The Space NK beauty advent calendar 2025 is finally live, and it’s a festive masterpiece. Much like Liberty, Selfridges and Charlotte Tilbury (all of which are included in my guide to the best beauty advent calendars), the retailer is now taking orders for its cosmetics countdown after its waitlist opened in August.
Not only has the advent calendar sold out for three years in a row, but the products within this year’s haul are more exciting than ever, with a mix of both modern and classic brands – think: Rare Beauty and La Mer.
This year’s Space NK beauty advent calendar looks pretty in purple with bright lilac, red, turquoise and green packaging. While it’s roughly the same size as 2024’s offering, those hoping to buy will be happy to discover that this year’s bundle contains an extra two products, totalling 35. I made my way through each of the products to find out if the 2025 festive spectacle is the retailer’s best yet.
How I tested
It may only be September, but I unwrapped all 35 items included in Space NK’s beauty advent calendar (sorry, Santa) to understand what’s on offer – expect spoilers ahead. When reviewing, I paid attention to the following factors:
- Packaging: I assessed how Space NK’s lilac, red and green packaging would look in the home. I also gave the structure a good shake to establish whether it’s robust enough for reuse in future years.
- Variety of products: If you’re a glutton for beauty in every variety, from skin to hair and make-up, you’ll look to see a good selection of products across every category. With this in mind, I grouped all the formulas and accessories within their respective departments to get a better overview of what’s on offer.
- Brand selection: For £260, I expect to see a hefty number of high-end beauty brands alongside mid-range best-sellers and, in the case of trending formulas, a handful of affordable picks. Though with an estimated worth exceeding £1,000, I hoped the former category would lead the charge.
- Results: After testing the beauty products, I recorded any particular items that I loved and (if any) the ones that didn’t hit the mark, using this information to position Space NK’s product roster against similar market offerings.
- Value for money: Using all of the above as a guide, I gauged whether the stated worth of the calendar (£1,150) felt accurate from an appeal point of view.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Lucy Smith is The Independent’s beauty writer. Having written up more than 30 beauty advent calendar reviews for IndyBest (so far) in 2025, she’s an expert on the topic. She’s covered Space NK’s competitors – including Liberty and Sephora – and, if that wasn’t sufficient evidence of her knowledge, she’s also heading up The Independent’s guide to this year’s best beauty advent calendars. Here’s how Space NK fared by comparison.
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Space NK beauty advent calendar 2025
Worth: £1,150
Number of days: 25
Advent calendar highlights: Milk hydro grip set and refresh spray, K18 molecular repair hair oil, Phlur vanilla skin eau de parfum, Glossier birthday balm dot com lip balm
Available: Now
Why we love it
- More full-size products than any other calendar
- An even mix of products within each category, e.g. a varied selection of cleansers, toners, serums and moisturisers
- Includes 2025 new launches like Color Wow's dreaming advanced repair and resurfacing treatment and The Inkey List's ectoin hydro-barrier serum
Space NK beauty advent calendar packaging
The packaging is one of my favourites for 2025 and wraps up festive cheer in its glamorous and graphic lilac design. The box is sturdy enough to be reused as a DIY advent calendar, as if all the above wasn’t enough of a draw, Space NK ndulge members will earn an extra £5 back in rewards to spend after purchasing. So you can bump up the £1,150 worth by a fiver.
What’s inside the Space NK beauty advent calendar for 2025?
Space NK’s beauty advent calendar features 35 products, 26 of which are full-size – this is the highest number of full-size products I’ve seen in an advent calendar in 2025, and that includes Sephora’s legendary spread, which features 24 full-size products. Importantly, these full-size items aren’t just labelled as full-size on a technicality (i.e you can buy them independently in that miniature size). On the contrary, you’ll find a whopping 385ml shower oil from Sol de Janeiro’s delicia drench collection (£23, Spacenk.com), 210ml of Naturium’s niacinamide cleansing gelee £18.50, Spacenk.com) and 100ml of Olaplex’s no.6 bond smoother (£28, Spacenk.com).
Aside from the full-size inclusions, one of the main highlights of this calendar is the attention to what’s trending in 2025. For instance, you’ve got Japanese and Korean skincare from Tatcha and Laneige, new launches from the past year from Color Wow and The Inkey List. There are also some viral picks, including the K18 molecular repair hair oil (£65, Spacenk.com) and The Ordinary’s glycolic acid 7% exfoliating toner (£7.70, Theordinary.com).
The value of the calendar – an incredible £1,150 – feels as high in practice as it does on paper, with Augustinus Bader’s retinol serum (£150, Spacenk.com), a Westman Atelier baby cheeks blush stick (£44, Spacenk.com), and Medik8’s liquid peptides advanced MP (£79, Spacenk.com) exemplifying the high-end calibre of products included. After testing these products, I can certainly vouch for their quality. In particular, Phlur’s vanilla skin eau de parfum (£32, Spacenk.com) proved to be a perfect balance of sweetness and warmth for winter scenting. Likewise, I loved how moisturising Glossier’s birthday balm dotcom (£16, Spacenk.com) felt on my cracked lips.
Read more: I unboxed the Liberty beauty advent calendar – here’s my honest review
Buy now £260.00, Spacenk.com
Is the Space NK beauty advent calendar worth £260?
At the end of the day, yes, I really think the Space NK beauty advent calendar is worth £260. Yes, it’s a large sum to part with, but I’ve no doubt a true beauty fanatic (myself included) would be able to eke out every penny of the calendar’s full value. With its impressive number of full-size products, some of the contents may last you beyond 2026. This calendar has earned a spot in my top three calendars for 2025 and, for those eagerly eyeing it up, I’d recommend you head to the check-out pronto – I’m expecting it to sell out before the end of September. This truly is the retailer’s best yet.
Read more: Asos’ £98 beauty advent calendar is “very exciting” with Laneige, Mac and Elemis
