Ex-employee’s verdict on Boots £44 beauty calendar that's worth over £170
I can practically hear the sleigh bells as Christmas creeps ever closer, and with just four weeks until December shoppers will want to ensure they’ve got their advent calendar ordered to avoid a serious case of FOMO. Some popular offerings have already sold out this year, including LookFantastic and Space NK - and I think the next to go will be the .
Worth over £170, the calendar was priced at £90, but is as part of the health and beauty retailer’s ‘biggest ever Black Friday’ sale. As an ex-Boots employee, I’ve cast my eye over a number of previous beauty advent calendars, star gifts and Black Friday deals, and can hand-on-heart say this is one of the best.
Last year, the calendar cost £88 and was reduced to £43, but the value was just over £141, while twelve months on it’s
Everything inside the Boots advent calendar that's now £44The contains a number of much-loved brands like Liz Earle, No7 and Champneys, and saves shoppers . Few beauty calendars can rival the price, with the only ones we’ve seen cheaper being the and . Even brands like and cost more, priced between £45 and £50.
Filled with pamper night essentials and beauty favourites, the features everything you need to get glammed up this Christmas and beyond, from eyeshadow palettes and £18 primers, to skincare saviours and sheet masks.
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Now, I’ve done the girl math, and the will pay for itself in four products, rendering the other 20 essentially free. The most valuable products in the calendar typically come from the pharmacy giant’s own No7 brand, with the being worth a whopping £17.95 alone. Joined by the 25ml, worth a combined £24.95, we’re only £1.10 off the cost of the calendar, which is easily covered by the calendar’s lowest value item, the 50ml, worth £1.70 based on the fill sized 250ml bottle being £8.50.
Instead of picking my top five products as we’ve done in previous advent calendar reviews, I’m going to to work out if it’s really worth your money this Christmas.
Sleek MakeUP
The Sleek eyeshadow palette is an affordable alternative to the viral Naked Heat palette from Urban DecaySleek is a makeup brand I have used in the past, but not for a while, but what I can attest to is their pigment, with their eyeshadow palettes being very effective for how inexpensive they are. The and features a range of fiery matte, shimmering, foil and duo-chrome shades that would rival the likes of the Urban Decay Naked Heat palette. Meanwhile, their has a great tip for painting sharp cat eyes - and while liquid liner was evacuated from my makeup routine back in 2017, I already know who I’ll be gifting it to.
Soap and Glory
Three of Soap and Glory's most popular products feature in the calendarSoap and Glory’s affordable pamper products are always super handy to have. I always like to keep their in my car for moisturising my hands, while their The always feels incredibly nostalgic and reminds me of Christmas. Their sheet masks have always been a favourite for me, and the is perfect for a Christmas Eve self-care session.
While I do enjoy using some Soap and Glory products, I’m glad they’ve kept them to a minimum and used what are considered their ‘hero products’ in the sense that they are universally loved. But if you’re a S&G superfan, there’s always the
Liz Earle
These Liz Earle products are worth over £20 combinedFor me this is the most exciting part of the advent calendar because is one of my go-to skincare brands. The Boots calendar features a travel sized version of the iconic , worth £8, as well as a pure cotton cloth. If you’re already a devoted Liz Earle user like me, you’ll know how useful these minis are for travelling and weekends away, while it offers those discovering the brand for the first time a chance to trial the cult-loved cleanser before committing to a full size.
The calendar also offers the , worth £6 each, both of which have topped up my diminishing stash and would have otherwise found themselves on my Christmas list, meaning that it’s not only saved me money, but someone else (probably my mum) money too!
But, much like Soap and Glory, if you love Liz Earle, then their could be a great alternative for £75.
