I know that some of you are probably fed up with hearing about beauty advent calendars. I promise that I am going to be done soon and start focusing on writing more reviews. The reason why I am going all in on advent calendars right now is because these beauties never stay long in stock, especially calendars such as the one I want to talk to you about today – The Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar.
The Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar is one of the most iconic advent calendars out there. Everybody, or nearly everybody has heard about it. It is no wonder that it sells out fast every year. For this reason, year after year they had to increase they stock in hopes that it will last longer and that everybody who wanted one could get their hands on one. I remember how difficult it was to snag one a few years back! Luckily, things are more relaxed nowadays so even though the calendar was released a couple of weeks ago, you can find a limited number of calendars available.
But should you buy one? Read and find out.
Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar Review
Calendar Box
The Liberty Beauty Calendar comes in a similar box to the one we have been accustomed to. On the outside, the Liberty calendar looks like its previous editions and it depicts the iconic facade of the store. On the inside however, the calendar is decorated using a different Liberty print (for those who are unaware or never visited Liberty – Liberty has a huge collection of fabrics and they create their own prints. They are unlike anything you can find at other stores).
Overall the box looks pretty similar to the one of previous editions. The main difference this year is the type of card used, well at least the finish of the cardboard is different. This one is not as glossy, but rather more textured. Details like these are really impressive and they make the box worth keeping.
In terms of size, the box is the same size I would say. I have not brought the previous edition out of storage to check (not a hoarder! my mother wanted to keep it for some reason), but I do believe they are the same size. It still comes with 25 drawers that are roomy enough to store your beauty products inside and big enough for it to be reused to store more than just the products the calendar come with. The new cardboard used makes me even want to keep the calendar on display for longer and to store my beauty products inside of it (if only I had the space).
The box is still not as sturdy as the one of the Harrods advent calendar, let’s say. It is no where near that, but the changes they made to this year’s edition of the Liberty calendar, do make it a much more suitable option for beauty storage. In previous years, I never felt like I should keep the box. This year, I feel different.
Okay, enough about the box. It does not matter that much, but I have to say that I love that the brand is making it possible for us to hold onto it if we so wish. I really don’t like boxes you cannot reuse.
Contents
- Aromatherapy Associates De-Stress Muscle Gel 40ml
- Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Botanical Cream Deodorant 50g
- Aveda Cherry Almond Shampoo 50ml & Conditioner 40ml
- Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara 3ml
- Byredo Rose Rinse-Free Hand Wash 30ml
- Davines Nounou Hair Mask 75ml
- Dermalogica Intensive Eye Repair 15ml
- Diptique Baies Candle 70g
- Dr Sebagh Vitamin C Tube 1.95g x 2
- Frank Body Lip Balm 15ml
- Hair by Sam McKnight Lazy Girl Dry Shampoo 50ml
- Herbivore Orchid Youth-Preserving Facial Oil 8ml
- Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder Travel Size 0.9g
- Le Labo Tonka 25 EDP 15ml
- LixirSkin Universal Emulsion 30ml
- Malin + Goetz Grapefruit Cleanser 30ml & Vitamin E Moisturiser 30ml
- Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo in Orgasm/Laguna 2.59 x 2
- Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist (Limited Edition) 30ml
- Ren Skincare Overnight Recovery Balm 30ml
- Skin Laundry 3 x Single Hydrating Sheet Masks
- Surratt Lid Lacquer – Kimugi 3.3g
- Susanne Kaufman Oil Bath for the Senses 30ml
- Trish McEvoy Lip & Cheek Beauty Booster in Plum 2.5g
- Vilhelm Parfumeries Peony Couture – 7.5ml
- Votary Super Seed Facial Oil 50ml
The Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar contents are different than the ones we have seen in previous year. That much is obvious, however the brands included are pretty much the same. This is to be expected as the department store does not hold a very extensive collection of beauty brands as everything they do carry is incredibly well curated/carefully chosen.
Some new additions include Vilhelm Parfumeries, Frank Body and Herbivore. I am not entirely sure about Bobbi Brown. These new additions are something that I am quite excited about to be honest. Vilhelm Parfumeries is a brand that I have been eyeing for quite some time and been meaning to buy one of their fragrances (Room Service, I believe), but they all come in 100ml which is a bit too expensive. Love the fact that I can try one of their products now.
Anyway, I don’t want to go into a lot of details about specific products here as the time for that is in December when I will be reviewing the contents of the advent calendars I have purchased here, on the blog.
