Fortnum & Mason Beauty Advent Calendar Review

Looking back, I have no idea why I never even visited Fortnum & Mason. It seems like perhaps I missed out on something truly interesting. The moment the store released their first beauty advent calendar, I did not hesitate to purchase it. It kinda makes no sense when you think about it. But maybe it does. The Fortnum & Mason Beauty Advent Calendar promised to be a calendar with one of the highest values from the entire 2019 holiday season. I just had to have it.

Did the Fortnum & Mason beauty advent calendar meet my expectations? Read and find out.

Fortnum & Mason Beauty Advent Calendar

Delivery

The calendar was a pre-order. I ordered it in August and it was delivered on the day the calendar was officially released, 25th of October. This was in fact the first day the calendars began to ship so I think it was an incredibly fast delivery.

The calendar was delivered in a plain cardboard box that did not indicate what was hidden inside. I am actually pretty grateful for this. There was a bit of thin bubble wrap inside to protect the calendar, but not a huge or unnecessary amount. A bit more would have not hurt as the calendar got slightly injured in one of the upper corners despite the fact that the outer box was intact.

Calendar Box

The calendar box is a beautiful red box that houses 25 drawers in which the contents are enclosed. The design is very representative of the shop it came from. Also, compared to other luxury calendars, the box is slightly smaller which makes the calendar easier to handle. This was a welcome surprised as the calendar is quite heavy when filled with all the products.

Is it a box that you can keep and reuse? Definitely. The calendar is made of sturdy cardboard so if you want to keep it, you totally can. The only issue is that if you might find it a bit difficult to store a lot of beauty products inside due to its slightly smaller size to which I must add that the drawers are not evenly sized. Some drawers are incredibly small, while others are on the larger side. But overall, the box can definitely be reused.

3Lab M Cream
Antipodes Anti Pollution Light Facial Serum
Aromatherapy Associates Perfect Partners
Aurelia Skincare – Refine & Polish Miracle Balm
Bamford B Silent Night Time Organic Temple Balm
Bioeffect Micellar Cleansing Water 30ml, EGF Day Serum 5ml & EGF Serum
Bramley Shampoo & Conditioner
Chantecaille Faux Cils Mascara
Christian Breton Eye Priority Liftox
Cult51 Night Cream – review
Delilah Colour Intense Cream Lipstick Tango
Femmue Vital C Serum
Fresh Sugar Caramel Hydrating Lip Balm – review
Guerlain Supertips Midnight Secret
Iconic London Lip Plumping Gloss.
Kure Bazaar Cherie Red Nail Varnish
Lilou et Loic Amber Candle.
Lucia Magnani Rejuvenating Eye Cream – review
Noble Isle Rhubarb Body Wash 75ml & Tea Rose Body Wash
Olverum Bath Oil
Patchology FlashPatch® Illuminating Eye Gels – review
Penhaligons Halfeti Body Lotion & Halfetti Body Wash
Sisley Phyto Eye Twist Topaze
Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream – review
Yolke Leopard Caramel Silk Eye Mask.

Above you can see the full list of beauty products enclosed in the Fortnum & Mason beauty advent calendar.

The calendar caught my attention because of this list. The products included inside the box have not been included in the other calendars, luxury or otherwise. The contents are quite fresh which is nice as it gives the owner a chance to try out new products that are not that easy to come by. Some of the products included in the calendar are definitely not products you see advertised everywhere. Some, I honestly had no idea even existed which made this purchase more exciting.

In addition to including such interesting products, the Fortnum & Mason beauty advent calendar houses more than just 25 products which is great. In some of the drawers, there are two or even three deluxe sized products.

In terms of contents, this calendar did really good. There were some surprises of course. The biggest surprise, for me personally, was the inclusion of a product from Christian Breton. I am actually familiar with this brand, but I do not know its background story. I have owned products from it, but it is a brand that I have grown accustomed to seeing on the shelves of my local TK Maxx rather than in a luxurious department store. Definitely curious to try it now and learn more about it.

Another thing that I noticed about this calendar is that it focuses more on wellness and especially body care than all the other calendars on the market which is great as it serves to its advantage. It makes the calendar stand out.

The only disappointment were the products included in the last few drawers. It is not that they are not good products, but I feel like we have seen better products included for previous days. I was expecting something wow inducing on the 25th, that is all. It is not bad, but I always thought that such a calendar should build up the excitement (and it does) until the last day where it is supposed to wow (this one did not).

However, overall I am happy with the contents.

Price and Value

The calendar was priced at £195 and has a value of £730. That is perhaps one of the best price/value ratios we have seen this season.

I am sad to say that this calendar is now sold out. In fact, the calendar sold out pretty much after it was released for pre-orders and for good reason. I had to wait quite a bit to receive mine after placing the pre-order back in August, but the wait was worth it.

Personally, I am very happy with the calendar, the design and of course the contents. I think this is an incredible calendar and that I got my money’s worth. There is no question about it. Overall, I am very happy and cannot wait to try out all the products and review them for you. Also, I cannot wait to see what the store will come out with for next year.

There are more beauty advent calendars still available for purchase. Have a look at this comprehensive list.