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LookFantastic’s Christmas countdown is without a doubt the most reliable in the realm of beauty advent calendars. Year on year they consistently impress with a haul of high end brands, viral sensations and emerging products, selling out well ahead of December – and this year, they’ve released their highest ever value launch.
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.
Worth a whopping £565, the Find Your Fantastic calendar costs less than £100, saving shoppers 82 per cent on the RRP. But what’s more is that, to up the ante for 2023, they’ve released a matching grooming calendar for men, making for the ultimate ‘his and hers’ festive self-care treat. The LookFantastic calendar for men comes in at £80, with a total value of £346. Together, they’d cost £179, but have a combined product value of over £900 with some seriously luxury products tucked inside.
This year, both calendars have a dual-sided design with flaps that fold down to reveal 25 numbered boxes on either side. The beauty calendar is mostly purple while the grooming version is green, and sat side by side, they make the perfect Christmas couple. One thing I will say is that the beauty calendar has a ribbon tie at the top to help secure it, while the grooming counterpart has a magnetic closure that’s not quite as dependable – it would have been good to see a similar style closure on the men’s version.
Inside the £99 calendar, beauty fans can find 27 stunning products – 12 of which are full sized – which means that some of the drawers are double stacked as an extra treat. The contents are designed to ‘encourage everyday extravagance’ with an indulgent collection of stand-out skincare, haircare, and makeup must-haves from best-loved brands including Color Wow and Medik8, as well as viral sensations such as Sol de Janeiro’s TikTok-trending Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and Isoclean’s sell-out Makeup Brush Cleaner.
The star of the show is the ICONIC London Day to Slay Eyeshadow Palette, which is a full-size 20-pan palette worth £45. Featuring a range of mattes, shimmers and glitters, it’s a great do-all palette packed with easy-to-wear and versatile shades for any occasion. I definitely think this is going to become a go-to palette for my everyday looks. Then there’s the Avant Skincare Hyaluronic Acid Molecular Boost Eye Cream, which is worth nearly the same price as the advent calendar at £97. Having used Avant products in the past, I already know they never fail to deliver on their promises, so I’m looking forward to adding this to my nightly skincare, alongside the Medik8 Surface Radiance Cleanse.
I’ve used a couple of serums in the past to grow my lashes, and it’s important to keep up with them to ensure your lashes continue to grow long and fluttery, so having just finished up a tube of UK Lash, I was thrilled to find the GRANDE Cosmetics GrandeLASH-MD Lash Enhancing Serum worth £62. And since self-care isn’t just about beauty and skincare, I loved the addition of the Aery Living x LOOKFANTASTIC Winter Thyme Candle, which is a gorgeously festive fragrance that helps create a cosy atmosphere in the run up to Christmas.
I love how LookFantastic has really maximised this year’s calendar, with a higher-than-ever value and 27 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:
- ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Marine Moisture Essence 28ml (deluxe size) – worth £23
- Origins Mega Mushroom Treatment 200ml (full-size) – worth £38
- First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream 56.7g (full-size) – worth £16
- Avant Skincare Hyaluronic Acid Molecular Boost Eye Cream 10ml (full-size) – worth £97
- Eve Lom Rescue Mask 50ml (deluxe size) – worth £40
- Medik8 Surface Radiance Cleanse 40ml and Medik8 C-Tetra Serum 8ml (deluxe size) – worth £23
- BEAUTYPRO Retinol Eye Mask x3 (full-size) – worth £4.95
- Disciple Shadow Work AHA/BHA Brightening Serum 30ml (deluxe size) – worth £30
- ICONIC London Day to Slay Eyeshadow Palette (full-size) – worth £45
- M·A·C Cosmetics MACStack Mascara Mega Brush 13ml (full-size) – worth £26
- GRANDE Cosmetics GrandeLASH-MD Lash Enhancing Serum 2ml (full-size) – worth £62
- NARS ‘Orgasm’ Blusher 1.2g (deluxe size) – worth £6.88
- Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (full-size) – worth £6.99
- Ciaté Dewy Skin Vitamin C Glass Glow Primer 10ml (deluxe size) – worth £10
- NUDESTIX Gel Colour Lip + Cheek Balm in shade ‘Posh’ 2.5g (deluxe size) – worth £17.86
- LOOKFANTASTIC 4-piece Makeup Brush Set and Velvet Pouch (deluxe size) – worth £14.99
- Eyeko Black Magic Liquid Eyeliner 0.3ml (full-size) – worth £9
- Dr. PAWPAW Collagen Lip Oil 10ml (deluxe size) – worth £4.95
- ISOCLEAN Makeup Brush Cleaner 110ml (deluxe size) – worth £8
- Color Wow Dream Clean Duo – Color Security Shampoo and Conditioner 30ml each (deluxe size) – worth £10
- Coco and Eve Like a Virgin Super Nourishing Coconut & Fig Hair Mask 60ml (deluxe size) – worth £14.99
- Sol De Janeiro Bum Bum Cream 25ml (deluxe size) – worth £10
- Rituals Ritual of Jing Body Scrub 125g (deluxe size) – worth £11.50
- Aery Living x LOOKFANTASTIC Winter Thyme Candle 125g (deluxe size) – worth £25
- ESPA Positivity Bath and Shower Gel 100ml (deluxe size) – worth £10
Meanwhile, the men’s £80 calendar is a great gift for husbands, boyfriends, even dads, and offers the ideal opportunity to revive his grooming regime in time for Christmas. Those who enjoy looking after themselves and their appearance will be able to discover a collection of high performance skincare, bodycare and hair care products like eye masks, hair wax, shower oils and body lotions.
