🎄 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

@CordeliaNaismithVorkosigan - I have the Rituals coming from Sephora too - I will not be impressed if the same thing happens to me.

Have they said the calendar is coming separately or has it just ‘got lost’ at the warehouse?

It said one parcel, and the despatch email referred to the whole order (as you’d expect given the only thing I spent money on was the calendar). No reply yet to my message asking what’s happening. I wonder if they had the wrong price on the website: it was a lot cheaper than on Rituals’ own, even without the discount.

That’s not good @CordeliaNaismithVorkosigan Have they charged you or charged then refunded?

My order confirmation shows the calendar. The delivery is ‘on its way’, so we shall see.

Charged, no refund. Hopefully more information tomorrow.

I’ve finally succumbed, and bought the JL Winter Beauty edit. I can actually see myself using the products, and no random hair accessories included. Also feel I deserve a treat, as I’m recovering from an operation last week (I shan’t tell XH that this is what I’m spending the arrears of child maintenance on).

Keep us posted @CordeliaNaismithVorkosigan - I hope you get a helpful response from them soon.

I have a confession. I succumbed to major fomo and bought Harrods BAC earlier in the week. I'm about to justify this with the most pathetic reasoning ever.

The MAC lipstick (from the calendar) I bought from Vinted has been lost by Yodel. It's well over 3 weeks 'in transit' now so I don't think it's coming and I should get a refund soon. So I bought the calendar! 😳

I've spent the evening going through my BAC's. I've taken out everything I don't want or that I'm swapping with friend from SNK and added the random bits I've bought on Vinted from the CB advent, stuff friend has given me from Liberty plus the scents I'm keeping from LF fragrance.

I was going to merge Harrods too but it's so beautiful I don't think I can deface it so that one will be have to be unboxed in December in all it's original glory. If I'm not keeping anything that will be decided in January.

Weirdly I don't feel the same way about SNK but I think it's because I don't love the box design this year and it feels a little flimsy for a very premium advent. I've seen a few people say last years box was nicer.

At the end of Nov I'm going to deck out my home office with a tree and xmas decorations in the hope that the copious BACs kind of blend in to the decor. 😆

@OvaHere I’m loving tonight’s confessions of RHOBAC 😅
I feel the same about Harrods, I have considered unboxing and selling off bits I don’t want now, but I can’t bring myself to do it as I feel it deserves a proper opening.

I had last years SNK and have this years too. I think the box itself is better this year, but the drawers are so flimsy. Last years were too, but they were boxes rather than drawers so the items stayed in place.

I will sell off some SNK soon, as I am tempted by a couple of other BACs but absolutely can’t justify having 3 of 4 full ones for myself.

I do also like the look of the JL winter box, I’m keen to try the medik8 moisturiser

@Thelifeofawife I like the way SNK opens out but the drawers are on the flimsy side this year. Harrods in comparison feels like a family heirloom. Now I've crossed the rubicon I can see I'll want one of these every year just for the luxe.

I don't think I would have too much issue breaking SNK down for recycling but I can see in decades to come my kids will be sorting through my loft wondering what the fuck they're supposed to do with 30 odd empty Harrods advent calendars. 😂

@OvaHere I love your confession 🤣 I did sell off the mac lipstick and the rodial blush drops from my Harrods calendar, and put the valmont cream in day 25, I bought the Joonbyrd body lotion from someone's harrods B&H calendar to replace the lipstick and a Charlotte tilbury setting spray to replace the blush drops. Then decided that was enough and quickly wrapped it and put it away.

My SNK is my proper little Frankenstein, sounds like it'll be yours too. I'm actually enjoying creating it into a little masterpiece. I did buy the AB eye patches to go in day 18, but they don't fit, so damn it, I have to now buy something else 🤣 It is mostly SNK products and I've kept them in the right drawers, then Cult Beauty which I've tried to put into the right days by watching unboxing vids, then it has a few products from Harvey Nicks which are in the right days, Liberty (right day) , Sephora (right day) and then the Crystal Noir from Look Fantastic fragrance calendar. I'd like to also get the Medik8 night cream but I'm not sure if I'll be able to. I'm hoping the Drunk Elephant C-luma Hydrabright serum that is on its way doesn't get lost, I managed to get that for a right steal at £14 😁

I have only sold the Mac lipstick and the Hourglass powder out of Harrod as I know I wouldn’t have use for either. I have replaced the lipstick with the lipstick from the Liberty calendar and the powder has been replaced with the Votary serum from Liberty. I have also moved the Valmont cream to day 25 and added the perfume I bought from the Selfridges calendar. Other than that all days have been left untouched.
I have just bought the Tatcha vitamin C serum that is in Space NK but that probably won’t fit in the Harrods calendar so I will just have that as an extra treat.