No7
The Boots Christmas countdown contains no fewer than eight No7 goodiesThe largest portion of the calendar is dedicated to who has eight full sized and miniature products tucked inside the Christmas countdown. Some I’ll most definitely use, while others will most definitely find themselves gifted elsewhere. For example, there’s a which feels a bit too similar to the Soap and Glory Hand Food for me - while I do love a hand cream, two in one calendar is a bit much - but I do think I’ll make use of the
Most exciting is the , worth just under £18, which I’ll be using to keep my party makeup in place throughout the festive season, such as the . Skincare hasn’t been neglected either, with a
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Boots
The 24 Days of Joy offering sees a number of skincare and beauty staples that shoppers will loveMoving on to Boots own brand, the calendar contains a , which again feels like a bit of a duplicate when there’s a more superior No7 lip balm included, however, I know that the is highly effective and rivals the likes of The Ordinary, while I’m also excited to try out the and replace my battered eyelash curler with this new one.
What else?
The calendar also contains products from Ted Baker, Champneys and BotanicsThe remaining products in the calendar include the Ted Baker Violet & Bergamot Body Lotion 50ml, and while the scent isn’t for me personally, I know my pamper-mad niece will be thrilled with this. There’s another facemask from Champneys, and while I could complain about having multiple of the same product, face masks are one of those things I feel like you can never have too many of.
And finally, there’s the Botanics Peaceful Night Pillow Mist Lavender & Sweet Marjoram 100ml, worth £7.50. I do love a pillow spray, and feel like this is a really nice and light scent that is soothing and sure to get me off to sleep on Christmas Eve ready for Santa.
Here’s what is inside the
Sleek MakeUP Fierce Felt Eye Liner Zodiac Black £5.99
Sleek MakeUP i-Divine Palette Royal Flush £9.99
Soap & Glory Bright & Beautiful Brightening Sheet Mask £3.99
Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter Body Butter 50ml £2.99
Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream 50ml £3.49
Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic 50ml £6
Liz Earle Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion 50ml £6
Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser 30ml £8
Liz Earle Pure Cotton Cloth £2.50
No7 Protect & Perfect Intense ADVANCED Day Cream SPF 15 + 5*UVA 25ml £12.50
No7 Protect & Perfect Intense ADVANCED Night Cream 25ml £12.50
No7 Protect and Perfect Lip Care 10ml £9.95
No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Primer 30ml £17.95
No7 Lip & Cheek Tint Dusk Pink 10ml £9.95
No7 Stay Perfect Eye Pencil Black £7.95
No7 Beautiful Skin Softening Foot Scrub 75ml £9.95
No7 Beautiful Skin Revitalising Hand Polish 75ml £9.95
Boots Extracts Mango Lip Butter 10g £4
Boots Ingredients Caffeine Eye Cream 15ml £6
Boots Glow Moisturising Cream 50ml £5
Boots Eyelash Curler £5
Ted Baker Violet & Bergamot Body Lotion 50ml £1.70
Botanics Peaceful Night Pillow Mist Lavender & Sweet Marjoram 100ml £7.50
Champneys Moisturising Face Mask 37ml £3.33
The does exactly what it says on the tin, injecting a little bit of festive cheer and excitement into the Christmas countdown. Some of the brands inside will even impress a beauty snob, such as No7 and Liz Earle, but don’t underestimate some of the more affordable beauty buys, because they can often be just as good as high-end products.
There’s definitely some duplication with multiple hand creams or lip products, but Christmas is a time for giving, and I’m more than happy to share them out as stocking fillers, particularly when the new lower price makes it such a bargain. What’s more is that £2 from every calendar sold will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support providing essential care and support for those who need it most, so that feels pretty heartwarming, too.
If you’re looking for something a little more premium but still reasonably priced, calendar topped the list of beauty offerings that has the saving customers 83% on the contents. Their including 28 social media sensations and influencer-approved products. Customers can get it for £64 with our exclusive code, .
Another way to maximise savings on beauty calendars is to look out for freebies at the checkout, which is more common with luxury brands. The is worth nearly £420, but costs £175, saving 58 per cent on the RRP.
However, when shoppers spend over £120 on the they also qualify for the Evening Serenity gift, worth £54, which stars a further four ESPA favourites. But it doesn’t end there because when you spend over £70 you also get to select two miniatures for free, and if you opt for the highest value ones, you can get another £45 worth of skincare for free.
But if it’s budget beauty you’ve got your eye on, you can shop the .
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