I tried a luxury Rituals calendar and one thing would have made it better

22 November 2023 , 14:18

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The winter village looks absolutely gorgeous

With less than 10 days until December, if you haven’t already got your hands on a beauty advent calendar to help you count down the days to the 25th, then . While some beauty advent calendars like have already sold out this year, those looking to move away from makeup and skincare would do well to indulge in something a little different, anyway.

Enter the - a heavenly holiday haul of luxury bath and body, home fragrance and more. Coming in at £120.90, it’s not cheap - but it is cheaper than some of the other high-end offerings we’ve seen from the likes of , and .

Inside shoppers can find , with the total product value being £199. Loyal Rituals fans repurchase this calendar year after year, and having tried it out for myself I can see why. But for me, there was one thing that would have made it even better.

The comes in a sleek red box that looks like a wrapped gift. But my biggest tip is - don’t wait until December 1 to open it, because this calendar requires some assembling. Inside the box you’ll find a white numbered grid, and a flat packed row of tiny festive houses and trees waiting to be transformed into a charming winter village.

Assembling the Rituals advent calendar

It doesn’t take all that long to do as the houses and grid are both numbered, and while the first building or two you slot in may look a little odd - perhaps even feel like you’ve done it wrong - it soon all comes together.

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There is a 25th box that reads ‘Christmas lights’, and while the instructions on the box tell you to add these after inserting all of the houses, I do think you’re meant to do it beforehand so it sits underneath the village to illuminate it. The lights come with some little stickers to fix them to the underside of the grid, with a weaving pattern to show you the best place to put them. The only problem? The batteries aren’t included. Because I didn’t have time to pop out to the shop, and the TV remote batteries weren’t the right ones, I’ve had to forego this feature for now - but I am hoping to pick some up before Christmas because the photos of them glittering really do look gorgeous.

The winter village looks absolutely gorgeous

It’s that counts, though, right? And this calendar is jam-packed with sensually scented goodies, including candles, diffusers, room sprays, as well as body scrubs, creams and more. Among some of my favourites are the , which smells wonderfully festive. And if you’ve assembled the box yourself, you’ll probably be able to work out which other houses contain the candles, too.

I decided to take a peek in one of the trees and found a little but don’t neglect reading some of the boxes either as this one said: “Winter gloves, treat yourself with a Christmas red scrub glove for soft and silky smooth skin. Tip: use it with tomorrow’s gift!”

There are little clues on some of the boxes

And sure enough behind the door of the next house was - a match made in heaven.

I received a mini fragrance sticks bottle in last year’s LookFantastic advent calendar and have been looking forward to restocking, so to find this was a real treat. Meanwhile, I’m a little bit obsessed with , which smells divine. You can even spritz it on the featured to make your tree smell beautiful.

It’s safe to say that the contains everything you need to have both yourself and your home smelling like a trip to the spa - and I hear husbands have been earning some serious brownie points when buying it for their wives.

Some of the boxes contain two treats!

Commenting on the Rituals Instagram account, shoppers have raved about the calendar, with some getting it years in a row. One said: “It's going to be my third year when I receive this premium calendar from my partner. It's perfect, it's stunning, it's my best Christmas gift, I absolutely adore everything about it and in it. Thank you for making such wonders.”

Another added: “Among my favourite Advent Calendars for 2023!” with a third commenting: “My husband bought me the deluxe version because I really loved the tiny houses with the lights 2 years ago. This was the prettiest calender I ever had.”

However, it seems that the contents don’t change much based on some of the comments, which is great if you love to restock, but not so great if you were hoping for a shake up, with one commenting: “It is beautiful but I've had two of these exact same ones in the past years and I'm kinda wanting something new. Not sure I'll buy one this year.”

Here’s everything inside the

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• 1 X Boutique Line Mehr - soap bar 25 gr

• 1 X Wonder Mask 10g

• 1 X The Ritual of Sakura Body Cream 100ml

• 1 X The Ritual of Namaste Anti-Ageing Day Cream 10ml

• 1 X The Ritual of Ayurveda Scrub Glove for Gift Set 2021

• 1 X Elixir Collection Miracle Keratin Recovery Hair Mask 20ml

• 1 X Sticks for Mini Fragrance Sticks 70ml for Advent

• 1 X Spoon - Scrub Therapy Collection

• 1 X Sport 2-in-1 Shampoo & Body Wash 70ml

• 1 X Hourglass

• 1 X Sweet Jasmine Hand Wash 110ml

• 1 X Sweet Jasmine Kitchen Hand Balm 85ml

• 1 X The Ritual of Mehr Shower Oil 75ml

• 1 X The Ritual of Jing Night Rescue Hand Mask

• 1 X Advent Mini Candle Private Collection - Savage Garden

• 1 X The Ritual of Namaste Velvety Smooth Cleansing Foam 30ml

• 1 X The Ritual of Karma Hair & Body Mist 20ml

• 1 X Scent Booster & Softener in 1 Sakura 75ml

• 1 X Advent Mini Candle Private Collection - Smooth Violet

• 1 X The Legend of The Dragon Gold Foaming Shower Gel 50 ml

• 1 X The Ritual of Ayurveda Foaming Shower Gel 50ml

• 1 X Advent Mini Candle Private Collection - Orris Mimosa

• 1 X Advent Mini Candle Private Collection - Wild Fig

• 1 X Christmas Ornament 2023 - Tassel

• 1 X The Ritual of Karma Mild Body Scrub Paste 50ml

• 1 X The Legend of The Dragon Home Perfume 50ml

• 1 X The Ritual of Ayurveda Mini Fragrance Sticks Bottle GS

Whether you buy it for your loved ones or as a special treat for yourself, this village is the perfect way to unlock holiday cheer . With indulgent scents and self-care favourites, it’s a great way to nudge yourself to take five to unwind. It looks beautiful doubling up as Christmas decor in the house in the run up to the big day - the only thing that would have made this calendar even better would have been if it came with batteries. You can

Bethan Shufflebotham