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

[BakeOffRewatch]

New thread!

@keepincool Thank you, I've ordered!

(After promising myself I wouldn't buy a calendar this year! 😂)

Feels like it's so easy to get scammed now, that it's made me a bit more cautious, so good to hear from others.

I think this too. I looked up the fragrances on Fragrantica and Sniph and it would be a gamble for me as I'm not sure I'd like them all (or even most of them), so I won't be buying. But for the fun factor, if you had the money to spend on a fragrance calendar I agree I'd go for Sniph.

Allbeauty has very good deals all year round. It's good for discounts on expensive brands. I've bought some Sisley products from there before that I wouldn't buy at full price.

I’ve just read the thread as my homework thanks everyone for their insights!

I’m in the under £150 bracket, mainly skincare (but not cleansers), hair care, eye make up, blushers. Not interested in perfumes and candles.

I’ve narrowed it down to:
Front runners - Latest in Beauty, Elle, Justmylook (don’t think it’s been mentioned on the thread yet, but I got it last year and was happy with it, I think it’s Korean brands)
Perhaps - Glossybox, ASOS, Lumene (a perhaps as it’s 95% skincare so not much variety)

Have to trawl through them in more detail now!

Probably in store. I got the HN in store and they weren't shipping to Ireland from the website either.

@Christmaschristmas I am a huge fan of Allbeauty- they are frequently the cheapest ‘proper’ retailer and often have excellent extra discounts/codes.

It’s my favourite beauty retailer.

Just received my two orders from Allbeauty following their big discounts earlier in the week. Filorga eye cream half price plus two hair products to try and a scalp massager. I was probably the only person in Britain not to already have one of these - I am ridiculously pleased with it 😹

I agree, I've been using Allbeauty for years without issue and even under their previous company name of Cheap Smells - which really did sound dodgy, but wasn't. Smart marketing move to upgrade their name!

There's often extra discount available through TCB too.

I use AllBeauty all the time, always had good service.

Speaking of TCB does anyone else have a really poor ratio of purchases tracking? I've used it a few times recently and hardly anything seems to work. I've had reasonable success with clothing sites but beauty sites are terrible with the exception of Sephora which does seem to track but I've not bought from there for a while.

Is Quidco better? Am I doing something wrong?

Another vote here for All beauty. They often have great discounts including the best price I've seen for a large Diptyque Feu de bois candle in case anyones on the look out for one.

www.allbeauty.com/p/diptyque-feu-de-bois-gris-scented-candle-300g/15461776/

@OvaHere - TCB can be temperamental. I have better luck if I put my TCB password in but before logging on, copy the password for the site I am going to visit. That way i don’t have to be coming in and out of websites, (it doesn’t like that!)

I do the same with Quidco.

I also try to preload my basket in advance on the site I am visiting. TCB and Quidco both get fussy if you spend ages browsing the target site.

This is an interesting article I would not have put Look Fantastic top for advent overall value

Thanks. I'll try that in future. I find it really frustrating. Usually we're only talking a couple of quid but it all adds up and it feels misleading when it says my visit was tracked but then nothing shows up in the dashboard.

Thanks everyone for your allbeauty recommendations.

I used to like Just My Look, but feel like they've gone a bit more upmarket recently and the prices seem to have gone up too!

In that article, the journalist twice writes that Liberty started beauty AC's here. She's wrong. Selfridges was first in 2010 - I think it had lots of minis from Lancome and others from the L'Oreal umbrella. Liberty was launched in 2014. Latest in Beauty/You collaboration was one of the first, which I reckon was 2011. I used to get that every year, until there was far more choice.

Love the intel and wisdom in this thread. How long until a BAC history and marketing module is available.

As someone mentioned upthread, the YouTube unboxings definitely make the products seem much more exciting than I previously thought!
I watched Miss Boux (?) unboxing the Boots Premium and it looked fabulous!
Hoping she does a JL unboxing soon.

Yes TCB is awful and I just don't bother with it anymore. There was a special Boots promo deal last xmas for the star buys and was around £15 cashback for me. Didn't track and had to raise a dispute. Got it this week, 10 months later. Nothing seems to track at all. Quidco is much better and pays out quickly on most buys

Isn’t it funny how we all have different experiences. I find TCB really reliable. If something doesn’t track, I raise a claim immediately- never wait the 7 days or I’d forget. They just put it on ice until it’s time to action it and usually it resolves favourably. I agree it takes a while to pay out but I save it up all year anyway then exchange around Christmas time for vouchers, usually M&S or Waitrose Christmas food to order. Haven’t paid for the Christmas shop with real money for years. I have Quidco too but use it much less.

Quick question about the Malin & Goetz Strawberry- it sounds very summery, light and fresh - is it? I won’t get to try it before SNK comes out.

It obviously might not replicate this year but last year I bought Lumene from look fantastic at 22% off on 29 October.

From my BAC notes Lumene dropped to £55 on 30/11 which would make me tempted to buy it again as my Jadvent although the contents are extremely similar to last year!

@BadgerFace I got it from Look Fantastic last year too.

Can't remember what I paid for it, but I can't see that they are stocking it this year, although it might be discounted somewhere else.

I just checked and I ordered directly from Lumene on 11 November and paid £56, looks like it had been reduced to £70 and then had a 20% discount.

I also got Lumene last year for £56 but the postman threw it over our gate and the box was all jumbled up. Lumene CS were amazing and gave me a big discount and future discount on any purchases. Their stuff is often in Boots £10 Tuesday so I have re bought the glow essence and day/night creams as their stuff is lovely.

@MrsBnow12 Wow, that was a good price!

I've just checked and I paid £67 from Look Fantastic, but it came with a free Elemis marine cream, so not too bad.

If it gets reduced this year, I might get a second one 😳

Looking at Korres now too, I've not tried any of their products before, so would be a good way to try some small sizes.