by Beauty look calendars have become the highlight of the holiday shopping season, selling out before you can click buy or join a waiting list. That’s understandable, it’s a delightful way to bring some festive cheer to a dark, cold December after all, and a much-needed seasonal hit of dopamine through a daily dose of beauty. Beyond that, they also provide a smart way to try a select selection of products in smaller sizes before investing in a full-size version, but there’s another, unrecognized bonus here too. Instead of doing the last-minute sweep of the airport drugstore for minis (guilty…), the bounty you’ll find in advent beauty calendars works just as well perfect for travel addicts. And, if you like the product enough to buy the full size, the smaller container makes it easy to decant and reuse as your own travel mini.
With so many beauty look calendars on offer, finding the perfect one can be overwhelming. Our tip: use your travel style to find the perfect match and get in fast.
Best for frequent travelers
If you’re constantly on the go, let the attendance calendar take the stress out of your travels by giving you what you’ve got Really I want for next year. The Real Techniques 25 Days Of Beauty Advent Calendar, £80 contains 25 makeup application tools including sponges and other beauty essentials and also contains 6 mini brushes which are some of the best travel brushes out there. It may not be as fancy as other calendars, but it is very, very useful. Similarly, the OPI Jewel Be Bold Advent Calendar, £79.90 is great for having a wide variety of nail polish shades to change your shade at will and have a new shade for every trip you take.
Finally, Harry’s Advent Calendar, £69 is the gift that keeps on giving and contains a festive red Truman razor, refills, bases, nail clippers and a huge range of travel toiletries and a bag to house it all.
Best for carrying in luggage only
If impromptu, carry-on-only city breaks are your jam, then these advent calendars are for you. Granted, the mini beauty shopping that comes with advent calendars is the perfect size for your carry-on requirements, but it’s also a fun way to experiment with new products and new looks when you’re in new cities and feeling a little extra. unhindered. Check out Liberty’s £245 Advent Beauty Calendar, curated by the experts and featuring 30 of their shoppers’ must-haves (12 are full-size products) from beautiful Le Labo fragrance to super cool Uoma make-up.
For multi-destination travel enthusiasts
Chances are, the scent of a hotel lobby or jasmine flowers warmed by the afternoon sun are so evocative that whenever you smell them, or even something similar, you’ll be reminded of your most cherished vacation in an instant. The reason: the olfactory bulb runs from the nose to the base of our brain and connects to our amygdala, the part of our brain that processes emotion, and the hippocampus, which takes care of memory. Some studies report higher levels of brain activity from olfactory stimuli than from visual stimuli. This is why scent is such a vital part of our travels, and having a selection of scents can help embody and recall incredible memories. Having a new scent for each place we visit can really help incorporate this.
Penhaligon’s Doors Of Wonder Advent Calendar, £375 is the perfect gift for fragrance and travel lovers. It contains a selection of classic 10ml fragrances for everyone, mini candles (perfect for making a holiday rental more intimate), as well as helpful scented body products that ensure each destination on your trip has its own scent identity. Likewise, the Dior Advent Calendar, £470 (available 15 October) is also a sight to behold – this calendar is gorgeous – and also contains eight fragrances including the iconic Sauvage and the timeless Miss Dior, as well as mini candles, skincare and make-up to ensure every leg of your journey smells divine.
Best for spa and retreat lovers
Having a kit of cooling beauty products on hand is the perfect way to take the spa experience with you where you live, especially if you want to induce a little relaxation every day in your AirBnB, for example. Try the Decléor Advent Calendar, £125, which contains 24 mini skin and body products to help you create restorative rituals wherever you are – they even provide a towel ribbon for the full spa experience. The essential oils in the products mean you get an aromatic healing hit as well as a skin-nourishing boost, and the Green Mandarin Night Balm in this diary is a firm favourite. Check out ESPA’s Wellness Advent Calendar, £160, too, which contains scented mini products to bring that spa feel wherever you live, and if you’re a fan of fitness retreats use the Fitness Bath Salts after anything strenuous for some serious relaxation and muscle recovery.
Best for longer stays
Being away from home for extended periods can feel a bit unnerving and annoying. The period is often very short Really neat, but long enough to want to make it your own and feel familiar. That’s where these brilliant attendance calendars could come in very handy indeed. If your space could use a little homey touch, try the Cowshed Advent Calendar, £130, which evokes a sense of pampering with a selection of fragrant and evocative scented skin and body care products that are as useful as they are comforting.
Best for the life of the party
If the more voluptuous side of Ibiza, Mykonos and Miami are the highlights of your year, now is the time to take advantage of the mini makeup products that advent calendars have to offer. They are vital as clutch bag fasteners and save you from losing a full size product on a night out, followed by untold misery the next morning. Try Charlotte Tilbury’s Advent Calendar, £150 for a mix of useful treats from mini eyeliners and mascaras to a full-size eye shadow pencil and highlighter. It will ensure that all your melted makeup essentials are covered. If you prefer a more colorful approach to make-up, try Mac’s Advent Calendar, £165, which contains 24 essential MAC products (and 16 full-size products), including mini lipsticks (ideal for a micro bag), eyeshadows and premium products such as a handy mini setting spray to show off your hard work.
Best for global travelers
Craving the winter sun in St. Lucia? And enjoy a trip to the ski slopes of Courchevel? For those exposed to different climates and fluctuating temperatures, a mostly skin care diary is essential to see you through the next 12 months of travel. Clinique’s 24 Days of Clinique Favorites Advent Calendar, £150 contains a wealth of skincare with some body and make-up essentials to ensure you’ve got every climate and situation covered (Clinique’s Moisture Surge will become your new must-have cold weather, guaranteed.) If it’s mostly skin and body care you’re after, then the £450 Dr Barbara Sturm Advent Calendar contains a range of science-backed luxury skincare products in a mix of sizes to cover every possible destination on the annual list your. Anti-Pollution Drops are perfect for city breaks to help eliminate free radical damage, while Enzyme Cleanser cleanses away dirt and gently lifts dead skin cells to keep your skin free of debris on trips to the sweaty beach.
If you love the great outdoors
If you’re a fan of camping, glamping or just living somewhere without the basics, then a diary that takes care of all these beauty essentials is a must. The Body Shop Box Of Wonders Big Advent Calendar, £95, contains 25 products with a mix of body butter, shampoo, body wash and other useful minis to cover all your beauty needs and then some. It also supports communities in Ghana with income equity and access to healthcare and education projects and the diary itself can be repurposed as a mini set of drawers to hold your beauty stash. Meanwhile, L’Occitane’s Classic Advent Beauty Calendar, £55 contains 24 travel-sized wonders, from the iconic Shea Butter Hand Cream to the skin-softening Almond Shower Oil that covers all your essentials in a recyclable calendar.
