🎄 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]

Do people have an idea of which calendar they're likely to go for next year?

DSis has promised me the Harrods BAC next year and I'm hoping that I'll leave it at that for BAC's.

I'll purchase the Degusta one again and maybe treat myself to a Papier one 😍

https://www.papier.com/advent-calendar/

Edited to add Papier link

I’m hoping the Selfridges calendar is a bit back end loaded, as I know there were quite a few things I wanted but there have definitely been some underwhelming days (not today - three nice products).

I’ve usually not done single brand advents - thinking them less good value and more samey. But I have really enjoyed the Jo Loves calendar, and think this year’s Diptyque looks beautiful. So I may be tempted by a single brand fragrance calendar again (though would go for a different brand next time).

I had the Vogue 2023 calendar and it was indeed lovely. I do think the subsequent ones have still been pretty good, and as the prices of some of the others (such as Liberty) creep up, it looks less stupidly expensive.

I’m hoping Vogue heed the leftovers this year and up their game next time. I want to get it just once to experience it. I still regret not getting the LiB lantern when the price was slashed a couple of years back

@keepincool I think it's very likely I'll get SNK again and will probably enter into the Harrods fragrance trial by fire because who doesn't love that stress! 😂

Harrods BAC a maybe, I think if Cult Beauty had been a little more to my taste this year I'd have gone for that one as a 2nd instead.

I've come to the conclusion I like mostly full sizes and am more appreciative of a full size product that has an RRP of £50 than 5 or 10ml of something that costs £300 in the full size. That isn't to say I don't enjoy trying tiny luxe products but in terms of personal value I think SNK comes closest to getting it right.

I would like Liberty one year as the box is lovely but there's always a few too many DoD for me to take the plunge.

If Vogue came out with a banger I'd probably stump up the cost one year.

I'd love a Diptyque one time but probably wouldn't want it to be my only BAC. I'd still want a multi brand.

It's hard to say as they all seem to have their moments in the sun and also their flop eras so who knows what 2026 will bring.

@Doglover73 oh look at lil face 😍 what a cutie!!

@IlovePond I'm hoping we can continue discussing ACs. I've got the PDM countdown for between Xmas and New Years and then the Harrods hair and body for after that 🥰

I enjoyed doing my Frankenstein 🧌 calendar this year so I might do that again next year. Depends really on the offerings. I've had Harrods for the last 3 years so no doubt I'll buy that one again. I might even be able to just create a ac with the stuff from this year as no doubt I'll have most of it still judging by the size of my stash and I've not even added the AC stuff to it yet 🙈🤣 I'm hoping to not go as mad over the ACs next year 🤭

I had Liberty this year but now I’ve cancelled the beauty drop I’m intending to get Fortnums next year 🤞

Honestly I've LOVED glossybox. Its been brilliant and I only paid £80. I much prefer full size products. Teensy trial products dont interest me they feel.like they should be free anyway. There has only been 1 dod for me in GB so far (it was pink hair clips!! Very bad indeed!) But I knew and swapped it out for a fragrance from vinted from the HN calendar so no problem. Will definitely get degusta again. The whole family love it. My 11 year old twins have already requested it. Will also try for harrods fragrance but unlikely that will be held back till December

I’m another with the Vogue regret for 2023, although I did buy this years on a late whim because I liked the jewellery, the beanie and the eye mask. I am enjoying it but it will never live up to the one that got away.

My takeaway for next year (from the many thousands spent on calendars over the past few years) is to buy the one I really want right at the start instead of compromising. I always end up spending much more and inevitably end up buying the original anyway.

I have a backlog now so am toying with the idea of blind buying F&M next year and staying away from the threads.
Trouble is, I enjoy it all so much.

I’ve said exactly the same and am determined I’ll only get the Harrods fragrance and one other calendar next year 😆😆. Once I started going through the wardrobe in the spare room I was a bit horrified by just how much I’ve bought this year and definitely can’t do this again. I’ve really enjoyed everything so far, although I wouldn’t buy Korres again - I love most of their products but the calendar is really flimsy and the sizes of everything are really small. I’ve really enjoyed all the months of discussing the contents and deciding which to buy.

