Please or to access all these features

Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Beauty Advent Calendars Thread 13 - lucky for us, unlucky for Ryan the Bot

969 replies

SheilaFentiman · 16/10/2026 11:18

Welcome to Thread 13 and happy unboxing to all who sail (sale??) in her as we swap tips, tricks, frustrations and joys of the BAC/FAC journey.

Not too long until Black Friday discounts so keep your fingers crossed and some room on your credit card Xmas Grin

Key link for all the calendars via the very lovely MaryBD of the calendars https://beauty-detective.com/category/beauty-advent-calendars/

Though lots of ACs are out of stock already, so beware (and extra double beware of anything Selfridges Fragrance related!!)

OP posts:
Thread gallery
52
Growlybear83 · 18/10/2026 18:32

Housewife2010 · 18/10/2026 18:30

Have you noticed that someone is trying to sell the SFAC for £630 on Vinted?

I think that one may have been removed now 🤣

NC543210 · 18/10/2026 18:37

Advententhusiast · 18/10/2026 18:19

I do the same. Ive got 10 taken offline today. There is a huge influx at the moment from the last drop so have been mass reporting my butt off

A massive influx of them for sure. Have reported loads more this afternoon too.

Another thing I've noticed is how much the price has gone up from the Rude Oud from HFAC. They were around 75 ISH a couple of weeks ago. Most are over £100 now so won't be buying any. Did manage to pick up Memo and Gozo for £23 each.

Addictedtobeauty · 18/10/2026 18:59

NC543210 · 18/10/2026 18:37

A massive influx of them for sure. Have reported loads more this afternoon too.

Another thing I've noticed is how much the price has gone up from the Rude Oud from HFAC. They were around 75 ISH a couple of weeks ago. Most are over £100 now so won't be buying any. Did manage to pick up Memo and Gozo for £23 each.

Rude Oud was in last years HFAC and the Extrait was in the scent seeker tote. I don’t think it was in this years FAC.

AppleDumplingWithCustard · 18/10/2026 19:04

Goldleafcat · 18/10/2026 14:28

I am also on MJ. I think it’s displaced my food addiction to clothes, perfume and cosmetics instead!

Same here. My neighbours must think I'm up to no good with my Royal Mail delivery man. He’s here every day! 😂

RuralVic · 18/10/2026 19:04

I’ve seen several TikToks today of people being Vinted Vigilantes. They are either reporting the ones with the whole calendar or sending stupid low offers and generally wasting the seller’s time if they are selling individually.
I’ve also seen a funny video of Negan from the walking dead banging on the door of selfridges with his baseball bat. The caption was something about It’s time to take a new approach to getting the SFAC . Then someone commented that they had some to sell but were told to go to hell 🤣

IDontHateRainbows · 18/10/2026 19:06

TellMeStories · 18/10/2026 15:57

and they're all essentially pudding-scented

Brilliant 😂

I’m another on MJ. Seems to be quite a few of us!

Basically, I have swapped food and alcohol for perfume and makeup. Fine by me, they have no calories. I will probably always be addicted to something as it's my personality, so I'm fine to trade in a harmful addiction for a healthier one.

ShineDespiteEverything · 18/10/2026 19:12

scalpers skipping queues… could it be to do with those shoddy websites that were mentioned here selling sfacs

Nomorechocs · 18/10/2026 19:12

I open my advent calendar every day I have to go to work. I’m a teacher so not school holidays. I now only need one more to see me through to the end of this academic year!

IlovePond · 18/10/2026 19:20

I’ve just bought my Twinings tea a/c from Amazon as it was somewhat reduced. I was holding out for a bargain £4.99 like last year, but if that happens, I will just buy two!

It was probably my favourite thing to open last December.

Fillybuster · 18/10/2026 19:23

I think all the reporting has put the wind up some of the SFAC resellers. Lots more items being sold individually and prices have dropped through the floor due to oversupply. I wouldn’t mind except I had hoped to offset the some pf cost of my SFAC (which I am incredibly grateful to have scored!) with the handful of items I don’t want to keep, such as the Ormonde Jayne & Thameen (I know everyone else loves these, and I thought I would, but samples have demonstrated they are not for me!). I guess I can wait a few weeks to see if things calm down, although I imagine there’ll be lots more coming onto the market once real customers (if there are any??!!) start opening theirs?

