Unboxing the M&S beauty Advent calendar: What’s inside and is it worth the hype?

It is that time of the year when you’re already anticipating the countdown to Christmas and for the longest time festive Advent calendars with chocolates, little treats and alcohol have been part of the lead-up to Christmas day. And the best beauty Advent calendar with your favourite skincare and makeup products could only make the deal sweeter!

The M&S beauty Advent calendar is often the year’s most anticipated beauty Advent calendar and for good reason. The packaging, quality of the products, variety and customer satisfaction is unmatched. And this year’s one definitely lives up to the hype.

This year’s M&S beauty Advent calendar will be available to buy in store and online from 24th October. To offer you a sneak peak, we decided to be naughty and unpack ours before Christmas!

Unboxing the M&S Advent calendar

The packaging and overall design theme makes this box an absolute joy to wrap. The Advent calendar comes in a deep purple velvet box which opens to reveal small boxes marked with dates, each holding the gift for the day. The sight of it is absolutely stunning with patterns of lit up windows, bows, ribbons and stars all over the tiny boxes making it an overall theme.

What’s in the Marks and Spencer advent calendar?

There are 25 gifts, among which 11 are full-size products along with 14 travel-sized products from reputed brands like Colour Wow, Aveda, Clinique, L’Occitane and more.

There are several products for haircare and styling such as a 75ml duo of Color Wow’s colour security shampoo and conditioner which comes highly recommended for coloured hair as it protects your hair while simultaneously enriching the colour. In addition to this there is a Percy & Reed smoothing blow dry cream along with a Living Proof PhD five-in-one styling treatment which are great for styling and setting your hair for events and special occasions. The box also comes with Philip Kingsley’s elasticizer which is great for adding some bounce and volume to dull and limp hair. These products are sure to keep your tresses shining and healthy during the festive season.

There are self-care goodies to look forward to like the Cowshed relax calming bath and shower gel along with their body lotion too. As a British brand that embraces the essence of nature and the English countryside, their range of products are known for the spa-like experience they provide. There is the Deep sleep body whip from This Works which smells divine. The box also comes with the Velvet amber eau de toilette which is said to be similar to Chanel’s iconic No5 scent along with the sweet Floral Street vanilla orchid eau de parfum which add to luxurious line of products.

M&S never holds back when it comes to delivering the best makeup products. You get Benefit’s fan fest mascara with its silky-smooth formula and the intense Pixi kohl eyeliner to make your eyes pop. Another gift is Dr PawPaw’s ultimate red tinted lip balm which is hydrating and also comes with a deep long-lasting pigment. There are two Nail Inc polishes in cranberry red and lilac-tinted nude. The brand is well-known for its varnishes that don’t chip easily and last much longer. You will also be getting one of Clinique’s take the day off balm and Ren’s gentle cleansing milk which will leave your face clean without stripping off moisture.

How much do you have to spend to get the M&S Beauty Advent Calendar?

With products worth over £300, the M&S beauty Advent calendar is priced at £50 when you spend £35 in-store or online on beauty, home and clothing, making it quite affordable and worth the money, given the variety and quality of products offered.

Final verdict: Is the M&S Beauty Advent Calendar worth it?

The set of goodies that come as part of this Advent calendar is truly impressive. The overall presentation and experience of unpacking each gift is sure to be the highlight of those leading up to Christmas.

For me, the only slight let down was that the box did not come with lots of makeup products. But it does make up for it with the wide variety of skincare products offered and the premium quality of the makeup products that are included as part of the deal.

With the actual cost of products, this Advent calendar is worth the money as well. So if you wish to pamper yourself or a loved one with a bundle of beauty products, the M&S Advent calendar is going to be an absolute joy, right from the moment you lay your eyes on it to many months down the line when you’re still enjoying your beauty treats.

Akhila Thomas is a digital writer at Yours.co.uk and her areas of interest are beauty, fashion, food, wellness and lifestyle. She has previously written for magazines like Leftlion, Women’s Health and t’Art and worked extensively with art, culture, fashion and social media trends. She also likes to travel and explore new cultures and cuisines.