Overall, I thought that the contents of the calendar were okay. There are some pretty nice products included and some pretty nice brands. You can always expect high quality whenever Liberty of London is concerned. There is no question about that. However, I felt like this year that wow factor is not as present. In terms of contents, there is nothing that makes this calendar stand out compared to the previous edition.
While I do believe that the Liberty calendar is great and the contents are great and that the calendar can definitely hold its own when compared to other luxury calendars, I do feel that compared to itself, this edition is not super impressive. Once again, I want to stress out that the calendar is really nice, but we live in a world where we have gotten so accustomed to getting so many offers from left and right, up and down that one needs to pull all stops to better themselves and to ensure they are still relevant and that they can provide more value than what else is out there. Hope this makes sense. I am just trying to keep it real.
The truth is that expectations are at an all time high and winning does not come easy. Liberty of London is lucky that they have a strong brand name with a long standing tradition. At the end of the day, Liberty is iconic and has build a very devoted fanbase over the centuries; it is so strong that those of us who have bought into the experience they provide are hooked in and probably will remain so for life. That is Liberty’s biggest strength and the reason why I (and perhaps many others) find products such as this calendar a must buy.
However, if I were to remove the rose coloured glasses ( not my actual glasses, but where would we be then? you definitely would not be able to read any of what follows) then despite the amazing contents the Liberty Beauty Advent calendar provides, I am not sure I came out a winner. Not when Liberty releases amazing gifts with purchase such as their autumn one. You do the math. Such cases show me that maybe I was not wrong many moons ago in believing that GWP are perhaps better the advent calendars.
A few more things before I move onto the next section. I really wonder whether this Liberty Advent Calendar is missing its spark that we have become so accustomed to expect due to the fact that they released a second calendar this year – The other Liberty Calendar. The Other calendar caters more towards lifestyle and grooming, but some of the beauty products included in that one (unisex products) are what this Beauty calendar is missing for it to be spectacular. We shall see (probably next week).
And the very last thing before I move onto the next section, I want to stress once again that I do not hate the Beauty Advent calendar. I really don’t. I am actually happy with the product and with my decision to purchase it so there are definitely no regrets there. However, I do believe that there was something missing which would have made the beauty advent calendar from Liberty spectacular. I also don’t want what I have written above to be interpreted in any way as hate against Liberty because there is definitely no such thing in my heart. I have written the things that I did based on an analysis of the market and environment and from a desire for keeping it real. This is what I do and I hope that I haven’t offended anyone as that was not my intention. With that being said, I do appreciate the effort that has been in made in creating the beauty advent calendar, in curating its contents and designing the entire experience.
Value and Price
The Liberty Beauty Advent calendar is priced at £215 which is slightly more expensive than last year, but the value is of over £600. In addition, you get the entire experience which is something many have tried and failed to replicate.
GRAB YOUR ADVENT CALENDAR HERE.
Perhaps for the first time ever, I am not writing a [real] conclusion. I think that everything that needed to be said has been said. I don’t regret getting the calendar and I am sure I will enjoy opening each drawer in December and sharing reviews of the contents with you. If the calendar is something that appeals to you, then go for it. If not, there are many other options out there.
(Strangely enough, I feel like crying now. This is definitely not what I wanted or expected to write)
What did you think of the Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar?
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Honestly, I was not so wowed this year by the Liberty advent calendar, so I didn’t get it this year. But I loved it last year! Maybe it’s because I have quite a few of the products already. But hand sanitisers etc don’t excite me that much! I definitely agree about GWP! I did get the Selfridges beauty collection too though, it’s great value.
I also loved it last year and the year before that. I don’t mind the products, but like I said in the article, something was missing. The other calendar has some pretty amazing products inside that could have been included in this one as well. If that were the case then I would have been more impressed. I also agree on the Selfridges bag. That is why I snagged it right away.
I couldn’t agree more. I was certain that I would get the Liberty advent calendar again (as I did last year) but it really lacked the “wow factor” there is nothing in there that made me think “that is great value, or I really want to try that”. In the end I opted for the Netaporter calendar. I think they’ve really delivered this year. There is only one or two items that I think I could live without. Hopefully we see a better selection from Liberty next year.
I was considering the NetaPorter but after last year when they refused to deliver to my address, I did not risk it. This time I went all in on basically all other calendars. For review purposes 🙂 glad you are enjoying your calendar though 🙂