Is the Elemis Advent Calendar, packed with luxury skincare products, worth the generous £199 outlay?

September is prime time for beauty advent calendar launches, and the latest is the Elemis Ultimate Skincare Advent Calendar. Packed with products totalling £537, this calendar retails for £199 and is full of best-selling skincare and body care products, making it the perfect luxury self-care treat for any Elemis fan.

A popular pick every year, it offers 25 luxury treats for 2024 with a saving of £338, providing a great opportunity to pick up some of Elemis’ favourites at a much reduced cost.

As a beauty journalist, I’ve tested lots of beauty calendars over the years and as an Elemis fan, I wanted to try this one to see if it was worth spending nearly £200 on to start the countdown to Christmas.

I was also curious to see how it compared to other luxury calendars this year, such as the Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar (tried and tested by the Yahoo UK team), which has a similar price point.

The 2024 version of the Elemis is more expensive than the 2023 version, costing £189, but it does have a higher content value, as it was worth £551 last year. So is the price hike justified?

Elemis, a globally recognized brand, has become a favorite among luxury skincare enthusiasts with its popular products such as Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, Marine Cream Moisturiser, Superfood Facial Oil and Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream.

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For starters, there’s no denying the excellent value for money this calendar gives you. Behind one door is a full-size tub of Elemis’ Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (£95) — the skincare brand’s most popular moisturiser, designed to smooth fine lines, plump and hydrate your skin.

As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a chance to win an Elemis Golden Ticket worth £1,000 in one of this year’s 15 beauty calendars.

What’s inside? Elemis Ultimate Skincare Advent Calendar 2024?

• 5 cleaners

• 6 moisturizers

• 2 peeling

• 2 toner

• 1 eye cream

• 1 face oil

• 1 eye mask

• 1 bath milk

• 1 shower cream

• 1 body fat

• 1 body cream

• 1 serum

• 1 headband

• 1 cleaning cloth

There’s a good variety of products, featuring six different skincare and body ranges, but if you’re already an Elemis fan like me, there’s nothing brand new. Instead, Elemis has leaned towards their most popular products, which I assume is to appeal to existing customers rather than new ones.

⭐ My 5 Elemis Advent Calendar Key points ⭐

I’m already a fan of most of the Elemis products included, and many of them come in handy mini sizes that would be great for travel. The mini sizes are also a great opportunity to test out a few of Elemis’ most popular products without having to shell out the cash for a full-sized version.

Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm | Retails at £49 for 100ml

Nothing removes make-up better than a cleansing balm and Elemis is by far my favourite. It’s a buttery soft balm that transforms into an oil when massaged into dry skin, melting away make-up in seconds.

Nourishing and soothing for all skin types, the formula is rich in fatty acids, lavender, chamomile and eucalyptus oils to leave your skin clean, soft and soothed. Plus, thanks to the essential oil blend, it smells like a luxurious spa and is instantly calming.

Frangipani Monoi Body Cream | Retails from £30 for 200ml

This is, without a doubt, the best-smelling body cream I’ve ever used, loaded with macadamia, sesame, tahitian monoi and coprah oils. It’s rich but not overpowering, and stays on for hours.

I would have loved to have a full size version in the calendar but the 50ml tube is perfect for travelling. I moisturise after every shower, no matter how much time I have.

Pro-Collagen Marine Cream | Retails at £95 for 50ml

The hero product of Elemis is undoubtedly this moisturizer, which is the focal point of the calendar and is right behind draw number 25.

I love its texture the most because it strikes the perfect balance between a rich moisturizer that feels nourishing without feeling oily. Designed to tackle fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven texture, it also absorbs quickly. It also blends really well under makeup, so you can use it as a day or night moisturizer.

It’s also the highest value item in this calendar, making up almost 50% of the total cost, so there are 24 more items you can unlock throughout December for just £90 more.

Superfood Facial Oil | Retails at £54 for 15ml

When my skin feels dry, this is one of the first products I turn to in my evening skincare routine. It doesn’t leave an oily residue on the skin, but instead leaves a light and soothing feeling.

It would be nice to see the full size of this (it’s usually 15ml) but I have to say, I’ve never actually finished a facial oil as I use very little on my combination skin, so I think I’ll get plenty of use out of this mini bottle.

Superfood Glow Priming Moisturiser | Retails at £46 for 60ml

I always want to have a glowing complexion when I do my makeup in the morning, and I find that this moisturizing primer helps hydrate and smooth my skin. It’s also the quickest way to prep my skin for a smooth foundation application.

Don’t be put off by the peachy tones of the cream, it blends seamlessly into the skin without leaving any colour behind and absorbs incredibly quickly. I love a multi-purpose product so for me this ticks every box.

🪫 3 highlights of my Elemis Ultimate Skincare Advent Calendar 🪫

I’m always a little disappointed when accessories like Elemis headbands and cleansing cloths are included in beauty calendars, as they often feel like filler products.

Luxury Cleaning Cloth | retail price £10 for two

For a price tag of around £200 I would have preferred to see more products like a larger shower gel or body cream, but some may appreciate this useful addition to their beauty routine.

Skin Care Headband | not available for purchase separately

Hair bands aren’t exactly a must-have for my skincare routine, so I don’t consider this to be a useless product.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm | Retails at £49 for 100ml

Don’t get me wrong, I love this cleansing balm, I just don’t need three cleansing balms in one advent calendar. It comes with a mini original balm, a rose version, and an unscented version.

This is a bit much and I would have preferred a single full size version rather than three mini versions, but I suppose as this is an individually branded calendar, Elemis is a bit more limited in its product selection compared to multi-retailer calendars like Liberty.

Is it elemis? Advent Calendar is it worth the splurge?

If you’re an Elemis fan and want to repurchase some of your trusted favourites, such as Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (usually £95), then the Elemis Advent Calendar could be a real bargain for you.

Buy now: Elemis The Ultimate Skincare Advent Calendar | £199 from Elemis (worth £537)

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However, I think Elemis missed a trick by including fewer full-size items than I expected, and a larger number of similar items, so it might be better to just buy the items you like individually (Elemis also sells most of the miniature sizes in this calendar on its website anyway).

In my opinion, you’re better off buying a multi-brand calendar for variety and value for money. The Space NK Beauty Advent Calendar is more expensive this year at £250, but it has £1,200 worth of content and contains 34 products, 23 of which are full-size.

Meanwhile, the Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar costs £260 but contains an impressive 28 products, 18 of which are full-size. The products inside are from super-luxury brands like Augustinus Bader, La Mer, Ren, Sunday Riley, Lisa Eldridge and more. You can read our full review here.

Other 2024 beauty calendars I can recommend