty-advent-calendar-discussion-spoilers-thread-4

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

@RainbowZebraWarrior - they look incredible. I am in awe of your skill! You could start your own business with those!

The 20% cashback at Quidco on the Harvey Nichols a/c is a good deal. Sadly it’s absolutely not the calendar for me - too many DOD.

I see John Lewis have 2 new beauty boxes available

This is the winter beauty box

Sorry, don’t think the image uploaded so will try again

Thanks @pinkchampagne1 ! Contents below:

Rest and Recharge Beauty Box £60 worth £200
Set contains:

• Shiseido Bio-Performance Skin HIForce Cream, 5ml Experience the power of this innovative cream, drawing inspiration from aesthetic practices, at home. Powered by the new Oxyshift technologyTM, this formula targets skin's innate renewal ability from the inside out, by tightening, plumping, and perfecting your skin
• Rituals The Ritual of Sakura Scented Candle, Mini, 25g Light your way to a new beginning with this luxurious scented candle. Based on the renewing fragrance of cherry blossom and rice milk
• Margaret Dabbs London Miracle Foot Cream, Full Size, 100ml This Miracle Foot Cream is a sensational overnight treatment balm which will get your feet back on track and give visible results from the very first use. Formulated by Margaret Dabbs London with antifungal and antibacterial benefits to treat, protect and transform your feet
• Slip® Skinny Silk Scrunchies, Pack of 4, Rose Designed to be anti-crease, anti-breakage. Upgrade your hair tie game. The Slipsilk difference: Traditional hair ties can tug on delicate hair, which can lead to damage and breakage. Slip scrunchies are made with slipsilk, the same silk used in the award-winning slip pure silk pillowcase
• This Works Deep Sleep Body Cocoon, 50ml Restorative beauty sleep solution for an ultimate body treat. A nightly nourishing body treat to restore skin whilst you sleep. Use after a bath or shower and before bedtime
• Sol de Janeiro Delícia Drench™ Shower Oil, Full Size, 90ml Deliciously nourished skin starts in the shower. This transforming oil-to-foam body wash replenishes dry skin while it cleanses for velvety-soft, healthy-looking skin
• L'OCCITANE Shea Intensive Hand Balm, Full Size, 150ml Formulated with a very high concentration of 25% shea butter to provide intense nourishing care, the Shea Intensive Hand Balm repairs and forms a protective layer for very dry and fragile skin. Enriched with allantoin, it helps to immediately soothe the skin, restoring comfort and softness
• Wella Professionals Fusion Intense Repair Mask for Dry and Damaged Hair, 75ml Repair and smoothen your hair with this intense repairing hair mask designed for detangling and protecting dry, damaged hair. Formulated with Silk Steel Fusion Technology to repair hair fibres on a macro and micro level
• Aromatherapy Associates De-Stress Muscle Bath & Shower Oil, Full Size, 55ml Experience the intensely warming and easing powers of rosemary, lavender and ginger to de-stress your body after spending too long in one position or after too much physical activity
• Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser, Full Size, 100ml Reveal blemish-free, healthy-looking skin in just 7 days with our deep cleansing British beauty icon. Always used with the gently exfoliating pure cotton cloth, it lifts away dead skin for a smoother, brighter-looking glow
• Rodial Dragon Blood Jelly Eye Patches, Full Size, 1 x Sachet Of 2 Patches Visibly smooth, plump and restore hydration in under-eye contours with the protective powers of Dragon's Blood. Moisture will be trapped in the under-eye area to visually smooth and diminish the appearance of fine lines for a hydrated, rejuvenated looking under-eye

Winter skin beauty box £70 worth £234.10
Set contains:

