As the brand behind our favourite lip liner (’subculture’, for anyone asking: £20, Maccosmetics.co.uk), pressed powder and mascara, we had high hopes for Mac’s advent calendar offering this year. Upon unboxing, we were thrilled to see the viral Macstack mascara among the goodies, as well as not one, but two, lip liners in the supremely wearable shades of ‘spice’ (a cult fave) and ‘whirl’.
Other highlights included the clear lip glass – a must in a world obsessed with no make-up make-up – and the colour excess gel pencil, which we’ll be adopting in a Charli XCX-esque manner, smudged all round.
Some elements we were perhaps disappointed with were the inclusion of sample sizes, something most brands have moved past in 2024, as well as an eye mask that felt a tad flimsy. Given the calendar’s premium price, which exceeds that of LOOKFANTASTIC and Harvey Nichols (wherein there are no giveaway-like sample sizes), we’d have hoped to see these minute tubes thrown in as extras.
Of course, there’s still £265 of savings to be had here and this is certainly apparent in the four full-size lipsticks. Our favourite? It has to be Macximal in ‘taupe’ – it’s the ultimate autumn-winter shade with a warm, neutral tone.
Read more: Best men’s advent calendars for 2024, tried and tested
We were pleased with the number of individual eyeshadows here, too – four in total – and, if you’ve still got your empty Mac pro palette (circa 2012), they’re the perfect festive shades to slot in for an effortless sweep of shine on the lids. The tinted lip glass in ‘oh baby’ is a little bold for frequent wear, though we can certainly see it’d be a perfect pick for darker skin tones.
Speaking of skin tones, there is a lack of foundations, concealers and powders, as mentioned previously, though we would have liked to see some blusher or bronzer. This is something that multiple competitors have done as an approach to including face-base products and Mac’s mineralise blush is an ever-popular pick. Here’s hoping for 2025…
The packaging, we must say, is impressive, with day 24’s gift (we won’t spoil it for you) revealing itself on a raised platform as you open its lid. The ornate gold wrap is luxurious and the addition of this calendar to your side table or console will be a flourish of festivity to admire in the build up to Christmas.