10 Christmas 2020 Beauty Calendars Under £60

BEST VALUE CALENDARS

McMillan 24 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar £42  Boots 

This is a Boots Beauty Calendar and for every calender sold £2 is donated to McMillan Cancer Support Charity. This calendar is now half price and countains a mix of brands from Liz Earle, Soap & Glory, Joules, Sleek and No 7, Botanics and Your Good Skin. This is the beauty calendar I've bought for myself this year!

Calendar contains:

• Botanics All Bright Illuminating Radiance Balm 50 ml ℮ 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• Botanics Peaceful Night Roller Ball Lavender 10 ml ℮ 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• Botanics Peaceful Night Pillow Mist Lavender & Sweet Marjoram 100 ml ℮ 3.3 US Fl. Oz.
• Joules Leaf Me Alone Bath Fizzer Night Sky 70 g ℮ Net Wt. 2.4 Oz.
• Joules Muddy Brilliant Body Wash 75 ml ℮ 2.5 US Fl. Oz.
• Joules Elderflower Fragranced Lip Balm 7.5 g ℮ Net wt. 0.26 Oz.
• Liz Earle® Eyebright™ Soothing Eye Lotion 50 ml ℮ 1.6 US Fl. Oz.
• Liz Earle® Instant Boost™ Skin Tonic 50 ml ℮ 1.6 US Fl. Oz.
• Liz Earle® Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser 30 ml ℮ 1 US Fl. Oz.
• Liz Earle® Pure Cotton Cloth
• MASQD Face Tools The Blending Sponge
• MASQD Eye & Brow Tools The Eyelash Curler
• No7 Protect & Perfect Lip Care 10 ml ℮ 0.33 US Fl. Oz.
• No7 Protect & Perfect Intense ADVANCED Eye Cream 15 ml ℮ 0.5 US Fl. Oz.
• No7 Lift & Luminate TRIPLE ACTION Serum Boost Sheet Mask 20.75 g ℮ 0.73 US Fl. Oz.
• Sleek MakeUp Lip Shot Lip Gloss Partner In Crime 7.5 ml ℮ 0.25 US Fl. Oz.
• Sleek MakeUp Highlighting Palette Cleopatra’s Kiss 9 g ℮ 0.31 Oz.
• Sleek MakeUP Matte Me Liquid Lipstick Bittersweet 6 ml ℮ 0.19 US Fl. Oz.
• Sleek MakeUP Lifeproof Illuminating Fixing Mist 50 ml ℮ 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• SOAP & GLORY™ THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER™ Body Moisturizer 50 ml ℮ 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• SOAP & GLORY™ HAND FOOD™ Non-Greasy Hydrating Hand Cream in ORIGINAL PINK™ 50 ml ℮ 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• SOAP & GLORY™ THE SCRUB OF YOUR LIFE™ Smoothing Body Buffer 50 ml ℮ 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• SOAP & GLORY™ PUFFY EYE ATTACK™ Under-eye Brightening Hydrogel Patches 3 g Net wt 0.1 Oz.
• YourGoodSkin ProVitamin Overnight Cream 50 ml ℮ 1.69 US Fl. Oz.

Pretty Little Thing £40 Pretty Little Thing 

Worth over £160, this calendar has a good mix of makeup and skincare and gives you so much for your buck- there's even an Illasmasqua mini lipstick!

Contents include-

Barry M That's Swell XXL Werk

Peaches & Cream Lip Liner Praline

Primalash Dainty D52

Nails.INC Fear Of Missing Out Nail Polish

B.tan from pasty to tasty...self tanning towelettes

MasqueBar Silver Foil Peel Off Mask

Beauty Works Mini Pearl Nourishing Argan Oil Hair Mask 50ml

Carmex Lip Balm Wild Pot

Patchology FlashPatch Hydrating Lip Gel

Eldora Eyelashes H167

Rimmel Insta Strobing Highlighter Pink Glow

Vita Liberata Body Blur Latte 10ml

Illamasqua Antimatter Lipstick Mini

Morphe Highlight & Contour Sponge

Makeup Obsession Feels Lip Topper

Sleek MakeUP I-Art Liquid Eyeshadow

PLT X Tatti Lash Girls Night

Eyeko Black Magic Liquid Eyeliner

I Heart Revolution Choc Orange Mini Chocolate Palette

Skin Republic Prep + Glow Olivia Buckland Face Sheet Mask

Kandi Cosmetics Jade Facial Roller

Egyptian Magic Multi-Purpose Skin Cream 25oz

This Works Mini Sleep Spray 5ml

Starskin VIP Gold Eye Patches

Profusion 25 Days To Sleigh £30 Boots

Priced at £30 this calendar is a great afforable option, it's packed to the brim with make up and there aren't any filler items! Additionally Profusion is Cruelty free brand.

 

Contents include:

4 x Duo Eye Shadow
4 x Loose Sparkle Pigments
2 x wispies Lashes
1 x Matte Blusher
1 x Shimmer Highlighter
1 x Setting Spray
1 x Nude Lip Liner
1 x Black Fine Line Eyeliner
1 x Glitter Adhesive
1 x Glow Drops                                                                                                                    2xMatte Lipstick                                      
1 x Sparkling Eye Liner
1 x Lip Top Glosser
1 x Eyeshadow Primer
1 x 10 shade Palette
1 x Eyeshadow Brush
1 x Blending Sponge

NAIL POLISH CALENDARS

Ciate London Mini Mani Month From ASOS £55 (Ciate Website £59)

There are 23 nail polishes and a watermelon lip oil in this calendar. They have put a lot of thought into making this year's calendar sustainable. The nail polish bottles are all made from 10% recycled glass and every sparkly nail polish is created using only biodegradable glitter. The outer carton is compostable while the inner tray, nail polish bottles and their caps are fully recyclable.

