Skincare, haircare, fragrance: this Lookfantastic Advent calendar contains them all.
But what do you get, and is it all worth the spend? Read my Lookfantastic Grooming Advent Calendar review to find out.
Lookfantastic The Grooming
Advent Calendar, £85 (worth over £425)
The land of Advent calendars has become a bit of a minefield in the last few years.
I remember when my only decision was Lindt or Cadbury’s. It was simpler albeit much less chic time.
Nowadays you can have an Advent calendar for every physical and emotional need going — from wine Advent calendars through to sex toys.
Lookfantastic have been doing Advent calendars well for years now, often selling out in a matter of days and well before getting into December and the pre-Christmas period.
Our beauty writer Mia Lyndon has already published her Lookfantastic Advent calendar review – here’s my hot take on the Grooming version.
If you want to look at other tried-and-tested options, head to our pick of the best beauty advent calendars.
Pros
- Full head-to-toe grooming routine
- A lot of non-comedogenic but effective products
- Very chic-looking box
- Includes two fragrances
Cons
- Brands included are not as premium as the beauty calendar
- A lot of deluxe sample-size products
- A few of the products seem to show up in a lot of calendars and beauty boxes
- Box is big compared to products inside
Rating: 7.5/10
What’s Inside The Grooming Advent Calendar?
The calendar has 25 staple products, with household favourites including Bulldog and Cetaphil, but there are also more premium options from ESPA and Vichy.
- SPA The Hydrator Serum: 50ml (Full Size), Worth £35
- Vichy Minéral 89 72Hr Hyaluronic Acid and Squalane Moisture Boosting Cream: 15ml (Deluxe Size), Worth Over £7
- Rituals L’Essentiel – Cardamom & Patchouli: 50ml (Full Size), Worth Over £52
- Philip Kingsley Flaky Itchy Shampoo: 75ml (Deluxe Size), Worth £14
- Molton Brown Re-charge Black Pepper Bath and Shower Gel: 50ml (Deluxe Size), Worth £6
- VICHY Capital Soleil UV-Age MAXI Daily SPF50+: 15ml (Deluxe Size), Worth Over £8
- Bulldog Original Shave Gel: 175ml (Full Size), Worth Over £3
- Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask: 14ml (Deluxe Size), Worth Over £10
- Aromatherapy Associates Support Breath Bath & Shower Oil: 9ml (Deluxe Size), Worth £14
- Purifide by Acnecide Skin Restore Pimple Patches: 12pcs (Deluxe Size), Worth Over £3
- Uriage Bariederm Cica-Daily Gel Cream: 40ml (Full Size), Worth £22
- LF Grooming Kit: (Full Size), Worth £20
- Denman Be-Bop Massager: (Full Size), Worth £5
- American Crew Forming Cream: 50g (Full Size), Worth Over £12
- Barber Pro Under Eye Mask: 3pcs (Full Size), Worth £6
- TIGI Bed Head Manipulator Texturising Putty: 57g (Full Size), Worth Over £14
- Avant 8-Hour Antioxidizing & Retexturing Hyaluronic Facial Serum: 30ml (Full Size), Worth £89
- Murdock Black Tea Cologne: 10ml (Deluxe Size), Worth £20
- Dr. PAWPAW Shea Butter Balm: 10ml (Deluxe Size), Worth Over £4
- Grow Gorgeous Prebiotic and Vit C 10% Booster: 30ml (Full Size), Worth £30
- Rodial Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser: 20ml (Deluxe Size), Worth £15
- Cetaphil Salicylic Acid Cleanser: 29ml (Delux Size), Worth Over £1
- Bondi Sands SPF 50+ Everyday Face Lotion: 75ml (Full Size), Worth Over £9
- this works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray: 10ml (Deluxe Spray), Worth £12
- First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads: 10pcs (Deluxe Size), Worth £8
First impressions and unboxing experience
My first impression was ‘wow, that’s a big box’, but on closer inspection it kind of looks like the box was the first decision and the products were the second.
Some items seemed to have have a vast space tucked away behind their doors, which does make me think that less cardboard was required.
Lookfantastic The Grooming
Advent Calendar, £85 (worth over £425)
I was really impressed with the product themes: Lookfantastic does seem to have thought of everything without doubling up too much.
The haircare includes styling from American Crew and TIGI Bed Head, as well as washing and scalp care from Philip Kingsley and Grow Gorgeous.
The skincare products have your cleanser, serum, moisturiser and sunscreen all covered.
As well as mask options with the Rodial Vitamin C Brightening Mask, Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask, and the Barber Pro Under Eye Mask all included.
Value: Is this a bargain?
At £85, it’s definitely one of the more affordable calendars on the market. The contents value is worth over £425.
Head to our Liberty’s Men’s Advent calendar review, and you’ll find a product that offers similar value for money: it’s priced at £260 (but worth £932).
You save 80% on the Lookfantastic calendar vs. 72% on the Liberty calendar when buying the items separately.
Who is the Lookfantastic The Grooming Advent Calendar for?
This advent calendar is best for those just getting into grooming or skincare and want a one stop shop.
It’s got everything to handle your grooming needs from top to toe, and includes smaller refine and optimisation products with pillow spray, lip balm and manicure kit to refine the rough edges.
My boyfriend actually came to me sheepishly a few weeks ago and asked for my help as he wanted to ‘start doing skincare’, and needed my help.
As someone who has used retinal since 2013 and won’t even sit in a bay window without sunscreen on, I was happy to oblige.
This calendar’s products are not overly feminine or intimidating for someone who’s new to grooming, and it even has some cult favourites like the Cetaphil Salicylic Acid Cleanser and the Bulldog Original Shave Gel.
There are also some products that will make a huge difference – seemingly overnight – to someone who is new to skincare.
These include the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads which will slough away dead skin cells to reveal a brighter and fresher complexion.
I’m a bit of a fraghead (basically a fragrance groopie) so I was intrigued to try out the two fragrances included in the calendar.
Murdoch Black Tea has top notes of black tea and bergamot and unique enough to garner a compliment without being similar to every other ozonic ‘it’ fragrance on the market right now.
It’ll serve you well this winter.
The other fragrance – which is full-size is the RITUALS L’Essentiel – Cardamom & Patchouli. which is woody, warm, and powdery with top notes of Sandalwood, Cardamom, and Patchouli.
It’s been compared to Chanel Allure Homme and Guerlain Epices Intense.
Lookfantastic The Grooming
Advent Calendar, £85 (worth over £425)
The final verdict: our honest review
The honest truth? This calendar is an affordable option for someone you want to nudge into looking after themselves.
It’s not ground-breaking and doesn’t include some of the more drastic active ingredient products but that isn’t what everyone wants.
It’s non-intimidating, non-invasive and everything is easy to use. It’s got everything you need for a full routine, including deluxe sample sizes of more treatment style products like eye masks and radiance pads.
A stand out for me was the fragrances, both very masculine but unique enough to not smell like every other guy out there.
Buy it if you want a full routine that handles everything from top to toe or if you want to give someone a gentle nudge to up their grooming game.
Lookfantastic The Grooming Advent
Calendar, £85 (worth Over £425)
Where to buy the Lookfantastic Grooming Advent Calendar
The Grooming Advent Calendar is available exclusively from Lookfantastic and is £85, with contents that are worth over £425.
MORE ADVENT CALENDARS
Head to our product reviews page for more tried-and-tested opinion.
