24 Days of Glam: This Year’s Standout Beauty Advent Calendars

A quick shoutout to the beauty advent calendar many ELLE editors have been getting their loved ones year after year. Packing an impressive $300 worth of goodies, the Anthro holiday box can be yours for just $98. Rather than focusing on just one beauty category, the 24 windows hold the secret to hydrated skin, brightened under-eyes, and polished-looking nails. Every year, Anthropologie’s advent calendar sells out quickly, so don’t hold back if it catches your eye.

Includes: 24 mini beauty products across a range of categories

Value: $300

An Anthropologie reviewer says: “Missed it last year I was too late so I ordered this one in August!!! Can’t wait until Dec 1st. Always good stuff inside”

Got a Rubik’s Cube champ on your hands? They’ll love this puzzle calendar which requires you to twist, spin, and flip your way to unlock each day’s gift. Most of the items in this calendar are makeup items, like mascaras and blushes, although a couple of skincare products are included as well. It’s also currently on a Nordstrom-exclusive sale, allowing you to snag the Glam Cube for 15 percent less. It’s likely not going to be on sale again until Black Friday, but who’s to say it will stay in stock until then?

Includes: Mascaras, blushes, lip products, and more

The makeup lover will light up with delight when they receive this beauty advent, which features five full-size and seven minis of Charlotte Tilbury’s beauty favorites. This option is beautiful on the inside and the outside, with jewel-handled drawers on a fun treasure chest. And when the holidays are over, you can use it as a storage box!

Includes: Lipsticks, liners, mascaras, and more

Value: $314

A Charlotte Tilbury reviewer says: “I absolutely ADORE the box! The content is safe, meaning CT went with the most iconic viral items, and I personally already had all of them but it does not hurt to have stock for when they run out. The box though, is ICONIC, it is already on my shelf, and I stare at it all the time!”

While Sephora may serve as a host for all the popular beauty brands, it also has its own line of products. Whatever you may need, be it mascara, eyeshadow, or even makeup wipes, you can find it under the Sephora collection—which is conveniently collected into this budget-friendly advent calendar. Perfect for the makeup artist-to-be.

Includes: Nail polish, cleansing wipes, beauty blender, and more

Value: $163

This Macy’s exclusive Advent calendar stores 25 of the industry’s most sought-after beauty goods. Eau de Parfums from Carolina Herrera, Jimmy Choo, and Jo Malone, skin secrets by Caudalie, Lancôme, and Shiseido, and makeup favorites by Too Faced, Tarte, and Bobbi Brown—no further spoilers, we promise, but there’s plenty more to get excited about in this gift box.

Includes: 25 mini bottles of the industry best perfumes, candles, makeup, and skincare

Value: $325

While most beauty Advent calendars host fun-sized products, this gorgeous box presents you with 23 full-sized beauty products and only three travel-sized ones. The total value comes out to be roughly $1,548 USD, but can be yours for $357. The value for the cost is almost unbeatable. The contents are also top-notch, with favorites from Sol de Janeiro, Jo Malone, Baobab and more.

Includes: 23 full-sized and 3 travel-sized beauty essentials

Value: $1,548

Some express themselves through clothes; others through varying fragrances. The latter group would love to receive this Fragrance Advent Calendar that hosts 12 of some of the most popular perfumes. Goodies from Bvlgari, Byredo, Maison Margiela, and Acqua di Parma can be unboxed day after day, allowing you to get a taste (or whiff) of what could potentially be your next signature scent.

Includes: 12 travel-sized perfume bottles

Value: $344

The curation of goodies in this Advent calendar is out of this world. An Augustinus Bader eye cream? D.S. & Durga I Don’t Know What perfume? Jones Road Mascara? Your entire year’s beauty needs are covered in this single purchase. Mind you, there are 30 products here, of which 20 are full-sized bottles. The combined value comes out to be $1,690, and it’s yours for only $365. There’s no doubt that every day starts on a good note if you wake up to any of the beauty products hidden here.

Includes: 30 travel and full-sized bottles of beauty products.

Value: $1,690

Nothing sets the ambiance right quite like a candle. Especially in the wintertime when nights feel extra long, unboxing a new scented candle for 12 days straight feels like a special treat. Luxurious, holiday-inspired aromas like Candy Crush and Santal Vanille hide in each of the boxes. With this set, you’ll have enough candles to (hopefully) last through the entire winter.