LagoLady · 18/10/2026 19:26

Does anyone know if Flannels are doing beauty crackers this year?

TellMeStories · 18/10/2026 19:35

TheNorthernTights · 18/10/2026 17:17

Long-time lurker de lurking to share

  1. I just spent a happy 25 mins reporting SFAC sellers on Vinted & already seeing that they’ve been removed, whoop! And
  2. you have just given me a lightbulb moment re MJ & perfume addiction!

Brilliant username 😂

TellMeStories · 18/10/2026 19:43

SheilaFentiman · 18/10/2026 16:30

@TellMeStories i am not sure that setting the price higher would deter scalpers though. If they can flip for £xx profit apiece, they don’t care about the base price too much

Yes, that’s true

JoRaRaRa · 18/10/2026 19:46

Fillybuster · 18/10/2026 19:23

I think all the reporting has put the wind up some of the SFAC resellers. Lots more items being sold individually and prices have dropped through the floor due to oversupply. I wouldn’t mind except I had hoped to offset the some pf cost of my SFAC (which I am incredibly grateful to have scored!) with the handful of items I don’t want to keep, such as the Ormonde Jayne & Thameen (I know everyone else loves these, and I thought I would, but samples have demonstrated they are not for me!). I guess I can wait a few weeks to see if things calm down, although I imagine there’ll be lots more coming onto the market once real customers (if there are any??!!) start opening theirs?

Same, I had hoped to sell one or two, but the prices have plunged so much that I can't even be bothered to take the photos and list them.

SummerLimes · 18/10/2026 19:47

DidILeaveTheGasOn · 18/10/2026 17:08

@Housewife2010 Gosh we have lots of pets and we drink alcohol. But I’m not sure we could do a weekly shop for 4 for £100 without those.

I rarely drink at home and we have no pets yet spend over £200 weekly, family of 4. I like your comparison with advents, I’ve hesitated to buy Fenwick yet will have no qualms buying whatever DC fancy for lunches etc sushi no problem my little prince (love Pam!). I’m going to reset my thoughts on buying things for me.

TellMeStories · 18/10/2026 19:50

DidILeaveTheGasOn · 18/10/2026 16:33

@Beautyfox I love that you now like a cocktail and shopping! I wonder if shopping, alcohol and other brain-lighty-uppy pastimes all live in the same primitive part of the brain and MJ is allowing us to cancel off food and become subscribers to a whole other Christmas lights smorgasbord of options?

@TellMeStories I find the market really interesting at the moment in terms of luxury items and everyday spending. Diesel is £2 a litre, filling my car costs me £100 now instead of £70 like it used to. A decent weekly shop for four is at least £200. My heating bill, if I dare to use the heating, will be sickening. All every day spends now have a luxury price point.
It seems to me that luxury spends are still within the same ballpark that they were before.
So, filling up my car is a luxury, and a weekly shop is a luxury, and they are on par with, say, the Selfridges fragrance calendar, which is still being kept within the ballpark of an acceptable luxury price point. And I feel like this is the same for cosmetics, skincare, fragrance.

If retailers applied the same costing model to luxury/cosmetic, skincare products as the weekly shop, as fuel, then foundation should cost 43% more. Okay, so on a £30 foundation that’s a new price of £42, that’s winceworthy but okay. The SFAC should cost 43% more. On a £225 SFAC, that’s £322. I just don’t think any of us calendar fiends could really countenance that kind of price, especially if all the retailers followed suit. It might protect the product from scalpers, but I don’t think that’s likely either. If a scalper can buy 400 calendars on launch day, they have significant credit lines available to them. A price bump isn’t going to stop them.

I think it would price a lot of us out, not all of us, but a lot.

You are probably right on the calendar pricing. I hope the retailers can get something sorted for their actual customers in future. I can’t believe it would be impossible to get round the touts/bots etc although I’ve no idea how. They could certainly check addresses as I’m sure the people buying hundreds aren’t having them sent to that many different addresses.

