Best Christmas Beauty Advent Calendars To Buy 2026, From Liberty To Charlotte Tilbury

The thing about Christmas is it happens every year. Joy to the world, and all of that.

And we’re not knocking it: it’s special, dependable, and you get presents. But in recent years, we’ve unlocked a real life hack: extend that joy to the whole of December, and it’s far more exciting.

Advent calendars are basically to thank for that. Perhaps the most exciting ones available are beauty Advent calendars, which are packed with everything from serums to our favourite fragrance brands.

As a shopping writer, I’ve been reviewing Advent calendars for the last few years, and I’m already on a mission to find the best one out there.

Liberty has admittedly topped the list in previous years, but John Lewis looks like a strong contender already this year…

Keep reading for the beauty advent calendars you can buy right now, and a selection with a waitlist. Get those bells a-jingling, because Xmas is fast approaching!

Best beauty Advent calendars at a glance:

You might have heard of a little, low-key calendar from somewhere called Liberty – don’t worry if you haven’t, it’s quite esoteric.

Good news for those of you that spend the year poised for its release: you can join the waitlist now. And you’ll want to get on it ASAP, because it’s sold out for the last 11 years in a row.

This year, it’s worth over £1,300 and comes with a whopping 29 products, 21 of which are full-sized and 20 are exclusive to the Liberty calendar.

You can expect the likes of ILIA, Violette FR, and Jones Road, all housed inside the recreation of the iconic Liberty store beauty hall. If that wasn’t enough for you, then perhaps the fact there’s a golden ticket for £1,000 of Liberty credit hidden in 20 of the calendars will be. Damn.

Number of days: 25
Number of items: 29
Worth: Over £1,300.

John Lewis has truly outdone itself this year. Its calendar is bigger than it has ever been, with 41 total products worth four times as much as the retail price (yep, you read that right) including beauty tech for the first time ever.

Splash out a neat £250 to get a mini Foreo UFO (a heating and vibrating LED device that helps even your skin tone) along with a ton of other treats from brands like Medik8, Fenty Beauty, Sisley London, and Dermalogica.

Not only will beauty lovers relish in the selection of mascara, fragrance, serum, sheet masks, and body creams, but you’ll also have the chance to win even more thanks to mystery vouchers hidden throughout the calendar.

One in 41 will be in for the chance of winning a Shark CryoGlow Plus LED Mask, Clarins treatments, John Lewis gift cards, or more.

Talk about value for money! The calendar is available to order now in the rewards section of the John Lewis App.

It will be available to purchase in the app from 3 September, and on general sale from 7 September so mark your calendars!

Number of days: 25
Number of products: 41
Worth: £1,160.

I won’t lie to you, I’m as susceptible to a social media trend as the next person, and I’ve done my time of trying out new products that work and don’t work.

Cult Beauty has really leaned heavy on the ‘work’ with this calendar, which has 38 incredible products spread across 25 days. Of those, 17 are full-sized, and I want them all.

Some of the products I use genuinely every day are in here – K18’s AirWash Dry Shampoo and Vieve’s Super Skin Nova, namely – so it’s great to see them getting some love (and at such an insane discount).

Across the rest of the calendar, Cult Beauty has struck the perfect balance between products you’ve been desperate to try and price points you’ll be able to actually afford going forward.

This is one for the makeup enthusiasts, as it’s stuffed with the best of the best, like a blush palette from Patrick Ta, Saie blush, Milk Hydro Grip Primer, Charlotte Tilbury setting spray, and Hourglass lipstick.

But don’t worry, Cult Beauty knows better than anyone that it’s all about that base, so it’s included everything you need for a flawless foundation, like a Medik8 Peptide Cream, BYOMA Cleanser, Anua cream, and so much more.

Plus, this year, Cult Beauty’s Advent calendar is in support of MindOut, a charity supporting LGBTQ+ folk’s mental health and wellbeing, so you’ll know your money is doing good.

Number of days: 25
Number of products: 38
Worth: £1,100.

