Top 5 Makeup Advent Calendars: Expert Review Guide

Imagine the excitement of opening a tiny door each day in December, revealing a little beauty surprise! Who doesn’t love that feeling? Makeup Advent Calendars have become a huge holiday tradition, offering a fun way to try new products and count down to Christmas.

But let’s be honest: picking the perfect one can feel overwhelming. Do you choose the one with skincare or strictly makeup? Is the price worth what’s inside? We know you want the best value and the products you will actually use, not just a box full of tiny samples you forget about.

This post is your ultimate guide to navigating the dazzling world of 2023’s best Makeup Advent Calendars. We break down what each calendar offers, who it’s best suited for, and where you can find the biggest bang for your beauty buck. Get ready to discover your favorite new treats!

Top Makeup Advent Calendar Recommendations

Bestseller No. 1

e.l.f. Sleigh the Holidays 24-Day Advent Calendar 2025, Skincare Essentials & Festive Makeup In Limited-Edition Shades, Vegan & Cruelty-Free

HOLIDAY MAKEUP ADVENT CALENDAR: Count down to the holidays and indulge yourself in e.l.f.’s OG best sellers and most viral drops with this 24-day skincare and makeup advent calendar.
INCLUDES 24 PRODUCTS: Each door reveals a new skincare essential, pro-worthy tool, or festive makeup product in limited-edition shades for pampering your skin and decking out your look.
E.L.F.ING AMAZING VALUE: Score e.l.f.’s latest viral finds and holy-grail products.
VEGAN & CRUELTY-FREE: e.l.f. stands with every eye, lip, face, paw and fin. Proudly vegan, e.l.f. is double-certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny & PETA

SaleBestseller No. 2

Revolution Makeup Advent Calendar 2025, 24-Piece Beauty Gift Set for Lips, Eyes, & Face, Features Essential Cosmetics & Tools, Vegan & Cruelty-Free

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: Packed with 24 beauties spanning lip gloss, blush, highlighter, mascara, and tools. With essentials, new launches, and Revolution icons
LIPS TO LOVE: From juicy glosses and buttery lipsticks to nourishing lip oil and liners, this advent calendar delivers everything you need for a high-shine lip. Use the included mirror to apply your pout
EYE & FACE ESSENTIALS: Amp up your eye looks with a mix of liners, shimmers, and mascara. Includes an eyeshadow palette featuring matte and shimmer shades. Unlock your glow with the powder blush, blush stick, or highlighter stick
TOOLS FOR CONTOUR: Glow, sculpt, and set your face. Features a fluffy eye brush, beauty blender and blending sponges. Gift this kit to any beauty-lover kid, teen, or adult during the holidays
CRUELTY-FREE & VEGAN: This Revolution product is formulated without any animal-derived ingredients making it Vegan friendly. All Revolution products are backed by PETA as being Animal Test Free. Product sizes, packaging and shades may vary slightly.

Bestseller No. 3

PuffDecoLab 24 Day Christmas Advent Calendar for Women - Luxury Spa Gift with Bath Salt, Soap, Jewelry for Wife Girlfriend, Relaxation Countdown to Christmas

【24-Day Beauty & Spa Advent Calendar】: Begin a 24-day journey to Christmas with a daily surprise. This elegant calendar turns your holiday countdown into a moment of joyful anticipation and self-pampering. Each door reveals a new mini item, turn intoing your home into a festive haven of serenity.
【Curated Collection for Relaxation】:Discover a hand-picked selection of spa and beauty essentials designed to soothe the senses. This set offers a variety of indulgent experiences for different moods, featuring premium bath salts, gentle soap, and other pampering treats to create your own spa moments at home.
【Beauty Essentials with a Festive Touch】: Elevate your daily style with elegant jewelry accessories and beauty items, including festive Christmas silk scrunchies. This collection expertly blends timeless elegance with a touch of holiday sparkle, offering both pampering and practical style for the season.
【Festive-Ready Packaging】: Presented in a beautifully illustrated, keepsake-quality box that captures the holiday spirit. Arrives perfectly prepared to place under the tree—no extra wrapping needed. Its stunning design ensures a memorable unboxing experience, making it a standout item that shows you care.
【The Ideal Holiday Gift for Her】: The thoughtful answer for finding a gift for the special women in your life—be it a wife, best friend, or family member. This stunning set is an invitation to pause, relax, and cherish moments of well-being during the bustling holiday season. It’s a gift that truly understands and celebrates her.

