Introduction
A beauty advent calendar counts down the days to Christmas. Each box has a full or travel sized product (e.g.) skincare, make-up etc. Most promise $$$ or £££ savings for a fraction of the retail price.
My aim is help you decide how much additional value this box offers.
My method : I allocate a monetary value to each item in the calendar starting with the retail price for the largest-sized product and then adjusting for size. E.g., if a 4g lipstick retails at £20 and a calendar contains a 2g travel size, then the monetary value is £10.
At step 2, I deduct the retail price (e.g.):
The additional value in this e.g., is £300. You should then, take a cold, hard-look at the calendar and decide how much of it you will use.
Will you use at least £100-£300 worth of product?
Purchasing details
- Sign up is available here
- Available for sale from 18th October
- Price is £325 (vs £320 from 2020). Expected value of calendar is pitiful – see below
Breakdown by category
Assumptions: All prices are from British websites, “A” is the quantity of the full sized product. “B” is the price (US$) for the full sized product. “C” is the quantity of the product in the Advent Calendar. “D” is calculated as (C/A)*B. “E” is calculated as D/F expresses as a percentage. P.S. As Alexander Pope wrote, “To err is human, to forgive divine” so my calculations may have errors. Don’t shoot me, tell me
My view
Please click on this link for my 2020 review of Jo Malone’s advent calendar.
In the whole entire market of advent calendars this is the only calendar I encountered last year and this year, that so blatantly disregards an unwritten rule about advent calendars (namely that they will offer some value for money)
It makes no sense to me why you would pay £325 for products that on a pro-rata basis retail for £242.
Is the privilege to buy this advent calendar worth £100+ to you or whomsoever you are buying it for? Do they exhibit an unattachment to money? Because if you are that type of person, I know a few charities that could do with a £100.
Attribution of source of information: the Sun newspaper (yes, I know. Shoot me now)
List of products
- Honeysuckle & Davana Cologne 9ml
- Pine & Eucalyptus Mini Candle 35g
- Vetiver & Golden Vanilla Cologne Intense 9ml
- English Pear & FressiaShaped Soap
- Peony & Blush Suede Hand Cream 15ml
- Orange Bitters Cologne 9ml
- Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense 9ml
- Wood Sage & Sea Salt Body & Hand Wash 30ml
- Poppy & Barley Cologne 9ml
- Oud & Bergamot Cologne Intense 9ml
- Grapefruit Mini Candle 35g
- Wild Bluebell Cologne 9ml
- Blackberry & Bay Body Crème 50ml
- Lime Basil & Mandarin Cologne 9ml
- Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne Intense 9ml
- Lime Basil & Mandarin Shaped Soap
- Fig & Lotus Flower Cologne 9ml
- English Pear & Freesia Mini Candle 35g
- Jasmine Sambac& Marigold Cologne Intense 9ml
- Cypress & Grapevine Cologne 9ml
- Pomegranate Noir Mini Candle 35g
- Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne 9ml
- Peony & Blush Suede Body & Hand Wash 30ml
- English Pear & Freesia Cologne 30ml