My Sephora parcel is out for delivery. I am wondering what will arrive.

I have just purchased the gisou lip oil for £5 from Vinted too. I sold a mascara from an Estée Lauder gift set so that justifies it. I must stop now!

@JoRaRaRa @pinkchampagne1 size is another reason to not mess about with Harrods BAC. The drawers aren't very big which is probably why many of the products are tiny in size (if not in cost). It's definitely a luxury option due to the box and presentation but I laughed at how teeny tiny the Tatcha cream is- even in a not very big drawer. I feel like they should have done a few more double drawers ideally.

I'm tempted to hunt down the DE serum from the Sephora BAC but I probably shouldn't.

I'm surprised there isn't more talk here of the Sephora BAC overall. It's much better than SNK this year in my opinion and maybe more comparable to SNK 2024 which was much better.

I'm hoping the lack of hype means they'll issue a discount code or offer! I have to wait until payday regardless but then its how brave I am to hold out for an offer vs the risk it sells out...

Hello all

I confess I haven't read the previous threads (I know, terrible Mumsnet behaviour 😀) but just wanted to quickly pop in here and ask for recommendations for a beauty advent calendar for my almost 13 year old who is just starting to get into skincare, make-up etc. I haven't bought a beauty advent calendar since the last Decleor one which shows how ago that was! So far I've just glanced onto the Boots website and saw the 17 one which might be a start, but I thought it best to come on here and ask the experts.

Any suggestions gratefully received 🙂

I agree that the Tatcha cream should have either been bigger or had another product with it. Same goes for the teeny SPF which should have been an extra with another product. Last year we got a 50ml Clarins moisturiser in Harrods and a full sized Murad night cream, so they can fit big products in the drawers.
At first I wasn’t going to buy it because of the smaller sizes, but on watching an unboxing I realised there was a lot in there that interested me, and even though there were lots of smaller sizes, there are enough luxury moisturisers to last me ages. It was definitely the best fit for me, and the box is beautiful. ♥️

@CordeliaNaismithVorkosigan - same thing has happened to me - charged for the calendar, but only the samples have arrived.

My daughter had the next one last year - there are two versions, the cheaper one should be ample for a teen.

I agree, the tatcha is so teeny tiny! One use and it'll be gone 🤣🤣 I did think about buying something to add to it, but that was before I'd decided to do the Frankenstein calendar. I think they should've put the bigger pot in or an extra product especially with which drawer it's in 🤫 I've had the Harrods calendar for the last couple of years and they've managed to put full size moisturisers, serums and cleansers in before 🤔 But if it's going to be a mini, it should be more than 1 I think 🤣 I'm now thinking I might buy one of the nude lipsticks from one of the other calendars, put that in and move the Joonbyrd to Frankenstein. I put the CT setting spray in the drawer which had the blush drops in so it's in with the rodial glow lighter which I think matches 😁

It's the DE serum from sephora that I've picked up for £14. There's someone selling it on vinted for £18, but most are at around £30. I bought it so fast when I saw it and thought the seller would cancel the order. Luckily she hasn't and it is on its way. 🐘

I’ve messaged Sephora. I am tempted to go into my nearest store this morning to complain/ask for a refund but don’t know if it will do any good.

Rituals is back to £103 on the website. If it was a price glitch they weren’t going to honour, then they should have refunded immediately, not taken the money and sent samples!

I think Sephora is nice. My friend is debating buying this one so I was looking at it again earlier. I think the issue with it for me (and it's very much a me thing) is there's not loads in it I haven't tried before from samples, edits or gwps. There's a few things that do appeal but not enough for it to make the BAC want list.

I have filled in the online form at Sephora several times but I don’t think it’s working. I can’t contact via FB or INSTA as I don’t use them.

@CordeliaNaismithVorkosigan - have you heard anything?

@IlovePond , sorry the same thing has happened to you! I’m going to chase it up later today, will update.