SaleBestseller No. 4

UCANBE Makeup Advent Calendar 2025, 24 Days Christams Makeup Sets For Women Gift, 2025 Xmas Countdown Calendar 24 Individually Boxed Full Make Up Kits For Teens Beauty Gift

UCANBE 24 Days Makeup Advent Calendar: Count down to Christmas 2025 in style with this festive beauty calendar, featuring 24 individually numbered boxes. Each day reveals a new surprise - from lipsticks and blushes to eyeshadows and more. Perfect for women and preteen girls, this advent calendar makes every December morning feel special and builds excitement all the way to Christmas Day. A fun, festive, and gift-worthy way to enjoy a complete makeup collection this holiday season.
Excellent Value-Packed: The UCANBE Beauty Advent Calendar is filled with full size makeup. Enjoy incredible value, include eyeshadow palettes, primer, lipsticks, glosses, lip oil, blush, highlighter, contour, eyeliner, brow pencil, lash curler, and more. Whether you're going for bold holiday glam or a natural everyday look, this Christmas all-in-one beauty set makes the perfect gift for any makeup lover. Great for both beginners just starting out and pros who want to expand their collection.
Perfect Christmas Gift Box: Packaged in a festive Christmas design, this 2025 countdown calendar is a fun treat for beauty lovers of all ages and doubles as a stunning makeup gift box. From Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve, unwrap a new surprise every day. Ideal for holiday gifting, Secret Santa, stocking stuffers, weddings, birthdays, or simply treating yourself to a little beauty joy each morning. A thoughtful gift for wives, moms, daughters, girlfriends, sisters, and best friends.
Surprise-Filled Beauty Countdown: Ready to Celebrate – Beautifully packaged, this advent calendar is packed with incredible value, featuring 24 individually numbered boxes of beauty must-haves. Whether you’re new to makeup or a seasoned beauty lover, into bold glam or simple everyday looks, this advent calendar for women and teen girls is the perfect way to discover new favorites and celebrate the holiday season in style.
For Your Loved Ones: Share the joy of the season with this festive makeup advent calendar. Thoughtfully designed for women and girls of all ages - from moms and daughters to sisters, nieces, and best friends - it’s a heartfelt gift that brings a new surprise each day and makes counting down to Christmas a special memory to enjoy together.

SaleBestseller No. 5

Makeup Advent Calendar 2025, 24 Days Christmas Gift Makeup Sets For Women, UCANBE 2025-2026 Xmas Countdown Calendar Full Makeup Kits Beauty Makeup & Cosmetic For Teens, Girls Gift

Christmas Gifts For Women: UCANBE 24 Days gift makeup sets is the ideal makeup gift for lovers, wife, daughters, sisters, or anyone who livers high-quality beauty products. A unique way for your lovers to count down the days throughout until Christmas Eve.
Holiday Countdown Surprise: The independent hole design, A different way to enjoy the Christmas with 24 days of colorful beauty surprises to reveal. The opportunity to treat friends and family throughout Thanksgiving and the Christmas season to new, great quality makeup and beauty gifts with options especially designed for beauty lovers. Each day brings a new makeup surprise, making it a festive and indulgent treat for yourself or the perfect gift for someone special.
Super Value Pack - 24PCS: Our Make up set with BIG SIZE include 24 PCS surprise for every day. The variety available is perfect, lots of nice makeup for the holidays or every day, inclued Contour, Eyeshadow, Highlighter, Glitter Powder, Eyeliner Pencil, Dual-end lipgloss+lipstick, Eyeliner, Liquid Blush, Lipgloss, Eyeliner, Lip Balm, Glitter Gel, Makeup Sponge, Hair Clip, Eyelash Curler, Mascara.
Perfect Christmas Gift Box - Perfect Christmas gift for girls, kids, teens and adults. Great for Christmas, Christmas Eve, birthday, Thanksgiving, wedding, Valentine's Day, engagement, anniversaries, holidays and more. Perfect women makeup full kits to start your holiday season.
For Your Loved One: The Great value makeup calendar sets is a creative Christmas gift for women of all ages, your loved ones, such as wife, daughter, mom, sister, niece, granddaughter, girlfriends, teens. A great way to count down to Christmas!

