ad – this blog post contains press samples – all views are my own
Beauty advent calendars still feel like a relatively new concept, but it’s one that The Body Shop has been working on for over 20 years, having dreamt up their first prototype in the year 2000. A creative shop owner in one of their Denmark stores started selling the brand’s beauty products wrapped in gift paper and numbered for each Sunday of Advent as a surprise gift. Fast forward to 2023 and their festive hauls are now one of the most highly anticipated product launches of the year for the cruelty-free cosmetics company.
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, The Body Shop is stocking three different advent calendars at various price points to suit every budget. The most affordable is the Advent of Wonders, coming in at £59, while the Big Advent of Wonders is £95 and the now sold-out Ultimate Advent of Wonders was £145. I really do like when brands have a tiered pricing structure so that it makes it more accessible for shoppers and offers a little more variety and excitement.
The Advent of Wonders calendar comes in a beautifully illustrated blue pop-up box containing 24 little surprises with a total value of £119, saving £60 on the overall worth. All of the products inside are cruelty-free, with many of them also being vegan (though if you want a 100 per cent vegan calendar, Holland and Barrett’s is a great choice), with every butter, balm, cream and conditioner being designed to pamper from head-to-toe.
Each of the self-care essentials have been made with hardworking, natural-origin ingredients that spotlight the brand’s Fair Trade partners, to create an indulgent but thoughtful and impactful daily treat to enjoy in the lead up to Christmas. What’s more is that the advent calendars have been carefully designed to be repurposed, using recycled and recyclable materials where local facilities allow.
What I love about The Body Shop’s beauty advent calendar is its range of fragrances – I love going in store and smelling all of the different products, and this mega-haul allows you to have the same experience from the comfort of your home and work out which scents you love.
Among my best-loved The Body Shop products is their Shea Body Butter, which is an intensely creamy, non-stocky, non-greasy moisturiser that leaves your skin feeling buttery smooth thanks to the Fair Trade shea butter from Ghana and Community Fair Trade organic babassu oil from Brazil. Meanwhile, their Almond Milk Hand Balm, worth £7 alone, gives nails and cuticles some TLC and nourishes dry, sensitive skin with 96 hour moisture.
The British Rose Facial Mask – usually £8 – is a softly scented refreshing gel face mask that aims to plump the skin, which is ideal for an at-home facial, while the Strawberry Lip Butter will provide the perfect pout for a kiss under the mistletoe this Christmas.
I love that there’s a near-complete pamper regime here, including hand balms, body butters and hair claws, as well as product prime for stashing in the wash bag for those weekends away, such as mini shampoo and conditioners, soaps and shower gels.
However, I do think that there’s perhaps a little too much duplication with some products, such as there being four shower gels in addition to two shower creams, as well as their being four hand products, too. I’d have also liked to have seen some more of the limited edition scents included, such as the Cherries and Cheer, or Pears and Share.
That said, The Body Shop’s scents are undeniably delightful, not to mention long-lasting, with some of the body butters and balms lasting from your morning shower right through to bed time, and in keeping the calendar fully stocked with fragrances from their main collection, it means they won’t be ‘out of season’ within a couple of months (though I’m sure I’d make light work of getting through them before then).
The Body Shop’s Advent of Wonders calendar is such a sweet way to count down the days until Christmas Eve. If you’re interested to know the full contents, I’ll share the list below in no particular order:
- Mango Hand Balm 30ml
- Almond Milk Hand Balm 30ml
- British Rose Hand Cream 30ml
- Pink Grapefruit Hand Cream 30ml
- Avocado Shower Cream 60ml
- Coconut Shower Cream 60ml
- Satsuma Shower Gel 60ml
- Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel 60ml
- Strawberry Shower Gel 60ml
- Mango Shower Gel 60ml
- Shea Body Butter 50ml
- Avocado Body Butter 50ml
- Pink Grapefruit Soap 100g
- Olive Soap 100g
- Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner 60ml
- Small Ramie Lily
- Shea Shampoo 60ml
- Shea Conditioner 60ml
- Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash 60ml
- British Rose Facial Mask 15ml
- Hair Claw
- Vitamin E Sheet Mask 18ml
- Strawberry Lip Butter 10ml
- British Rose Shower Scrub 50ml
The Advent of Wonders is essentially a tasting menu of The Body Shop beauty treats that provides a flavour of their iconic products and the variety they have to offer. The brand has really captured what Christmas is all about, curating a festive beauty collection that not only showcases their cruelty-free and often vegan products but also emphasises sustainability and ethics when it comes to their ingredients, how they’re sourced and the people involved in their production.
While duplication of some products may be a minor drawback, December ‘tis the season for giving, and I’m sure that if there’s a shower gel or hand cream you may not use yourself, there will be someone in your family overjoyed to receive it with their gift. With a rich history of yuletide traditions dating back over 20 years, The Body Shop’s Advent of Wonders remains a fantastic choice for those seeking a daily dose of beauty and indulgence during the festive season.
