Benefit’s 2024 beauty advent calendar is out now, priced at £156 but with contents worth almost double that. Beauty editor Laura has already had a look inside – and is impressed…
As a beauty editor, I’ve been busy having a look at plenty of beauty advent calendars this autumn – including Charlotte Tilbury, Elemis and L’Occitane – to let you know which ones are really worth your money – and I think Benefit’s 2024 offering is one of most unique I’ve ever seen.
This year’s Benefit advent calendar is called The Gorgeous Grocer, costs £156, and is available to buy from stockists such as Sephora, Boots and John Lewis, as well as Benefit’s own website (read on for an additional offer currently on at Boots). As its name hints at, 2024’s innovative design looks like a shopping basket, filled with some of the brand’s bestselling make-up and skincare products, including BADGal Bang! Mascara and Gimme Brow+ Brow Gel.
Like all beauty advent calendars, the value is worth much more than you pay, too; in this case it’s almost double, with the content inside worth over £295. Here’s why I think it’s worth considering…
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Pros
- Unique packaging, and can be used for storage afterwards
- Contains some of Benefit’s bestsellers
- Minis are handy for travel
Cons
- A lot of the products are very small
- Some of the make-up shades won’t suit everyone
- Less luxe-looking than some others
The packaging
Designed to look like a supermarket shopping basket and in an on-brand shade of bright pink, this advent calendar ‘box’ is perhaps the most original I’ve every seen. The 24 boxes fit neatly inside, and it’s all very cute and compact. While the cardboard inner boxes might not last many years, the basket certainly will, and would make excellent bathroom or bedroom storage once it’s empty.
The contents
I was happy to find some of my all-time favourite Benefit products inside, including Precisely, My Brow Pencil, The POREfessional Deep Retreat Pore-Clearing Clay Mask, and four out of six of the brand’s excellent mascaras, including a full size tube of BADGal Bang!. The 24 products are a mix of full size (four), mini (five) and fun size (15). While I would have liked to have seen a few more larger sizes inside, these minis are super-handy for travel, and a good way to test shades before buying a full size one.
Speaking of shades, this is where this Benefit calendar won’t be suitable for everyone. While there are a lot of universally suitable items, two of the brow products are tinted, and it’s unlikely that a recipient would use all five of the cheek shades. It’s a good idea to check these shades before you buy it, to avoid potentially not being able to use a number of the products.
The value
Costing £156 but worth over £295, which isn’t as high of a saving as some beauty advent calendars, but you’re getting almost double you’re money’s worth. In fact, if you were to buy the first seven products in the contents list you’d have to spend £157, so you’re technically getting an additional 17 products free – which, if you’re a Benefit fan or younger make-up lover, you’re going to love.
And if you’re buying this from Boots, shoppers will also receive an additional free Benefit gift of four extra mini products when they spend over £50 on the brand.
If you are after a greater cost to value ratio, not much beats Cult Beauty’s Advent Calendar, which is £235 but worth £1,100.
Boots 24 Days of Beauty Christmas Advent Calendar is another great option at £99 but worth over £365.
