This Year’s Chicest Beauty Advent Calendars Have Finally Been Revealed

October 27, 2020 at 06:05AM

It would ordinarily seem strange to talk about Christmas at this time of year but, then again, hardly anything has made sense in 2020, and we think you’ll forgive us for getting ahead of ourselves once we reveal the subject at hand. Beauty advent calendars have grown in popularity over the last few years and many brands, including Net-A-PorterLiberty, Jo Malone, Elemis, and Cult Beauty, the beauty advent calendar has become one of their most in-demand launches. 

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Most beauty advent calendars tend to sell out within hours of their release, so it makes sense that brands are now providing us with information on the covetable beauty buy well in advance of the on-sale date; and that’s precisely what happened this week when our inboxes started to fill with imagery and press releases from some of our favourite brands, each pertaining to their beauty advent calendar offering. With so many to choose from, we decided to make it easier for you to find the perfect beauty advent calendar to treat yourself to by listing them all in one place. 

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Laying everything out, from release dates to product worths, keep scrolling to discover the best beauty advent calendars this year has to offer. 

The countdown to Christmas is magical in itself, but imagine how special it’ll be if you have Net-A-Porter’s 25 Days of Beauty advent calendar to look forward to. Perhaps the most coveted calendar of 2020, Net-A-Porter’s offering is filled with the chicest beauty treats, all of which have a collective value of £1,115. Yes, you read that right—£1,115. It launches on October 5th (mark your diaries) and inside each of the numbered drawers is a NAP beauty best-seller just waiting to be discovered. With products from Augustinus Bader, Charlotte Tilbury, Chantecaille, 111Skin, Hourglass, Oribe, Slip, Dr. Barbara Strum, and Philip Kingsley, its contents reads much like our own wish lists. 

We can always count on our favourite makeup artist to turn our beauty dreams into a reality, and that’s precisely what this is. Charlotte Tilbury’s beauty advent calendar contains every hero item from the expansive collection, including a tub of the best-selling Charlotte’s Magic Cream, and the iconic Pillow Talk lipstick and liner. We need.  

Bursting with essentials from one of our all-time favourite skincare brands, Elemis’ 2020 advent calendar includes some longtime icons, as well as some new products from the label’s impressive new lineup. Available exclusively on the Elemis website, the fact it contains a full-sized Pro-Collagen Marine Cream is reason enough to invest in this offering.

Consistently one of the most in-demand beauty advent calendars, John Lewis & Partners’s 2020 option lives up to our (extremely high) expectations. With products from Charlotte Tilbury, Nars, Acqua di Parma, Esteé Lauder, By Terry, Christophe Robin, and Slip, opening each drawer is set to be a luxury experience. Launching on October 1st, expect this beauty advent calendar to sell out fast. 

In what might be a beauty advent calendar record, behind the doors on Liberty’s 2020 beauty advent calendar you’ll find a colossal nineteen full-sized products, all of which are some of the most sought-after products in its iconic beauty hall. Among them are an array of cult favourites from the likes of Diptyque, Hourglass, and Le Labo, as well as fresh discoveries from Liberty newbies VENN, Decree, and Augustinus Bader. This is a beauty advent calendar with serious clout in the industry—every editor wants one, and will be waiting with baited breath for its October release date to be confirmed. Of course, we’ll keep you in the loop. 

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Did someone say “luxury”? Jo Malone’s beauty advent calendar is one of the most coveted, and 2020’s take definitely won’t disappoint those who have previously invested in the brand’s iconic calendar. A homage to its beautiful London townhouse, this beauty advent calendar is so stylish, you’ll want to leave it on-show well into next year. Featuring colognes, candles, soaps, creams, and even a special surprise, it’s little wonder that this is the beauty advent calendar that put the trend into motion. Launching exclusively on October 1st for a two-week preview, it’ll then be rolled out nationwide in its boutiques. In that case, we better start dropping hints now. 

After selling out in record time last year, The White Company’s beauty advent calendar is back, and it’s better than we could have imagined. A potent blend of skincare, fragrances, bath, body, fragrances,  and, of course, candles, it’s available now, but we guarantee it won’t be for long. 