Bestseller No. 6

W7 Beauty Blast - Makeup Advent Calendar 2025 - Beauty & Cosmetic Calendar - Individually Boxed Makeup & Cosmetic Surprises For the 24 Days to Christmas - Cruelty Free Gifting

BEAUTY BLAST COSMETIC ADVENT CALENDAR: Countdown to Christmas with individually numbered boxes, each revealing a mix of W7 essentials from mini must-haves to full-size favorites.
FESTIVE SURPRISES FOR BEAUTY LOVERS: Designed for makeup fans who enjoy discovering new cosmetics, this calendar brings daily excitement throughout the holiday season.
GIFT READY PRESENTATION: Packaged in a vibrant holiday design with 24 individually wrapped treats, making it a thoughtful choice for seasonal gifting to friends, family, or yourself.
SHARE THE JOY: Whether for beginners exploring beauty, adults expanding their collection, or anyone who loves festive surprises, this advent calendar makes a memorable seasonal treat. Please note, this is not a toy and is not suitable for children.
HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN EXPERIENCE: Enjoy beauty surprises perfect for building anticipation in December and adding a touch of fun to any Christmas celebration.

Bestseller No. 7

Flower Knows Dreamland Advent Calendar 2025,15-Piece Must-Haves ALL-In-One Makup Kit,Perfect Christmas,New Year,Thanks Giving Beauty Gift for Women & Girls

Dreamland Advent Calendar 2025:Features The Sweetie Bear 6-Color Makeup Palette(02),Concealer Palette(01),Blush(S01),Lip Jelly (JE05),Dual-Ended Brow Gel & Pencil(01),Shell's Jewel 6-Color Makeup Palette(01),Baked Powder(01),Lip Glaze(P04),Strawberry Cupid Liquid Blush(02)Lip Cream(V06),Midsummer Fairytales Liquid Highlighter(02),Hand Mirror,Mini Heart Bag Charm,Christmas Scented Hand Cream,Gift Box
8 Days of Christmas Gifts: Each little door hides a story wrapped in starlight — a token of beauty,a spark of joy.The air is filled with the scent of wonder,the hush of falling snow,the promise of something magical waiting just for you
All-in-One Beauty Set: A $475 Value — Curated with essential eye, cheek, and lip makeup plus elegant accessories for a complete festive-ready look. This luxe collection saves the hassle of selection, delivering pure festive joy in one exquisite box
Ready-To-Gift: Celebrate the New Year with this thoughtfully packaged gift set.Aa perfect expression of joy for your loved ones—or a festive treat for yourself
Create Perfected Looks: Formulated with premium ingredients for a velvety finish that delivers rich,festive color payoff and a complexion that sparkles with holiday cheer

Bestseller No. 8

Sephora Favorites Limited Edition Moving Lights After Calendar 7 Days of Makeup and Skincare Surprises - 8 Full Size Gifts

Sephora Favorites Limited Edition Moving Lights After Calendar 7 Days of Makeup and Skincare Surprises
INCLUDES: 1 pair Cucumber Hand Mask, 0.12 oz / 3.5 g Colorful Matte Blush in 06 Flirt It Up, 0.011 oz / 0.31 g Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner in 01 Matte Black, 1 pair Caffeine Eye Mask, 0.5 oz/ 15 mL Vanilla Lip Sleeping Mask, 0.21 fl oz / 6.5 mL Nail Polish in 501 Baby Blue, 0.10 oz / 3 g Sheer Shine Lipstick in 07 Rose Refraction, 0.47 fl oz / 14 mL Size Up Volumizing Mascara in Ultra Black.
What it is: An essential, limited-edition advent calendar that lets you extend the magic even after the holidays with its eight standard-size beauty surprises.
What Else You Need to Know: From December 25 through the 31, treat yourself with the Sephora Collection After Calendar. This must-have for the holidays has eight surprises hidden in seven boxes. Simply open them up each day to discover one or two makeup or skincare gifts. All the products are standard size so they’re even more of a treat.
New In Box!!

