Sephora's viral beauty advent calendars are on sale for under $50 — I put them to the test ahead of Black Friday
Beauty Insiders can save up to 30 per cent on select beauty advent calendars during the Sephora Savings Event.
Sephora's advent calendars are among the most in-demand advent calendars of 2024, especially in the beauty sphere. Since their launch earlier this fall, the makeup, haircare and skincare-filled gift sets have sold like hotcakes, with early bird buyers scoring thousands of dollars worth of beauty goodies at a fraction of the cost.
With prime advent calendar season approaching quickly, there's no better time to snag yours than during the Sephora Savings Event. Right now, Sephora Canada shoppers can save 30 per cent on Sephora Collection products (including Sephora Collection advent calendars) and up to 20 per cent on the retailer's other advent calendars, including those from Laneige, Charlotte Tilbury and Dr. Barbara Sturm. If you're interested, you'll want to act quickly — the sale ends on Nov. 11!
Ahead of the holiday rush, I had the opportunity to test out three advent calendars from Sephora: the viral Sephora Collection Advent Calendar, the Sephora Collection After Advent Calendar and the L'Occitane 24 Days Of Beauty Advent Calendar.
Sephora Collection Advent Calendar
$48$68Save $20 with code
Sephora Collection After Advent Calendar
$34$48Save $14 with code
2024 L'Occitane 24 Days Of Beauty Advent Calendar
From $78$98with code
To read my full review of each and shop them on sale before they (inevitably) sell out, scroll below.
Sephora Collection Advent Calendar
This limited-edition beauty advent calendar contains 24 beauty goodies from the Sephora Collection, including a few masks, nail polishes and accessories.
Sephora Collection Advent Calendar: Review
Sephora sale deal: Save 30 per cent, regardless of beauty insider tier
Number of products: 24
Estimated value: $179
Products to look forward to: Love the Lift Mascara in Ultra Black, Cleansing Wipes in Aloe, Eye Mask Patches for Dark Circles + De-Puffing, 12H Retractable Eyeliner Waterproof in 10 matte brown and Brightening Eye Cream.
Who should buy it: This 24-door advent calendar would be a great gift for teens or anyone who's into self-care treats.
Who should avoid it: If you prefer luxury beauty brands or want a lot of full-size products, this may not be for you.
Editor review:
The Sephora Collection Advent Calendar is easily one of the year's most sought-after sets, especially in Canada. While the reviews online are mixed, I think it's actually a really nice gift set. It includes several of the brand's bestselling sheet masks, a full-sized Lip Marker, a set of tweezers and three nail polishes you will actually use all of the time. It's easily giftable — if you're buying this for someone else, it will be a surefire hit.
Sephora Collection After Advent Calendar
This fun gift set from Sephora is for those weird in-between days between Christmas and New Year's Eve. The mini set includes two Sephora Collection masks, nail polish, mascara and more.
Sephora Collection After Advent Calendar: Review
Sephora sale deal: Save 30 per cent, regardless of beauty insider tier
Number of products: 8
Estimated value: $106
Products to look forward to: Cucumber Hand Mask, Lip Sleeping Mask in Vanilla and a Sheer Shine Lipstick in 07 Rose Refraction.
Who should buy it: After-advent calendars may not be the norm, but the gift set is brimming with full-size products, so it would be a great gift for truly anyone.
Who should avoid it: This isn't a traditional 24-door advent calendar, so if you want to open something every day of December, this might not be for you.
Editor review:
We've all heard of advent calendars, but what about post-holiday, "After Advent" calendars? A fun little gift set for those weird in-between days between Christmas and New Year's Eve, this 8-piece set actually feels like it's worth $106. Everything inside is standard-sized, so you're getting proper bang for your buck. It includes a pretty blue nail polish, volumizing mascara, a lip sleeping mask and more. Honestly, it might be one of the best advent calendars available in 2024.
L'Occitane 24 Days Of Beauty Advent Calendar
This 2024 skincare advent calendar from L'Occitane is valued at $155. Looking for travel-sized products? This set is full of 'em.
L'Occitane 24 Days Of Beauty Advent Calendar: Review
Sephora sale deal: Take up to 20 per cent off
Number of products: 25
Estimated value: $155
Products to look forward to: Ultra Rich Body Cream, Almond Shower Scrub and Overnight Reset Oil-in-Serum.
Who should buy it: Skincare and bath lovers.
Who should avoid it: If you want an advent calendar with makeup, this isn't for you.
Editor review:
It's not just the look of the 2024 L'Occitane 24 Days Of Beauty Advent Calendar that I love, but what's inside, too. This prettily packaged advent calendar is a fun (and practical!) way to countdown to the holidays. The two-sided gift set contains 25 L'Occitane goodies, ranging from the brand's bestselling Neroli & Orchid Hand Cream to its Cleansing and Softening Shower Oil. Not only is it a great gift idea for those who love body and bath products, but it will come in handy for the frequent-flier, as it includes a ton of travel-sized necessities, like shampoo, conditioner and shower gel.
Sephora sale 2024: Best advent calendars on sale
Love the Sephora Collection, but want something a little more luxe? This limited-edition premium version of the beloved Sephora Collection advent calendar contains 24 beauty surprises, including bestselling serums, masks and cosmetic essentials.
Truth be told, we're surprised this Best of Laneige Advent Calendar hasn't sold out yet. The advent calendar features six full-size and six mini bestselling skincare surprises and is valued at $307. If you're thinking about buying it, we wouldn't wait too much longer.
It's the one, the only, the Charlotte Tilbury beauty advent calendar! One of the most coveted, most luxurious beauty advent calendars on the market, this 12-drawer gift set includes three full-sized products: the Beauty Light Wand in Pinkgasm, the Hyaluronic Happikiss in Pillow Talk, and Charlotte's Magic Lip Oil Crystal Elixir, as well as nine travel-sized bestsellers.
Valued at a whopping $1,1800, this 12-day advent calendar from celebrity-favourite beauty brand Augustinus Bader is packed with skincare cult classics and new formulas.
If you have money to spend, this is where you will want to spend it. The ultimate treat for skincare fanatics, the 2024 Dr. Barbara Sturm Advent Calendar features the brand's skincare essentials and new innovations, including a ton of its bestselling serums, creams and masks.
Sephora sale: The details
Kicking off Nov. 1, Sephora Beauty Insiders can save on almost everything at Sephora. Here are the key dates and details:
Sephora Collection: All shoppers can save 30 per cent between Nov. 1-11
Rouge: Save 20 per cent between Nov. 1-11
VIB: Save 15 per cent between Nov. 5-11
Insider: Save 10 per cent between Nov. 5-11
Meet the expert
Kayla Kuefler is a senior shopping editor at Yahoo Canada Lifestyle. She has been helping Canadians score the best possible deals on everything from air fryers to advent calendars for more than four years. She's a gifting enthusiast (an expert, really) and always has her thumb on the year's best gifts for him, gifts for her, advent calendars and more.
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