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Benefit’s beauty advent calendar is the perfect gift that keeps on giving

It’s worth more than double the price you’ll pay for it

Sabine Wiesel

Tuesday 04 October 2022 11:08 BST

We’ve unwrapped mini versions of the brand’s cult-classic products (iStock/The Independent)

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It may be too early to mention Christmas for some, but if you want any chance of getting hold of a beauty advent calendar you need to act fast. The best ones sell out quickly, and if previous years are anything to go by, we’re predicting Benefit’s beauty advent calendar will fly off the virtual beauty shelves too.

Every year, the beauty advent calendar offering gets bigger and bigger. We’re not only talking about the amount that’s available, with everyone from famous department stores to your favourite beauty brands counting down December with beauty treats, but the actual size and value of the contents too.

Naturally, the more extravagant the offering, the larger the price tag, and, in the current climate, it prices many out of treating themselves to an advent calendar done the beauty way.

Yet, those quick of the mark will still find some reasonably priced offerings around, and you can make a good saving with the contents inside. Priced at £59.50 and worth £134, Benefit’s sincerely yours advent calendar fits firmly into that category.

Teaming playful packaging with game-changing formulations, Benefit has so many cult-classic beauty buys in its collection, we couldn’t wait to see what the brand has chosen to put inside this year’s calendar. Because Benefit has been part of the beauty advent calendar game near enough since the beginning, it’s fair to say we had high expectations.

Read more:

How we tested

We peaked inside the 2022 Benefit beauty advent calendar, so we could reveal to you exactly what you’re getting before you add it to your basket. We evaluated its design, contents and value for money, read on if you want a spoiler…

Benefit sincerely yours beauty advent calendar: £59.50, Benefitscosmetics.com

Rating: 8/10
Price: £59.50
Value: £134
Number of days: 12
Product sizes: Mini and fun-size
Available: Now

Design

The masters of creating fun, stand-out, vintage-style packaging, Benefit always comes up trumps with its designs. This year’s compact advent calendar is no exception. Comparable in size to a standard shoe box cut in half, it opens like a book to reveal 12 boxes with beauty treats inside.

Everything screams cuteness about this packaging, from the endearing festive post-office scene on the front, to the pretty pink, green and yellow tones that give the calendar a modern twist. To top it all off, there’s a hidden festive postcard inside to send to a loved one.

Each of the boxes are detachable, with a beauty product wrapped in pink tissue inside, enabling you to use it in many ways – you could use some as stocking fillers, re-gift some to friends, or perhaps use some as table favours at a Christmas lunch even.

We’re giving this calendar green points too, as there’ll be no damage to it after use, so you can easily refill it again next year with new treats – perhaps chocolates for the kids. You can even turn the boxes around, so there are no numbers on show, and use it for storage.

What’s inside?

When it comes to quantity, it’s no surprise that, with its 12 boxes, you’ll find the same number of products inside the advent calendar. You’ll be disappointed if you’re expecting any full-size products hidden away – it’s just minis and what the brand calls ‘fun-sized’, which are slightly larger. Although, for the price, that is perhaps to be expected.

Marking it on quality, we can’t fault Benefit. It has really gone for its bestselling line-up with the contents. Sticking to what the brand is known for makes this calendar a great introduction to someone new to the brand, as well as a good saving for hardcore Benefit-fanatics.

No one does brows quite like Benefit – it’s been ahead of the brow game since we can remember – so we were pleased to find not one, not two, but three brow products within the boxes. Our tester’s favourite brow gel gimme brow+ (£23.50, Benefitcosmetics.com) adds volume that’s so natural, she wouldn’t be without it. You’ll find it in a medium, shade three, which is likely to suit most people. You’ll also find the precisely, my brow pencil (£23.50, Benefitcosmetics.com) – which helps to add definition to brows – this time in shade four, which was, sadly, too dark for our fair, blonde tester. Lastly, there’s the 24-hour brow setter (£23.50, Benefitcosmetics.com) hidden inside too.

Another popular Benefit category is its mascaras. If you’re new to these lash-definers, there are four to choose from in this calendar. We were glad to see it also includes the they’re real! magnet mascara (£13.50, Benefitcosmetics.com), which features in our best mascara round-up because it works like a dream when it comes to lifting and lengthening lashes. There’s also bad girl bang mascara (£24.50, Benefitscosmetics.com), the bestseller for adding intense volume to lashes, roller lash (£24.50, Benefitcosmetics.com) for lift and curl and the original they’re real! mascara (£24.50, Benefitcosmetics.com) for elongating the flutter.

While it might seem like too many mascaras in one calendar, we actually found it a great way to compare all of them to pick a favourite, and having a whole collection of mini mascara on the go is ideal for make-up obsessives who like to create different lash looks.

Benefit is also the UK’s number one primer brand, so it was a given that the bestselling porefessional face primer (£29.50, Benefitcosmetics.com) was included. It creates a smooth, super-soft canvas for make-up, blurs the look of pores and lines, and is a must-have for prolonging party make-up for the festive season ahead. For skin that needs an extra hit of hydration, the porefessional hydrate face primer (£29.50, Benefitcosmetics.com) is packed with shea butter and hyaluronic acid, and you’ll find it in the calendar too.

It doesn’t stop there when it comes to including the UK’s number one bestsellers, as we also unwrapped the iconic hoola matte bronzer (£28.50, Benefitcosmetics.com) in one box. Our tester loves it for adding a natural-looking warmth to her complexion, it’s easy to blend and layer on and when paired with cult-favourite dandelion baby-pink brightening blush (£27.50, Benefitcosmetics.com), which is also in the calendar, it creates a healthy-glow complexion.

If we had to be pushed for anything negative to say, our only bugbear with this calendar is, because it focuses on the brand’s hero products so much, it lacks any colour cosmetics. It would have been nice to see one of the iconic lip and blush tints or even the new tinted lip balms.

Value for money

The Benefit advent calendar offers more than £130 worth of beauty treats but you’ll still get change from £60, so it certainly is good value and offers a big saving, especially if your make-up bag needs replenishing.

Benefit sells such a wide selection of mini-sized products, the brand should be top of your list if you’re looking to pack lightly for a trip and are looking for a wide selection of travel-friendly make-up. This also made it easy to do the maths, as we worked out that if you were to buy five mini Benefit products on their own, you would pay more than the cost of this advent calendar. Essentially, you’re getting seven products for free.

Buy now

The verdict: Benefit beauty advent calendar 2022

Compact in size and featuring 12 mini and fun-sized Benefit products, which the brand do so well, this advent calendar offers a small and mighty alternative to some of the large and expensive calendars that are out of reach for many of us this winter.

Lower in price doesn’t mean lower in quality, however. Benefit has packed the calendar with hero products from its mascara, primer and brow categories – as well as the iconic hoola bronzer.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be Benefit without its playful packaging, which adds to the charm – just like the kitsch gift sets the brand offers each festive season. In fact, if you’re looking for a present for a beauty lover in your life, this would make the perfect gift that will keep on giving.

Voucher codes

For the latest discount codes on beauty advent calendars, try the links below:

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