With Christmas only a couple of short months away, it’s not too early to start thinking about advent calendars. And if you’re someone who’s big on their conscious beauty, Holland & Barrett’s 25 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar is not only planet friendly, but budget friendly, too, packed with sustainable skincare, eco-essential oils, scented candles and more.
Beauty advent calendars have skyrocketed in popularity over the last five years, and there are so many to choose from. Not only do they provide the opportunity to stock up on some of the must have makeup and skincare essentials, they also allow you to discover new products across a range of exciting brands. The contents are usually worth at least double the price you pay, meaning you can save money on your stash, or split the products between friends and family over the festive season as stocking fillers as a way to spread the cost further.
And while Christmas may seem a way off yet, advent isn’t, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on unboxing a little slice of luxury each day in December because you forgot to order one, right? Over the next few weeks, I’ll be unboxing some of the best beauty Christmas countdowns for 2023 to help you decide which one to snap up ready for December 1.
This year Holland & Barrett’s beauty advent calendar offers the ultimate Christmas wellness experience, stuffed fuller than a nut roast with plant-based beauty that won’t break the bank. Of course, you don’t need to be a vegan or even consciously be making a sustainable choice to enjoy it, with best-loved brands like Weleda, Faith In Nature, Magnitone and UpCircle hidden in each of the festive themed boxes.
The wellness haul comes in a fern-green box that boasts two drawers of products tucked into green, red and brown numbered boxes. The box is really sturdy and the layout is neat and easy to navigate. And what’s more is that it can be reused long after Christmas to store your beauty treasures, or to regift a pamper hamper to someone else.
Priced at £45, it’s a fantastic purse-friendly purchase, not to mention the fact it’s £10 cheaper than last year. And with the contents worth £179, it’s their highest value calendar to date, saving shoppers 75 per cent on the RRP. Of the 25 self-care essentials, 16 of them are full-sized products from cult favourites, including a scented candle, essential oils, body lotion, hair and face masks, and more. The highest value item in the box is the Vitaskin Vitamin C Collagen Boosting Serum 30ml, which would usually set shoppers back £18.
Among some of the wellness wonders I can’t wait to try are the Beauty Kitchen Seahorse Plankton Really Radiant Moisturiser. It’s the retailer’s best-selling daily moisturiser and aims to keep skin looking youthful and healthy whilst protecting it against pollution. Sticking with skincare the Sukin Brightening Radiance Cleanser looks like it’s going to secure a spot in my daily routine, and I’m looking forward to giving the UpCircle Coffee Face Scrub a go after admiring the brand from afar for a while.
For helping create those moments of peace, the I Love Wellness Calm Bath Soak is a beautifully fragranced product that’s perfect for unwinding after a long and busy day of Christmas shopping. I always like to have an indulgent bath on Christmas Eve, and this will really curate a tranquil space in conjunction with the Psychic Sisters Sleep Well Candle. The luxury soy candle offers a soothing chamomile and lavender scent and even has little crystals embedded in the wax that you can keep after the wick has endured its final burn. Just before bed, the Tisserand Sleep Better Roller Ball is a great way to signal that it’s time to switch off. The pulse point roller ball stars a pure essential oil blend including jasmine, sandalwood and lavender, and because it’s travel size, it can be stored in a handbag or purse for on-the-go application, too.
It’s really hard not to dive in and tell you about every single product in here, from the Faith in Nature Shea & Argan Hair Mask (which is curly girl method compliant) to the Miaroma Winter Spice Essential Oil Blend and Magnitone Microfibre Face Cloth. The calendar has also afforded me the opportunity to give the celeb-loved Weleda Skin Food Body Lotion a go, as well as WILD’s Fresh Cotton & Sea Salt Natural Deodorant. This is something I’ve wanted to try for a long time, and this festive haul gives you the chance to trial it before committing to a subscription.
I really like how Holland and Barrett have really made the most of this calendar with 25 gifts inside, whereas many only have 24. If you’re interested to know the full contents, I’ll share the list below in no particular order:
- Weleda Skin Food Body Lotion 200ml
- Vitaskin Vitamin C Collagen Boosting Serum 30ml
- Antipodes Hosanna H20 Serum 10ml
- Q+A Vitamin C Eye Cream 15ml
- H&B Hyaluronic Acid 20mg 30 Capsules
- Miaroma Rosemary Pure Essential Oil 10ml
- WILD Fresh Cotton & Sea Salt Natural Deodorant 17g
- Sukin Brightening Radiance Cleanser 125ml
- Psychic Sisters Sleep Well Candle
- UpCircle Coffee Face Scrub with Citrus Blend for Dry Skin 30ml
- Tisserand Sleep Better Roller Ball 10ml
- So Eco Complexion Sponge
- Miaroma Winter Spice Essential Oil Blend
- Beauty Kitchen Seahorse Plankton Really Radiant Moisturiser 17ml
- Magnitone Microfibre Face Cloth
- Sea Magik Pink Salt Shampoo 50g
- Ethique Discovery Pack – Balanced Hair 45g
- Dr Organic Guava Gel Face Mask 50ml
- Ecodenta Multifunctional Toothpaste with 7 Herbs 100ml
- H&B Aloe and Cucumber Facial Toner 150ml
- I Love Wellness Calm Bath Soak 125ml
- Faith in Nature Lavender Soap 100g
- H&B Headband
Then customers will receive either the Faith in Nature Shea & Argan Hair Mask 300ml or Pip & Pod Blackberry Exfoliating Crème 50ml, and then a Native State Overnight Anti Aging Mask 75ml or Native State Hydrate & Glow Mask 75ml. My calendar contained the hair mask and anti-ageing mask, though the exfoliating creme and glow mask sound equally as exciting.
If you’re thinking of swapping sweet treats for a far more indulgent daily gift of skincare, haircare, and beauty essentials, then you should definitely consider the Holland & Barrett beauty advent calendar for 2023. Priced at £45, it’s a very affordable and accessible way to dip into the world of beauty advent calendars if you don’t want to spend a fortune, with each door revealing a vegan wellness product that is inclusive, eco-conscious and prime for getting prepped for the holiday season.
You can shop the Holland & Barrett beauty advent calendar for £45 here.