Contents include 

1 x Oil Slick: 5ml

1 x Silver Lining: 5ml

1 x Gold Digger: 5ml

1 x Beach Melba:5ml
1 x Dream Catcher: 5ml

1 x Desert Lights: 5ml

1 x Day Tripper: 5ml

1 x Watermelon Burst Lip Oil: 5ml

1 x Bubblegum Bellini: 5ml

1 x Amazing Gracie: 5ml

1 x Smooth Sailing: 5ml

1 x Midnight in Paris: 5ml

1 x Dangerous Affair: 5ml

1 x Peachy Cheeks: 5ml

1 x Unrestricted Glam: 5ml

1 x Good as Gold: 5ml

1 x Dark Matter: 5ml

1 x Moondust: 5ml

1 x Lucky 7: 5ml

1 x Twinkle Toes: 5ml

1 x Spinning Teacup: 5ml

1 x Violet Haze: 5ml

1 x Top Coat: 5ml

1 x Base Coat: 5ml

OPI Shine Bright Nail Polish Advent Calendar £49.95 Nail Nail Polish Direct / Just my look

This calendar contains nail polishes from OPI's Shine Bright 2020 Winter collection. OPI nail lacquer contains no DBP, Toluene or Formaldehyde.

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• 1 x OPI Naughty or Ice? Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Snowfalling for You Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI This Shade is Ornamental! Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Dressed to the Wines Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI This Gold Sleighs Me Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Gingerbread Man Can Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Merry in Cranberry Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Red-y For the Holidays Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Let's Take an Elfie Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Tinsel, Tinsel Lil Star Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI To All a Good Night Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Heart and Coal Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Alpine Snow Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Bubble Bath Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Tickle My France-y Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Taupe-less Beach Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI It's a Girl! Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Malaga Wine Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Bogotá Blackberry Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Aurora Berry-alis Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Strawberry Margarita Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Pompeii Purple Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Russian Navy Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Lincoln Park After Dark Nail Polish (3.75ml)
• 1 x OPI Kyoto Pearl Nail Polish (3.75ml).

Amazon Beauty Advent Calendar £60 Amazon Realeased October 15th. Pre-order now.

Worth over  £215, this calendar contains 24 Full sized and deluxe samples from brands such as Philioshpy, Emma Hardie, Elemis, Mavala and Nails inc. However I'm really surprised that there aren't any Lady Gaga products considering that they are sold exclusively on Amazon. 

Items include:

• NailsInc Fear Of Missing Out Nail Polish, 10ml Nail Polish (Red) (full size)
• Rimmel London Jelly Highlighter, Candy Queen (full size)
• Max Factor Miracle Cheek Duo, Dusky Pink & Copper (full size)
• Max Factor Miracle Prep Lip Scrub (full size)
• This Works Deep Sleep Body Cocoon (full size)
• Garnier Hyaluronic Acid and Orange Juice Tissue Mask (full size)
• philosophy purity one-step facial cleanser (deluxe sample)
• Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner (full size)
• WUNDER2 WUNDERLIFT Eye Serum (full size)
• NIP+FAB Extreme Glycolic Fix Liquid Glow (full size)
• Mavala Mini Colour Nail Polish, Velvet (full size)
• 3INA 24H Pen Eyeliner (full size)
• Altruist SPF50 Sun Cream (deluxe sample)
• FIND Eyes Kit, Multiple Shades (full size)
• AHC Hydrating Essential Real Eye Cream (full size)
• E.L.F. Velvet Matte Lipstick, Blushing Brown (full size)
• Real Techniques Miracle Powder Sponge (full size)
• FIND Lip Kit, Multiple Shades (full size)
• Biore Witch Hazel Ultra Deep Cleansing Pore Strips (full size)
• Sanctuary Spa Lavender Pillow Spray (deluxe sample)
• John Frieda Miracle Drops Damage Repairing Hair Mask (full size)
• Belei Nourishing and Protecting Sheet Mask with Caviar Extract (deluxe sample)
• Sleek MakeUP iDivine Eyeshadow Palette, All Night Long (full size)
• Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm (deluxe sample)

THE VEGAN CALENDAR

Holland & Barratt 25 Days of Beauty Calendar £40 Holland & Baratt

If you're into vegan beauty and sustainabiliy this is the calendar for you. The contents are worth over £170 with 14 full sized and 11 sample sized products. Brands include Upcircle, Ethique, Welda and Dr Organic. There are also vouchers behind some of the doors so that if you like the product you can repurchase it again. The calendar is made from 100% cardborad packaging that can be recycled.