If any beauty brand has a cult following, it’s MAC, so we can assume that, when its beauty advent calendar goes on sale on October 18th, that the Internet will consequently break. The ‘Frosted Firework’ calendar contains £300 worth of MAC, including cult classics like the best-selling Russian Red lipstick, Strobe Cream in Pinklite, and the In Extreme Dimension 3D Lash Mascara.

Back with its fourth advent calendar offering, this evergreen calendar from Harrods almost has us in the mood to crack out the tinsel and start sipping on eggnog. Launching on October 1st, this beauty advent calendar (which includes products from Nars, Hourglass, and Acqua di Parma, to name a few) has a track record of selling out fast, so get in there early to avoid disappointment. 

This is the third year that Glossybox has gotten in on the beauty advent calendar action, and we were certainly excited to see what it has in store for 2020. Made up of products that its subscribers said they’d like to see, you could say that Glossybox has created the people’s beauty advent calendar. While the standard price has yet to be revealed, Glossybox subscribers can snap it up for a cool £80—not bad considering it has a total worth of £390. 

Perhaps the most beautiful advent calendar of 2020, Dior’s ornate and gold-gilded offering is truly a sight to behold. Naturally, what’s inside is equally as impressive—expect 24 miniatures spanning the brand’s iconic skincare, fragrance and makeup ranges. Launching on October 15th, we think this beauty advent calendar is going to be one of the most popular, hands down. 

Hitting the (digital) shelves on September 16th is Feelunique’s glorious 2020 beauty advent calendar. Including fan favourites from ELEMIS, Rodial, and Huda Beauty—there’s a whopping three wrapped gifts to open on Christmas Day. Oh, and did we mention that one of these calendars contains a golden ticket worth £1000 for you and a friend to spend on whatever your heart desires at Feelunique.com? Sold. 

Including a whopping 13 full-size products and a selection of top-of-the-line tools (jade roller, anyone?), ASOS’s beauty advent calendar is impressive to say the least. Highlights include cult products from Elemis, MAC, The Ordinary and Aveda, but we think the 100% recyclable packaging is also worth a mention. Oh, and it’s available now. 

In addition to its epic 24-day beauty advent calendar, ASOS has created the perfect capsule of must-have products with its 12-day beauty advent calendar. With items from Nars, The Ordinary, and Nip + Fab, this will make the perfect treat for either yourself or a loved one. 

With an impressive and ever-expanding makeup, skincare, and haircare offering, Next’s first-ever beauty calendar is easily one of 2020’s most-anticipated. Thankfully, it has lived up to our high expectations. With hero products from Elemis, Liz Earle, Esteé Lauder, Benefit, bareMinerals, ICONIC London, ghd, and Aveda, all for a cool £69, this calendar is guaranteed to please anyone lucky enough to get their hands on it. Oh, and there’s an equally stylish Grooming advent calendar, too—both of which are available to buy now. Bravo, Next. 

Launching on November 6th, bareMinerals’s beauty advent calendar is bursting with the brand’s best-selling products, including suits-all lipstick shades, loose powder eyeshadows, and even items from its well-reviewed skincare collection.

If you’re looking for a beauty advent calendar that incorporates products from Byredo, Pat McGrath, Dr Barbara Sturm, Nars, Charlotte Tilbury, and By Terry, to name a few, then look no further than Selfridges’s impressive (and beautifully pink) iteration. While the specific launch date is still TBC (we’re told it’ll be mid-October) what we do know is that it’ll include 12 full-size products. We can’t wait to find out which!

Our favourite boutique, Space NK, has outdone itself with its 2020 beauty advent calendar. Launching on October 1st, the calendar is divided into four sections to take you on a beauty journey, discovering some of the brand’s favourite products. Space NK also enlisted the talents of writer, Charly Cox, who has penned a gorgeous collection of poems to go with the expertly-curated edit. 

