The Sentier advent calendar is £99 with a value of over £500 – we took a look inside
It might seem a little early to be thinking about advent calendars, but here at the Mirror they’ve been a subject of conversation quite often. There are so many already on the market and in years past I’ve loved Lush’s epic box and Bird & Blend’s tea advent with two bags in each box.
This year, albeit a little early, I’ve unboxed the Sentier 2024 Advent Calendar. The brand insists that it’s ‘where storytelling meets fragrance’ and I got to see if it lives up to that.
The advent calendar comes in at £99, which isn’t cheap but does cost less than some rivals such as The White Company’s advent calendar that costs £195. My first impression of it was that the box itself is extremely heavy, even when you take the entire contents out. I’ve noticed this is more common with luxury brands.
READ MORE: Best 2024 fragrance advent calendars to buy from Boots, Jo Loves, The White Company and more
READ MORE: Best 2024 beauty advent calendars available to buy from Space NK, ASOS, Boots and more
There are 12 doors in total with six perfumes and six candles. The perfumes are a generous 10ml size which is my favourite size for a new scent. I always think it’s the best to really suss out how you feel about something, it’s big enough that you don’t feel guilty for spritzing it but small enough to throw in your bag and top up as you please. The reason I like this size so much is because it’s easy to see if you’re going through it quickly or not and if you should repurchase a larger size.
With advent calendars I think there’s always a bit of a gamble as there’s normally quite a bit of variety. This one is no exception, with six different perfumes I expected to like some and dislike others. I wasn’t crazy about Chronicles of Self as a perfume as the aniseed made me think of liquorice.
Méribel won me over immediately. Méribel is described as ‘a tribute to the enchanting snow-capped mountain villages nestled in Switzerland’ and promises each spritz is a ‘soft winter’s kiss’. It has notes of white flowers, patchouli, amber, sandalwood and vanilla but I was really surprised with the actual scent. It’s very sweet and powdery, I got compliments as soon as I put it on.
I would say if you’re a fan of Delina by Parfums de Marly or Love, Don’t Be Shy by Kilian then you’ll likely love this one. It’s quite mature considering how undeniably sweet it is. One friend smelled me and instantly said that I smelled just like a sweet, but compared to Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar I think it’s really quite mature, likely as a result of the powdery note. I also liked Fernway, it’s fresh and woody without smelling like you’re sat in the forest.
Noor Riviera and Notes of Reverie confused me as they’re described as having the exact same notes and are both variations of a fancy coastal cottage as their inspiration, Noor Riviera is a little more salty while Notes of Reverie is very apple forward.
When it came to the candles they were all lovely and I liked that they come with twist on lids making them easy to store. My favourite was The Florist’s Garden which was a surprise to me as I’m much more a fan of gourmands than floral scents. It, much like Méribel, has a powdery sweetness and kind of reminded me of Lovehearts. Another great thing about the candles is that they can be given to loved ones to help you save money on gifts.
Overall I liked eight of the 12 items included which I think is a pretty decent outcome considering the advent is suitable for all audiences. The 10ml perfumes retail at £32 so considering I like four of them, worth a combined total of £128, it’s a saving before we even get to the candles. You can get the Sentier calendar for £99 here.
