M&S’s beauty advent calendar is surprisingly cheap – here’s my full review

M&S’s curated line-up of 25 beauty gifts includes haircare, make-up, body care, skincare and fragrance, with 11 full-size products and 14 travel-sized minis. Unlike other brand’s offerings, M&S’s is packaged in a navy velvet vanity case – which is far more useful than the boxes that most advent calendars come in. I still use my vanity case from last year’s calendar as storage and for travel, so I’m pleased to have another one in the mix.

Packaging aside, there is a lot to get excited about here. When it comes to haircare, it’s your chance to try 75ml travel-sized versions of Color Wow’s colour security shampoo (£21.50 for full size, Marksandspencer.com) and conditioner (£21.50 for full size, Marksandspencer.com). The duo is deserving of its cult status, with the formulas freshening up colour while leaving hair shiny and sleek (after all, the brand’s creative director is none other than Kim Kardashian’s stylist Chris Appleton).

There’s also a full-size Percy & Reed’s tame that mane smoothing blow dry cream (£20, Marksandspencer.com), which fights frizz before hair styling. Meanwhile, Philip Kingsley’s elasticizer (£21 for full size, Marksandspencer.com) needs little introduction, with the popular formula adding bounce and volume to dull hair – the perfect pick-me-up during party season. Another hair highlight is a 60ml Living Proof PhD five-in-one styling treatment (£28 for full size, Marksandspencer.com). I was late to the party with this one but it’s a new go-to for adding volume before blow drying, without that dreaded tacky feeling.

The mini premium skincare offering lets you sample some seriously good products, including Clinique’s take the day off balm (£34 for full size, Marksandspencer.com). This gentle formula is solid but turns into a silky oil upon application, immediately melting away any face and eye make-up. Then there’s Ren’s gentle cleansing milk (£25 for 150ml, Marksandspencer.com), which soothes and cleans skin, thanks to its nourishing blackcurrant-seed-oil-infused formula.

The make-up line-up is smaller but offers stellar value for money, with Benefit’s fan fest mascara (Marksandspencer.com) worth £27 alone. The curved brush helps give volume and length from root to tip, with the black finish creating a doll-eye effect. The Pixi kohl eyeliner (£12, Marksandspencer.com), meanwhile, boasts a precise tip for lining along your lid and waterline, for a smoky eye, and Dr PawPaw’s ultimate red tinted lip balm hydrates your pout while adding a subtle red stain.

The 30ml L’Occitane shea hand cream (£9.50, Marksandspencer.com) is a nice mini to throw in your bag for nourishing your hands on the go, while Cowshed relax bath and body shower duo (£38, Marksandspencer.com) has a soothing lavender scent that elevates your shower time.

Helping your nails look fresh, you’ll also find two Nails Inc polishes (in cranberry red and lilac-hued nude). 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 of late (see the sold-out Le Labo santal 33 alternative), and the calendar gives you a taster, with the velvet amber eau de toilette (£10, Marksandspencer.com), which is said to be reminiscent of Chanel’s iconic no5 scent. Plus, you’ll find the warm and sweet Floral Street vanilla orchid eau de parfum (£29, Marksandspencer.com) inside the calendar.