M&S’s affordable beauty advent calendar has finally launched – here’s my full review

M&S beauty advent calendar packaging

The stylish box is designed by Bella Freud (Daisy Lester )

As always, M&S’s calendar includes 25 products – this year, there are eight full-size and 17 travel-size. A departure from its usual packaging (a velvet vanity case), the 2025 calendar has been designed by Bella Freud, who collaborated with M&S on a sell-out fashion collection last year. The box is full of nods to the designer’s signature aesthetic, from the recognisable typography to the gold stars. The categories in the calendar – haircare, skincare and make-up – are divided into themes, including “relax”, “rich”, “silky and “radiance”, which are written on various boxes.

The numbered boxes are layered on top of and among each other, making it easy to count down to Christmas. After day 25, you can repurpose the calendar as storage owing to the sturdy, evergreen design.

What’s inside M&S’s beauty advent calendar for 2025?

Packaging aside, there’s a lot to be excited about. Spoilers ahead, but this year’s calendar is particularly strong for haircare and body care. The perfect tonic during party season, there’s Cowshed’s relax bath and shower gel (£22, Marksandspencer.com) and calming body lotion (£22, Marksandspencer.com) – which boast a relaxing lavender and eucalyptus scent. I also enjoyed using the This Works deep sleep body cocoon (£25, Johnlewis.com), which is a nightly moisturiser that is scented with lavender.

The calendar spans haircare, skincare, make-up and more (Daisy Lester )

The 30ml L’Occitane almond hand cream (£10, Marksandspencer.com) is the perfect size to throw in your bag for nourishing your hands on the go, while Nuxe’s famous multi-purpose dry oil (£33, Marksandspencer.com) is similarly travel-sized for extra hydration while on the go.

When it comes to haircare, it’s your chance to try 75ml travel-sized versions of Color Wow’s dream cocktail carb infused thickening treatment (£25, Colorwowhair.com), a leave-in treatment that adds volume to flat hair. Another hair highlight is the Living Proof full shampoo (£14, Marksandspencer.com) and conditioner (£14, Marksandspencer.com). The duo works wonders on flat hair, giving extra oomph to strands and leaving hair shiny and sleek.

The premium skincare offering is less impressive than previous years, but you can sample minis of some seriously good products – including Estee Lauder’s advanced night repair (£18, Marksandspencer.com) and Emma Hardie’s renewal treatment mask (Marksandspencer.com). Affordable favourites like Weleda’s skin food (£14, Marksandspencer.com) – the likes of Hailey Bieber and Victoria Beckham swear by this ultra-hydrating formula – and Dr Paw Paw’s hyaluronic acid-infused multi-purpose balm (£7.50, Marksandspencer.com) are also in the mix.

Testing the Clinique mascara and Benetint lip and cheek tint (Daisy Lester )

The make-up line-up is smaller but offers stellar value for money – Clinique’s high impact mascara (£26, Marksandspencer.com) is included and worth £26 alone. The voluminous brush helps give volume and length from root to tip, with the black and brown blended finish creating a doll-eye, soft-focused effect. The Stila gel brown eyeliner (£18, Marksandspencer.com), meanwhile, boasts a slightly rounded tip for lining along your lid and waterline, for a smoky eye – the formula is pleasingly long-lasting and waterproof, too. Benefit’s cult benetint (£26, Marksandspencer.com) completes the line-up, imparting a rosy flush on your lips or lids – simply dot and smudge with your fingers.

Helping your nails look fresh, you’ll also find a Nails Inc polish in a rich burgundy shade (arguably the perfect Christmas hue). Nails Inc’s polishes are some of the best drugstore varnishes you can buy, as they don’t chip as fast as other formulas.

M&S has gone viral for its perfumes (see the sold-out Le Labo santal 33 alternative), and the calendar gives you a taster, with the soft gardenia toilette (£7, Marksandspencer.com), which is reminiscent of the Marc Jacobs Daisy fragrance. Plus, you’ll find the Floral Street sweet almond blossom eau de parfum (£29, Marksandspencer.com) inside the calendar, which has a warm and sweet scent.

Topping things off, there are three beauty accessories and tools – my favourite is the gua sha (£8, Marksandspencer.com). The stainless steel tool is effective at massaging your face using lymphatic drainage techniques in the morning, cooling and de-puffing skin.