The Holland & Barrett 25 Days Of Natural Beauty Advent Calendar contains:

• Sukin: Purely ageless moisturiser, 20ml
• Dead Sea Spa: BB Cream ,15ml
• Evolve: Hyaluronic Serum, 10ml
• Ayumi: Turmeric & Argan Oil Body Wash, 250ml
• Holland & Barrett: Wooden Mirror
• Ethique: Bliss Cleansing Bar, 110g
• Natura Siberica: Hair Mask
• Weleda: Arnica Muscle Soak, 50ml
• Ecodenta: Organic Anti-Plaque Toothpaste, 75ml
• Dr Organic: Guava Gel Moisturiser, 50ml
• So Eco: Eyeshadow Brush
• Q&A: Liqourice Lip Oil, 15ml
• Holland & Barrett: Headband Wrap
• True Skincare: Rehydrating Facial Oil, 10ml
• Vitaskin: Vitamin C Eye Cream
• Holland & Barrett: Reusable Earbuds
• Whamisa: Toner Deep Rich, 33.5ml
• Ethique: Mini Shampoo & Conditioner, 2 X 15G
• Urban Veda: Reviving Night Cream, 20ml
• Tisserand: De-stress Roller Ball, 10ml
• Lamoora: Breathe Shower Bomb 30g
• Gallinee: Face Vinegar, 50ml
• Kili.G: Face, Eyes, Neck Mousse, 60ml
• Up Circle, Face Scrub Citrus Blend, 100ml
• Dr Organic: Reishi Ultra Hydrating Moisture Mask 10ml

NYX Diamonds and Ice Calendar £50 Available from Look Fantastic

I considered buying this calendar as unlike last year it contains more than just lip products. NYX is a cruelty free brand.The 24 days of NYX beauty calendar includes matte lip creams, eyeshadows and illuminators.

NYX calendar contains the following

Sheer #ThisIsEverything Lip Oil Mini

Sheer Blush This Is Everything Lip Oil Mini

• Perfect Red Matte Lipstick Mini

• Natural Matte Lipstick Mini

• Siren Matte Lipstick Mini

• Whipped Caviar Matte Lipstick Mini

• #ThisIsEverything Lip Balm

• Cannes Soft Matte Lip Cream Mini

• Rome Soft Matte Lip Cream Mini

• Crème Brulee Butter Lip Gloss Mini

• Tiramisu Butter Lip Gloss Mini

• Angel Food Cake Butter Lip Gloss Mini

• #ThisIsEverything Lip Scrub

• Crystal Eyeshadow

• Glam Purple Eyeshadow

• Golden Bronze Eyeshadow

• Antique Gold Eyeshadow

• Bronzed Goodness Eyeshadow

• Rose Gold Eyeshadow

• Born To Glow 01 Illuminator Mini

• Born To Glow 02 Illuminator Mini

• Pore Filler Primer Mini

• HD Finishing Powder Mini

• HD Studio Primer Mini

SKINCARE CALENDARS

NUXE Beauty Countdown  Advent Calendar £52.95 Fragrance Direct

There are two products for men in this calendar (just like last year) which you could pass on to brothers, boyfriends or dads. They are the NUXE Men Multi-Use Shower Gel 30ml and NUXE Men Moisturising Multi-Purpose Gel 15ml. This would be a good gift for a man who enjoys skincare.

Contents include

Rêve de Miel Hand and Nail Cream 15 ml

Rêve de Miel Face Cleansing and Make-Up Removing Gel 15 ml

Crème Fraîche de Beauté Moisturising Cream 15 ml

Crème Fraîche de Beauté Moisturising Rich Cream 15 ml

Crème Prodigieuse Boost Multi-Correction Gel Cream 15 ml

Prodigieux Scented Body Lotion 15ml

NUXE Men Moisturising Multi-Purpose Gel 15ml

Aquabella Micro-Exfoliating Purifying Gel 15ml

NUXE Men Multi-Use Shower Gel 30ml

Rêve de miel Face and Body Ultra-Rich Cleansing Gel 30ml

NUXE Sun After-Sun Hair and Body Shampoo 50ml

Rêve de miel Ultra-Comforting Face Balm 15ml

Rêve de miel Lip Moisturising Stick 4g

Huile Prodigieuse Or 10ml

Huile Prodigieuse 10ml

Huile Prodigieuse Florale 10ml

Nuxuriance Gold Nutri-Fortifying Oil-Cream 15ml

Aquabella Beauty-Revealing Moisturising Emulsion 15ml

Huile Prodigieuse Riche 10ml

Very Rose 3-in-1 Soothing micellar Water 35ml

Prodigieux Shower Oil 100ml

Instamasque Exfoliating + Unifying Mask 15ml

Le Matin des Possibles Eau de parfum – Spray 50ml

Le Soir des Possibles Eau de parfum – Spray 50ml

Soap & Glory 24 Days To Roam The Foam  £42 From Boots 

This calendar mainly contains Soap & Glory's skincare/body care products, although there are two lip glosses in the calendar. 

