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Summer is so close I can almost taste it. But to battle the long days and balmy nights, you’ll need to stock up on some must-have beauty essentials to keep you looking fresh and feeling chic throughout the season. Enter – the M&S Summer Beauty Bag 2024.
The coveted M&S beauty bags have long been an annual staple for many fans who have eagerly marked the launch date in their diaries. This year, the Summer Beauty Bag will no doubt be even more sought-after, as beauty boxes and advent calendars have skyrocketed in popularity thanks to their high value to cost ratio and impressive contents.
With summer holidays on the horizon and heatwaves on the way, there’s never been a better time to revamp your beauty kit for the warmer months, and this edit offers shoppers the opportunity to try out a wide selection of products at a fraction of the retail price. But one thing you should know is that it sells out every year, so those hoping to snap one up will have to be quick.
I absolutely adored last year’s, so I certainly wasn’t going to miss the chance to get my hand’s on the latest haul. The high street beauty edit is absolutely bursting with makeup, skincare, fragrance and bodycare essentials, and after comparing the value and contents from the previous five years, it’s hands down the best one yet.
For 2024, the M&S Summer Beauty Bag contains more products than those launched between 2019 and 2023, with a higher value and some seriously enviable brands from the likes of Ren, L’Occitane, Clinique and more. In this guide, I’ll be sharing everything you need to know, including how to buy it, what’s inside, as well as recommending some of the products you could snap up in order to qualify for the deal.
How to buy the M&S Summer Beauty Bag
Valued at a whopping £170, the exclusive beauty bag is available for just £30, when shoppers spend a minimum spend of £35. The £35 minimum spend can include various departments, including clothing, homeware, or beauty to get their hands on the set.
The deal makes for the ideal opportunity to pick up that summer dress you’ve been eyeing up, a pair of sandals to see you through your holiday adventures, some cooling bed linen for the hot nights or a gift for an upcoming birthday.
The spend threshold does mean you’ll initially have to spend at least £65 at the tills, but you’ll get over £200 back in goodies, including the item you purchase to meet the threshold. But channelling my inner Martin Lewis here, it’s only a bargain if you’d been planning to buy something anyway – and my current M&S wishlist was more than enough to justify the spend.
Available both online and in-store, when you’ve selected what you want to buy to meet the £35 spend threshold, you can then add your Summer Beauty Bag to your basket and head to the checkout.
What’s inside the M&S Summer Beauty Bag 2024
I think it’s pretty safe to say that this is not just a summer beauty bag. This it the M&S Summer Beauty Bag 2024 – and as such, it’s brimming with must-have beauty treats from premium and shopper-loved brands. Priced at £30 but worth £170, it contains 12 products including four full-sized items and eight deluxe samples, making it bigger, better and hotter than ever.
In previous years, the haul has been worth between £110 and £160, with 11 products being the highest amount since 2019, although some year’s have had up to six full sized products. Meanwhile, the spend threshold has also changed over the years, fluctuating from £30 to £40, so now sits comfortably in the middle at £35. The price of the box is slightly higher this year, up £5 from £25 to £30 – but in my opinion, it’s worth it for the contents.
Inside, there’s everything you need to ensure a beauty routine that will keep up with your summer adventures, from lightweight moisturisers that hydrate without weighing you down, to SPF heroes, nourishing body butters and luxury-smelling fragrances, not to mention the fact the travel sized products are perfect for any summer trips you may have planned. It’s got a really great mix of products that will suit everyone, each one carefully selected to elevate your beauty routine during the sunny months.
The 12 products come packed in a blue M&S mesh cosmetic bag which opens out flat, making it the ultimate travel companion. I actually use the bag from last year for all my weekends away, or if I’m out all day I’ll pop it in my handbag with some deodorant, concealer and other little essentials. It’s unbelievably handy.
Now, the important part – the products, of course! As for full sized, the M&S Summer Beauty Bag features the cult-loved L’Occitane Verbena Shower Gel which is so refreshing and invigorating. The citrusy scent is gorgeous, perfect for a morning wake-up call or those cooler showers at the end of a hot day.
I don’t know about you but I get through so much body butter in the summer and the This Works Perfect Legs Body Butter is a firm favourite. The formula is rich and hydrating without being greasy, and it leaves my legs feeling silky smooth and ready for shorts weather.
Some new products I’m looking forward to trying are the Fresh Elements Hydrate Overnight Moisture Cream, since I really liked their Glow range, as well as the Pixi Lip Lift Max, which is said to offer a slightly plumping effect. I’ve become such a gloss convert of late, so I’m very excited to give this a go.
If you saw this post, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Ren Skincare, and their Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic is one of my all-time favourite toners. It’s a powerful formula that packs a punch, but is still gentle enough for daily use, working to remove ead skin cells, revealing smoother, brighter, glowier skin underneath. Infused with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), it’s designed to target dark spots, hyperpigmentation, dullness and uneven skin tone and exfoliates away excess sebum which will make pores appear smaller. Plus the 100ml bottle is a very generous size and will last me until my next restock.
