The bath, beauty and perfume brand has pulled together a stunning mix of fragrances in its crowd-pleasing Christmas offering and we’ve found a way to save 20% on its cost
With the weather increasingly dismal and temperatures dropping there’s nothing nicer than a warm bath or shower for a bit of pampering into even the busiest of days. As we get closer to Christmas it’s also a great way to incorporate a few minutes of luxurious me-time into the ever increasing flurry of to-do lists and the hustle and bustle of Christmas season.
With so many beauty advent calendars now on the market there are already some great bath and body care options out there ranging from premium options like Molton Brown and L’Occitane to more budget friendly Baylis and Harding .
However, fragrance fans looking for some next level luxury without breaking the bank can enjoy something a little bit different this December thanks to a luxurious Scottish brand. Some beauty shoppers may not have heard of Arran Sense of Scotland . It’s a family run brand based on the Isle of Arran and all their products are made using the soft, mineral-rich water that surrounds the island and inspired by its natural setting.
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Started by skincare fan Janet Russell 35 years ago, the brand has its own online store as well as selling through Amazon and via independent shops and garden centres. But while it may have expanded over the years, its ethos and inspiration remains from its original source with fragrances all inspired by the stunning plants, scenery and nature of the brand’s island home.
With Mirror Shopping currently working their way through the dozens of different beauty advent calendars vying for our attention this December, I was given the chance to review Arran’s Perfume and Fragrance Calendar for 2024 and, as someone who likes a little bit of everything in my calendar, this is pretty much my ideal.
The calendar has 25 doors, meaning you even get a Christmas Day treat which is a nice touch, and contains a great range of items worth more than £180 for its £80 price tag. What’s more, it gave me everything from eau de toilette to a wash bag full of travel size treats and a beautiful scented candle. In terms of other calendars we’ve reviewed so far, it reminded me a lot of Rituals in terms of the types of products within it but comes in cheaper than Rituals’ £91 price point without sacrificing any sense of quality.
If you’ve not ‘met’ Arran before then this calendar is the perfect way to try loads of their hero products with some of their best-loved and most iconic scents taking centre stage. Most notable is After the Rain , a delicate lime rose and sandalwood blend which has been their bestseller for decades, is light enough to wear every day and is inspired by the smell of a summer garden after a rain shower.
As well as a great showing for their hero fragrance, there are a wide range of other scents included in the calendar. What’s more there’s a huge selection of different product types, ranging from generous handbag-sized bottles of eau de toilette through to shampoo, conditioner, soaps, shower gel, body lotion, hand cream and several votive-sized scented candles. The only notable exception was a lack of bubble bath – but with Christmas time so busy I guess who’s hanging around in the tub anyway?
Arran staples Glenashdale , Seaweed & Sage , Lochranza and Kildonan are all represented, alongside two limited-edition seasonal scents Winter Forest and Rowanberry Embers .
As a long-time fan of the zesty citrus notes of Glenashdale, a blend of grapefruit, green leaf, lemon and bergamot that is perfect to put a spring in your step in a morning shower, I was happy to see it represented well behind the doors of the calendar. This is my absolute favourite Arran scent, I use it year round and, having seen it also comes in a £10 discovery set for the festive season I’ll be sharing it with a few relatives as gifts this Christmas too.
Meanwhile I fell in love with the crisp pine and cinnamon scented Winter Forest candle which is the ultimate fresh Christmassy scent, perfect for when you’ve got your tree up and are feeling festive. It’s also available in a full-sized candle which is now top of my Christmas wishlist, although the reed diffuser could be hidden behind an artificial tree and leave guests doing a double take, it smells so lush and real.
Another highlight was the Glen Rosa fig scented hand cream. I’ve been using it regularly as the weather has turned and my hands have started to get dry. It is moisturising and nourishing without being greasy, absorbs well and smells incredible.
While it’s inevitable that not all the scents are going to chime with everyone, the curated nature of the selection used in the calendar makes it really simple to regift sets that aren’t to your taste for someone who might prefer them..
For example, I prefer citrus and woody scents to more floral ones so Kildonan, a blend of violet leaf, orris and Lily of the Valley, is a bit heavier than I’d usually enjoy. But it would be easy to put the three together in a small bag as a gift for someone who prefers that kind of scent.
Meanwhile, the unisex scent Sannox shower gel disappeared as my husband nabbed it for his gym bag. All in all, Arran Sense of Scotland’s calendar is great value for the variety and quality of the products within it. It was beautifully packaged with a real wow factor and will give me plenty of toiletries to use well into next year.
Whether you’re a devotee or a newcomer to the brand it’s a great choice for Christmas, especially if you sign up to their newsletter on their website as you can get a 20% off code and therefore snap it up for £64, saving another £16 on the cost of the goodies packed inside.
Particularly with higher priced calendars, we always recommend taking a look at the full contents to work out if it’s the one for you. The spoiler-filled list of products in the Arran Sense of Scotland Advent Calendar 2024 is:
- Rowanberry Scented Candle 8cl
- Sannox Shower Gel 30ml
- After The Rain 40g Soap
- Apothecary Seaweed & Sage Body Lotion 30ml
- Winter Forest 8cl Candle
- After The Rain Shampoo 50ml
- After The Rain Conditioner 30ml
- Glen Rosa Hydrating Hand Cream 40ml
- Lochranza Shower Gel 30ml
- After The Rain Shower Gel 100ml
- Glenashdale Body Lotion 30ml
- Glenashdale 40g Soap
- Apothecary Seaweed & Sage Shampoo 50ml
- Kildonan Eau De Toilette 15ml
- Kildonan Body Lotion 30ml
- Apothecary Seaweed & age Shower Gel 50ml
- After The Rain 8cl Candle
- Machrie Shower Gel 30ml
- Apothecary Seaweed & Sage Soap 40g
- Kildonan Shower Gel 100ml
- Glenashdale Shampoo 50ml
- Kildonan 25g Soap
- After The Rain Body Lotion 30ml
- Glenashdale Shower Gel 50ml
- After The Rain Eau De Parfum 15ml
