GROWING up, a bite-sized chocolate and a picture were enough to add some sparkle to the Christmas Countdown.
This year, I’ll be crossing off the days with the help of something much more OTT – a beauty advent calendar.
Whilst they’re not a traditional way to celebrate Advent, beauty calendars have surged in popularity, with most selling out within a few days.
Lookfantastic Advent Calendar 2024, £100 (WORTH £565)
There are hundreds of options, but the Lookfantastic Beauty Advent Calendar has been calling the shots for the last few years.
Whether it’s the sleek packaging, internet hype, or huge bundle of products you’re left with, Lookfantastic’s Beauty Calendar is one of the most coveted Christmas calendars – but is it really worth it?
I opened mine three months early (sorry, parents), to discover what’s inside, how much money it’ll save you, and whether it’s worthy of your cash.
Lookfantastic Advent Calendar 2024, £100 (WORTH £565)
As a child, I tried various excuses to open my advent calendar early.
None of them worked.
However, I have the best excuse this year – I’m road-testing the Lookfantastic Advent Calendar three months early to determine whether it’s worthy of your wallet.
As a beauty writer, I know my curling tong from my marine cream, and it takes more than shiny packaging to impress me.
Over the years, I’ve tried and tested hundreds of beauty calendars – spanning from one that cost a tenner to Dior’s £570 offering.
I was one of the first to get my hands on the Lookfantastic Advent Calendar 2024, and I’ve since opened all of its drawers, prised off the packaging, and price-checked the entire contents list to ensure it hits the mark.
Whilst an Advent calendar must look good nestled beneath your tree, every door should be filled with something genuinely exciting, and there should be no ‘dud’ gifts – so I’ve been watching out for this.
Retailer Advent calendars are either filled with the store’s buzziest, most-wanted brands, or they’re filled with the contents of its bargain bin – so I’ve kept an eye out for this too.
Ultimately, £100 isn’t an insignificant amount of money – so I want to ensure you’re parting with your pounds for good reason.
Here are my honest thoughts – and plenty of spoilers – on the Lookfantastic Advent Calendar 2024.
Lookfantastic Advent Calendar 2024, £100 (WORTH £565)
À la the Lookfantastic site, this Advent calendar is filled with a vast range of beauty offerings, spanning budget to luxury, menopause to teen.
Its contents list is genuinely impressive and includes luxe brands like Medik8, budget buys like The Ordinary and everything in between.
Inside its holographic walls are 25 countdown drawers, filled with an array of make-up, hair styling and skincare products.
Its line-up totals 27 gifts, which rack up to an impressive £565, and nine are full-sized – which stacks up against pricier Advent calendars.
With so much inside, it won’t come as a surprise that this calendar is huge – it weighs a tonne and is nearly bigger than me.
Fortunately, its clever fold-out design keeps it compact, which is important if you’re planning on filling your living room with festive clutter like me.
Lookfantastic Advent Calendar 2024, £100 (WORTH £565)
When this calendar arrived in the office I was rather surprised.
Unlike last year’s kitsch, woolly-jumper print design, the Lookfantastic 2024 Advent Calendar looks more like a prop from Doctor Who.
With its leather-style navy drawers encased inside twinkling silver walls, it’s the most swish advent calendar I’ve ever seen – so I can forgive it for not looking very festive.
Emblazoned with the Lookfantastic logo and fixed with a ribbon, it nearly doubles in size when fully opened.
Whilst it’s fairly compact in comparison to other Advent calendars, it’s still the size of a mini-fridge – so it’ll take up a lot of space if you live in a poky flat like me.
When I opened the ‘Door 1’ (three months early), I swore under my breath.
Nestled inside the drawer was a full-size toner from a luxury skincare brand and a generous Lookfantastic gift voucher.
So, the bar was set high.
Lookfantastic Advent Calendar 2024, £100 (WORTH £565)
Filled with luxury skincare, make-up bag essentials and even a viral body mist, there really is something for everyone – so much so, that I’ll be keeping this calendar well away from my two (beauty fanatic) sisters.
