H&IS Christmas List: Luxury advent calendars you'll love

In the latest in our H&IS Christmas List series, we highlight our favourite advent calendars that offer a luxe treat for every day of December

Curated by Adrianne Webster

The festive season can be a bit much at times. The shopping stress, the dark mornings and nights, the endless Christmas songs on the radio… With that in mind, why not treat yourself to a luxury advent calendar that will add a little bit of joy to your December days?

The below calendars offer excellent quality products, as well as value for money, and would make a great gift for yourself or a loved one. Enjoy!

ESPA Wellbeing Advent Calendar, £149, Look Fantastic

Inject a sense of wellbeing into your life with this luxurious wellness calendar from ESPA. Coming complete with miniature versions of beloved products like the Fortifying Bath & Body Oil and the Refining Skin Polish, it’s perfect for helping you destress and unwind ahead of the chaos of the 25th.

Its minimalist moss green design will look gorgeous in any design lover’s home, too.

The calendar comes with:

Modern Alchemy Purifying Polish 55ml
Active Nutrients Super Nourish Glossing Shampoo 50ml
Active Nutrients Super Nourish Glossing Conditioner 50ml
Pink Hair and Scalp Mud 30ml
Tri-Active™ Regenerating Define and Tighten Body Serum 30ml
ESPA Winter Spice Scented Ceramic Ornament
Fortifying Bath & Body Oil 15ml
Active Nutrients Yuzu and Ginger Cleansing Sorbet 15ml
Fitness Shower Gel 30ml
Muscle Rescue Balm 15g
Active Nutrients Optimal Skin Pro-Serum 10ml
Tri-Active™ Regenerating Phyto-Collagen Plumping Mask 30ml
Refining Skin Polish 15ml
Active Nutrients Isotonic Hydration Mask 30ml
Tri-Active™ Regenerating Moisture Complex 15ml
Active Nutrients Optimal Body Tri-Serum 10ml
Winter Spice Votive Candle 70g
Tri-Active™ Resilience Pro-Biome Moisturiser 15ml
Active Nutrients Optimal Skin Pro-Cleanser 50ml
Tri-Active™ Resilience SOS Skin Clearing Serum 10ml
Fitness Bath Salts 55g
Positivity Pulse Point Oil 9ml
Overnight Glow Enzyme Peel 15ml
Nourishing Lip Treatment 5ml
Depuff and Soothe Eye Gel 15ml

Cult Beauty Advent Calendar, £200

With an overall worth clocking in at over £1000, you more than get your money’s worth with this year’s Cult Beauty calendar.

Packed with luxury full-size and travel-size products from brands like Jo Loves, Olaplex, Supergoop!, Elemis and Augustinus Bader, it’s perfect for beauty fans who like a chic product that looks just as good on their dressing table as on their skin.

Here’s what it comes with:

Full-size products

19/99 Beauty full size Precision Colour Pencil in ‘Barna’ (1.1g)
bareMinerals full size MINERALIST Gloss-Balm in a random selection of ‘Heart’ or ‘Serenity’ (4ml)
Biossance full size Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream (15ml)
Conserving Beauty full size Conserve You Face Oil (30ml)
Cult Beauty full size Compact Mirror – Cult Beauty Christmas Print 2023
Cult Beauty full size Satin Sleep Mask – Cult Beauty Christmas Print 2023
Cult Beauty full size Satin Pillowcase in ‘Ivory’
Dieux Skin full size Tattoo Forever Eye Mask
Dr. LEVY Switzerland full size R3 Cell Matrix Mask (50ml)
Hair Gain full size Hair Gummies (60 gummies)
Herlum full size Copa Dew Oil (50ml)
Huda Beauty full size Cheeky Tint Blush Stick in ‘Coral Cutie’ (5g)
Kinship full size Supermelt Vegan Lip Jelly Mask (10g)
Medik8 full size Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye 3 (15ml)
REN Clean Skincare full size Bio Retinoid Youth Serum (30ml)
RÓEN full size Eyes on Me Eyeshadow Palette (3.68g)
Saie full size Glowy Super Gel in ‘Starglow’ (30ml)
Summer Fridays full size CC Me Serum (30ml)
Sunday Riley full size Good Genes Glycolic Acid Treatment (30ml)
VOTARY full size Super Sensitive Cleansing Cream (100ml)

Deluxe sizes

amika deluxe Hydro Rush Intense Moisture Leave-In Conditioner (30ml)
BYREDO deluxe mascara in ‘Astronomical’ (4ml)
Dr. Barbara Sturm deluxe Hyaluronic Serum (3ml)
OUAI Haircare deluxe Scalp & Body Scrub in ‘Melrose Place’ (30g)