Donsyb · 18/10/2026 20:51

hby9628 · 18/10/2026 14:20

im sure Look Fantastic has already been discussed but I’ve been watching a few of them but finally decided this is the one to go for. Has anybody any ideas on if there is a way to get any discount on it? Has anybody had theirs yet and has any feedback on it? I saw it in store today and it looks excellent.

If you sign up to their beauty box subscription you get a discount, you could then cancel the subscription.

Q2C4 · 18/10/2026 20:54

Apologies in advance if this has already been covered, but has anyone ordered either the classic or the ultimate Body Shop calendars? I’m looking for feedback. Thanks 🙏

Beautyfox · 18/10/2026 21:10

Q2C4 · 18/10/2026 20:54

Apologies in advance if this has already been covered, but has anyone ordered either the classic or the ultimate Body Shop calendars? I’m looking for feedback. Thanks 🙏

I had their ultimate one a few years ago and really liked it. There was a lovely range of shower, body and face products in there (I don’t recall any makeup, hair or perfume)and some that have become my favourite such as the exfoliating hand wash which annoyingly only comes out at Christmas. I looked at the calendar the following year and the products were almost identical but I’m not sure if that’s true now. However, from memory there are always significant saving on these around Black Friday so might be worth holding on.

CorneliaStreet · 18/10/2026 21:23

I’m holding out for a discount on the Body Shop calendars. I think they did 20% or 25% off in November last year.

ClutteredPalace · 18/10/2026 21:44

IDontHateRainbows · 18/10/2026 19:06

Basically, I have swapped food and alcohol for perfume and makeup. Fine by me, they have no calories. I will probably always be addicted to something as it's my personality, so I'm fine to trade in a harmful addiction for a healthier one.

I thought I was immune and it was just coincidence as I'm not keen on gourmand scents till it was pointed out that I love floral scents which equates to my love of rose tea, Turkish delight, palma violet chocolate... 🤦‍♀️ Happy to have made the swap though and it's probably why advent calendars appeal so much, it's a little treat every day and can be quite addictive in it's own right.

Well done to everyone reporting SFAC sellers, I hope they give up next year. I think the only real way to beat them is to make sure it's not worth their while so not letting them sell for a huge mark up and making sure they're stuck with stock. (Although no judgement on anyone that bought from a reseller, fomo is real and its still a bargain)

26inprogress · 18/10/2026 23:30

ClutteredPalace · 18/10/2026 21:44

I thought I was immune and it was just coincidence as I'm not keen on gourmand scents till it was pointed out that I love floral scents which equates to my love of rose tea, Turkish delight, palma violet chocolate... 🤦‍♀️ Happy to have made the swap though and it's probably why advent calendars appeal so much, it's a little treat every day and can be quite addictive in it's own right.

Well done to everyone reporting SFAC sellers, I hope they give up next year. I think the only real way to beat them is to make sure it's not worth their while so not letting them sell for a huge mark up and making sure they're stuck with stock. (Although no judgement on anyone that bought from a reseller, fomo is real and its still a bargain)

Another one on MJ and agree, until v recently my addiction had def been shopping vs food however recently the MJ seems to have a lost a little of its spark! So now I’m addicted to shopping, beauty and it seems food again 😱. On holiday at the moment but def back on the higher dose when I get back!!
re SFAC and prices, I’m sure if you wait a while prices will increase again. Saying that, I’m in the market for the Penhaligons fragrances, saw them for £20 but they’ve sold and the rest are £25 plus which is more than I want to spend!

edited for typos

MiaN · 19/10/2026 06:40

AppleDumplingWithCustard · 18/10/2026 19:04

Same here. My neighbours must think I'm up to no good with my Royal Mail delivery man. He’s here every day! 😂

Ha me too! We need mounjaro glow up support group to keep us united age the advent season

MiaN · 19/10/2026 06:42

I have the two penhaligons and I am looking for less or swap. Are you in the group?

Realtnamara · 19/10/2026 06:47

MiaN · 19/10/2026 06:42

I have the two penhaligons and I am looking for less or swap. Are you in the group?

How do we join the group? Hoping to pick up some I had been wanting in the SFAC. Thanks x

Swipe left for the next trending thread