Gift Contains:-

• CLEAN ON ME™ Creamy Moisture Shower Gel 2 x 75 ml e 2 x 2.5 US Fl. Oz.
• THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER™ Body Butter 300 ml e 10.1 US Fl. Oz.
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  THE SCRUB OF YOUR LIFE™ Smoothing Body Buffer 200 ml e 6.7 US Fl. Oz.
• HAND FOOD™ ORIGINAL PINK™ Non-greasy Hydrating Hand Cream 50 ml e 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
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  HEEL GENIUS™ Amazing Foot Cream 50 ml e 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• SMOOTHIE STAR™ Breakfast Scrub 50 ml e 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER Body lotion in ORIGINAL PINK™ 50 ml e 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• THE RUSHOWER™ Scent-sational Dry Shampoo 50 ml e Net wt. 1 Oz. (29 g)
• HAND FOOD™ SUGAR CRUSH™ Non-Greasy Hydrating Hand Cream 50 ml e 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• FIZZ-A-BALL™ Mini Bath Fizzers Limited-Edition in ORIGINAL PINK™ 20 g e Net wt. 0.7 Oz.
• FACE SOAP AND CLARITY™ 3-IN-1 Daily Vitamin C Facial Wash 50 ml e 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• A BRUSH WITH GREATNESS™ Exfoliating Face Brush
• BRIGHT + BEAUTIFUL™ Radiance-Boosting Mask 29 g e Net wt. 1 Oz.
• PUFFY EYE ATTACK™ Under-Eye Brightening Hydrogel Patches 3 g Net wt. 0.1 Oz.
• SPEED PLUMP™ Super-Hydrating Miracle Moisture Mask 25 g e Net wt. 0.88 Oz.
• POUT ABOUT IT™ Hydrogel Lip Mask 2.5g Net Wt. 0.08 Oz.
• SEXY MOTHER PUCKER™ Lip Gloss in Plums Up 7 ml e 0.23 US Fl. Oz.
• CLEAN A-COLADA™ Hydrating Body Wash 75 ml e US Fl. Oz.
• BUFF AND READY™ Coconut Body Scrub 50 ml e 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• A CREAM COME TRUE™ Luminous Body Butter 50 ml e 1.69 US Fl. Oz.
• HAND FOOD™ CALL OF FRUITY™ Hydrating Hand Cream 125 ml e 4.2 US Fl. Oz.
• THE MARVELLOUS MASSAGING FACE MITT
• Soap & Glory Nail File

20 Christmas Calendars You can Still Buy

It may be a little early to say the C word before December but the early bird catches the worm or rather in this case bags the beauty stash! Here are my top 20 Christmas calendars for every budget. If you fancy buying them click on the blue links in the title or below. (They're not affiliate links. I don't earn any commissions from any of these products.)

Christmas Calendars under £50

Lottie London 12 Days of Slay £14.99 
An affordable beauty calendar full of Lottie London's bestsellers. These include 11 mini sized products and one full sized transforming liquid lipstick. Other products that you'll find inside are two Shadow Swatch eye shadows, three Shimmer Squad highlighters, a duo-chome lipstick, three matte metallic liquid lipsticks and two Eye Foil metallic eyeshadow toppers. Also available from ASOS /Pretty Little Thing/ Feel Unique from 14th Nov.

ASOS 12 days till Christmas Calendar  £25
This calendar includes skincare, makeup and hair care items. Brands include Pureology, Eyeko, Starskin, Caudalie, Sand & Sky and Dr Gross. This is a pretty good deal especially if you compare it to a beauty box which often contains fewer items.

Sleek's Can't Wait Another Day Calendar £35
I love the pun on East 17's Christmas hit 'Stay Another Day.' This is a 24 day calendar that  contains four Matte Me Lip Creams, three twist up eye pencils and four twist up lip pencils. It comes with an I'M Conditional Mascara, a Glitter Eyeliner in Steel, a
Dip It Eyeliner and a rose gold Blush. There's also 3 eye palettes included: All night Long, Storm (one of my favourite palettes as it's so versatile) and Gleaming in Gold.

Marks & Spencers Beauty Calendar  £35 In store & online
If you spend £35 in store then this calendar is £35. In total it's £70-but stocking up on winter necessities such as socks, gloves, scarves or a dress for a Christmas party means you can spend £35 fairly easily. I bought this calendar last year and it's actually really good value. This year the calendar leans towards skincare, a handful of hair care items from Percy and Reed and Ben Kingsley, and a Shay and Blue Black Tulip fragrance. Skincare products include the sought after PRAI Ageless Throat and Décolletage Crème,  L’Occitane immortelle divine cream,  PIXI rose tonic rose & elderflower nourishing toner and The hero Project Hyasoft Instant Moisture Boost. The make up items include a Stila smudge stick waterproof eye liner, an Eyeko lash alert mascara, a Diego dalla palma eye pencil, an Autograph blusher blush, Studio 10 lip perfecting balm gloss, Autograph luxe multi bronzer and Leighton Denny high performance nail colour.

Soap and Glory It's in the Calendar  £40
This calendar has 24 mini products including Clean On Me shower gel, Scrub of Your Life Body Buffer and The Righteous Butter Body Buffer. Make up treats include five Crazy Sexy Kohl liners, three Pillow Plump Lip glosses, three sexy Mother Pucker lip glosses and a Thick and Fast Mascara.

Nails Inc 12 Days of Beauty Gold Advent Calendar £41.65
Nails Inc are known for their nail polishes but there are a few other make up items contained in this 12 day calendar countdown. As well as four nail polishes, there's a 45 second top coat, nail polish remover, two face sheet masks and a glitter lip topper. Also available at Nails Inc £49.

Christmas Calendars £50 & Over 

Ciate Mini Mani Month  £50  VEGAN, PARABEN & GLUTEN FREE

The packaging of Ciate's Mini Mani Month 2018 is absolutely stunning! It contains 20 mini sized pigmented gel-wear GELOLOGY™ nail polishes including 9 new and exclusive shades as well as one full sized. There's a  GELOLOGY™ top coat for longer wear and plenty of shine. Also inside is a  mini treatment and a mysterious limited edition surprise! Can be bought at Very .

