Now December is hot on our heels, there’s never been a better time to get your advent calendar bought. Several beauty advent calendars have already gone out of stock, but one of the best value is still available to buy – and it won’t break the bank.
At first glance, the GLOSSYBOX Beauty Advent Calendar for 2024 certainly looks like the bargain of the year. Priced at £85, it contains £585-worth of products – meaning you’re getting £500-worth more of stuff than you’re paying for. Better still, if you’re a GLOSSYBOX subscriber, you’ll get it even cheaper, for £70.
But is the GLOSSYBOX 2024 Advent Calendar really as good as it makes out? While it’s undoubtedly great value on paper, is it really full of stuff shoppers genuinely want, or is it full of bang average samples that simply add up to a nice total amount? I unboxed one to find out, before you decide to part with your hard-earned cash.
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While on paper, the hero product inside the GLOSSYBOX 2024 Advent Calendar is the Avant Hyaluronic-Filler Collagen eye Formula, worth £99, for me, it was a different skincare product that made my eyes light up. I was pretty chuffed to find a full-size bottle of Medik8 Hyrda8 B5 Serum inside, which is worth £45 on its own.
Now I’ve tested a lot of skincare products over the years, but it’s rare I find anything that even comes close to Medik8’s products. The brand, which is backed by science, is loved and used by renowned doctors, skincare fanatics and dermatologists, and it’s pretty easy to see why.
Medik8’s Hyrda8 B5 Serum is a fan favourite, and will prove an absolute god-send in the cold winter months, when my skin can become dry and flakey due to a lack of moisture. A ‘drink for the skin’, Medik8’s original hyaluronic acid serum floods multiple layers of the skin with multi-weight hyaluronic acid to leave it visibly plumped and supple, while effortlessly softening the look of fine lines. Delicious.
(Image: Rachel Pugh)
I’ll definitely be pairing the Medik8 serum with the Doctors Formula Probiotics Deep Hydration and Repairing Mask, also inside the advent calendar, which normally costs a whopping £89.
While it may not be the most expensive of all the items inside the advent calendar, another product which filled me with pleasure was the Beauty Pro Warming Eye Mask. Yes, it may only be worth £3, but as a sleepy girl, I LOVE a self-heating eye mask.
There’s something so comforting and luxurious about popping one of these on before bed. I use these a lot, and I know how well they help me sleep, so it was a welcome addition to the haul.
To aid even more restful sleep, I also found a bottle of grüum Calming Facial Mist, worth £16. While it’s designed for the face, I actually spritzed this on my pillow for ultimate relaxation, and it was such a treat.
(Image: Rachel Pugh)
Skin care and self-care aside, the GLOSSYBOX 2024 Advent Calendar is also jam-packed full of makeup bag essentials I know I’ll get a lot of use out of. The most exciting, for me, is the Made By Mitchell Drip Drip, which normally costs £16.
It’s meant as a blusher, but it’s a gorgeous glittery silver colour, which I’ll be using on my eyelids to give a pop of colour for a molten smokey look. It’s perfect for Christmas party season, and I’d bet money on you being just as blown away as I was when you see the pigment in it.
For more muted make-up, the Pixi Lip Glow tinted lip balm, worth £14, will no doubt prove popular. It’s perfect for popping in your handbag to give lips a rosy glow and much needed dose of moisture in chapped lip szn.
(Image: Rachel Pugh)
There’s also a MASSIVE eyeshadow palette inside, from beauty stalwart ICONIC London. The Thriving & Shining Eyeshadow Palette has loads of nude, brown and smoky shades which women of all complexions will be able to use throughout the autumn and winter months. That’s a winner for me.
Here’s everything inside the GLOSSYBOX 2024 Advent Calendar (worth £585) which you can BUY HERE:
- Medik8 Hyrda8 B5 Serum – Worth £45
- Pixi Lip Glow (Fleur) – Worth £14
- Bare Minerals Prime Time Primer – Worth £18
- Molton Brown Indian Cress Shampoo – Worth £5
- Molton Brown Indian Cress Conditioner – Worth £5
- Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturising Cleanser – Worth £10
- So Eco Wrist Wash Bands – Worth £5.99
- Glow Hub Buff Blush (Pinched) – Worth £12
- Sentier Persian Embrace Fragrance – Worth £31.82
- Sweed Lash Lift Mascara – Worth £22
- Beauty Works Argan Oil – Worth £5.99
- Aveeno Skin Relief Body Oil – Worth £9.49
- Avant Hyaluronic-Filler Collagen eye Formula – Worth £99
- GLOV Satin Sleep Mask (Gold) – Worth £21.37
- Mitchell & Peach English Leaf Candle – Worth £18
- Made By Mitchell Drip Drip – Worth £16
- Doctors Formula Probiotics Deep Hydration and Repairing Mask – Worth £89
- grüum Calming Facial Mist – Worth £16
- Ciate Velvet Lip Liner (Coco) – Worth £18
- L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Lotion – Worth £9
- Bondi Sands Everyday Gradual Tanning Milk – Worth £7.99
- Beauty Pro Warming Eye Mask – Worth £3
- Oulac Infinity Shine Moisture Shine Lipstick – Worth £8
- E.L.F Brow Lift Clear Wax – Worth £6
- E.L.F Brow Lift Applicator – Worth £4
- Rituals The Ritual of Ayurveda Hair & Body Mist – Worth £7
- Rituals The Ritual of Ayurveda Body Lotion – Worth £8.90
- Spectrum 3 Piece Brush Set – Worth £25
- Iconic London Thriving & Shining Eyeshadow Palette
(Image: Rachel Pugh)
You can snap up the Glossybox advent calendar here for £70 if you’re subscribed to the online retailer – otherwise, it’s £85. Elsewhere, skincare fans might want to check out the £79 Liz Earle 12 Days of Liz Earle Advent Calendar (Worth £178).
Lush’s iconic £190 advent calendar is also back for 2024, and contains an eye-watering number of goodies, most of which are full-sized. You can find it here.