Inside the 25 boxes are 26 products from well-known brands including Rituals, Bulldog and Elemis. If you divided the price of the box by the amount of products inside, each item works out at £3.07 each, so even if you didn’t gift the entire advent calendar to one person, you could curate little grooming hampers from the contents and still save a fortune.
I think some of the most popular products in here would be the ManCave Olivestone Face Scrub 100ml and ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Marine Cleanser 30ml, while the grüum botanisk Daily Nourishing Facial Oil with Vitamin E and Pomegranate oil, worth £12, will no doubt be a hit alongside the Daimon Barber Hair Dust. The only thing I thought was a bit of a shame was that the second lowest-value item is behind door number 25 – I think it would have been a better option to put the most expensive gift behind this drawer – the Avant Dual Response Pullulan Tightening & Firming Eye Cream 10ml, worth £74.
Here’s everything inside the LookFantastic men’s grooming advent calendar, in no particular order:
- ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Marine Cleanser 30ml (deluxe size) – worth £12.50
- men-ü Facial Moisturiser Lift 100ml (full-size) – worth £16.95
- Balance Me Trimolecular Hyaluronic Serum 30ml (full-size) – worth £33
- ManCave Olivestone Face Scrub 100ml (full-size) – worth £7.50
- Grown Alchemist Age-Repair Intensive Moisturiser 12ml (deluxe size) – worth £14
- grüum botanisk Daily Nourishing Facial Oil with Vitamin E and Pomegranate oil (full-size) – worth £12
- MAGNITONE Wipe Out MicroFibre Cleansing Cloth in Grey x1 (full-size) – worth £8
- Avant Dual Response Pullulan Tightening & Firming Eye Cream 10ml (full-size) – worth £74
- BARBER PRO Warming Eye Mask (full-size) – worth £2.95
- Cetaphil Moisturising Lotion 29ml (deluxe size) – worth £1.10
- Pai Light Work Rosehip Cleansing Oil 10ml (deluxe size) – worth £10
- First Aid Beauty Ingrown Hair Pads with BHA & AHA x28 (full-size) – worth £20
- Dr Paw Paw Original Balm in Clear (full-size) – worth £4.25
- Bulldog Styling Cream 75ml (full-size) – worth £8
- Hawkins and Brimble Molding Hair Wax Light-Medium Hold 100ml (full-size) – worth £12
- Color Wow Color Security Shampoo and Conditioner 30ml each – worth £10
- Philip Kingsley Flaky Itchy Scalp Anti-Dandruff Mask 20ml (deluxe size) – worth £10
- American Crew Forming Cream 50g (full-size) – worth £11.05
- KMS Hair Play Sea Salt Spray 75ml (deluxe size) – worth £8.14
- Daimon Barber Hair Dust 20g – worth £23
- Rituals Sport Anti-Dryness Body Lotion 70ml (deluxe size) – worth £9.50
- ESPA Fitness Shower Gel 30ml (deluxe size) – worth £4
- Mio Clay Away Detoxifying Body Cleanser 30ml (deluxe size) – worth £3
- Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil 9ml (deluxe size) – worth £12
- this works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray 10ml (deluxe size) – worth £10
Grooming advent calendars are really few and far between still, so LookFantastic really are leading the way with their affordable but impressive haul. Liberty has launched a £230 calendar, while Rituals and Clarins both offer 12-day options for £98.90 and £65 respectively – but neither of their values come close to LookFantastic’s £346 – in fact, LookFantastic’s is worth more than the pair of them combined.
Together, these beauty and grooming calendars make a gorgeous pre-Christmas treat to your significant other or a lucky family member. I love the idea of his and hers, be them for yourself and your partner, mum and dad, or even son and daughter if you’re buying them for your children. They both make wonderful standalone gifts, and as suggested earlier, could be split up to create mini pamper hampers for multiple people, or as little stocking fillers so all your friends and family can enjoy a slice of festive indulgence. Alternatively – there’s nothing stopping you simply buying one for yourself!
Consistently brilliant every Christmas, the LookFantastic Find Your Fantastic beauty advent calendar is the ultimate balance of affordability and luxury. At £99, it sneaks in just under the £100 mark but is worth more than five times the price you pay, and the contents never disappoint. From elevating your ‘everything shower’ to creating holiday-ready makeup looks, it’s made up of genuinely thoughtful items and brands that are exciting and will actually get used. There’s no wonder it sells out year after year.
As for the men’s grooming edition, it’s a fantastic addition to the beauty calendar lineup of 2023 and serves as a reminder that LookFantastic are ahead of the curve as always. Whether it’s to encourage a little more grooming or is a gift for a self-care aficionado, it’s sure to be enjoyed well beyond the festive season.
The LookFantastic beauty advent calendar costs £99 while the grooming edit costs £80. Subscribers to LookFantastic’s The Box can bag £15 off with their membership, making them £84 and £65 respectively, and can be found on the LookFantastic website here.