NYX Sugar Trip 24 Days Of Beauty £50 CRUELTY FREE
NYX's calendar contains raved about NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams alongside their Butter Lip Glosses, eye shadows, highlighters and blush. The calendar doesn't look very Christmas like, but it looks fun and has more variety that last years lip only calendar. Also available at ASOS / Very/ HQ Hair / Look Fantastic

ASOS The Face + Body Advent Calendar  £55
This calendar features 24 products for the face and body. Skincare does dominate the calendar and makeup items are mainly highlighting products - if that sounds perfect for you then read on. Skincare goodies includes Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Mask, 111SKIN Rose Gold Brightening Facial Treatment Mask and GLAMGLOW Glowstarter Mega illuminating Moisturiser. As for makeup there's Iconic London Illuminator, Benefit Hoola, MAC Strobe Cream Hydrant Lumineux. The lone hair care product is Coco & Eve Like A Virgin Super Nourishing Coconut & Fig Hair Masque.

Paul & Joe Advent Calendar Make up Collection 2018 £56
If you are a cat lover this Paul and Joe's 12 day calendar will be right up your street. The  cats pictured inside are two pet cats of Sophie who is one of the  designers behind the brand. There are 12 limited edition surprises, including lipstick, powder and hand lotion.

Latest in Beauty Advent Calendar  £60
This calendar has 24 products worth £255 in total. The calendar is geared towards skincare with a handful of hair care and make up items. Highlights include Prai Ageless Throat and Decollete Cream, Murad Renewing Eye Cream, Morrocan oil, Sukin Foaming Facial Cleanser, Balance Me Hyaluronic Plumping mist, Ciate Fierce Flicks eyeliner, Sally Hansen Gel nails and a full sized beauty blender! Hair products include a full sized wet brush, and Charles Worthington Go Strong, Longer and Stronger Treatment.

Debenhams Ultimate beauty Advent Calendar Now £59.50
This calendar contains 24 beauty products and is worth over £150. Make up has a equal balance with skincare and there's only one hair care product (Ouai Leave-In Conditioner) and fragrance (Paco Rabanne Lady Million Eau de Parfume.) Makeup items include a few primers as well as Kat Von D Tattoo Liner, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp, Benefit BADgal BANG! Mascara and Make Up Forever Artist Crème Rouge Lipstick. Skincare highlights include Glamglow Youth Mud, Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser, Elemis Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser and Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum. There's also a Parks Candles Vanilla Scented Candle and a Debenhams Beauty £5 gift card! 

Green Regime Beauty Calendar £75  CRUELTY FREE/ORGANIC/SPOONIES
This is the first calendar from Green People and is suitable for Spoonies or those with allergies because these products are free from SLS, SLES, methylisothiazolinone (MI), methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI), parabens, lanolin, phthalates, propylene glycol, alcohol (ethyl alcohol, ethanol), harsh foaming agents, irritating emulsifiers, synthetic fragrance, PABA-sunscreen, gluten, colourants, petrochemicals, urea, DEA, TEA or PEGs. This makes it a good choice for those prone to eczema and psoriasis.

The £150 worth of natural products include a velvet matte lipstick in Damask Rose, an illuminating eye shadow duo, Damask Rose Facial Oil and Moisturiser and Age Defy+ Soft Buff Exfoliator, Day Solution cream SPF15 and fruit scrub. (Note: This calendar is not vegan)

Lush 12 Days of Christmas £75 VEGAN
This year's Lush Calendar is full of 12 bath and shower products for an indulgent bathing experience. Products include four Christmas inspired bath bombs, two shower gels, two bubble bars, a pretty golden pear soap, a body conditioner a bath melt and bubbleroon.

The Little Beauty Parcel Feel Unique £75
There are £250 worth of beauty products inside this calendar, most are skincare items but also are more hair care products present than in the other calendars. These include a Living Proof Restore Mask Treatment, Percy & Reed Quite Frankly Flawless Finishing Polish and KMS Moistrepair shampoo and conditioner. Skincare highlights include Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum, REN Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic. The make up items include Lime Crime Diamond Crushers in Heirloom, Inka Mineral blush, Ciate Wonderwand mascara, Revlon Super Lustrous™ Lipstick in Bombshell, the popular Sleek MakeUP Highlighting Palette and a Sigma P82 - Precision Round™ Brush.

Look Fantastic Advent Calendar £79
This calendar contains 25 products in total worth a whopping £300. Skincare items include GlamGlow Gravitymud Firming Treatment, Omorovicza Moor Cream Cleanser, Emma Hardie Brilliance Facial Oil, Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance serum and First Aid Beauty Repair Cream. There's also a well timed This Works Stress Check Breathe In if you find Christmas stressful! For makeup there's a Blink Bar Brow pencil, Ilamasqua Beyond Powder in Deity a holographic green gold colour and a Lipstick Queen Frog lipstick which reacts to your pH levels and changes to a rose bud colour. As for haircare there are products from Percy and Reed and Mane & Tail.  There's a bonus free beauty box when purchasing the calendar.

Luxury Calendars Over £100

John Lewis & Partners Beauty Advent Calendar £140 reduced from £171 (approx.)
This calendar has 25 full and luxury trial sized skincare, makeup and fragrances. Make up  items include the cult classic Hourglass Ambient powder, Lancome Custom Strobing Drop Liquid Highlighter, Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow and Benefit Cosmetics Bad Gal Bang mascara. There are also primers from Laura Mercier and Becca's  First Light primer. Skincare items include Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream, REN AHA Tonic, Omorovicza Rejuvenating Night Cream and Sisley Sisleya L'Integral Anti Age cream. It contains fragrances by Aqua Di Palmer, Hermes and Guerlain.

