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The Harvey Nichols 12 Days of Fragrance Advent Calendar 2025
As a child, there was nothing more exciting than a daily dose of chocolate. But as an adult, I’m all for unusual Advent calendars, packed with beauty icons, jewellery, LEGO… the list goes on. What better way to mark the countdown to Christmas than by ticking off half your festive wishlist before the big day?
Yep, what was once a costless European tradition — German Protestants would draw chalk marks on their walls or light candles to keep track — has now become big business, meaning we’ve got more options for alternative Advent calendars than ever before.
But to save you from gifting an uninspired, unimaginative bundle, GLAMOUR editors have taken it upon themselves to review each and every Advent calendar hitting the shelves, so that they can name the best beauty Advent calendars, jewellery Advent calendars, and sex toy Advent calendars for 2025.
Read on for our thorough reviews, as well as answers to all your festive FAQs. And, for those wondering what other new releases we might see later this year, we’ve popped our 2024 favourites below too. You’re welcome.
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How we test the best unusual advent calendars:
… because it’s not as simple as opening and closing every door. The GLAMOUR commerce team, made up of people of all preferences and ages, has been reviewing Advent calendars for the last five years, meaning they know what it takes to make a great beauty bundle or unusual countdown to Christmas.
Our (very willing) volunteers received one unusual Advent calendar each and were asked to score each against the following criteria:
- Ease of use — Were the drawers easy to open, and the calendars simple to store?
- Design — Is the exterior of the calendar cute? Were the beauty products, sweat treats or adult-friendly sex toys useless novelties or things they’d actually want and use?
- Contents — Was there enough variety? And was it worth the initial investment?
Ahead, our edit of the best alternative advent calendars for 2025, approved by GLAMOUR editors:
The Harvey Nichols 12 Days of Fragrance Advent Calendar 2025
- Number of days: 12.
- Number of products: 20.
- Available from: Pre-order, with the official launch on September 30th 2025.
- GLAMOUR’s highlight: In her debut year, she sold out in 24 hours.
The Harvey Nichols’ Fragrance Calendar is making its second debut, allowing you (read: us) to road-test 20 olfactive heroes in a range of full-size, travel-size and deluxe miniatures. Brand-wise, cue treats from cult-favourites including Creed, Parfums de Marly (a personal fave of our beauty contributor, Denise Primbet) and Kilian, as well as newer names such as Xerjoff, Matière Première, Frederic Malle, D.S & DURGA and Trudon. We should also know that it’s worth more than £700!
Save when you shop for the best non-chocolate advent calendars with these Harvey Nichols discount codes.
Fortnum’s Beauty Advent Calendar 2025
- Number of days: 25.
- Number of products: 26, including 23 full-sized.
- Available from: Pre-order for shipping on September 22nd, 2025.
- GLAMOUR’s highlight: Worth more than £1,149 (!), thanks to the inclusion of beauty and wellness icons from Jo Malone, Sol de Janeiro, and Aromatherapy Associates.
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