M&S Beauty Advent Calendar review: one of the best without blowing your budget

I BOUGHT the very first M&S beauty Advent calendar, way back when most of us thought Advent calendars began and ended with chocolate.

I remember being so excited to reveal a new beauty treat every day, resisting the temptation to open all the doors at once.

M&S Home Of Beauty Advent Calendar, £50 when you spend £35 on clothing, home or beauty (worth £315)

The calendar might have changed over the years, but my excitement hasn’t waned at all — and at last, I’ve been able to indulge the urge to unpack all of the treats in one go! (All in the name of research, of course).

The demand for beauty Advent calendars grows year on year – YouGov research found that one in five people considered buying one for themselves in 2023 – and the competition between brands to be the standout player increases. As do prices.

So how does M&S compare against the big beauty names of the Advent calendar world?

The high-street favourite has surprised us over the years with its fashion and food, updating its image from a purveyor of high-quality but boring staples to an on-trend fashion and picky tea innovator.

Can it do the same here, and is the M&S beauty Advent calendar worthy of a place in your Christmas festivities?

Pros:

• Great value – products worth £300
• Luxury-look vanity case that can be reused after Christmas
• Varied mix of skincare, make-up, hair and body care products
• Lots of different brands to try

Cons:

• Confusing pricing means that you have to spend £35 on other items to get the calendar for £50
• You only get that full-on festive hit when you open the vanity case
• Slim chance of fitting everything back in the way it came out
• Not as many full-size products as some other beauty Advents

Rating: 4.5/5

M&S Home Of Beauty Advent Calendar, £50 when you spend £35 on clothing, home or beauty (worth £315)

M&S Beauty Advent Calendar review: how I tested

I’m a bit of a beauty addict, especially when it comes to skincare, and I write a lot of beauty features for magazines, so I was looking for a good mix of products covering all bases.

The quality of the packaging was also important to me — this calendar is going to be on display throughout December so it has to look good.

Colour and design come into this, especially the degree of festive feel, which adds a frisson of excitement to the pre-Christmas build-up..

Finally I considered the sustainability of the product – could it be recycled? Could it be used again next Christmas, or repurposed for year-long enjoyment?

M&S Beauty Advent Calendar review: quick summary

I love Christmas and Advent calendars, so I was in my element going through the gifts in this year’s M&S beauty box.

Each day’s offering is slotted into the vanity box like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, and it’s not until you remove each one that you fully appreciate the festive design of the packaging.

Within each numbered box is a make-up, skincare, haircare or bodycare treat to pamper yourself through December and beyond.

Happily, this includes a gift for Christmas Day itself – I find it disappointing when Advent calendars finish on Christmas Eve.

There are only officially six full-size products though, which doesn’t compare well to the 23 in the Space NK Advent Calendar or 18 in the Liberty Advent Calendar.

That said, however, they are a lot more expensive and the good thing about this calendar is you don’t need to take out a second mortgage to pay for it.

M&S Beauty Advent Calendar review: full review

M&S Home Of Beauty Advent Calendar, £50 when you spend £35 on clothing, home or beauty (worth £315)

First impressions

Let’s start with the top line: the cost. M&S has gone for value with its beauty advent calendar, pricing it at £50 – though, oddly, you do have to spend £35 in its beauty, home or clothing departments to qualify.

With some other beauty calendars costing up to £250, it’s refreshing to see an Advent offering 25 beauty gifts at a price point accessible to many of us.

It looks good too. Rather than making do with a box design, the retailer has gone for a luxe velour-finish vanity case in deep navy, complete with a shiny gold zip.

The effect is one of opulence and you know as soon as you see it that this is something you will use long after you’ve pulled your last cracker this Christmas.

Open the lid and you’re faced with a beautiful jigsaw puzzle of carefully placed boxes in shades of navy and pink echoing the colours of the case, as well as a shot of festive red for good measure.

They’re designed to look like houses and through windows we spy silhouettes applying makeup – presumably using products from the calendar.

What’s inside the M&S Beauty Advent Calendar?

There’s a great selection of goodies for your face, body and hair in this bumper crop of beauty products, as well as a couple of fragrances and a few make-up heroes.

Some of my favourites, including REN, Floral Street and Prai have made it into the mix and there’s a broad enough sweep of well-known names to please everybody.  

There’s also a couple I hadn’t heard of — Bloom & Blossom and Living Proof — that I can’t wait to try, as well M&S own-label treats: Fresh Elements Glow Day Cream, Discover Velvet Amber Eau De Toilette and Formula Sleep Cream.

M&S states there are six full-size products in the calendar but I disagree – in a good way. If you count full-size as products that are sold on the M&S or brand websites, then I reckon there are 12.

Full-size doesn’t necessarily mean big so you will find L’Occitane Shea Hand Cream 30ml, Margaret Dabbs Nail and Cuticle Serum 15ml and Dr. PAWPAW Ultimate Red Tinted Lip Balm 10ml all on sale in those sizes.

