Buying guide · Updated ·
Best advent calendars 2026 UK: beauty, Lego, chocolate and more compared
Best value picks for 2026: the LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty Advent Calendar (£120, 27 products) for beauty, and the Lego City calendar (£17.99 on Amazon) for kids. Popular advent calendars sell out every year before 1 December, so if you want a particular one, buy it now rather than waiting for Black Friday.
Prices were checked between mid-September and 20 October 2026. Beauty calendars rarely get discounted, but Lego and toy calendars often do.
LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
27 products, 19 of them full-size. LOOKFANTASTIC says the contents are worth £665.
No7 25 Days of Beauty
25 treats, including 8 full-size. The cheapest well-known beauty calendar.
Cult Beauty Advent Calendar 2026 (Signature Edition)
33 products (19 full-size), which Cult Beauty values at over £1,100. Usually one of the first to sell out.
Space NK Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
35 products (26 full-size), which Space NK values at over £1,200.
Lego City Advent Calendar 2026 (60510)
The cheapest of this year's Lego calendars, with 24 mini builds.
Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2026 (75456)
£7 under the £29.99 list price. Usually the first Lego calendar to go.
Lego Marvel Advent Calendar 2026 (76340)
Superhero mini-figures and builds for Marvel fans.
Hotel Chocolat Grand Advent Calendar
A step up from supermarket chocolate calendars.
Which advent calendar should you buy?
For a beauty fan: LOOKFANTASTIC gives the most full-size products for the money. Cult Beauty and Space NK are the luxury choices, with high-end brands and claimed values over £1,000. For a lower budget, the No7 calendar from Boots is £65. Our beauty advent calendars guide compares them in more detail.
For kids: Lego calendars are the best value toy calendars, at £18 to £30, and they become a toy to keep rather than chocolate that's gone in a minute. Star Wars and Marvel sell out first. The Hot Wheels calendar (about £24.99) is a good alternative for younger children.
For food lovers: Hotel Chocolat's Grand calendar (£80) is the chocolate upgrade. Food calendars like the Bonne Maman jam calendar (about £31.99) make fun gifts too.
Luxury: Liberty (£285), Selfridges (£250), John Lewis (£250) and Harrods (£270) all sell big beauty calendars with 30 to 40 products. These are worth it if you'd use most of what's inside.
Do advent calendars get cheaper on Black Friday?
Beauty calendars: rarely. The popular ones sell out before Black Friday, and the few discounts come after 1 December, when the choice is much smaller.
Lego and toy calendars: often. Amazon and Argos regularly cut them by £5–8, as with the Star Wars calendar's discount above. If you see one under its list price now, it's a safe buy.
Advent calendar price guide 2026
- Under £25: Lego City, Star Wars and Marvel; Hot Wheels; supermarket chocolate calendars
- £50–£120: No7 (£65), Hotel Chocolat Grand (£80), LOOKFANTASTIC Grooming (£90), LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty (£120)
- £150–£300: Charlotte Tilbury (£170), Cult Beauty (£245), John Lewis and Selfridges (£250), Harrods (£270), Space NK (£275), Liberty (£285)
When should I buy an advent calendar?
By early November at the latest for the popular ones. Beauty calendars from Cult Beauty, Space NK and Liberty often sell out before December.
What is the best value beauty advent calendar 2026?
LOOKFANTASTIC's, at £120 for 27 products (19 full-size), offers the most full-size products per pound of the major calendars.
What is the cheapest Lego advent calendar 2026?
The Lego City calendar, at £17.99 on Amazon when we checked.
Are advent calendars worth it?
They are if you'd use most of what's inside. Check the contents list (most retailers publish it) before you buy, and ignore the 'worth £1,000' claims, which are based on full retail prices.
See all our Christmas gift guides.