Includes: 12 coconut wax blended candles in various scents

An Anthropologie reviewer says: “I gave this as a gift and it was a total hit! Beautifully packaged, and each candle felt like a special surprise. Such a fun and luxurious way to count down to the holidays.”

Get on the waitlist for this editor-favorite beauty advent calendar. Each year, Dior releases its iconic 24-day calendar, housing miniature versions of some of its most popular items—a mix of fragrances, makeup, and skincare. The packaging is designed after Dior’s historic Parisian flagship store on 30 Avenue Montaigne. And while we don’t want to spoil it for you, some of the pieces you can expect to unbox are the J’adore Eau de Parfum, the Rouge Dior Lipstick, and the Dior Addict Lip Glow.

Includes: 24 mini beauty products

An ELLE editor says: “I’m a sucker for Dior Beauty, and quite a few of my most-used products have ‘Dior’ emblazoned on their packaging. For example, every time someone compliments my dewy skin, I know it’s thanks to the brand’s highlighter palette, and I always keep a tube of 999 in my arsenal—it’s a truly perfect red. Even though I have most of the products in this set already, I would be thrilled to receive it; the minis are both adorable and ideal for travel.”—Carol Lee, beauty writer

La Mer’s products will cost you a pretty penny, but the brand’s luxurious creams, lotions, and other rich formulas keep countless fans coming back time after time. The 12-piece set includes its famous moisturizing cream, the regenerating serum, and plenty more goodies to keep you looking dewy and fresh. If you have a relative or friend who’s obsessed with La Mer, they may just cry tears of joy when you hand this to them.

Includes: 12 mini and full-size skin care products

Value: $821

Augustinus Bader, a skin care brand celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Hailey Bieber obsess over, incorporates Trigger Factor Complex, or TFC8, into all of its products. For the uninitiated, TFC8 is the brand’s proprietary ingredient and uses a blend of amino acids, peptides, and vitamins to nourish the skin and boost its natural cellular renewal process. Thanks to its efficacious anti-aging formulas, it’s amassed quite the following, which is why we’re convinced this advent calendar won’t stay in stock for long. The box is stocked with all of the brand’s bestsellers, including The Cream moisturizer, The Rich Cream, and The Body Cream, so if you haven’t tried the brand yet and want a proper introduction, this might be your sign to take the plunge.

Includes: 12 mini and full-size skin care products

Value: $868

For an array of goodies, take this Bloomingdale’s Advent Calendar. Featuring products by brands like SK-II, Augustinus Bader, Kiehl’s, La Mer, Shiseido, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, and much, much more, every day is a delightful surprise. The $800 total value gets packaged down to $325, which, if you ask us, is a major steal.

Includes: 25 beauty products by various brands

Value: $800

The 25-day advent calendar by Jo Malone will cover all your beauty needs for the rest of the year. Multiple perfumes, some deeply nourishing creams, mood-enhancing candles and plenty more goodies are hidden in the playful compartments. Jo Malone truly makes every day feel like Christmas.

Includes: 25 mini colognes, candles, and body products

Jo Malone’s rating: 4.8/5 stars

A Jo Malone reviewer says: “I have been a Jo Malone loyalist for more than 20 years. I love everything about the brand and regularly get asked what scent I’m wearing (it’s a secret). So for Christmas, I splurged and gifted myself this Advent calendar. It’s worth well over $1000 and many of these items you can’t even buy retail.”

Drift into a sensual experience reminiscent of Provence as you open each new door of this Advent Calendar. With everything from hand creams to cleansing oils and intensive repair conditioners included inside, all your winter beauty needs are addressed. Let’s not forget how beautiful the box is, too. It’s a visual delight to see it sitting on your windowsill, instantly getting you into the holiday spirit.

Includes: 24 skincare, body, hair care, & fragrance items

Value: $369

As a leading publisher of fashion, lifestyle, and beauty content, ELLE.com is committed to highlighting the best products in various categories by personally testing the latest and most innovative products, interviewing countless experts, and vetting customer-loved items. For this piece, ELLE.com beauty writers Carol Lee and Bianca Kratky combed through the internet and the websites of popular makeup brands and retailers for the best luxury advent calendars, assessing each one based on their features and customer evaluations.