They might be the smallest you can purchase, but they haven’t been created especially for the calendar.

On top of that, some of the minis you’ll find in there aren’t mini at all – the Cowshed Relax Bath & Body Lotion is 200ml and the Cowshed Relax Bath & Body Shower Gel is 100ml, for example.

Yes they’re not full-size as such but they’re certainly not tiny.

Small sizes are great for holidays and work trips, helping keep suitcase weights down, and of course, they’re ideal for trying new products without shelling out full price for something you might discover you don’t like.

**Spoiler alert**

The full list of products follows, so look away now if you don’t want me to ruin the surprise.

• REN EverCalm Cleansing Milk 50ml
• Bloom & Blossom Keep Dancing Foot & Leg Mist 100ml
• Percy & Reed Tame That Mane Smoothing Blow Dry Cream 100ml
• Color Wow Colour Security Shampoo 75ml
• Color Wow Colour Security Conditioner 75ml
• Benefit Fan Fest Mascara 8.5g
• L’Occitane Shea Hand Cream 30ml  
• Pixi Eye Define Waterline Tightline Black 0.35g
• This Works Deep Sleep Overnight Whip 200ml
• Emma Hardie Purifying Pink Clay Detox Mask 15ml
• Margaret Dabbs Nail and Cuticle Serum 15ml
• Dr. PAWPAW Ultimate Red Tinted Lip Balm 10ml
• Living Proof PhD 5-in-1 Styling Treatment 60ml
• Cowshed Relax Bath & Body Lotion 200ml
• Cowshed Relax Bath & Body Shower Gel 100ml
• Prai Ageless Throat & Decolletage Crème 30ml
• Floral Street Vanilla Orchid Eau De Parfum 10ml
• Fresh Elements Glow Day Cream 15ml
• Formula Sleep Cream 15ml
• Philip Kingsley Elasticizer 40ml
• Nails Inc Nude In Noelle 10ml
• Nails Inc Cranberry Me Merry 10ml
• Aveda Botanical Repair Strengthening Masque 15ml
• Clinique Take the Day off Balm 15ml
• Discover Velvet Amber 10ml

M&S Home Of Beauty Advent Calendar, £50 when you spend £35 on clothing, home or beauty (worth £315)

How much is the M&S Home Of Beauty Advent calendar?

As it is every year, the M&S beauty Advent calendar is priced a bit oddly.

If you want to buy it by itself, it costs £315.

However, that price goes down to £50 when you spend £35 on full-priced clothing, beauty or homewares.

It’s brilliant value if you were going to spend that £35 anyway, a bit less so if you weren’t, but it’s still worth having to gift to yourself or as a present for a friend or family member.

The total product value is £315, which means you’re saving a staggering 84% on the price of the goods bought separately — though it’s not always obvious how values are worked out, especially when it comes to travel-size treats.

If I’ve done my sums correctly this puts it up there with the likes of the Look Fantastic and Space NK Advent calendars in terms of value, but at a much more comfortable price point.

Where to buy the M&S Home Of Beauty Advent calendar

It will be no surprise to learn that you can buy this year’s M&S beauty Advent calendar at – wait for it – M&S.

It has been available since 24 October.

It’s unclear whether you will have to pay for postage – generally, you get free delivery when you spend over £60, but Advent calendars may well be different.

The calendar is free to order online and collect in-store.

The verdict: Is the M&S Advent calendar worth it?

In a word, yes.

As beauty advent calendars go it is one of the most inexpensive you’ll find this Christmas and it’s also one of the best.

There’s a broad range of products that will appeal to women of all ages, but I think especially so to us (ahem!) more mature souls.

There’s a broad range of products that will appeal to women of all ages, but I think especially so to us (ahem!) more mature souls.

The worst you could say about this beauty calendar is it’s a little safe. M&S has gone big on bestselling brands and stuck with skincare, hair and body products we all use regularly – so think cleanser and moisturiser, rather than primer, facial oils and serums.

With make-up too, they’ve played it safe with a neutral nail colour, eyeliner and mascara — but the mascara is Benefit, the eyeliner is Pixi and there’s also a luscious red varnish from Nails Inc. that’s just perfect for parties. Safe doesn’t mean boring!

If you want to treat yourself this Christmas, it’s a great buy. No need to feel guilty either as you won’t blow your budget getting hold of it.

There are enough treats in there to share with your sister, mum or daughter – mine already has her eye on some of the items – and the vanity case can be reused afterwards for your make-up or toiletries.

You could even keep all of the boxes to refill as a gift next year – just be sure to take a photo before you start unpacking the goodies, otherwise you’ll never fit the jigsaw back together.  

M&S Home Of Beauty Advent Calendar, £50 when you spend £35 on clothing, home or beauty (worth £315)