The glamorous older sister to chocolate countdowns, beauty advent calendars (we have rounded up the best ones here) are the new festive tradition that more often than not sell out. From Harrods and Liberty to Charlotte Tilbury and M&S, these countdowns for skincare, haircare and make-up lovers treat you right through to Christmas Day.
Packaging up the best of its acclaimed beauty aisles, Boots is one of the most anticipated calendars and for 2025, the retailer has launched not one but two Christmas countdowns: the 24 beauty stars luxury advent calendar (£150, Boots.com) and the 24 days of skin advent calendar (£70, Boots.com).
Both offer stellar value for money, but the beauty stars countdown is particularly appealing. Worth more than £600, the 24-day bonanza features brands like brands like Drunk Elephant, Sol De Janeiro, Nars, Elemis and Benefit.
With some beauty advent calendars now costing upwards of £200 (see Selfridges, Liberty and Harvey Nichols), the Boots line-up is pleasingly affordable. Spanning moisturisers, primers, cleansers and eye creams, it will stock you up on skincare for the new year ahead, while adding some excitement to your festive countdown with make-up from the likes of Fenty, Mac and Laura Mercier.
If you’re weighing up which beauty advent calendar to indulge in for 2025 (there are more than 50 on the market), I got my hands on the stalwart’s flagship countdown – here’s my verdict.
Read our full guide to 2025’s best beauty advent calendars here
How I tested
Opening each drawer ahead of December (sorry, not sorry), I sought to see how the Boots’ calendar compares to stiff competition from the likes of Lookfantastic, Selfridges, Liberty and more.
- Value for money: Considering the size of each product and cost of the calendar, I weighed up whether the Boots line-up offered value for money. The brand claim you’re saving more than £400 on the contents of the calendar.
- Sizes: Similarly, I noted the size of each of the beauty products, assessing whether they were full-size or deluxe, while considering how long each formula would last beyond the Christmas period.
- Variety: I looked for variety among the products in the calendar, in order to make each day of December special. Whether it was a luxury moisturiser or a party-ready lipstick, I wanted the products to to spark a festive feeling despite it being early.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
As The Independent’s senior shopping writer, Daisy Lester has been covering beauty at IndyBest for years, from expert guides on fake tan to lip oils and lip liners. She’s reviewed the best beauty advent calendars since 2022, testing brands from Selfridges, John Lewis and Lookfantastic to Charlotte Tilbury and plenty more. When it comes to Boots, this is the second year in a row she’s tested the retailer’s offering – so she’s prime placed to see how it compares against previous iterations and competitors.
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Boots 24 beauty stars luxury advent calendar
Worth: £600
Number of days: 24
Number of products: 24
Beauty advent calendar highlights: Estée Lauder advanced night cleanser, Drunk Elephant protini polypeptide cream, Benefit hoola bronzer, Laniege lip balm, Milk multi-use dewy cream highlighter, Mac lip pencil
Why we love it
- Huge variety of products
- Big name brands
- Viral products
- Particularly good skincare and make-up gifts
- Affordable
Take note
- Not one for haircare or fragrance lovers
Boots’s flagship advent calendar for 2025, the beauty stars line-up boasts an overall value of £612 but sets you back £150.
There’s a lot to get excited about – but first thing’s first, let’s talk about the packaging. This year, the calendar is designed with a circus theme. The lid lifts to reveal the slogan “enjoy the show”, with each box decorated in stripes, stars, swirls, checks and diamonds. The colour palette of reds, purples, pinks, purples and golds is garish but vibrant – the perfect festive combination. However, the sturdy box isn’t too festive to dissuade you from using it year-round for storage (particularly if you love maximalist decor).
When it comes to products, you’re treated to 24 gifts in the run-up to Christmas Eve. The line-up is skincare-leaning with 12 face and body formulas, nine make-up products, one fragrance and two hair treatments. A whopping 16 products are full-size, including from big-ticket brands like Drunk Elephant, Nars, Caudal and Estée Lauder.
Skincare-wise, Drunk Elephant’s protini polypeptide cream (£21, Boots.com) is a highlight. The lightweight gel-based cream is perfect for oily or combination skin types, working to firm and nourish. Soothing party-season skin as you go into 2026, there’s also Shiseido’s vital perfection eye mask (single pack included, £57.60 for 12, Boots.com) and Lancôme’s genifique ultimate serum (7ml included, £66.50 for 50ml, Boots.com).
A roster of excellent lip products are also in tow – think Laneige’s strawberry pink lip glowy balm (£17.50, Boots.com) and Too Faced’s kissing jelly lip oil gloss in the shimmery Pina colada shade (£21, Boots.com), as well as Fenty’s hydrating liquid lipstick in an dusty pink hue (£17.50, Boots.com), Mac’s lip pencil in a similarly everyday shade (£20, Boots.com) and a mini Mac lipstick in the warm berry red velvet teddy shade (£25, Boots.com).
Elsewhere in make-up, the countdown includes Milk’s multi-use dewy cream highlighter (£19.80, Boots.com), Laura Mercier’s cult-favorite translucent powder (£30.80, Boots.com) and Benefit’s hoola bronzer (£24.75, Boots.com), a personal favourite for a subtle contour.
The electric line-up really does have something for everyone. Teens will steal the Sol De Janeiro viral cheirosa 76 body mist (£18, Boots.com), grandparents will love Estee Lauder’s anti aging advanced night cleanser (£31.45, Boots.com) and mum’s will delight in Caudalie’s bestselling vinohydra moisturising mask (£24, Boots.com) or Aveda’s botanical repair strengthening leave-in hair treatment (£35.50, Boots.com).
Buy now £150.00, Boots.com
The verdict: Boots beauty stars advent calendar
If you’re looking to try a range of beauty – from cult classics to viral products – without committing to full-size formulas, then the Boots 24-day beauty stars calendar is for you. The varied line-up spans skincare staples from the likes of Drunk Elephant, Estée Lauder and Origins but also delivers on the make-up front with Mac, Fenty, Milk and Iconic. A crowd-pleasing calendar that doesn't scrimp on big name brands, the Boots calendar offers one of the best value-for-money countdowns. With 16 full-size formulas and a £150 price tag, it’s sure to sell out.
From Liberty to M&S, Selfridges, Space Nk and more, discover the best beauty advent calendar for 2025
