The Best Beauty Advent Calendars to Buy Before They Sell Out
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In 2014, Liberty London took theAdvent calendar— a time-honored tradition of daily chocolate eating and twee Christmas scenes — and beautified it, swapping out candy for a selection of its best-selling products. It was a hit, and many beauty retailers quickly followed suit. Now, just about everyone has a gift-worthy Advent calendar, from Space NK (which is already sold out) to Anthropologie (also sold out, butwe’re giving one away) to Macy’s, each offering a curation of their greatest hits. This year is similar to last, but I’ve noticed a proliferation of fragrance and candle Advent calendars, which tracks given that the category has exploded over the past 12 months. As always, the deals vary. Some, like the Liberty Beauty calendar, contain lots of full-size products, making them well worth the money. Others offer an assortment of travel sizes and minis, a good way to discover new brands or stock up on TSA-approved versions of things you’re already familiar with.
Below, I’ve curated the Advent calendars that feel worth it. If you’re planning on grabbing one, I recommend shopping early, as these tend to sell out (many already have). I’ll also be regularly updating this story as stock fluctuates and more are released, so check back often for new calendars.
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Apotheke is known for its innovative takes on classic scents. The Advent calendar includes a nice selection, with over a dozen mini-candles along with three diffusers.
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Glow Recipe’s 12-day Advent calendar already sold out once, but it has been restocked. It’s a mix of full-size, travel, and minis and includes the watermelon niacinamide drops, which have a sheer tint and helps to brighten skin over time.
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For a full 25 days of Christmas anticipation, there’s the Neiman Marcus Advent calendar. It’s a nice mix of minis — purse-size scents abound along with samples of serums and creams. There’s even a mini Glasshouse candle, which smells of oud, amber, and sandalwood.
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The Urban Outfitters calendar is 12 days of Gen-Z-approved brands. There’s a Loop mask, Starface patches, Miffy hair clips, press-on nails, a Byoma eye gel, rhinestone gems, and a tiny Baggu to house all your new treasures.
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The Lush Advent calendar is always a delight. It has 25 products — a mix of bath bombs, skin care, a candle, and even a pair of socks. The box is designed by artist Shruti Gadhvi in partnership with Artbox, an art-workshop program that collaborates with neurodivergent artists to develop their skills.
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There’s also a smaller, 12-day version with a similar assortment.
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Dermstore is known for its excellent skin-care curation, and this year’s Advent calendar reflects that. Everything included in this is full-size — from the Medik8 C E Ferulic vitamin C serum to Paula’s Choice Mandelic and Lactic Acid Liquid Exfoliant. There’s also a glycolic-acid treatment from Skinceuticals, which, if you know how rarely Skinceuticals goes on sale, makes this a compelling gift.
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In addition to an assortment of Oak Essentials skin-care products, there’s a gua sha, a pair of cashmere socks, and an alpaca eye mask.
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This year’s calendar design is inspired by Bloomingdale’s flagship store on 59th Street. The window displays are filled with numbered boxes that count down to Christmas. It’s very giftable. Inside, there’s a mix of luxury beauty items like SK-II treatment essence, Augustinus Bader eye masks, and a sample of Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s classic Baccarat Rouge, which our friends at The Cut named the scent of 2021.
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There’s a proliferation of fragrance Advent calendars this year. This one from Parfums de Marly is particularly good. It has four formats of the ultrapopular Delina scent — a body cream, full-size perfume, candle, and purse spray — and an assortment of the brand’s other fragrances.
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In years past, L’Occitane’s calendars were hand-cream–heavy, and while there’s still plenty of that, there’s also skin and body care. I like the brand’s Body Shower Oil in particular, which is so moisturizing it leaves my skin feeling hydrated post-shower.
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If one tube isn’t enough, this Advent calendar has 12 in various tint-free scents.
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For a little over $200, you can test-run a Tatcha skin-care routine. It has every step, from cleansing oil to face wash to serum. There’s even a tiny pot of the Kissu lip mask, one of beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton’sall-time favorites.
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The Strategistis designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
