🎄 2025 Style and Beauty Advent Calendar Discussion ***SPOILERS*** THREAD 6

[BakeOffRewatch]

New thread!

I’m still admiring my beautiful Diptyque from 2020.

@Hicupping I noticed that about CB reviews. Not thrilled with the recent changes they made, including the influenced reviews. I did a bunch of reviews a few weeks ago thinking I would get the points for reviews as has always been the case then was puzzled why they never arrived. Another poster said you now have to wait to be emailed a review link after 60 days (or something like that). I've not received one so far.

I know they're a big business and they will do what is in their interest. However the changes to the recycle scheme, clamping down on codes and ways of building points means I'm buying a lot less from them. This is not a bad thing for my wallet but previously they were my favourite retailer. Now I've reached Deluxe status at SNK their points scheme is probably the best one overall but I find SNK don't always stock everything I would want.

There was toothpaste in the men's liberty AC which i thought would be a DOD but im actually really enjoying it. The men's liberty AC is my surprise fave of the season and not particularly manly, with some quite feminine leaning perfumes and a lot of other stuff that could be deemed what was called in the older days 'unisex'.

This looks tremendous value https://www.boots.com/no7-pro-artist-12-days-of-glamour-advent-calendar-10363269 made in china though.

That diptyque box is beautiful 🤩 @Doubleraspberry . I'm leaning towards refilling my vogue 23, unless something wows me with a wonderful discount.

10% off the Kiko Milano advent with code ILOVEKIKO

If anyone has a teen/young adult who loves make up I think this is a good one.

My J L box has arrived and I'm pleased with it. I need some new foundation; I've been using Lisa Edridge but it's too light in both colur and weight. I'm going back to Clarins. That's all I need on the beauty front for a while.

Thank you for the new thread. 🙂

@IDontHateRainbows. I keep going back to the men’s Liberty calendar. As you say, it doesn’t seem particularly masculine. And I love the box.

@Doubleraspberry The Diptyque box is a thing of beauty!

I need to stop looking on Vinted now. I picked up the Charlotte Tilbury face oil that is in the Fenwick calendar for £15 today. I get the AB face oil in my Harrods advent so really didn’t need it, but it was a bargain. 😳
I am hoping these Vinted purchases stop me from splashing out on another calendar.

Honestly? I don’t know any more.

It used to be a running joke that I dudng leavd the house to put the bin out without looking perfect abx if anyone needed makeup it lived in the back of my car (that was a slughtest exaggeration) But I’ve not looked after myself in aroubd 15 years.

I’ve got a £500 budget

I just bought the perfume shop calendar.

I need pretty much everything.

My skin can be quite reactive so I havd to be careful: yhd barrier seems to break down easily which then creates a chain reaction TGATS dufficulg to bring bavk under control.

Right now it’s doing pretty great on just hylauronic acid and Cera Ve in the day, la Roche posay at night and a low percentage rentinol once per week.

Most people say they wouldn’t put me past 40 but under eyes are stating to go.

I have no idea about make up any more - I have none.

Someone please help me; Liberty, Harrods or Selfridges? My DH is fed up of me pontificating and says he is just going to randomly pick one and order it if I don’t decide this weekend…

Liberty. Nice mix of fragrance, skincare, beauty. Selfridges had loads of random things in like false eyelashes, and not as much fragrance. I didn't get Harrods - looked to be heavily weighted to skincare. Depends what you like but if you want a good mix of top stuff, I recommend LIberty

Thanks for the Kiko code, @OvaHere - I am not a teen but I love their stuff! Currently have H&B for me,Rituals for DD and Paxton and Whitfield for the household, but I could be tempted to get the Kiko too.

I'm the same, if I know something is a bargain, I've been buying it, even if I didn't want it and I've never had it on my list. Like when I saw someone selling the drunk elephant Hydrabright serum from the sephora calendar for £14 and the amika dry shampoo for £8 🙈 My Frankenstein diy calendar (aka the SpaceNk calendar box) is probably going to fall apart with the weight of everything 🤣 I've bought the la mer face oil, even though I already have the elemis one from last year's harrods, lumene one from 2023 JL AC, I already have a bottle of the AB face oil and going to get another in the Harrods calendar. I think we have a vinted shopping addiction, it's possibly a side effect of being in the RHOBAC 🤣

Thanks for the new thread @BakeOffRewatch I've just bought my first ( and will be my only) advent this year. I went to a H beauty event that meant I got 10% off and a bunch of freebies.

What would the AC experts suggest
for me. I’m a Mum, will be 7 months pp in Dec. Barely anytime for myself so some hair, skin products would be amazing!

Thanks for new thread. Dont think ill be buying anymore now, but never know might be tempted!!

Was it good? I'm going to the event at metrocentre in a few weeks 😊 I've paid for a luxe ticket

You've got quite a large budget so really you could get any of them.