@AddictedtobeautyMy husband bought me F&M for my birthday and xmas present and I’ve been really really pleased with it. There have only been two DODs so far, and I know what is in two of the remaining drawers, so it was an excellent choice for me.

Oh I had my eye on the Fortnums one but I left it too late. Was there fragrance? Im a big perfume fan

I’ve loved SNK this year - I have been an avid advent calendar buyer for years but this is the most high-end one I have had. I thought I might have felt guilty but I truly haven’t, it has brought me joy every day. It was sweetened by an amazing goodie bag they were giving out for a store-opening on the day I bought the calendar, and I used those freebies to fill an old advent box, so I’ve had 2 fabulous drawers every day, which have brought no end of cheer.

Degustabox has also been fun, it’s always popular in our house and this year’s has been no exception.

We are going away tomorrow and I daren’t suggest filling the car with advents which only have a couple of days left in them, so I’ll open all remaining drawers tomorrow morning. All that’s left then is to work out my new routine to keep using all the lovely products to their full potential!

Thanks for all the expertise which is shared so readily on these lovely threads ❤️❤️

I love GSDs. (ExH was a police dog handler). I love their floppy ears at the baby stage. Our puppy’s little ears used to go up and down at random. At one stage, when he looked intently at something they would point forwards and cross over. Looked like he was wearing a peaked cap. 😂

I’ll definitely buy another Korean AC next year. I really wanted Stylevana but that went OOS so quickly so I’ll carefully watch for it next year. I had serious regret about not getting SNK last year so was eager for its release this year but it just didn’t call out to me the way 2024 did. I’ll make sure to look for it next year though.

@Doglover73 just gorgeous. Pup and dogs 😍 German shepherd ears are one of the loveliest things on the planet 🥰

Here’s my old boy with a decorative background! Look at his old man grey beard

My old boy, he’s 12 next month

As if this thread wasnt already my fave one, we get dog pics! 💕🐾

I'll be on my first maternity leave (🤞🙏) in December 26, so I don't think I will be in a position to treat myself next year! I'm a little bit tempted to buy some luxuries - jewellery, socks, shower gel etc in the sales, pack them in my vogue box in the loft ready for next year. Is this a crazy idea??

Should I accept I'll be too busy and forget about it?! 🫣

@LoveLabradors - oh he is gorgeous and what a lovely picture❤️

Here’s a picture of my beast, (some of you may have seen him already on the Waifs thread, as he was waiting for his a/c treat!)

I may get Liberty again next year as I'm sticking with the beauty drop but it will depend on what's in it. I will probably try to get harrods fragrance and looks fantastic fragrance if they do it again but it all depends on how much I buy through the year I guess

Oh my god congratulations!!! I got my first beauty advent calendar FOR my maternity leave last year, I pre-ordered the Liberty AC in August 2024, because I knew when I was on mat leave I wouldn’t be in the shops looking at Christmas gift sets and releases and I’d be all messy hair and dressing gown on the sofa. It was really nice with my mushy newborn, though as it was my first BAC I did enjoy it more than more seasoned BACers might have. The box was gorgeous at a time I was stuck to the sofa with contact naps and I really looked forward to opening it everyday. So I’m team Mat Leave advent. If I have another, I’ll get three for each month of the fourth trimester 😂😂😂

@HollyGolightly4 definitely do that - you’ll love having a treat each day.

I’ve liked both spacenk and Harrods. I also had Boots but opened that at once as it was more functional. I’ve found both great - spacenk has the edge so I’ll be interested to see what they have next year.

@HollyGolightly4 definitely get a maternity advent!
Either a lovely pre-made one or a beautiful box re-filled with lovely treats - either option would be perfect just to give you the chance to spend a couple of minutes to focus on yourself each day ❤️❤️❤️

@BakeOffRewatch @BlueLimes @IDontKnowWhatYouMean

Thank you so much!! I think I'll plan ahead and go for it 🥰

@HollyGolightly4 have you seen how much the LoveEvery object permanence toys cost? The solidly built advents are perfect for babies to open and find stuff, mine enjoyed it from 4 months onwards and I put random toys and sensory stuff in each Liberty box draw. 1yo now and it’s partly why I got the M&S one this year, baby loves taking all the cardboard boxes out and fitting them in and opening each cardboard box. Once you add it up against baby sensory toys the BACs are a bargain 😂