One thing worth noting is that full-size doesn’t always mean high value. While considered a ‘sample’ at 10ml, this Floral Street Arizona Bloom Eau de Parfum boasts the highest RRP in the haul, coming in at £29. This perfume has a beautiful, unique scent that blends black pepper and coconut extract with salted musks and jasmine petals. It’s light, floral, and lasts well throughout the day, and the size means it’s ideal for slipping into your hand luggage for your next break.
The second bottle of perfume featured is one of M&S’s own from their latest collection. I already love their Soft Iris and Warm Neroli from the Discover Range, and Sunrise is undoubtedly going to be a go-to this season. This fragrance is lovely for summer evenings with its notes of creamy pistachio, tuberose, and tonka bean.
More hydrating heroes come in the form of the Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator, which is a cult favourite for a reason, while the Formula Sleep & Replenish Ultimate Sleep Cream is a great evening skincare addition that’s thick but not heavy, working overnight to restore the skin.
I’m not usually a haircare fan, but I make an exception for Color Wow. Their Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer isn’t one I’ve tried yet, but I’ve seen results on TikTok and it looks fantastic. My hair can get really flat in the summer, so hopefully this will be the answer.
As we all know, SPF is a non-negotiable, so this Ultrasun Face Moisturiser Cream SPF 50+ is going straight into my makeup stash to remind me to put it on before my foundation. A must-have for sun protection, this face cream is lightweight, absorbs quickly, and doesn’t leave a white cast.
And last but by no means least, there’s also a Dr.PAWPAW SPF Lip Balm which is perfect for keeping my lips both hydrated and protected from the sun. I love the OG formula so much, and this SPF20 version fits easily into all of my purses so I can carry it with me everywhere I go.
If you need a quick recap, here’s everything inside the M&S Summer Beauty Bag 2024:
- L’Occitane Verbena Shower Gel (250ml – full size) – worth £17.50
- This Works Perfect Legs Body Butter (200ml – full size) – worth £25
- Fresh Elements Hydrate Overnight Moisture Cream (50ml – full size) – worth £12.50
- Pixi Lip Lift Max (2.7g – full size) – worth £12
- Ren Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic (100ml) – worth £16
- Floral Street Arizona Bloom Eau de Parfum (10ml) – worth £29
- Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator (15ml) – worth £14
- Formula Sleep & Replenish Ultimate Sleep Cream (15ml) – worth £9.50
- Discover Sunrise Eau de Toilette (30ml) – worth £7.50
- Color Wow Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer (50ml) – worth £11
- Ultrasun Face Moisturiser Cream SPF 50+ (25ml) – worth £13
- Dr.PAWPAW SPF Lip Balm (8ml) – worth £5
Top picks to qualify for the M&S Summer Beauty Bag 2024
So, as we’ve already covered, in order to get the M&S Summer Beauty Bag for £30, you must first spend £35 on home, beauty or clothing. So here are some of my personal favourites.
Last year, I ordered myself this gorgeous rattan picnic basket featured in the photos, which is £40 on the website and fits two full size bottles of wine. It’s so pretty and is perfect for couples looking to head out on some little picnic dates in the coming months.
This year, I decided to pick up some new bits for my warm weather wardrobe, including the Gingham V Neck Puff Sleeve Tea Dress for £39.50. I’d tried it on in store a few weeks earlier, adored it but held off buying it to see how much I really wanted it. I then couldn’t stop thinking about it, so it went straight into my basket when the beauty bag deal launched. I also picked up the influencer-loved Pure Cotton Midi Skirt in white for £32.50 as it had been sold out online in my size for weeks, so I was thrilled to find one in store.
I then couldn’t resist the temptation to purchase these citrus pyjamas for £30 – £15 for the top and £15 for the bottoms. They’re so soft and the pattern is just dreamy. It was definitely more of an impulse purchase than the other two – but I’m a firm believer that you can’t have too many pairs of pyjamas.
Another item that will qualify for the offer is the £35 Faux Leather Cross Body Bag. It’s one of those pieces that could easily pass for high end, and since getting mine last year, I’ve got so much wear out of it. It literally goes with everything.
And remember that striped knitted dress everyone was obsessed with last summer? It’s back in two new colours for 2024, and at £35, it’ll also help you get your hands on the beauty bag. I managed to snag the cream and black last year, but it’s now availabe in mocha and black colourways.
For me, this M&S Summer Beauty Bag is such fantastic value. You get to try out a selection of trending, highly raved-about products for a fraction of their RRP, with a really great range across different categories like skin and hair, plus the travel-sized samples are ideal if you’re heading on holiday. On this occasion I don’t think there’s anything I don’t love and wouldn’t use, but if I find I have duplicates of some products already in my stash, they’re perfect for regifting on birthdays and Christmas.
Want to get the M&S Summer Beauty Bag 2024 for yourself? Find it here on the website – the price will automatically reduce to £30 at the till when you’ve added your £35 spend in.