There are also other bonuses to buying this calendar- Lancôme, Elemis, AVEDA and Clarins invite you to receive a complimentary gift or service at one of their John Lewis in store counters, with Fresh offering a unique code unlocking an exclusive online gift with purchase offer. You can also win £100 of beauty vouchers hidden inside 20 calendars.

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Universe Calendar £150
This year's calendar contains £196 worth of Charlotte Tilbury goodies in total. These include a mini Full Fat Lashes mascara, mini Rock 'N' Kohl pencil, Eyes to Mesmerize cream eye shadow in Jean (travel size) and Colour Chameleon in Amber Haze (travel size.)  There are two full sized lipsticks: Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk and Hollywood Lips in Screen Siren. Skincare and base products include multi Miracle Glow (travel size), Goddess Skin Clay Mask (travel size) Charlotte's Magic Cream (travel size) and Take It All Off  (travel Size.)

Estee Lauder The Beauty Countdown  (Estee Lauder Companies Calendar 2018 ) £150

Inside Estee Lauder's calendar are beauty treats from brands owned by Estee Lauder. This means that you get a variety of all high end beauty goodies! In total the calendar is worth £283. It seems to have the balance right with eight makeup products, two fragrances, four hair products and the rest skincare and bodycare products. There are several makeup removers and primer products in this calendar. Highlights include GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD® Clearing Treatment, Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II, Cliniques Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, Origins High-Potency Night a Minis and luxury Darphin Vetiver Aromatic Care Stress Detox Mask. It also includes a full sized MAC Cosmetics Liptensity lipstick in Fire Roasted, MAC Prep + Prime Fix +, MAC Strobe Cream in Pinklite, Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer and Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick. You'll also find inside Micheal Kors Wonderlust Eau Fresh and Estee Lauder Beautiful Belle while hair care comes courtesy of Bumble & Bumble and Aveda. Also available using the following links: Clinique,  Bumble & Bumble, Smashbox, MAC Cosmetics  Glam glow Darphin  and Estee Lauder.

Fenwick Beauty Advent Calendar 2018  £150
Inside you'll find classic favourites MAC Cosmetics lipstick in Twig and Nars Blush in Orgasm alongside Nails Inc Special effects nail polish and Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Mascara. Skincare products include Dr Sebagh Repair Hyaluronic Acid, By Terry hand cream, Pixi Retinol Tonic, Clinique Smart SP15 Custom Repair moisturiser and Clarins Extra Firming Nuit Regenerating Night Cream. It also contains a Neom candle which you can light while you're pampering yourself with the other beauty products!

Christmas 2017 Makeup Gift Guide

L-R Row 1: Dior Pump & Volume Gift Set £25.50   / Stila Liquid Lipstick Collection Bright & Bold £15.30 / Clinique Chubby Sampler Gift Set £22
L-R Row 2: Tam Beauty Christmas Bundle £15/ Zoeva Opulence Eye Shadow Palette £17.50/ Tanya Burr Jingle & Mingel Night Palette  £10
L-R Row 3: Butter London Crown Jewels £16/ NYX Professional Makeup Love Contours All £20  /Soap & Glory Flatterbox £20

It's possible to be on a budget and still be able to buy a few gifts from luxury brands. Stila has bundled three of their famous mini liquid lipsticks for their Bright and Bold collection- it includes Beso (a nice red) and two limited edition shades Lumi and Viola for £15.30. I think it's nice to receive a gift that has a variety of shades to wear.  I've included the Dior Pump and Volume gift set in this category although it's actually £25.50. I was really surprised at the price point because it includes a mini eye shadow palette as well but I have not seen it in person to see how small the palette is. Butter London are known for their nail polishes, but their gift set allows you to try out other products in the range. The Butter London Crown Jewels contains four of their bestsellers: a Petite Plush Rush Lip Gloss in Fireworks, a Double Decker Lashes Mascara, a Glazen Eye Gloss mini in Frosted and a Fashion size Patent Shine 10X Nail polish in Ta-Ta (which claims to last 10 days.) I quite like the sound of their eye gloss it's like a gel but dries to a powder and is long lasting so that the sparkle won't budge. Another high end brand mini gift set is Clinique Chubby Sampler Gift set with 3 mini favorites a Chubby plump and shine lip gloss, a Chubby Stick roly poly rosy cheek colour balm (3.6g) and a Chubby Lash fattening mascara (4ml.)

The Tam Beauty Christmas Bundle contains a Make up Revolution Skin Kiss Highlighter in Champagne Kiss, a Makeup Revolution Rose Gold Lipstick in Chauffeur, Makeup Revolution Amazing Volume Mascara in Black and I Heart Makeup I Heart Chocolate Golden Bar. I love Makeup Revolution and all the products are full sized, popular products. Makeup revolution do highlighters well and the I Heart Chocolate bars are good Too Faced dupes and this one reminds me of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory! Not to mention that their Rose Gold lipstick in Chauffeur is always sold out!

Onto another gift set by Soap and Glory,  the Flatterbox contains: Soap and & Glory Thick & Fast HD mascara in black (10ml ) Supercat liner in black (1.6g) Glow all out Pressed Luminizing face powder (9g), 3 Soap & Glory limited edition lid stuff eye shadows in Copper, Choccy  Cream soda (each 0.8g.) There's also a mini Sexy Mother Pucker in Plums up.

