Is the Elemis Advent Calendar packed with luxury skincare worth the £199 splurge?
September is prime time for beauty advent calendar launches, and the latest release is the Elemis Ultimate Skincare Advent Calendar. Filled with products that add up to a whopping £537, it retails for £199 and is filled with a line-up of best-selling skincare and bodycare products that are the perfect luxurious self-care treat for any Elemis fan.
Tried & Tested
Elemis The Ultimate Skincare Advent Calendar
Tried & Tested
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A popular pick every year, for 2024, it boasts 25 luxurious treats with a £338 saving, making it a great opportunity to stock up on some of your Elemis favourites for a fraction of the cost.
As a beauty journalist, I've tested many beauty advent calendars over the years, and as a Elemis fan I was keen to get my hands on it to see if it's worth spending almost £200 to kick off the countdown to Christmas.
If you're an Elemis fan, this luxurious calendar is filled with coveted best-sellers designed to plump, illuminate and deeply hydrate your skin.
- Includes a lot of bestsellers
- Nice mix of skincare and bodycare
- Good value for money
- Lots of product repetition
- Less full-sized products than expected
I was also keen to see how it compares to other luxury calendars this year, such as the Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar (which has also been tried and tested by the Yahoo UK team) and has a similar price point.
Elemis's 2024 offering is more expensive than the 2023 version, which cost £189, but has a higher contents value, as last year it was worth £551. But, is the price increase justified?
A globally recognised brand, Elemis has become popular with luxury skincare lovers thanks to its coveted products such as the Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, Marine Cream Moisturiser, Superfood Facial Oil and Frangipani Monoi shower cream.
For starters, there's no denying the excellent value for money this calendar gets you. Behind one door is a full-size tub of Elemis's Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (£95) — the skincare brand's most popular moisturiser designed to smooth fine lines while plumping and hydrating your skin.
If that wasn't enough, there's even a chance to win an Elemis Golden Ticket worth £1,000 in 15 of this year's beauty advent calendars.
What's inside Elemis Ultimate Skincare Advent Calendar 2024?
5 cleansers
6 moisturisers
2 exfoliants
2 toners
1 eye cream
1 face oil
1 eye mask
1 bath milk
1 shower cream
1 body oil
1 body cream
1 serum
1 headband
1 cleansing cloth
There is some good variety across the products; it contains six different skincare and body ranges, but if you're already an Elemis fan like me, there's nothing brand new. Instead, Elemis have leaned into their most popular products, which I imagine is to cater to existing customers instead of new ones.
⭐ My 5 Elemis Advent Calendar highlights ⭐
I'm already a fan of many of the Elemis products included, and many of them come in handy mini sizes, which will be great for travelling. The minis are also a great opportunity to test several of Elemis's most popular products without shelling out for a full-sized version.
Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm | retails at £49 for 100ml
Nothing removes make-up better than a cleansing balm, and Elemis is by far my favourite. It's a buttery-soft balm that when massaged onto dry skin, transforms into an oil and melts down make-up in seconds.
Nourishing and soothing on all skin types, its formula is rich in fatty acids, lavender, chamomile and eucalyptus oil, which leaves your complexion clean, soft and soothed. It also smells like a luxury spa, thanks to the essential oil blend so is immediately calming.
Frangipani Monoi Body Cream | retails at £30 for 200ml
This is, without a doubt, the best smelling body cream I've ever used, filled with macadamia, sesame, tahitian monoi and coprah oils. It's rich but not overpowering, lingers on the skin for hours.
While I would have loved to of had a full-sized version in the calendar, the 50ml tube is perfect for travelling. Regardless of how much time I have, I will always slather on moisturiser after every shower.
Pro-Collagen Marine Cream | retails at £95 for 50ml
Elemis' hero product is without a doubt this moisturiser, which is the centrepiece of the whole calendar, sitting behind draw number 25.
I love the texture most of all, as it strikes the perfect balance between a rich moisturiser that feels nourishing without any greasiness. Designed to tackled fine lines, wrinkles and uneven texture, it's fast-absorbing too. It also goes on very well beneath make-up, so you can use it as a day and night moisturiser.
It's also the highest value product in this calendar and is worth almost 50% of the total cost, so for just over £90 more, there are a further 24 products to unwrap throughout December.