Unlike other Advent calendars, this one isn’t filled with lots of the same type of product, and instead contains a range of goodies, meaning you’re not left with 25 cleansers for your one face.
The Lookfantastic calendar stars nine full-sized products – which is where the real value for money is – and 10 ‘deluxe-sized’ samples.
Now, whilst these might sound like mega-sized products, ‘Deluxe’ is just the fancy term given to travel-sized samples – which is worth noting to avoid disappointment.
However, I love beauty Advent calendars for their travel-sized minis, as they’re invaluable for holidays and gym bags.
Plus, they’re a great way to sample new products without the commitment of opening a huge full-sized pack.
Nearly all of the calendar’s doors are impressive, but Door 1 is arguably the best.
Inside you’ll find a full-sized Medik8 Press and Glow Tonic, which is an exfoliating, glow-promoting formula that will usually set you back £32 alone.
There’s also a £30 LookFantastic x Foreo gift voucher thrown in for good measure.
Door 19 is a headliner too, as it contains a deluxe-sized Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, which is an indulgent, plumping moisturiser that’s powered by firming algae extracts, and usually costs £64.
However, I was disappointed with door 23 which is filled with a rather sad-looking Brushworks Satin Eye Mask that usually costs about £8.
Here's the full line-up...
Bodycare and Fragrance
Cosmetics and Tools
Haircare
Lookfantastic Advent Calendar 2024, £100 (WORTH £565)
The Lookfantastic Advent Calendar costs £100 – making it one of the most affordable beauty advent calendars out there.
Whilst its price initially looks steep, the total value of its contents is £565, meaning it’ll save you hundreds on replenishing your beauty stash.
Most 2024 beauty retailer advent calendars – think Cult Beauty, Liberty, Fortnum & Mason, and ASOS – save you 75% in comparison to buying all of their contents individually.
However, the Lookfantastic Advent Calendar saves you a whopping 82%, making it one of the best value-for-money beauty calendars 2024.
It won’t come as a surprise that the Lookfantastic Advent Calendar can be bought on the Lookfantastic website.
While it only dropped on Sunday 1st September, it tends to sell out quickly so you’ll need to act fast if you’ve any chance of actually bagging one.
Fortunately, the retailer offers free Tracked Delivery (which takes 3-5 working days) on orders over £25 – meaning that shipping your Advent calendar won’t cost you a penny.
If you’re feeling very keen, Next Day Delivery costs just £5.95, which is great value when you consider the size, weight and worth of the Advent calendar.
Lookfantastic has one physical store in the UK, which can be found in Dalton Square, Lancaster.
Last year, this store stocked the Lookfantastic Advent Calendar, but it’s currently unknown whether it’ll be stocking it again this year.
While it’s a shame you can’t try before you buy, Lookfantastic does offer a generous 30-day returns policy.
Lookfantastic Advent Calendar 2024, £100 (WORTH £565)
Whether you’re a beauty rookie, looking to dip your toe into some new products, or a confessed beauty hoarder, an advent calendar is a great way to sample some new products without much commitment.
That said, so many have left me underwhelmed – my sigh growing louder with every door I open – but Lookfantastic’s calendar doesn’t fall into this category.
This calendar has been put together very thoughtfully and contains the perfect balance between products that have gone viral in 2024, with those that have been loved for generations.
Buying an Advent calendar for yourself can feel very over-indulgent, but whether you hold onto it all for yourself (no shame) or drip-feed its contents to your friends and family, it will keep you stocked up for months.
The calendar itself is very impressive and could be reused, but I’m a little disappointed with its flimsy, card drawers – which won’t survive much wear and tear.
However, considering the Lookfantastic calendar is one of the most affordable beauty advent calendars out there – yet still contains one of the biggest savings – I’d say it’s worth the investment.
Usually, I enthusiastically count down the days until Christmas, willing it to go faster so I can sink my teeth into an entire box of Celebrations quicker.
But this year, I’ll be waiting with bated breath to rip open an eyeshadow palette, lather up in body wash, and cut the wick of a brand-new candle.
Lookfantastic Advent Calendar 2024, £100 (WORTH £565)
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