Beauty minis have come under fire in recent years for understandable reasons; where possible, we should all be upsizing on products we love, refilling whenever feasible, doing our best to not buy products we won’t use, and rehoming if we decide something isn’t for us.
How can I reconcile the above with an endorsement of the proliferation of Christmas beauty advent calendars, where behind most of the ones available, each door houses a beauty mini? My reasoning is threefold. The first is that beauty products are by many considered to be a significant pick-me-up, and a vast many really benefit from that moment of daily joy during the dark days of December. The second is that as we continue to march ever deeper into party season, our bodies and senses generally take a hit, and beauty products therefore increasingly become a crutch – and supplies being refreshed welcome.
The final reason is for me the most important: so many people buy full-sized products without knowing if they like them, then let them linger on shelves unloved. A well-curated beauty calendar offers the opportunity to try before you buy.
This is where discernment comes in: mine, in guiding you should you want me to, and yours in deciding where you are like to find additions that really enhance your life. As always, it’s wasteful is wasted, but I thoroughly suspect that won’t be the case with many of these, all of which I’d happily own and merrily splash my body/face/hair with daily...
A Very Cowshed Christmas Hamper
A premium situation, this hamper with 20 numbered products to be opened on different days. Yes, there are minis, but there are also huge products and, as beauty aficionados know, Cowshed quality is up there.
Buy now £230.00, Cowshed
e.l.f. Shine Bright Advent Calendar
If you’re a fiend for make-up, this is the one for you; e.l.f. are brilliant at on point colours and textures, at really reasonable prices.
Buy now £95.00, e.l.f.
Dior Le 30 Montaigne Advent Calendar
There is nothing, I repeat nothing, I wouldn’t want from the belly of this calendar. From the pillar box red lipstick to the perfect winter candle, it is all excellent.
Buy now, Dior
Jo Malone London 12 Day Advent Calendar
12 rather than the customary 24 days, but it’s all the good stuff here, from their classic big hitters to candles and hand creams and body and handwashes in their most popular scents.
Buy now £180.00, Look Fantastic
Charlotte's Beauty Treasure Chest of Love
Another 12 day calendar, this time the brainchild of make-up maven Charlotte Tilbury. You can’t go wrong here; it’s a smorgasbord of some of her most iconic creations, from her Magic Cream to her Pillow Talk lipstick.
Buy now £170.00, Charlotte Tilbury
Clarins Women’s 12 Day Beauty Advent Calendar
It’s commonly understood in beauty circles that Clarins can do no wrong – and if you’re not already acqauinted with them, this calendar will illustrate why we all think so highly of the brand. The lip oil, btw, is the perfect thing at this time of year.
Buy now £71.25, John Lewis