Superfood Facial Oil | retails at £54 for 15ml
When my skin is feeling dry, this is one of the first products I reach for in my evening skincare routine. It doesn't leave behind a greasy film on the skin, instead it feels lightweight and soothing.
While it would have been nice to see the full-sized version of this (which is usually 15ml), I have to say, I've never actually finished a facial oil, as I use it very sparingly on my combination skin, so I think I'll get plenty of use out of this mini bottle.
Superfood Glow Priming Moisturiser | retails at £46 for 60ml
A glowy complexion is always my goal when I'm doing my make-up in the morning, and I find this moisturising primer helps to hydrate and smooth my skin, as well as being the fastest way to prep my skin for a smooth foundation application.
Don't be put off by the peachy toned cream, it blends seamlessly into skin without leaving behind a tint and is incredibly fast-absorbing. I love a multi-purpose product, so for me this ticks every box.
🪫 My 3 Elemis Ultimate Skincare Advent Calendar lowlights 🪫
I'm always a bit disappointed to see the inclusion of accessories in beauty advent calendars, such as the Elemis headband and cleansing cloth, as they often feel like filler products.
Luxury Cleansing Cloth | retails at £10 for two
For a near £200 price tag, I'd prefer to see more product instead, such as a larger shower gel or body cream, but some may appreciate the useful beauty routine addition.
Skincare Headband | unable to purchase separately
A headband is in no way essential to my skincare routine, so I don't find this isn't a useful item.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm | retails at £49 for 100ml
Don't get me wrong, I love this cleansing balm, I just don't need three cleansing balms in one advent calendar. Inside are a mini original balm, the rose version, and a fragrance-free version.
It's excessive, and I would have preferred one full-sized version rather than three minis, but I guess since this is an individual branded calendar, Elemis is a bit more limited in their product selection compared to multi-retailer calendars like Liberty.
Is Elemis Advent Calendar worth the splurge?
If you're an Elemis fan and are looking to repurchase some of your trusty favourites, such as the Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (usually £95), then the Elemis Advent Calendar may indeed turn out to be excellent value for money for you.
Shop now: Elemis The Ultimate Skincare Advent Calendar | £199 (Worth £537) from Elemis
However, I think Elemis have missed a trick by including a lot of similar products and fewer full-sized products than I was expecting. So, you may be better off just buying the individual products you love (Elemis also sells many of the miniature sizes in this calendar on its website anyway).
In my opinion, for variety and value for money you're better off buying a multi-brand calendar. The Space NK Beauty Advent Calendar this year does costs more at £250, but has a content value of £1,200 and contains 34 products, 23 of which are full-size.
Meanwhile, the Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar costs £260, but features an impressive 28 products, 18 of which are full-size. The products inside are also from super luxury brands such as Augustinus Bader, La Mer, Ren, Sunday Riley, Lisa Eldridge and more. You can read our full review here.
Shop the luxury department store's most generous line-up to date with this impressive beauty advent calendar for 2024.
The 2024 Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar has been tried and tested by the Yahoo UK team - read our full review here.
- Great value for money
- Loads of full-size products
- Excellent selection of luxury items
- Reusable advent calendar
- Expensive
- Same design as last year
Other 2024 beauty advent calendars I'd recommend
In total, there's 34 products in this year's advent calendar, 23 of which are full-sized.
Filled with 27 coveted beauty, skincare, body care and hair care products, it retails for just £100 but is worth over £565 — making the overall saving a mega £465.
Cult Beauty's advent bonanza has the most products you'll find in any calendar this year, with 19 full-size items, six exclusive items only available with the retailer and 15 minis.
Inside this calendar is 12 full-size products and 12 minis, from brands such as Sol de Janeiro, No7 and Drunk Elephant.
There are 24 skincare products, 16 are full-sized, which includes a Pixi Glow Tonic, Byoma Hydrating Recovery Oil and a Weleda Skin Food Oil. There's also minis of a No7 Hydrating Lotion, Bioderma Micellar Water, Dove Gradual Tanning Lotion and much more.
Enjoy luxurious treats such as the Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream, Aromatherapy Associates De-Stress Muscle Bath & Shower Oil and a Baobab Paris Candle
