Christmas may still feel a long way off, but the beauty world has already started its countdown. Vanity Fair Italia’s beauty desk has published its round-up of the best beauty advent calendars of 2026, arguing that mid-October is exactly the right moment to choose one, whether as a gift for someone else or a treat for yourself, before the most popular boxes sell out.
What’s behind the doors this year
The Italian edition’s picks cover make-up, skincare, fragrance and haircare. Kiko Milano hides 24 surprises, mostly make-up, inside an all-red box. Lookfantastic’s calendar holds 19 standard-size products from brands such as Aveda, Laneige, Clinique and Anastasia Beverly Hills. Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Beauty Wonderland has 15 products, four of them full-size, plus a little pink pouch to clip onto a handbag, while the Sephora Collection box contains 24 products, 17 of them full-size.
There are more specialised options too. Benefit opens the doors of its “Hotel Beneville” with 24 bestsellers, Fenty pairs its make-up and skincare lines in a 12-day calendar, and Manucurist focuses on nails, with three exclusive festive shades: a light bordeaux, a deep fir green and a pearly matte white. For fans of Korean skincare, Yepoda’s calendar arrives in a rigid burgundy beauty case that can be reused long after December, and Rituals leans into spiced, citrus and floral scents for body and home.
Are they really worth it?
The appeal is simple: a calendar lets you try a lot of products for less than buying them one by one. UK reviewers suggest a little caution, though. In its 2026 guide, The Independent names Sephora’s UK calendar its top pick, with 40 products, 27 of them full-size, for £235, but warns that miniature samples can inflate a calendar’s value on paper. Flavour Magazine makes a similar point: the contents values are the retailers’ own claims, and Charlotte Tilbury’s single-brand box offers a smaller multiple than the big multi-brand calendars, yet it may be the one you actually finish if you already love the brand.
The best advice is to count the full-size products, check the brands you will genuinely use, and look at the dispatch date before you order.
If you are planning a gift that lasts well beyond the 25th, a piece of jewellery makes a lovely partner to a beauty calendar. Browse our jewellery sets, soft pink rose quartz earrings, everyday bracelets or the full collection of earrings, or carry it all in one of our leather bags.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia (19 October 2026); The Independent, IndyBest (13 October 2026); Flavour Magazine (September 2026); Charlotte Tilbury. Prices and contents values are as reported by those sources and the retailers. Featured photo: beauty flat lay by Boris Pavlikovsky via Pexels (illustrative).
