Our pick of best beauty Advent calendars for 2023

Combine a countdown to Christmas with makeup for mature women and you'll have all the best beauty Advent calendars. Having an Advent calendar to open every day in December is a Christmas tradition that is much-loved by people of all ages. There was a time when it was all about chocolate ones, but nowadays, there can be so much more behind every door, including makeup, bath and shower goodies, fragrances, skincare products and haircare items.

Imagine how lovely it would be to wake up to a new lipstick or eye shadow palette every morning in the lead-up to Christmas! You could start each day by scrubbing your body with a different shower gel or spritz your skin in a never-used-before fragrance. The best thing about these types of calendars is that they cover a lot of different areas. Think make-up, skincare, perfume, haircare, accessories and essential beauty tools that you use to apply your favourite products.

Best beauty Advent calendars at a glance:

• Best overall beauty Advent calendar: LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty Advent Calendar – view on LOOKFANTASTIC
• Best beauty Advent calendar for mix of brands: Boots 24 Days of Premium Beauty Treats Christmas Advent Calendar – view on Boots
• Best budget skincare Advent calendar: No7 Lift & Luminate 25 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar – view on Boots
• Best vegan beauty Advent calendar: H&B 25 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar – view on Holland & Barrett

Many brands offer Advent calendars with their specific products. This is a great way to try more of what they have to offer without committing to buying them all individually. Other retailers have beauty calendars curated with lots of different brands so you can discover new things, such as face primers or CC creams. Most calendars have miniatures and deluxe samples inside whereas some of the best beauty Advent calendars may have a selection of full-sized products included too.

We've picked out some of the best beauty Advent calendars on the market this year, so you can take your time to choose the right calendar for you as nobody likes to rush any decisions with their make-up or skincare. However, bear in mind that some brand's Advent calendars are super popular so they can sell out quickly!

Best beauty Advent calendars

FAQs

When do beauty Advent calendars go on sale for Christmas 2023?

If you want to get your hands on the best beauty Advent calendars for this year, luckily you won't have to wait. Many Advent calendars are already on sale. However, they are super popular and sell out quickly, so if you see one you like, don't hesitate as it won't be around for long.

A lot of retailers anticipate the demand for their Advent calendars so they make them available for pre-order before they are officially released.

If your favourite brand hasn't released its Advent calendar just yet, it will soon. September and October are when most are released.

Do beauty Advent calendars have 24 or 25 doors?

The number of doors on a beauty Advent calendar varies. Some have 24, and others have 25. It is thought with a 24-day calendar it is counting the days until Christmas comes and by the 25th, it has arrived, so the countdown isn't needed. Another thought is that on Christmas Day, you'll be receiving other presents so you don't need the extra day of Advent presents.

Why do some beauty Advent calendars only have 12 days?

With many beauty and luxury Advent calendars, you may find a handful of them have 12 doors. This is partly due to the more luxurious nature of the products compared to the more common chocolate ones. The other, more traditional reason is that you can use these to mark the 12 days of Christmas, which occurs after Christmas.

If you want to use a 12-door advent calendar in the run-up to Christmas Day, you can open a door every other day throughout December. Depending on when you start, this will take you to the 23rd or 24th of December.

When is Advent 2023?

We most commonly use Advent calendars from the 1st of December to the 24th or 25th of December, depending on how many doors they have. However, did you know that the period of Advent varies each year? Some years are longer than others. This is because Advent traditionally begins on Sunday four full weeks away before Christmas, but it always ends on Christmas Eve. Advent starts on December 3rd this year.

Rosie Floyd is a Pets, Homes and Garden Product Writer for Yours, specialising in home appliances, décor and furnishings, as well as all things dogs. After completing her Journalism & Media degree from Coventry University back in 2015, she started her career writing about must-visit holiday destinations, moving on to creating content around outdoor living and garden buildings, before joining the team at Bauer.