Launching on October 12th, Lookfantasic’s beauty advent calendar has sold out five years running, so you’ll definitely want to add your name to the pre-order list. Featuring products across makeup and hair, we think the skincare offering is particularly special, with pieces from the likes of Elemis, Rodial, Red, and Ecooking. 

With a whopping worth of £930, Cult Beauty’s advent calendar is a hard one to match. While the release date, you can add your name to the wait list now—something we definitely advise, seeing as the brand’s 2019 beauty advent calendar sold out in under two hours. 

With a serious cult following, we predict NYX’s beauty advent calendar is going to sell out—and fast at that. The 24-day advent calendar is packed with full-size products (yes, you read that right) including the brand’s universally-adored soft matte lip creams, beautifully pigmented shadows, and iconic HD Finishing Powder.

Totalling a worth of over £800, Fortnum & Mason’s 2020 beauty advent calendar does not disappoint. Available to buy today, with dispatch expected o be at the end of September, we predict this ensemble of amazing beauty products won’t be sticking around for long. With products from Delilah, Sol de Janeiro, and a gorgeous makeup bag from Elizabeth Scarlett, this beauty advent calendar might just be one of the best out there. 

Dr. Barbara Sturm’s skincare line is one of the most high-performing we’ve ever tried and boasts an incredibly impressive A-list fanbase. While this beauty advent calendar might have a higher price point, we think it’s the perfect way to try out some of the brand’s cult products, allowing you to hone in on the items you genuinely love afterwards. 

Slated for release on October 15th, Diptyque’s Advent calendar is the ultimate must-have for scent aficionados. Boasting a blend of full-size products as well as miniatures, we don’t know what we’re more excited about—the products or the gorgeously illustrated box, created by Parisian born artist and graphic designer, Ugo Gattoni. Stunning. 

Decadent and sultry, YSL’s beauty advent calendar optimises everything we know and love of the brand. Boasting 24 drawers, inside you’ll find gorgeous gifts across skincare, makeup, and fragrance. And yes, it includes a vile of Black Opium. 

Ciate was one of the first brands to really embrace the beauty advent calendar movement, and this year’s offering rightly deserves a place on our edit of the best. Featuring 23 mini polishes, a lip product, and a full-size polish to finish on, this will appease manicure lovers of all ages. What’s more, all of the nail varnishes inside feature Ciate’s new ‘plant pots’ formulation, meaning they are made using up to 80% natural ingredients and biodegradable glitters.

Launching in-store and online on September 26th, The Body Shop’s beauty advent calendar is back, and better than ever. With everything from shower gels and body creams to sheet masks and lip treatments, this product assembly is a must for any TBS devotee. Considering one sold every 30 seconds around the world last year, we’re guessing this sentiment applies to a lot of you. 

Jo Loves is nothing if not elegantly classic, and that’s exactly what we thought when we saw the brand’s wreath-inspired 2020 beauty advent calendar. Launching on October 8th, the Jo Loves calendar features 24 deluxe travel products and a full-size surprise for December 25th (if you have the restraint to save it). Not only is this calendar on our wish lists, but we guarantee it’ll be on the wish list of everyone you know—should you find yourself feeling generous. 

If you too want to make your beauty routine more ethical, then rest assured there’s a beauty advent calendar to suit your sustainable needs. Lush’s bright and beautiful calendar is a feast for the eyes as well as for your body—think bath bombs, shower gels, creams, and hair products, all made in Britain, that are cruelty-free and vegan. Available to pre-order now, you can expect to receive your gorgeously-scented package come November. 

Lancôme lovers, rejoice! For the French brand has just unveiled its beauty advent calendar for 2020, and suffice to say, it’s pretty impressive. Perhaps the prettiest beauty advent calendar of the year, Lancôme’s advent unfolds to reveal a cluster of gift boxes, surrounding a glittering, 3D Eiffel Tower. J’adore. 

Founded by the Pixiwoo sisters, Sam and Nic Chapman, chances are your makeup bag already contains some of Real Techniques’s industry-renowned brushes. Now, it’s time to up your application ante with the Real Techniques beauty advent calendar. Inside there are 25 brilliant items, including miniature brushes, sponges, brush cleansing gel, tweezers, and just about every other beauty tool you can think of. 