I love Zoeva's brushes they're affordable, high quality that don't shed and last the distance but I've yet to try their eye shadow palettes. I have my eye on the Matte palette but the Zoeva Opulent palette looks stunning! The packaging is gorgeous and the shades are so beautiful. Their eye shadow formula is  enriched with vitamin E and is 100% free of parabens, mineral oils, perfume and phthalates. Another palette I've chosen to include is the NYX is the Love Contours All Palette (I love the name) it's an all in one palette for brows, cheeks and eye lids containing two brow powders, a highlight and contour shades and nine eye shadows. Finally there's the Tanya burr's Jingle and Mingle palette which contains a lip gloss, three eye shadows eyeliner, bronzer and eye shimmer pot.

L-R Row 1: Nars Survival Kit 1 Face Set £45/ Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Icons Set £55
Row 2: Kat Von D x Too Faced Better Together Ultimate Eye Collection £57 /Becca Apres Ski Glow Collection Eye Lights Palette £28/ Charlotte Tilbury Face Seductive Beauty Palette  £49
Row 3: Urban Decay Heavy Metals Eye Shadow Palette £43/Dior Eye Shadow & Lip Palette £65 /Estee Lauder Pink Ribbon Knockout Eyes Collection £45
Row 4: Benefit Cosmetics Bigger & Bolder Brows Gift Set £31.50 /Clinique Colour Craving Makeup Gift Set £55/

Dior is know for it's luxury so I had to include this lip and eye palette which comes in it's own
zipped case. The Becca Apres Ski Glow eye shadow collection has had really good reviews while Benefit Cosmetics are famous for their brow products. The Nars Survival Kit 1 is an all in one palette with two neutral eye shadows in Naïad and Kalahari II, blusher in Off Limits and Mata Hari, a Nars Party Girl Lip Gloss and Black Moon Audacious Mascara.

It's definitely worth looking at the Harrods website which still has the Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Icons gift set despite selling out everywhere else. Alternatively there is the Charlotte Tilbury Face palette which is basically an all in one face palette with 3 eye shadows a bronze, highlight and 2 cheek colours all helpfully numbered. Harrods is also selling the Estee Lauder Pink Ribbon Knockout Eyes, a limited edition set which supports the Breast Cancer Campaign. It's sold out everywhere except at Harrods.

I chose the Kat Von D x Too Faced Better Together gift set because it's rare to have a mash up between brands. (I know they sometimes do across brand gift sets in Sephora but we don't have any stores in the UK.)  The eye colours are wearable and it comes with a full sized Kat Von D liner as well as the much raved about Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara. I included the Clinique Colour Craving Makeup gift set because of the massive price drop from £90 to £55 almost half price, a real bargain! The Urban Decay Heavy Metals eyes shadow palette contains a whopping 20 exclusive shades, 10 on the neutral side and 10 in bright jewel colours a must for any eye shadow fans. 

Top photo credit: pablofalv Presents via photopin (license) Changes Made

44 D.I.Y Christmas Present ideas When You're on a Budget

Updated May 2020

Edible Gifts 

Edible gifts are generally well received and pretty cheap and easy to make. Chocolate truffles go down a treat. There's a recipe for it here on BBC Food and you can put them in Christmas themed tins. This year I'm going to try making Chocolate Bark using these recipes from Lindsey Love at Gardenista. Wrap them up in cellophane and ribbon. Gingerbread men and shapes are also very popular at this time of year and this Jamie Oliver recipe should go down well. I saw these swan biscuits on Pixabay and they look so beautiful. You can get a small swan cookie cutter here and use this recipe from  Linzer Cookies from A Fox In the Kitchen. 

PhotoTop Left: Lindsey Love 

DIY Jewellery 

Chokers and tassel earrings are still trending and luckily they're easy to make. The wrap around suede choker tutorial can be found on Sarah Najafi's blog.  The peach and gold tassel earrings are from Honestly WTF and look very elegant. I think this lanyard bracelet from  Love Maegan looks unisex and would make a good gift for a man as well. Did you know you can make a ring from a spoon? This printable step by step from Kirsten Danielle  will show you how.

Winter Accessories

PHOTO CREDIT Top Left Kirsten Danielle Top Right Sarah Najafi  Bottom Left Honestly WTF Bottom Right Love Maegan

These dragon finger less gloves are perfect for Game Of Throne fans. You can find the crochet pattern at Heart Hook Home here. If you're a knitter then this knitted beanie might be an ideal gift for someone. The pattern can be found at Knitted Patterns. There's an easy D.I.Y faux fur scarf tutorial over at Love Maegan. However don't worry if you can't sew, crochet or knit this infinity scarf  from P.S. Heart is really easy and doesn't even require a needle! 

PHOTO CREDIT Top Left Heart Hook Home Top Right; P.S. Heart Bottom Left; Love Maegan Bottom Right Knitted patterns 

 Bags and Cases

I think this denim makeup bag can also double up as man's wash bag, see how to make it at A Pair and a Spare. This d.i.y tablet case is very smart, practical and unisex and it can be made from leather or vinyl.  The tutorial is here at Brit + Co. For the sewing phobic there's a no sew blue clutch wallet from Hot D.I.Y Tutorial and a no sew black large clutch bag from Brit + Co.

