Beauty and skincare advent calendars can offer good value for money – but only if you’re actually going to use the products, according to one expert.
As the festive cheer starts setting in, shopping experts like Nick Drewe are eyeing the true value of the myriad advent calendars cramming the market – each promising a delightful trove of goodies ranging from traditional chocolates to high-end perfume, jewellery and even pairs of shoes. Sifting through the seasonal offerings, this trend guru is scrutinising whether these calendars truly stack up to their affluent claims or if they’re just sugar-coating cheaper goods.
Nick Drewe, the savvy sleuth at Wethrift, has unboxed some of the most sought-after calendars to reveal the ones that offer bang for your buck this Christmas. He said: “Those who enjoy the novelty and experience of advent calendars, beauty, skincare, and fragrance calendars can be worth it. However, doing research on the contents and deciding whether you would buy these products separately is a good way to ensure you are getting true value.”
Topping his list is Selfridges with their opulent £250 beauty and skincare calendar, humbly proposing to pack £1,000 worth but in actuality, as Nick uncovers, it’s brimming with £1,067.54 – the crowning piece being the Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum priced at £69.
The renowned skincare brand No7 has unveiled its advent calendar for a price of £175, claiming to contain full-sized items valued at £514.39. However, experts have delved into the matter and found that the brand might just be selling itself short—the actual worth totalling at an impressive £524.75.
The priciest item identified was the sought-after No7 Labs Line Correcting Booster Serum, retailing individually at £44.95. Meanwhile, The Fragrance Shop also dishes out holiday calendars, setting you back £120— or a members’ price of £96—with the enclosed fragrances purportedly adding up to around £514.
Yet, Nick’s sagacious analysis pegged the assembled value of the full-size and mini bottles at a less-than-claimed but still remarkable £399.37. That said, accurately evaluating perfume advent calendars poses a challenge; frequently, brands do not market their miniatures directly, rendering their precise values obscure and pushing estimates to the fore rather than concrete prices.
To truly maximize the value of advent calendars, savvy shoppers should hunt for those tagged as “Hero” or “Full-sized”, ensuring each day reveals a full-sized product instead of lesser miniature or travel-sized offerings.
Moreover, calendars boasting “exclusive items” can spike in desirability and value for fans or aficionados of particular brands. Yet, Nick pointed out: “If you’re unlikely to use most of the items, you might consider an alternative or create a DIY advent calendar.”