Ah, the people’s princess of the British high street. If there’s one brand that knows exactly what we want to see, it’s Boots, so we have high expectations of its Advent calendar.

And of course it doesn’t disappoint: the calendar is filled with 27 of Boots’ cult favourites, including NARS, Benefit, Clinique, Fenty and Colour Wow.

Thankfully, it’s not just minis on the menu, as there are 19 whole full-sized products to play with, meaning you save a whopping £560 on essentials you might already be buying.

Some of my personal faves include a full-sized Laneige lip mask, the holiday essential Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer, and a mini aura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder (which is perfect for chucking in your bag to de-shine after a sweaty commute).

Number of days: 24
Number of products: 27
Worth: £709.59

Aaaand the award for the most beautiful Advent calendar goes to: ELLE! The magazine has once again partnered with British fashion brand Chopova Lowena to illustrate the exterior of its Advent calendar, and it’s the prettiest I’ve seen yet.

The exterior looks like one of the designer’s covetable carabiner skirts, which you’ll want to keep out on display in your house like a piece of art work.

Unlike its skirts, the calendar comes in at £197 for £1,132 worth of products from some of the best beauty and skincare brands out there – think Murad, Shiseido, Votary, and Grown Alchemist.

Huge props to ELLE, too, because 20 of the 27 included products are full-sized, including a Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, which is worth £54 alone.

Not only is there everything you need to enhance your everyday makeup routine in here, like Vieve’s Soul Shadows bronzing and highlighter palette and Gisou’s lip oil, but there are also a ton of luxury items that you could use for a proper at-home spa day.

Number of days: 25
Number of products: 27
Worth: £1,132.

If you’re already a Charlotte Tilbury fan, there’s no better way to get your fix than her annual Advent calendar.

Made up of 12 products, at around half the retail price of their worth, you’ll be able to stock up on (or try for the first time) 15 of her makeup and skincare favourites.

Let’s start with the thing you’ll get the most use out of: her Pillow Talk Velvet Organiser Makeup Pouch, which will home all of the treasures you unbox over the next 12 days.

There’s everything you need to set the foundations for your makeup, including a Magic Cream, Magic Serum, Facial Oil, and Gua Sha, so you can give yourself a little massage as you prepare for your day.

Then, there’s lip liners, highlighter, and lipstick galore, with multiple shades of Pillow Talk in every format you could like, not to mention a setting spray, lipstick, eyeliner, and mascara. Now that’s fabulous, darlings.

Number of days: 12
Number of products: 15
Worth: £325.50.

If there’s one thing you can count on Look Fantastic for, it’s being on top of the trends.

This year, it’s compiled this gorgeous calendar of 27 products, all chosen by big names you trust, from Molly Mae, to Sarah Jossel, and Olivia Attwood so you can get your hands on the products they themselves know and love.

Naturally, that means it’s full of enviable products from brand such as Medik8, UK Lash, Sol de Janeiro, the Ordinary, and Colour Wow, with 19 full-sized products to keep you going all year long.

I’m not going to lie, the packaging could be slightly more exciting and festive – it’s only red and purple – but I guess it could be reused if you feel like storing it until next Christmas.

It’s also chock a block with products we all know and love, like Colour Wow’s Dream Cocktail, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze, UKLash Lash Serum, and so many more – all at an impressive 82% discount. Honestly, why wouldn’t you?

Number of days: 25
Number of products: 27
Worth: £665.

If you’re not one for fucking around with tiny bottles of beauty products, you’ll be pleased to hear Fortnum & Mason has created a calendar that champions mostly full-size products: 24 of the 25, to be precise.

Because it’s the epitome of British class, it naturally comes with tons of high-end brands inside. Expect everything from Ortigia to Sol de Janiero, Wildsmith, and Bamford, among other brands we’ll garner a guess you’d never buy for yourself.

As well as actual products, you’ll also get a teacup-decorated washbag, to truly get in the Fortnum spirit, as well as a pair of silk socks – because feet beauty counts, too!

