Short Review of 5 Popular Advent Calendars

Click here for Part 1, where we discussed what is the main idea behind an advent calendar, are they worth the fuss, and what is the best time to buy one.

There are hundreds of advent calendars out there. The choice which ones to get is getting harder and harder every year. Probably the best idea is to grab what your favorite brand is releasing. At least that way the chances of you liking the products are much better. This year, I have made it my purpose to watch as many advent unboxings as possible, so I am able to report back my impressions.

Balea Advent Calendar – The Economic Choice

For those of you, who have not heard about Balea, it is a quite cheap brand, offered in the DM stores around Europe. Every year, they release male and female advent calendars that cost only 14,95 euros each, but they are worth around 80. They mainly contain white cosmetics like body and hair care in sample sizes, but the packages are limited Christmas edition and the scents are just divine! I had this advent calendar a couple of years ago and still remember the delicious biscuit smell of most of the products. They were also very useful for traveling as they were the perfect size for hand luggage.

I really like the fact that the brand is producing a male calendar, as well. I feel like there are tons of choices for women and not so many for men. I would definitely recommend the Balea calendars, especially to those of you, who would like to join the advent hype, but are not willing to pay a bag of money for it.

Essence – The Very Affordable Box

I love Essence as a brand and every year I am checking out their advent calendar in the hopes it will be worth it to buy it. Unfortunately, I was left disappointed again.

This year, the design of the calendar was quite nice – it looked like a jewelry box with three drawers. Its price was really good, as well – only 24,99 euros. Then what was the problem?

It just left me with the impression it is targeted towards children, not adults. It was better than last year, when we received penguin nail stickers, but, still, they were there with another design. I also disliked the hair ties (also for children, in my opinion), the mirror, the nail file and the face stickers. There were 3 nail polishes in the calendar. As I do not do my nails myself, for me, they would have been totally useless. That makes 8 of 24 products that I would not have used at all.

What I would recommend, instead, is to grab the Essence DIY boxes. There were two of them released for this advent with full-sized products and also on lower prices (19,99 euros each) than the regular calendar. The only disadvantage is that you would have to place the gifts in the provided small bags by yourself, instead of opening boxes.

Revolution -Different Choices, Different Prices

I’ve seen at least three different Revolution advent calendars being unboxed so far this year, one of which I really wanted to buy for myself. And I know there are three more. So, basically, they have come up with something for everyone.

The pink advent calendar with 24 + 1 surprises costed 49,99 euros, but at the moment is discounted to 30 euros. The products inside are quite diverse with 6 lip products, 6 accessories, a bunch of face products like contour, blush and highlighter, and, of course, a lot of eye makeup. I do believe the price is fair for everything that you get and would have chosen that one if I haven’t seen the Revolution Deluxe Advent Calendar.

Its price was originally 120 pounds, but eventually dropped to 80. What tempted me to choose this one was the fact it contains 4 big eyeshadow pallets and highlighter, blusher and contour pallets, as well. Pallets, not single-color products! After the discount, the price is totally worth it and if you are a fan of Revolution, you won’t regret getting it.

The last calendar I saw is the Revolution x Friends Advent Calendar. To be honest, I did not like that one at all. The original price was 49,99 euros, but they’ve discounted it to 34,99. What I don’t like is you only get 12 products, when a calendar with 25 is available on lower price! What you are paying so much for is the Friends branding, which does not give additional value to the cosmetics, in my opinion.

Lush -Welcome to the Expensive Side

I absolutely love Lush! Their Mask of Magnaminty saved me from maskne and I will be forever grateful. So their advent calendar definitely presented a temptation. So why have I resisted?

First of all, the price. The calendar costed 185 pounds and the products in it were worth 240. I am not saying that 55 pounds are not good savings, but I’ve definitely seen better. My second reason was that I do not own a bathtub and 13 out of 24 products were bath-related. Not to mention that the box did not look Christmassy at all. Although, it was a reusable box, so that maybe explains it.

All of the above are just my opinions, as many vloggers did enjoy the calendar and recommended it. I wish next year Lush puts in more diverse products, so I can enjoy a Christmas box, as well.

Elle – Biggest Value for Money

According to the advent queen (Eltoria) herself, the Elle Beauty Advent Calendar was the best one for 2021. The regular price was 149 pounds, but there were several discounts so far. And its worth is 652 pounds, which, in my opinion, is just INSANE! Inside you can find high-end hair, makeup, body and skincare products, all of which best-selling beauty must-haves.

So if you are a fan of Nuxe, Fenty Beauty, Sisley, Benefit, Aveda, Barbara Sturm, or Elizabeth Arden this is the advent calendar for you! In my opinion, however, the Sephora Favorites calendar is a better choice, as the products inside are way more diverse and also from famous brands like Charlotte Tilbury, Carolina Herrera, Huda Beauty and many others.

All the above mentioned advent calendars are great choices for people that enjoy beauty products. But if you are looking for something more unique, watch out for the next post 🙂

Photos: Internet