Beauty advent calendars are back bigger than ever this Christmas, and offer the perfect opportunity to discover luxury beauty brands and a more affordable price point. Not only that, but they’re a fun way for beauty lovers to countdown to December 25, practising a little self care along the way.
LookFantastic’s advent calendar has become a firm favourite among shoppers over the last couple of years, completely selling out in 2021. And with a value of more than five times the retail price, it’s easy to see why.
The LookFantastic ‘Beauty Story’ 2022 Advent Calendar offers 25 windows stuffed with 26 beauty products from brands such as Elemis, Drunk Elephant and Philip Kingsley, as well as some more independent and high street brands. It quite literally looks fantastic, if you'll pardon the pun.
READ MORE: Best beauty advent calendars of 2022: prices, products, release dates and deals
Priced at £95, I’ve taken a look inside to see exactly what products are behind each door - and if it’s really worth your hard earned cash this Christmas.
*Spoiler alert* - we will be doing a deep dive on the products included in the LookFantastic Advent Calendar this year, so if you’d rather it be a surprise, then scroll with caution because there are photos and a full content list below.
Here’s what I thought of the LookFantastic 2022 Advent Calendar:
Price
The LookFantastic Advent Calendar comes in at £95, but behind the doors, shoppers will find more than £500 worth of products inside, offering savings in excess of £400. In fact, one product, the PMD Clean Mini, is worth a whopping £59 on its own, while the Avant Velvet Perfecting Rose Sugar Scrub is worth £58 - exceeding the box’s RRP in just two days.
Other products don’t come in quite so high in price, with the most affordable being £2.95, but many sit around the £20 mark.
What’s more, LookFantastic Beauty Box subscribers can receive £15 off the Advent Calendar, and new subscribers can also receive £15 off the Advent Calendar when buying a monthly plan, making it just £80.
The packaging
The Beauty Story advent calendar by LookFantastic is designed like a story book. It’s got a seasonal black, gold and red design, with a red ribbon to secure it closed. To open it, it does need to be upright, rather than lay flat to avoid boxes falling out of their slots, but it’s a very fun, festive design.
There are 25 drawers inside, mostly black with gold numbers signalling the date to open it. Box 24 stands out with a predominantly gold design, foreshadowing the luxury to be unboxed on Christmas morning.
The drawers are all varying sizes, each filled with at least one product and topped with a sheet of red tissue paper. The biggest boxes are day one, five and day 25, with small and medium boxes scattered throughout.
What I love about beauty advent calendars is that the boxes can often be upcycled - for example, this one can be used to create a hamper-style gift for a friend later in the year, or transformed into a handy storage solution that can be displayed in your dressing room.
The contents
The contents of the LookFantastic Beauty Advent Calendar tot up to £507.22. It’s not a sum I’d typically spend in one go, and the advent calendar means you don’t have to. Similarly, I could easily fill my basket at a well known high street pharmacy store with £95 worth of beauty products and not get anywhere near the same amount, or quality of products as found in this calendar.
The star of the LookFantastic Advent Calendar is the £59 PMD Mini Clean, a smart facial cleansing device that uses ‘SonicGlow’ technology and ultra-hygienic silicone to effectively cleanse and refresh the skin. Made popular by TikTok, there’s also a Disciple GuaSha worth £30 and ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Moisturiser worth a whopping £50.
By my count, there are 13 skin and body care products, four hair care products, seven cosmetics and two fragrance items, which makes for a pretty great mix of pamper products.
My personal favourites include the Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm, worth £9.50, which I’m running out of after having bought it during the last Amazon Prime event, and the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Booster, which I’ve also tried in the past.
There are some products I’m excited to try, such as the Iconic Triple Threat Mascara – worth £20 - and the West Barn Co Gel Brows with Spoolie, which is usually £15. I think the Avant Velvet Perfecting Rose Sugar Scrub will be a very indulgent product, retailing at £58, while the extremely affordable BeautyPro warming eye mask (£2.95) will be super relaxing.
Here’s the full list of products included in the LookFantastic Beauty Advent Calendar and how much they cost:
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PMD Clean Mini – worth £59
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Disciple Gua Sha – worth £30
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By Terry Hydra-pressed Powder - worth £18
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Rituals Ayurveda Mini Diffuser – worth £16.50
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West Barn Co Gel Brows with Spoolie – worth £15
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Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm – worth £9.50
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Drunk Elephant Protini ™ Polypeptide Cream – worth £5.95
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Iconic Triple Threat Mascara – worth £20
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ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Moisturiser – worth £50
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Demi Candle Femme Mini or Elle Mini – worth £8
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Zelens Tea Shot Urban Defence Serum – worth £41
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Sachajuan Hair Repair Mask – worth £6
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The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA – worth £6.90
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BEAUTYPRO Warming Eye Mask – worth £2.95
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Luvia 2 Pan Eyeshadow – worth £14.33
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We Are Paradoxx 3-in-1 Hair Repair – worth £10.50
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Revolution Lip Satin Kiss Lipstick & Pout Bomb Gloss – worth £10
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Aroma Active Repair Cream Light – worth £6
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Rodial Vit C Brightening Mask – worth £34
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Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub – worth £42
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Avant Velvet Perfecting Rose Sugar Scrub – worth £58
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Inika Black Eye Pencil – worth £19
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Emma Hardie Plump & Glow Hydrating Facial Mist – worth £13.99
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Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Booster – worth £4.60
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First Aid Beauty Bump Eraser Body Scrub – worth £6
Pros
The LookFantastic Advent Calendar provides everything you need for your pamper routine throughout December and beyond, offering high end, luxury brands you may not otherwise have afforded or treated yourself to.
It offers a whopping 26 products in 25 days, with a value or more than five times its RRP, proving that it’s great value for money, particularly if you nab that £15 off when you become a subscriber.
The fact that two of the product total more than the price you pay for the box, it’s pretty good going, and if you happen to come across a product you’re unlikely to use, you can pop it in with someone’s Christmas present to save yourself a bit of cash and spread the festive cheer.
I’m really excited to try all of the products in the calendar, indulging in some me-time and discovering some new brands along the way.
Cons
There were a couple of minute grumbles about the LookFantastic Advent Calendar this year, but none detrimental enough to put me off purchasing one. Firstly, some of the products were too big or heavy for the boxes they were put in, which has on one or two occasions either distorted the products packaging or that of the advent calendar.
Additionally, one of the products inside, - the Luvia two Pan Eyeshadow – was a little defective. One of the pans fell straight out when I opened it, and luckily, didn’t crumble all over the new fabric sofa. Annoying as it is, it’s nothing a bit of fixing spray, kitchen towel and something heavy won’t fix.
Verdict
The LookFantastic Advent Calendar is an indulgent and luxurious beauty Christmas countdown perfect for discovering new brands and old favourites. Pamper products can prove expensive, but this is a great way to grab everything you need for a Sunday self-care session for under £100 - for over £500 worth of goodies.
The calendar is considered one of the more mid-price range calendars, with W7 and Baylis and Harding retailing at £20 and £45 respectively, while Lush’s comes in at £185 and Harvey Nichols for £250. LookFantastic’s sits within a comfortable price point for the contents, and feels more expensive than it is, without having to break the bank.
You can buy the LookFantastic Advent Calendar here.
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