Travel sizes

Augustinus Bader travel size The Rich Cream (15ml)
Benefit travel size Fluff Up Brow Wax in ‘Clear’ (3ml)
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare travel size Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel (3 treatments)
ELEMIS travel size Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream (50ml)
Fable & Mane travel size HoliRoots Pre-Wash Strengthening Treatment Hair Oil (14.4ml)
Glow Recipe travel size Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream (20ml)
Hair by Sam McKnight travel size Happy Endings Nourishing Balm (30ml)
Jo Loves travel size A Home Candle – Roasted Chestnuts (70g)
Natasha Denona travel size Bronze & Glow (4g)
OLAPLEX travel size No.3 Hair Perfector (30ml)
Paula’s Choice travel size Clear Cleanser (30ml)
Philip Kingsley travel size Elasticizer Therapies Bluebell Woods (75ml)
Supergoop! travel size Unseen Sunscreen SPF 30 (15ml)
The Seated Queen travel size Cold Cream (50ml)
VERDEN travel size Herbanum Bath Oil (55ml)

Coco Chocolate Advent Calendar, £39.95

For those who like a good old traditional advent calendar but fancy something a bit more upmarket this year, there are worse choices than this one from Scottish chocolatiers Coco.

This year’s calendar comes with 24 mini bars totalling 480 grams of single origin chocolate altogether, ethically sourced in Colombia.

The box itself is a work of art, and was designed by Hola Lou, an artist, designer and muralist based in Mexico. She takes inspiration from her Latin roots and surroundings for her use of colour and shape in her designs.

Arran Aromatics Advent Calendar, £70

Scottish personal and home fragrance brand Arran Aromatics have released their Christmas advent calendar for 2023 and it’s packed with a range of coastal-inspired fragrances, including After the Rain, Glenashdale, Seaweed & Sage, Lochranza and their newest range, Kildonan.

As well as bestselling favourites, they’ve included two limited edition seasonal scents, Forest Frost & Rowanberry Embers. Worth over £150 altogether, this calendar is perfect for those who like to create the perfect mood in their living spaces during the festive season.

The calendar contains:

After the Rain Soap 40g
Glenashdale Bath & Shower Gel 50ml
Glenashdale Body Lotion 30ml
Forest Frost 8cl Candle
After the Rain Shampoo 50ml
After the Rain Conditioner 30ml
Glenashdale Soap 40g
Seaweed & Sage Bath & Shower Gel 50ml
Seaweed & Sage Body Lotion 30ml
Rowanberry Embers 8cl Candle
Glen Rosa 15ml EDT
Lochranza 25g Soap
Kildonan Bath & Shower Gel 30ml
After the Rain Body Lotion 30ml
Machrie Bath & Shower Gel 30ml
Seaweed & Sage Shampoo 50ml
Kildonan Shampoo 30ml
Machrie 25g Soap
After the Rain 8cl Candle
Lochranza Bath & Shower Gel 30ml
Seaweed & Sage Soap 40g
Glenashdale Shampoo 50ml
Kildonan Body Lotion 30ml
After the Rain Bath & Shower 50ml
After the Rain 15ml EDP

Dr. Barbara Sturm Advent Calendar, £450

Few do skincare as well as Dr. Barbara Sturm. Her famous formulations have gained a cult celebrity following, with the likes of Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss and Gwyneth Paltrow listing her products as amongst their must-haves.

Included in the box, worth over £1,118, is…

Super Anti-Ageing Cleansing Cream (Deluxe Size, 20ml)
Lip Balm (Mini, 3g)
Darker Skin Tones Hyaluronic Serum (Mini, 10ml)
Face Cream (Deluxe Size, 20ml)
Face Mask (Deluxe Size, 20ml)
Super Anti-Ageing Night Cream (Deluxe Size, 15ml)
The Better B Niacinamide Serum, (Mini, 10ml)
Super Anti-Ageing Face Cream (Discovery Size, 3.5ml)
Lifting Serum, (Mini, 10ml)
Hyaluronic Serum (Mini, 10ml)
Anti-Ageing Body Cream (Deluxe Size, 50ml)
Balancing Toner (Deluxe Size, 30ml)
Clarifying Mask (Deluxe Size, 20ml)
The Good C Vitamin C Serum (Mini, 10ml)
Molecular Hair and Scalp Comb
Super Anti-Ageing Neck and Decollete Cream (Discover Size, 3.5ml)
Super Anti-Ageing Eye Cream (Discovery Size, 3.5ml)
Anti-Pollution Drops (Mini, 10ml)
Calming Serum (Mini, 10ml)
Make-up Remover (Deluxe, 50ml)
Enzyme Cleanser (Deluxe, 20g)
Clarifying Face Cream (Deluxe, 20ml)
Night Serum (Mini, 10ml)
Super Anti-Ageing Hand Cream (Full Size, 50ml)
Glow Drops (Full Size, 30ml)

Hotel Chocolat Advent Calendar, £75

Another one for the chocolate lovers. Hotel Chocolat’s The Grand Advent Calendar contains the brand’s signature melt-in-the-mouth decadent chocolate slabs, batons and truffles, so that you can discover a new indulgent treat each day in the run-up to Christmas.

It also comes with boozy favourites like the Cacao Gin and Salted Caramel Cacao Vodka that you can enjoy at the weekend cosied up on the sofa.