Forget chocolate countdowns, the best beauty advent calendars are the alternative festive tradition that I get on board with every year. But while heavy hitters like Liberty and Harvey Nichols come with a hefty price tag, M&S’s cult-favourite calendar sets you back less than £50.
Adding a touch of luxury to the Christmas period, beauty advent calendars can include everything from premium skincare and cult make-up to men’s grooming essentials. After all, what better way is there to treat yourself during party season than with a pampering gift every day of December?
A sell-out hit year after year, the high street stalwart usually offers an indulgent edit of winter beauty essentials from household names – think Benefit, Clinique, Ren, Percy & Reed and Living Proof. The line-up tends to boast an overall value of more than £300, and it’s usually packaged in a velvet vanity case that can be reused long after Christmas.
I’ve been reviewing beauty advent calendars for four years, having tested brands from John Lewis and Lookfantastic to Boots and plenty more. But M&S remains my favourite. Not only is it affordable, but the contents promise plenty of variety and include brands you can really trust.
While you might be busy enjoying the last few weeks of summer, true to form, Christmas has come early in the beauty world. Brands including Liberty are already looking ahead to the festive season by unveiling this year’s best beauty advent calendars. While M&S is yet to reveal its 2025 offering, below, I’m predicting what it might cost and what could be inside.
When can you shop M&S’s beauty advent calendar 2025?
No details have been announced about when you’ll be able to shop the M&S beauty advent calendar, but I’m expecting it to drop in late October. In 2024, the calendar was available from Thursday, 24 October, while in 2023, it was released on Thursday, 26 October.
How much will M&S’s beauty advent calendar 2025 cost?
Details for this year’s line-up remain under wraps, but last year the calendar cost £50 when you spent £35 in-store or online on beauty, home and clothing (which is easily done, thanks to M&S’s stellar autumn fashion collection and homeware). I’m expecting it to be priced similarly this year.
What products could be inside M&S’s beauty advent calendar 2025?
Again, no details have been released yet, but last year’s calendar gives us a flavour of what to expect. In 2024, M&S’s curated line-up of 25 beauty gifts includes haircare, make-up, body care, skincare and fragrance, with 11 full-size products and 14 travel-sized minis. Better yet, it was packaged in a navy velvet vanity case – which is far more useful than the boxes that most advent calendars come in (I still use my vanity case from last year’s calendar as storage and for travel).
Packaging aside, there was a lot to get excited about. When it came to haircare, there was Color Wow’s colour security shampoo (£21.50 for full size, Marksandspencer.com) and conditioner (£21.50 for full size, Marksandspencer.com), plus a full-size Percy & Reed’s tame that mane smoothing blow dry cream (£20, Marksandspencer.com), Philip Kingsley’s elasticizer (£21 for full size, Marksandspencer.com) ans a 60ml Living Proof PhD five-in-one styling treatment (£28 for full size, Marksandspencer.com).
When it came to premium skincare, Clinique’s take the day off balm (£34 for full size, Marksandspencer.com) was in the mix, as well as Ren’s gentle cleansing milk (£25 for 150ml, Marksandspencer.com).
The make-up line-up was smaller but equally stellar - think Benefit’s fan fest mascara (Marksandspencer.com) and Pixi kohl eyeliner (£12, Marksandspencer.com). Other luxe brands included were L’Occitane and Cowshed.
So, can the 2025 M&S beauty advent calendar top last year's? Watch this space.
From Harrods to Liberty, beauty writer Lucy has rounded up all the best beauty advent calendars to know about in 2025