Number of days: 25
Number of products: 25
Worth: £1,225

Space NK always knows how to capture a season: from its summer travel bags to winter, the high street staple is on top of cult products and timeless brands.

This year, it’s really captured our hearts with its beautiful Christmassy packaging, but it’s what’s on the inside that really counts.

It’s truly gone overboard, with every product being from the likes of Gisou, Medik8, Kosas, Laneige, Rare, REFY, Sol de Janeiro and Summer Fridays.

Unlike other calendars, Space NK has made sure it has products exclusive to its Advent calendar, so you won’t be able to get them anywhere else.

A whole 26 of the 35 products are full-sized, so you’ll be using them all year long, if not beyond, and there aren’t any repeats from last year, so if you’re a Space NK purist, you won’t have to worry about doubling up.

I’m seriously eyeing that Saltair body oil, and honestly I get overwhelmed every time I step into Space NK, so I’m glad for the chance to try some of its top picks without having to make 35 individual decisions myself.

Number of days: 25
Number of products: 35, 26 full-sized
Worth: £1,200.

Holland & Barrett has amassed quite the cult following over the past few years, and its mega fans will be pleased to hear it has upped its Advent calendar game accordingly.

This year marks the brand’s biggest one yet, with 26 products across 25 days. And let me tell you, you get more than bang for your buck.

While the Christmas tree covered-box isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing design out there, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and the smorgasbord of Weleda, Faith in Nature, Q&A, and Fussy goodies delivers.

You’ll get a selection of supplements, soaps, cleansers, hair masks, serums, and moisturisers – all reliable essentials you can fall back on and know you can afford to repurchase year-round, unlike other pricier offerings out there.

It would also make a great gift for a family member who’s not fussed about luxury brands. H&B, we <3 you.

Number of days: 25
Number of products: 26
Worth: Over £266.

This is as exciting a hamper as we’ve ever seen. The ultimate calendar for any Lush fans out there, it’s full of 25 days of bath and body treats.

Not only does it contain fan favourites, including the Honey I Washed the Kids sugar scrub and Sticky Dates shower gel, but it’s also chock full of festive limited edition launches.

Honestly, they all sound absolutely scrumptious but some stand outs are the Smores shower gel (yum), The Most Famous Reindeer Of All soap, a Once Upon A Time candle – to name but a few.

You’ll also have a brat green, and sustainable, hamper to keep everything in, so they’re merely a reach away every time you want to have a bath; we wouldn’t be surprised if it kept you going for the next year.

Number of days: 25
Number of products: 25
Worth: Not clear.

If you’re only in it for the bath bombs, this card calendar will give you enough bombs to grant you one bath a week for half of the year.

You’ll be covered in glitter forever (and who doesn’t want that?) thanks to the likes of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Luna’s Butterfly, and Snowman Dreaming bath bombs.

Don’t worry, though, there’s plenty more where that came from: 25 total bombs and bars, in fact. If you can’t wait, it’s available to buy now, so knock yourself out with wintermaxxing in August.

Number of days: 25
Number of products: 25
Worth: Not stated.

If you’re feeling nostalgic, this Soap & Glory calendar will transport you back to 2015. At £48, this calendar is honestly great value for money, considering you get 24 gifts.

Should you not be willing to revisit that particular era of your life, it would also make an excellent gift for the teenage girl in your life, as it’s packed full of sheet masks, hand creams, lip masks and body butters.

It’s not just the brand’s regular Vanilla-licious and Call of Fruity scents you’ll get, either, there’s also a limited edition Velvet Cherry scent for Christmas, and it comes in the form of a body wash, body butter, and rollerball fragrance. Delish.

The whole thing comes packaged in a pretty pink and red box, with each gift in its own mini cardboard box, so it feels seriously premium when you’re opening it. You could even keep your new products in the lid of the box if you want to keep them on display.

Number of days: 24
Number of products: 24
Worth: Over £93.

• Molton Brown: 9th September
• M&S: 13th October.