This isn't an expensive one but the Boots 24 days of skincare is nice and it doesn't have harsh actives in it that might be a problem for your skin. Nice way to try some stuff out including some K beauty products which tend to be on the gentler side.
https://www.boots.com/24-days-of-skincare-advent-calendar-10372392

Harrods is a nice luxe calendar. It has some make up basics in it and some very expensive skincare. The skincare is all small sizes but a good way to try some stuff out but if you react you're not stuck with a big size of it.
https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/p/harrods-of-london-the-harrods-beauty-advent-calendar-2025-000000000007826118

Liberty is a beautiful calendar. This years has a lot of perfume in it as well as a mix of skincare and make up. If perfume isn't your thing then Harrods is probably better.
https://www.libertylondon.com/uk/beauty-advent-calendar

Space NK has a good mix of products and a lot of full sizes. It does have 2 serums and a glycolic acid which you might feel you'll react to so read up on them first. Overall it has a bit of everything in it, skincare, make up, hair care. The Paula's Choice full size moisturiser is probably good for sensitive skin.
https://www.spacenk.com/uk/gifts/beauty-advent-calendars/beauty-advent-calendar-MUK200055896.html

There's quite a few others around the £250 mark. John Lewis goes on sale in a few days, Harvey Nichols is already out. A Fenwick one coming in October and a Fortnum and Mason one.

Beauty Detective is a good site for browsing and she's created some round up lists of various categories that might be useful to you - best make up calendars, best skincare etc. (the site does use affiliate links).
https://beauty-detective.com/

What is your budget? I've mentioned a few to the other poster above. In addition to those I think Boots Premium is a good one and not massively expensive if you don't want to spend a lot (maybe you do want to spend a lot though!)
https://www.boots.com/boots-24-day-premium-beauty-advent-calendar-10372153

Thanks - I've just booked a standard. Not sure if I'll get there, but I might if I've got a ticket 😉

@JoRaRaRa - Here's my VERY thorough review 😅- it was pretty good - probably really good for someone more patient and newer to luxe skincare though - I may be getting jaded and fussier! You get 10% off any purchase, plus a go at a game where you grab a ticket to win a prize ( tickets are in a box and air blows them around à la Crystal Maze - I won an Esteé Lauder moisturiser there.) Then if you spend £60 you get to pick 5 samples from a selection of about 10, and the luxe pass people spin a wheel for an extra full size prize - I won a Trinny eye shadow cream, the other prize I saw was a(nother bloody) red lipstick. The samples were all a good size, I got a 15ml Clarins Mask, a 15ml Erborian skin hero, a 5ml perfume, a mini CT lipstick and a 15ml Elemis exfoliating cleanser. They also had mini facials and £10 blowdrys which looked good. So why did I say it was only pretty good? THE DAMN QUEUE FOR THE FREEBIES. I recommend you go early and buy something asap, get your samples and then look around more, as by the time I went to get my freebies the queue was insane. Or go with a mate and spend the time catching up - It took well over an hour, maybe an hour and a half in a queue and it was mind-numbing. Life's too short for that shit.

Apologies if it has already been mentioned but I didn't see it listed earlier: Face the Future AC is pretty good with a nice mix of skincare (apart from the silly Avant fillers)

https://www.facethefuture.co.uk/products/the-festive-sparkle-edit?utmsource=RakutenAdvertising&utmmmedium=Affiliate&utmcampaign=2740319:Cafe+La+Moda&utmmcontent=10&ranMID=46088&ranEAID=2740319&ranSiteID=rkRbnuKbEU8-3WRR47a6.x4doDRnCL2e0w

@spicetails i think the Sephora is really good for newbies and returners. It has really good essentials. A lot of us dismiss it here as we already have a neutral eyeshadow palette for example. www.sephora.co.uk/p/sephora-favorites-advent £225 Someone (probably @OvaHere ) will know a discount code. Easier to look at the items and product links here https://beautyadventcalendar.net/sephora-advent-calendar-2025/ Even though you have a budget, I’d say don’t go for a luxe one as you’ll be unlikely to repurchase. The M&S one is really good too - dismissed here again as people have bought it before and it is repeats. The box is really nice. https://www.marksandspencer.com/c/beauty-box £60 when you spend £35, so you could get nice matching bra and knickers at the same time, I’ve found buying new ones of those is bottom (!) of my priorities since having kids! https://beautyadventcalendar.net/ms-beauty-advent-calendar-2025/

@mommyandmore the F&M one is lots of bath and body stuff so good for carving out time for yourself. Depends on you it might sit there being unused if you feel you don’t have the time. https://beautyadventcalendar.net/tag/fortnum-mason/ Harrods is the best one for skincare and they do a body and hair one as well. Very spenny and not repurchasable though tbh. https://beautyadventcalendar.net/harrods-advent-calendars-2025/ . I’ve assumed you’re looking for special stuff for being PP, else I’d say the same as I said above and agree with Ova (I always do!) that the Boots ones are excellent. No7 also do a routine bundle for £55 and recently there was a £20 off offer. https://www.no7beauty.co.uk/offers/your-everyday-skincare-routine.list It comes in a velvet bag so is really nice.