The Ultimate Buying Guide: Your Perfect Makeup Advent Calendar Awaits

Advent calendars are fun! They bring a little surprise every day leading up to a big holiday. Makeup advent calendars are especially exciting. They let you try many new beauty products. This guide helps you pick the best one for you.

1. Key Features to Look For

When buying a makeup advent calendar, look closely at what is inside. Good features make the calendar worth the money.

Product Variety: Does the calendar include different types of makeup? Look for a mix of lipsticks, eyeshadows, mascaras, and perhaps skincare items. A good variety means you try many new things.
Full-Size vs. Samples: Some calendars have tiny samples. Others offer full-size products. Full-size items give you more product to use. Decide what you prefer.
Brand Reputation: Check the brand offering the calendar. Well-known brands usually mean better quality makeup.
Value Proposition: Calculate the total cost of buying all the items separately. A great calendar offers a much lower price for the bundle.

2. Important Materials and Ingredients

The actual makeup matters most. You want safe and good-quality products.

Ingredient Lists: Always check the ingredient list if you have sensitive skin. Look for ingredients you like, such as natural oils or vitamins. Avoid known irritants if you have allergies.
Cruelty-Free Status: Many buyers look for calendars from brands that do not test on animals. This is often clearly marked on the packaging.
Packaging Quality: The calendar box itself should be sturdy. Strong cardboard keeps the little doors from breaking before you open them.

3. Factors That Improve or Reduce Quality

What makes one calendar better than another? It comes down to the details.

Quality Boosters:

Curated Themes: Some calendars have a specific theme, like “Winter Glam” or “Skincare Focus.” A clear theme means all the products work well together.
Exclusive Items: If the calendar includes products only available in the calendar, it feels more special.

Quality Reducers:

Too Many Repeats: If you already own many products from that brand, the calendar might just give you items you already have. This lowers the fun.
Low Pigment Payoff: Cheap makeup often has poor color payoff. Read reviews to ensure the colors show up well when applied.

4. User Experience and Use Cases

How you use the calendar affects your choice.

Gifting: If you buy it as a gift, choose a calendar with universally appealing colors (like neutral eyeshadows).
Personal Use/Discovery: If you buy it for yourself, pick a brand you want to explore. Advent calendars are perfect for trying new things without committing to a full-size purchase.
Daily Routine Integration: Some people use the products immediately. If you plan to use them daily, make sure the formulas feel nice on your skin.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Makeup Advent Calendars

Q: When should I buy a makeup advent calendar?

A: You should buy them early! They often sell out quickly, usually starting in September or October. Waiting means you might miss out on the popular ones.

Q: Are makeup advent calendars worth the high price tag?

A: Generally, yes. The total value of the products inside is almost always much higher than the price you pay for the calendar. They are a great deal if you like the brand.

Q: How many days are in a standard makeup advent calendar?

A: Most follow the traditional format of 24 days, running from December 1st to December 24th. Some specialty ones might have 12 days or even 25 days.

Q: Can I find vegan makeup advent calendars?

A: Yes, many brands offer vegan options. You must check the product description or the brand’s website to confirm that all ingredients are free from animal products.

Q: What if I don’t like the color of a lipstick I get?

A: This is a common risk. If the calendar is non-returnable once opened, you might have to swap the item with a friend or save it for a gift exchange later.

Q: Should I buy a high-end or drugstore calendar?

A: High-end calendars offer luxury formulas, but drugstore calendars often give you more items for less money. Choose based on your budget and what level of quality you expect.

Q: Are these calendars good for beginners?

A: Absolutely! They are fantastic for beginners. You get small amounts of many different products, letting you experiment without huge initial investments.

Q: What happens to the packaging after the countdown?

A: Many brands design the packaging to be reusable. Some boxes turn into storage drawers or decorative pieces. Check if the packaging has a secondary use.

Q: Do the products expire quickly?

A: Most makeup products have a shelf life of one to three years, even when sealed. If you open the calendar in December, you should have plenty of time to use the items before they expire.

Q: Are there calendars focused only on skincare or tools?

A: Yes, while the most popular ones feature color cosmetics, you can find calendars dedicated solely to mini skincare items, makeup brushes, or beauty tools.