PHOTO CREDIT Top Left : A Pair and a Spare Top Right: Brit + Co Top Right  Bottom Left Hot D.I.Y Tutorial
Bottom Right: Brit + Co

Hair Accessories

These faux pearl hair pins are really simple to make but add glamour to any up do. You can find the tutorial at Yes Missy. Love Maegan has quite a few d.i.y. hair accessory tutorials but I love these gold and black hair combs the best. You can find the tutorial here. I saw this beautiful ribbon on pintrest and realised it would be a easy d.i.y, just sew or glue beads, sequins and rhinestones on to a ribbon. It can be worn as a choker as well as a head band. Another quick and easy d.i.y are these rhinestone hair clips the tutorial can be found on the Consumer Crafts Blog.  

 

PHOTO CREDIT Top Left: Yes Missy Top Right: Love Maegan Bottom Left Pintrest Bottom Right: Consumer Crafts Blog

Photo Gifts

Photos are probably the most treasured possessions and are cited as the one thing you'd rescue in a fire. Going digital means that you can do more with your photos and create lots of  thoughtful gifts. You can turn your Instagram photos into fridge magnets (tutorial by Photojojo here) coasters (see The Frugal Girls here) and even on marshmallows courtesy of Boomf. You can individually frame an Instagram image or gather all your family photos and create a collage. Photos can be turned into candle luminaries (by Our Best Bites) and personalised calendars where you can choose photos for each month or for specific days like nan's birthday. You can check for cheap photo printing deals on Money Saving Expert here.   If there's film footage of family birthdays and holidays you can download them on to DVDs to give as gifts to grandparents.

PHOTO CREDITS Row 1: Top left Our Best Bites  Top Right Photojojo Row 2: Left The Frugal Girls Row 4: Bottom Right Boomf

Body and Bath products

These fun Starbucks style body scrubs and body butters were created by Elle Sees. Choose from Peppermint Mocha Sugar Scrub, Peppermint Body Butter, Peppermint Solid Lotion, Caramel Brulee Latte Sugar Scrub and Body Butter, Snickerdoodle Hot Cocoa Body Sugar Scrub and Body Butter. You can find all these tutorials here.  This cute snowman bath bomb is just like Lush (but cheaper) and can be found under Last Minute Christmas D.I.Y.s over at Elle Sees. The Christmas inspired Peppermint Candy Cane Body Scrub is ideal for winter and the ingredients are very cheap as well (except the  essential oil.) Find the tutorial at The Idea Room. Baths are a way to relax after a hard day and gifting an Oatmeal and Lavender Bath Soak salts will make it even more luxurious. Oatmeal will make skin soft and lavender is known for its calming qualities but the best thing is these are cheap ingredients and very easy to put together just follow the tutorial from Carolyn's Homework.

PHOTO CREDIT Top Left: Elle Sees & Top Left: Elle Sees Bottom Left Carolyn Homework Bottom Right The Idea Room

Candles

Candles are popular gifts especially in winter when you just want to stay indoors and be all cozy or as the Danish say- hygge.  This very simple bark candle tutorial can be found at Just a Smidgen and you can make it for very little money. Teacup candles are easy to do and can be fairly cheap. You can pick up a nice cup and saucer from a charity shop or elsewhere and follow the tutorial by Yes Missy. If you really want to impress then try marbling plain white candles they look amazing! You can find out how to do on Ela's Box Youtube video here.   These sea shell candles can be made from scratch and even if you don't live near a beach you can pick them up from Baker Ross. Just follow the tutorial from She Knows. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Top Left Just a Smidgen Top Right Ela's Box Bottom Left  Yes Missy Bottom Right She Knows

D.I.Y Marker Mugs and Etched Glasses

There are a lot of sharpie mug tutorials on the net but the best ones show you how to make your design waterproof. For this you need buy oil based sharpie pens as seen in Four Thirty Four's Sharpie Pen Tutorial. Alternatively try using Deco Art glass paint pens like those used in My Crafty Spot to ensure that the design stays on permanently. You can also buy porcelain paint pens which will make your design dishwasher proof. Sharpies can also be used on glass like these wine glasses in gold and silver from A Belle Vie which look absolutely stunning! 

Another option is to etch a design onto glassware. Love Maegan made these cute heart glasses while Be Spangled Jewelry used the technique to personalise these mason jars with an initial.

PHOTO CREDIT Top Right; Love Magean Top Right Bottom Left: Bottom Right:

Wall Art

Wall art is something that can be very quick and inexpensive to make and yet seem very thoughtful at the same time.You can create word cloud art using lyrics from someone's favourite song, poem or quote or even words describing the qualities your special someone has using  free websites in minutes. Then all your need to do is print them out and frame them. You can find nice but cheap frames from Poundland, Wilkinson's, Ikea and Matalan. I used word it out for my word cloud below  (using lyrics from Santana's 'love of my life'). Worldle is very popular as well. You can also create pictures and quotes on free websites like Canva and Be Funky and print them off and frame. Another option is to search 'free printable quotes' into Google, print and frame them. The free printable quote below 'Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselevs' can be found on the blog Collected and is in a free printable round up on  It's Always Autumn. You can also channel your inner artist by creating scrabble tile art with photos alongside or arrange letters like a crossword or as an acrostic.  For inspiration take a look at this hobbycraft post  or hit up Pintrest. 

Top Left HobbyCraft Top Right  lipstick drawer Bottom Left lipstick Drawer Bottom Right Collection