• Medik8 Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream, Full Size, 50ml Expertly designed to support every aspect of your skin’s health, Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream delivers 100 hours of moisturisation alongside clinically proven skin barrier and microbiome support. Lightweight yet intensely hydrating, the formula provides an optimised blend of moisturisation heroes including multi-weight hyaluronic acid and a unique, barrier-supporting prebiotic peptide to help improve skin health in just one hour
• The INKEY List Vitamin B, C And E Moisturiser, Full Size, 50ml This lightweight daily moisturiser delivers every essential vitamin for healthy-looking skin, including clarifying B3 (Niacinamide) to help balance oil, brightening antioxidant Vitamin C, and soothing Vitamin E. Perfect for normal skin types looking to keep skin healthy
• Evolve Organic Beauty Hyaluronic Serum 200, Full Size, 10ml For All Skin Types. This pure, clear serum for normal to dry skin contains 200mg hyaluronic acid per bottle, proven to hydrate skin from within and plump up fine lines and wrinkles. Organic pomegranate extract softens and protects. Delicately fragranced with organic rosewater
• L'OCCITANE Almond Shower Oil, Full Size, 75ml This travel-friendly Almond shower oil transforms into a milky veil on contact with water to gently cleanse and hydrate your skin from head to toe. Almond shower oil offers dual benefits, it both cleanses and moisturises and is suitable even for dry skin. Vegan-friendly
• Aromatherapy Associates Forest Therapy Bath & Shower Oil, Full Size, 55ml Immerse your senses in a caring and healing experience created with our complex, hand-crafted essential oil blend of evergreen Pink Pepper, calming Cypress, cleansing Ho Wood and uplifting Juniper Berry
• Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment, 8ml Good Genes deeply exfoliates the dull surface of the skin for instant glow and radiance. As dull, dead surface cells are removed, clarity and smoothness are restored. Good Genes visibly brightens the appearance of dark spots and discolourations and instantly plumps the look of fine lines and wrinkles in three minutes
• Aveda Nutri-Plenish Daily Moisturising Treatment, Full Size, 40ml 99% naturally derived Leave-in treatment that instantly hydrates and detangles dull, dry hair while providing heat protection. From plants, non-petroleum minerals or water
• Liz Earle Cleanse & Glow™ Transforming Gel Cleanser, Full Size, 150ml Reveal luminous, glowing skin and minimise the look of pores in just 30 seconds. Deeply cleansing, this melting formula transforms from a luxurious gel, enriched with natural micelles, into a lightweight oil to effortlessly remove SPF, dirt, pollutants and makeup, before rinsing off as a skin-softening milk to rinse away impurities without undoing skin benefits
• Rituals The Ritual of Ayurveda Hair & Body Mist, Full Size, 50ml Treat yourself to the most relaxing exfoliation experience ever with this new body scrub from The Ritual of Jing. This 92% natural origin salt scrub contains magnesium and a rich blend of oils to thoroughly remove dead skin cells and hydrate the skin
• Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Silky Cream, Full Size, 50ml This cream, enriched with hyaluronic acid and organic leaf of life extract, intensely hydrates and plumps the skin. At the heart of its formula, the Hyaluronic Power Complex developed by Clarins Laboratories helps boost the skin's natural self-hydration mechanisms and preserve its moisture reserves. Its fresh and silky texture melts instantly into the skin, leaving it plump, supple, luminous and comfortable

The winter one looks good but I must resist as I don’t need it!

The JL Rest & Recharge box is very tempting for £60, (appeals to me much more than the beauty box).

Note:
The picture shows a packet containing just one Slip scrunchie, so I suspect the reference to a pack of four in the contents list is a mistake.

Debating whether to try to use my £50 JL credit towards this box, or to wait until the January sale and spend it on one or two specific items.

Do you have a direct link to that John lewis box? I've tried searching...

Ah found it now thank you

Tempted by this one as I'd like some more of the foot lotion after using up a travel size. I like the L' O hand cream too. Not sure these are good reasons to buy a whole box though.

You’re so talented…they look really good. You must have learned a lot of bee “stuff” to be able to produce those. How many hives do you have?

Sorry for the derail everyone.

Oooh thank you for the John Lewis edit info! I'm really tempted by the Rest+Recharge beauty box.

I don't like the hand cream (or any hand creams) but that's an easy re-gift!

Does anyone have a link? Tried to find on JL site no luck.

Ooh I use the AA destress bath oil, it's a favourite of mine. One bottle is generally not much cheaper than the £60 beauty box so, for me, it is a good deal.

I found it in the JL app, in the 'rewards' section, under 'exclusive early access'

Found it thank you.
Hesitating though. Getting to the point with ACs and edits where I add up the things I would actually buy and I'd get them cheaper individually.
It's a shame.

Not tempted by either JL box. Strange time to sell them too with all the Addy Cals about.

We have 50 hives dotted around mainly on farms in the Northumberland area. It's a lot of hard work but it's very rewarding. The master beekeeper (my Dad) is 77 now though so I'm not sure how much longer we can keep up this level of 'beeing' as he calls it.

Thanks all for the lovely comments ❤️

Not tempted by either of the JL boxes. A lot of the same old / what I have already / what's usually in a lot of the ACs. Definitely becoming more picky. It's good stuff, and worth the money, but not when you don't need any more of it.

The other thing that I've noticed personally is that the more beauty edits or ACs I buy, the less ideas I have to give to family as to what to buy me for Christmas.

@RainbowZebraWarrior It's good stuff, and worth the money, but not when you don't need any more of it.

This is what it boils down to really, and how I'm feeling about a lot of the advents. We all want and need different things, which is why different boxes appeal to each of us. I've bought the JL winter skin box, that's great value for me. I'm not wed to a moisturiser, currently using Drunk Elephant La La which I really like but is v expensive to replace, so to get three 50ml creams for £70 is excellent. I like the AA bath oils too and haven't tried Forest Therapy but it sounds like one I'd like. And I'll use everything else in it. Excellent! I reckon between that and the OK beauty box I bought last month I'm done. It's scratched the AC itch. (I reserve the right to change my mind in the event of a good discount).

I think it's possible they know some people might not be able to stretch to the advent calendar, but the beauty box is more doable as a treat!

Thanks for the JL heads up. Have just ordered the winter skin box. I would use all of those products and have been meaning to try the medik8 moisturiser in particular so this is a great bargain for me

Well, I got a message to say my Sephora order had been despatched, but it turns out they’ve sent me the free samples and left out the Advent calendar. Not impressed- I was about to place another order with them, so good thing I haven’t.

Sephora AC is on pre-order and the website is clear that it will arrive on or before 31st October 🤷‍♀️ not sure why you wouldn't order with them again based on this. Sending the samples early is daft though, I agree.

Sorry, not their own Advent - the Rituals one, which is definitely available.