🎄 2025 Style and Beauty Advent Calendar Discussion ***SPOILERS*** THREAD 10

[BakeOffRewatch]

Final one before the opening threads. Who is starting the opening threads and for which ones? Please share the links below. There’ll be Waifs and Strays one, DIY, and possibly Harrods, Space NK, Liberty?

On 1st December, the opening threads start, I’ll ask MN to update this post with links.

If you’re looking to continue the chat beyond BACs there is the Beauty chat thread here by @OvaHere : https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5444855-beauty-chat-freebiesgifts-with-purchaseoffers-thread-six
and the perfumistas thread here by @IDontHateRainbows : https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5443053-scent-of-the-day-part-six-what-will-the-friendly-perfumistas-spray-next
Both threads are quite spendy, be warned!

Waifs and strays opening thread
thank you @AprilLady

Liberty opening thread www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5452449-liberty-beauty-advent-calendar-2025-opening-thread thank you @IlovePond

Empties and beauty hoarders rehabilitation thread www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5441152-cant-stop-buying-hoarding-beauty-treats-youre-in-good-company-here thank you @Experiment627

[New links added by MNHQ at OP's request]

I’m mostly shocked that it’s worth over £200!

The thing with vogue for me is that the 2023 contents and box design was so good, 2024 and 2025 just don’t compare so I’m always unfairly judging it.

• 2023 £350 worth £1500 https://beautyadventcalendar.net/vogue-beauty-advent-calendar-2023/ RLV unboxing link
• 2024 £355 worth £1650 https://beautyadventcalendar.net/british-vogue-festive-calendar-2024/ RLV unboxing link . Big DOD playing cards.
• 2025 £355 worth £1600 https://beautyadventcalendar.net/vogue-festive-advent-calendar-2025/ RLV didn’t do one, here’s a Cherry Wallis one . Big DOD bag charm and gua sha.

Oh I didn’t realise the value had gone up.

Hi, I was wondering if people who are opening calendars for the 12 Days of Christmas and/or Jadvent (😹), are going to post their daily doors on here, or join/keep going on the Waifs and Strays thread.

What usually happens with these openings? Do people share or is it usually kept to oneself?

Thanks

@QueefofSheena I had Vogue in 2023- my first advent that wasn't a basic chocolate one! It was straight in to luxury. I adored it. I still use a fair few items.

Last year I Frankenstein-ed, but didn't do a great job, but the box was beautiful vogue.

I've enjoyed boots premium this year, but I missed the non beauty products eg: socks.

Sadly, it haven't been tempted by Vogue since.

I was thinking about my ‘ideal’ calendar today.

It would have:

A full skincare routine: Cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser, eye cream
A face mask
An exfoliator
Maybe a hand cream, SPF and lip balm
A couple of ‘normal’ good-sized perfumes such as Chanel or Dior, with the matching shower gels and body lotions, (I now know, to my cost, that I heartily dislike 99% of the cool ‘niche’ perfumes!)
A sparkly good quality Xmas lip gloss
A matching lipstick
A lovely blush product
A couple of cute good quality accessories such as socks
Maybe a nice metal rollerball tool or similar, (not a gua sha!)
Matching shampoo, conditioner, scalp scrub/hair treatment
A nice jewellery item if I was feeling particularly extravagant

What do you all think? What would be in your ideal calendar?

On a related note:

I’m not massively impressed by my own efforts with my DIY calendar this year.

On the plus side: I have genuinely forgotten some of the items that I put in it.
On the down side: I have actually managed to create a few of my very own DODs, as I put in quite a few tiny samples and some GWP items which weren’t really ‘my thing’.

For 2026, I think I will use my beautiful Liberty box to create the above DIY a/c - starting early with the non-perishable items in the January sales!

I love reading them. Will help me get through a stressful xmas. Although new puppy helping. 🤣😍

I think this is a rite of passage we all go through. My first year of BAC I went for the luxury Rituals one and I do like Rituals products but towards the end of the calendar it did feel a bit 'oh look another Rituals product' 😂. I wouldn't get one again as my main BAC.

I agree. One year i got all 3 body shop ones. Albeit to share with my 2 dd. Now I cant even look at them. 🤣

Ooh, a puppy @Doglover73 ! Can we see a picture?

Picture coming up. Im not technical though thats why i dont post pics. 🤣

I agree to a certain extent with the shortcomings of single brand a/cs.

Having said that: I really do like the Rituals calendars and my main issue with last year’s Shiseido was the teeny tiny sizes, rather than the product range, (which was actually great!)

In a fit of bargain enthusiasm, I bought the S&G a/c last week in Boots for £24. Now that IS definitely going to get repetitive! 😹

@Doglover73 Beautiful 🥰

I used to love Soap&Glory about 15 years ago. My MIL bought me the big xmas sets but at some point she stopped buying them and I sort of forgot about the brand. I'm tempted to purchase the body wash again for nostalgia purposes.

So cute @Doglover73 - look at that little face! How old is he/she? What’s his/her breed?

Thanks for posting - so adorable!

Talking of single-product advents, Clarins 12-day advent is reduced to £57 with guaranteed Christmas delivery for the next 3 hours, if anyone is still in the market!
https://www.clarins.co.uk/clarins-12-day-advent-calendar/CS01696046.html
Free delivery if you join the free Clarins Club membership. Haven’t checked if any other discounts stack.

That’s a pretty good deal @IDontKnowWhatYouMean - thanks

@BakeOffRewatch I felt the same about the Vogue offerings - have had a long lingering regret at not getting the first one in 2023, so promised myself one the next year but I haven't liked either of them quite enough since.

♥️ German Shepherd. Was 8 weeks on Weds when we got him. 😍
Little land shark. 🤣
Those teeth. Forgot how sharp puppies teeth were. 🤣
We have 2 older ones. X

Just when we thought this thread couldn't get any better... we have puppy pics courtesy of @Doglover73 😍

This is exactly it and I did the same last year with my rituals one so you’d think I’d have learnt 😂
I have enjoyed using all the rituals stuff throughout the year as I know I will with the Espa and it was such a lovely box to have out on display but the opening did get a bit meh.

Absolutely. Its the variety and surprise element that makes it fun. In fact the advent I've ben most excited about each morning has been dh's degusta one. Its sort of like if you gave a child a credit card and set them loose in a supermarket 😆 such random contents!

I almost guessed GS but wasn’t sure@Doglover73 - so adorable and your other two look so cool. Thanks so much for the lovely pics!

Your dogs and pup are gorgeous @Doglover73 😍

The very first dog we had as kids was an alsation mix called Cas. He was lovely. My brother found him abandoned in a sack as a pup 🙁, but he had a great life after that.

@Sexentric I also have the Degusta calendar and it may be my favourite one. I was expecting it to be a bit rubbish but it was on a great offer on BF and I thought I'd just donate most of it to the food bank. Some is going to food bank, but not all of it 😊

I am living with the same regret! I was prepared to buy it in 2024 and 2025 but unfortunately the contents seem to have peaked in 2023.

@Doglover73 I'm not a huge animal lover but gosh that is a cute puppy!

Oh what a gorgeous pup @Doglover73. Cutie!

I agree with regards to same brand calendars. I had Rituals one year and got a bit fed up towards the end. Especially the small candles. And I’ve decided I’m not a big Rituals fan anyway.

I am very tempted by the Clarins 12 day one. Again. Talked myself out of it a couple of weeks ago. Really don’t need any more products.