It’s that time of year again when we’re dusting off our autumnal wardrobe staples, the Gilmore Girls Netflix marathon has begun, and our bank accounts are mentally preparing for the onslaught of Christmas gifting — including a treat for ourselves in the form of an advent calendar. But not any ordinary advent calendar. A luxurious beauty one filled with complexion-boosting, smoothing and glow-inducing products because, well, we deserve it.
While there are a hefty bunch of beauty cals already out/available for pre-order — Cult Beauty, Sephora, Glossybox, Anthropologie, ESPA, to name just a few — Lookfantastic has released its glorious offering for a mere £100 and, as a massive fan of the brand’s monthly The Box, I was keen to get my mitts on it to see if it was worth your — and my — pay cheque.
Containing 27 face, hair and body products, the Lookfantastic Iconic Beauty Advent Calendar 2024 is worth over £565 and costs £100. Meaning you’re saving £465 on some of the industry’s most sought-after items from viral sensations to top quality toners and moisturisers.
Georgia Toffolo’s Muck Boot wellies are perfect for countryside and dog walks in wet weather
‘Salon-finish’ straighteners that leave hair feeling ‘shiny and soft’ are reduced by £85
All 27 goodies are neatly tucked into open boxes filled with paper shavings that have been placed inside a silver rectangular cube and fastened at the top with a ribbon. Releasing the ribbon, the front of the box drops, like a drawbridge (the other side of which bears the Lookfantastic logo on a midnight blue background), to reveal ten boxes.
The remaining 17 are sneakily tucked away in story-book-style pull-out drawers. It’s so cool and is something I’ll keep for storing my beauty products and jewellery.
My honest review of Lookfantastic’s Beauty Advent Calendar 2024
Now, the contents: I knew the calendar would be indulgent when the day one box revealed a full-size bottle of Medik8’s Press and Glow Tonic (worth £32). Having wanted to try this lovely, exfoliating toner for quite some time, it was a real treat to add to my skincare regime.
Upon first application, there was a slight tingle but that makes me think it’s working its magic. While I’ve not noticed a big difference in my skin yet, just a nice brightness, it’s surely a matter of time before I see the glow.
Moreover, receiving ELEMIS’ Pro-Collagen Marine Cream moisturiser was a great way to keep my supply topped up without the usual £64 dent in my bank account. While it is an eye-twitching figure for a moisturiser (and I’ll only get it in the sale here on out), it’s a great one, and I love its super-hydrating, glass-skin finish. It smells lovely, too — very subtle, but there’s a hint of herb and essential oils.
And, while I’m blessed (at the ripe age of 30) to not have wrinkles (yet), there are some expression and laughter lines on my forehead and eyes that aren’t quite as prominent on occasions and I wonder if it’s through regular ELEMIS application (or the placebo effect of doing so). Either way, it’s over half of the calendar’s price, so a real bargain.
Elsewhere, I cannot wait to try ESPA’s Tri-Active™ Regenerating Treatment Oil, This Works’ divine-smelling body wash and the hair bits, such as Wella Professionals Care Ultimate Repair Shampoo & Conditioner and Color Wow’s Raise the Root Thicken and Lift Spray. They’re making me seriously giddy for hair wash day.
The make-up tidbits including ICONIC London, Ciate and Anastasia Beverly Hills, were just fab as well. One that surprised me was Glow Hub’s Gen Gleam Lip Gloss in the shade Thirsty (which is only a tenner). The plumping peptides gave my lips a pleasant subtle tingle (plumping working), and the pinkish colour is muted enough to give your lips a bit of a colour boost — but not too bright that you’re channelling Barbie.
It wasn’t too sticky — which is what always puts me off gloss — and smelt like watermelon as a bonus. Since trying it, it’s gone straight into my handbag for everyday use when I’m out and about, and not sporting my usual red.
My excitement at receiving the M.A.C Cosmetics Lustreglass Sheer-Shine Lipstick in shade Hug Me was unmatched. While my usual shade is bright red (the Hollywood Vixen by Charlotte Tilbury, to be exact — go bold or go home, amiright?), Hug Me was a lovely nude that I found deep (and pink) enough to stand out.
After trying it a few times, I’m not sure how well it suits my skin tone, but for someone else it will be lush in autumn and winter. That being said, it silkily glides on and remains in place for hours, so I might just have to make it work.
Some of my other faves included the Iconic London’s Prep-Set-Glow Spray; I can see why Molly-Mae Hague loves it. The iridescent liquid is mesmerising when shaken and provides a lovely, subtle shimmer post-make-up — it’s refreshing after cleansing and wakes you up.
Ciaté’s London Glow-To Illuminating Blush in shade Sweet Kiss was like a blush and highlighter in one thanks to its pearly finish and was bold pigmentation, so kept my cheeks rosy for longer and applied like a dream. It’s definitely my new blush (sorry NARS!).
What lay inside box 25 was a golden nugget: Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette worth £48. From Urban Decay to Charlotte Tilbury to Revolution, my palette collection is impressive, so receiving this eyeshadow haul (complete with a brush) was glorious.
The colours are relatively neutral for a chic everyday look, but there are plenty of hues to perfect that smokey eye — be it brown or pinkish. The formula is relatively pigmented, so it glides onto your eyelid effortlessly and blends easily.
You can tell it’s good quality as it remained intact even hours after I applied it. It also comes with a neat little mirror in the lid, so it’s great for doing your make-up on the go.
Lastly, I was buzzing to receive the Sol De Janeiro Cheriosa Perfume 59 mist. Having heard so much about it but never taking the plunge to get it myself, it was such a treat to open door six and see the brand’s purple and white bottle staring at me; it’s worth the hype.
While not the most wintery of scents — it’s fruity, sweet and bright thanks to the vanilla, sugared violet and sandalwood — it is such a nice spritz to boost your mood (and aura) when out and about. And for my home, Rituals’ Ritual of Sakura candle smells so divine that it’s hard not to burn it all at once.
With advent calendars like these, not everything inside will inevitably fill you with joy — some things will be perfect for friends and family this Christmas. For example, I’ve already got three products I know my mum and mother-in-law will love: the Aveeno Daily Moisturising Body Lotion, the Avant Pro-Perfecting Collagen Primer and one of the two Peter Thomas Roth gel masks.
I didn’t quite see much difference in my under eyes after using The Ordinary’s Multi-Peptide Eye Serum and was slightly uneased when the £35 Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum didn’t have a pipette applicator, although this detail wasn’t promised in the description. It meant, however, that I needed to free-pour the expensive product straight onto my hand — a bit dangerous for someone who’s as clumsy as I am. Putting that aside, I was sad when I realised the formula didn’t agree with my skin as it made it slightly rouge in places.
The verdict?
All in all, Lookfantastic’s Iconic Beauty Advent Calendar 2024 is what the name suggests: Iconic. Packed with legendary beauty brands and gorgeous new products, it’ll keep your complexion luminous, hair voluminous, and make-up game strong throughout the festive period.
And while it’d be nice to have all the full-size products, beggars can’t be choosers (for a £465 saving), and it just means I can remain beautified and glowy on trips away with all the lovely minis I’ve acquired. As I’ve only given you a snippet of what’s inside, if you want to know the entire contents of Lookfantastic’s Iconic Beauty Advent Calendar 2024, see the full list of goodies here.
As we highlighted at the top of this review, there are a wave of other beauty brand advent calendars to pamper with in the lead up the Christmas. As Cult Beauty, Sephora, Glossybox, Anthropologie, ESPA are also available to buy.
