‘I opened up Anthropologie’s beauty advent calendar that boasts savings of £267’

Our beauty writer opened up the festive countdown to find out everything shoppers need to know

Gone are the days when an advent calendar was limited to a few penguin or Santa shaped chocolates – with a whole host of high-street retailers dropping everything from beauty to jewellery countdowns, there’s an option for every fashion lover and beauty buff alike.

Anthropologie regularly has me swooning over their gorgeous trinkets, clothing, and skincare, so when I was offered the opportunity to unbox the brand’s 2025 advent calendar I jumped at the chance. At £98, it’s not cheap, but the calendar is worth £365, essentially giving shoppers £267 worth of freebies.

The beauty calendar predominantly features makeup and skincare products, with Natasha Denona, ESPA, L’Occitane, and Grown Alchemist among some of the brands included for 2025. There’s also some scrunchies and a votive candle thrown in for good measure too.

While some advent calendars only feature 12 doors, the Anthropologie one boasts a whopping 24, meaning festive fans can count down the days until Christmas Eve in style. Designed by illustrator Nepthys Foster, the calendar boasts a colourful festive design that would double up as a great decor piece during the Christmas period.

Other beauty advent calendars currently on my wishlist include the £90 Sculpted By Aimee advent calendar. It includes 12 of the brand’s popular products and has sold out the last two years in a row. I’m also coveting LookFantastic’s Advent Calendar which costs £105 but has contents worth £655. It includes much-loved products from MAC and Sol De Janeiro to name but a few.

Pros

• Includes luxury brands
• Beautiful design that’s relatively compact
• Features 24 goodies
• Pretty box inserts that could be re-used

Cons

• Some items not as usable for everyone- for example, nail polishes if used to getting gel manicures
• Has a scent to it which some may like and some may not
• A little tricky to put the boxes back in once opened as tightly packed
• A couple of products hard to get out of boxes without almost ripping them

What’s inside the 2025 Anthropologie beauty advent calendar?

The Anthropologie 2025 advent calendar contains everything from a party-ready shimmer balm and cheek duo to eye patches and a fancy shower oil that’s perfect for a little festive season R&R. The full list of products included can be found below:

• Who is Elijah Eau de Parfum Morning After (5ml)
• Natasha Denona Rose Cheek Duo
• Wild Coconut & Vanilla Mini Deodorant
• Anthropologie 4pk Mini Satin Hair Scrunchies
• Le Mini Macaron Nail Lacquer Cherry Red
• Dr.PAWPAW X Teenage Cancer Trust Shimmer Balm (10ml)
• Wonderskin Lip Rehab Serum Oil
• ESPA Bergamot and Jasmine Body Wash (40ml)
• UKLASH Eyebrow Serum (3ml)
• Floral Street Sweet Almond Blossom EDP (10ml)
• Jouer Luminize Dark Circle Correcting & Smoothing Eye Patches
• Malin + Goetz Rum Hand & Body Wash (30ml)
• L’Occitane Shea Nail & Cuticle Oil (7.5ml)
• Lanolips 101 Ointment Multi-Balm Glazed Donut (3g)
• Beauty Works 10 in 1 Miracle Spray (30ml)
• Nest Mini Votive Candle Holiday
• Solinotes Eau de Parfum Pistachio (15ml)
• Mermade Jumbo No-Crease Clips Cherry Red (30g)
• Outremer Mini Eau de Toilette – Vanille (15ml)
• Grown Alchemist Regenerating Night Cream (40ml)
• OPI Infinite Shine Work From Chrome Nail Polish (15ml)
• This Works Perfect Legs Skin Miracle (20ml)
• Patchology Skin Remedy Soothing Eye Gels Single
• L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil (75ml)

Anthropologie 2025 Beauty Advent Calendar Review

So, the big question is, is the Anthropologie advent calendar worth the splurge? As a shopping writer I see hundreds of products daily, and in the lead up to Christmas there’s always tons of new releases to check out. Many premium beauty advent calendars retail for £100+, putting the Anthropologie one at the lower end of the luxury scale.

It’s worth considering that the Grown Alchemist Regenerating Night Cream 40ml usually retails for £83 alone on the brand’s website, whilst the 3ml UKLASH Eyebrow Serum is available to purchase separately for £38 at uklash.com.

The total of these two luxury items is £121, so shoppers would have already made their money back on these products alone when purchasing the calendar.

Of course, with any advent calendar it’s worth considering how many of the products shoppers will actually use. For someone who travels, having plenty of minis from the advent calendar in their beauty stash could prove good value, whereas for others who don’t tend to try new things it could be worth just purchasing their favourite products separately.

The Anthropologie advent calendar currently has one review on the brand’s website where it’s exclusively sold, which reads: “Beautiful box and stunning contents! Bought as a treat for myself not for Christmas. Sadly day 2 was damaged and could not be used properly.”

I do personally agree that the calendar is beautiful. The intricate design gives it a similar vibe to high-end calendars from the likes of Liberty. It’s also not super huge so wouldn’t be difficult to store for anyone who has limited space.

My highlights are the votive candle (which gives the whole calendar a festive cinnamon scent upon opening), the Grown Alchemist Night Cream, and the Who is Elijah Eau de Parfum Morning After.

One downside for me is that I would only use the nail polish on the rare occasions I don’t get a professional gel manicure, and colour wise they’re a bit brighter than I would normally opt for, though they do fit the festive theme.

Overall I do think the calendar is a strong option, especially for the price point. Up close the illustrations are clearly festive but from a distance it’s not super obvious which means it could be kept out post Christmas too.

It would certainly make a great gift for anyone who loves to try new beauty products without committing to a full-sized item, especially when it comes to higher priced beauty buys. Roll on December 1st…

Shop the 24 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar at Anthropologie.