Christmastime is wonderful, there’s no doubt about it, but it can also be stressful. With presents to buy and meals to cook, you need to ensure you carve out some much-needed pamper time for yourself in the run-up. And what better way to do so than with Rituals’ beauty advent calendar? With 24 calm-inducing treats to open, you can make every evening a spa-like experience with the treasures found inside. Get yours on October 7th. 

If like so many others, you’re loyal to Benefit’s beauty products, then this is the beauty advent calendar for you. Containing an edit of the brand’s must-have buys from throughout the years, our favourites include the best-selling They’re Real mascara and Gimme Brow+.

If skincare is your thing, then look no further than ESPA’s epic derma-focused beauty advent calendar. Launching on October 2nd with 25 products, every day will feel like a spa day with this collection of potent, holistic treats. 

If good things come in small packages, then truly delightful things come in dainty drawers. Launching on October 22nd, and with makeup and skincare from brands including Charlotte Tilbury, By Terry, MAC, and Neom, Fenwick’s beauty advent calendar has everything required to ensure you’re prepped, primed, and preened in time for the arrival of Santa Claus himself. 

Give the gift of gorgeous skin by bestowing someone truly special (be it you or someone else) with Decléor’s 2020 beauty advent calendar. Launching on October 5th, the delightful contents spans across the French brand’s face, body, and bath ranges, and is the ultimate treat for any skincare obsessive. 

With its iconic yellow branding serving as its chic exterior, Acqua di Parma’s beauty advent calendar is an absolute must for anyone who considers themselves to be a fragrance fan. Available exclusively from Harrods, you’ll find products from across Acqua di Parma’s scent collections, by way of candles, body creams, and, of course, perfumes. 

Available from October 16th, the Kiehl’s beauty advent calendar features 23 customer favourites, including Creme de Corps, Midnight Recovery Concentrate, and the new Vital Skin Strengthening Super Serum. 

If nails are your beauty vice, then this stunning collection of polishes from OPI is sure to make your festive season. Boasting classic hues of red and taupe, as well as trend-led tones of plum and teal, with a sprinkle of glitter thrown in for good measure, you’ll have enough polish to see you through the coming year with glamorous flair. launching on October 1st, you’ll find this beauty calendar at Look Fantastic, John Lewis & Partners, Amazon, Very, and Feelunique. 

Another beauty advent calendar for fragrance aficionados, Molton Brown’s holographic box is a sight to behold, and contains some of the brand’s best products, spanning home infusions, iconic Molton Brown baubles and shower gels to some skincare heroes like its hand cream and lip salve. It’s available now, but we guarantee it won’t be for long. 

Worth more than double its price tag, this year’s Origins advent calendar is a no-brainer purchase in beauty circles. Behind each of the 12 doors is a long-loved brand favourite, from the Mega Mushroom range to the energising Ginzing line.

Everyone knows someone who loves Soap & Glory products, so make their year by treating them to the brand’s 2020 beauty advent calendar. The 24 Days to Roam the Foam calendar is a celebration of Soap & Glory’s fan favourites, from the Clean On Me creamy shower gel to The Scrub of Your Life body scrub. 

Not content with having just one beauty advent calendar on offer, this year L’Occitane has two to choose from, this one being the “classic” calendar. Featuring a playful pastel illustration by French artist, Edith Carron (chic, non?), it launches on September 24th and contains an edit of some of the brand’s best-loved products, including hand creams, shower gels, and soaps.

What makes L’Occitane’s second beauty advent calendar different from the classic iteration above is that it also features pieces from the brand’s skincare and home collections, as well as its bath and body staples. Also launching on September 24th, this beauty advent calendar is a definite must for anyone who wants to bestow every facet of their life with French appeal.

This post was originally published at an earlier time and has since been updated.

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Author Maxine Eggenberger | Whowhatwear
Selected by CWC