*Gifted. This product was gifted in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Advent Calendars. Personally, I don’t think it matters whether you’re 8, 18 or even 80 years old, you should always have an advent calendar. There’s something about opening up that box or little door and finding a surprise inside that makes the build up to Christmas even more exciting.

Every year I get myself an advent calendar. In fact if I’m honest I sometimes get two (that’s not greedy right? as a chocolate one is a must) but being the beauty addict I am, an advent calendar filled with beauty treats and skincare goodies is my favourite way to countdown to the big day.

The problem is, with so many beauty brands releasing advent calendars it can be hard to know which one to buy. Unlike their chocolate counterparts, beauty calendars aren’t exactly cheap and those that are, tend to be filled with a lot of stuff you don’t really want or need. Finding the right balance between products you’ll actually use and love and affordability is key when choosing a beauty advent calendar and I’ve found one that ticks all the boxes.

Sara Miller London

Sara Miller London is a luxurious lifestyle brand famous for rich and vivid colours, playful prints and vibrant patterns. From the second you enter the Sara Miller London website, it’s very difficult to not want to add every beautifully designed product into your basket. The latest Christmas collection is a visual feast of whimsical design and colour, with the Chelsea Beauty Advent Calendar being no exclusion.

Opening the Sara Miller Chelsea Advent Calendar is a wow moment in itself. The gorgeous midnight blue casing is decorated with colourful foliage and Sara Miller’s famous rich gold accents. Inside reveals twenty-four bath and beauty favourites each contained in their own personal box, decorated in an eye-catching array of fushia, white, turquoise and midnight blue. It has to be one of the most gorgeous beauty calendars on the market and will make a fabulous addition to your festive home.

The back of the box and each individual box does say what’s inside. This makes it ideal if you are buying it as a gift but if it’s a gift for yourself and you do like a surprise, I’d say try not to look on the back of the individual box when opening. It’s only a small thing that may not bother you but I do like the product to be a secret right up until the last second for a bit of extra fun.

The Sara Miller London Chelsea Advent Calendar includes: four eau de toilette rollerball perfumes, three scented soaps, eight hand creams, four shower creams, four lip glosses and one body souffle.

All products are scented with a fusion of exotic ingredients and fragrances from around the world. Inspired by a love of travel, the four scent groups of Rose, Patchouli and Cassis; Tuberose, Sandalwood and Vanilla; Fig Leaf, Cardamom and Vetiver; and Peony, Bergamot and Amber, transport you from East to West taking you on a sensual journey of fragrance.

The attention to detail on this advent calendar really shows. Every product is wrapped in delicate Sara Miller tissue paper, making opening up each box even more fun. You never open the same product two days in a row which gives you time to enjoy each product for longer.

Sara Miller London Scented Soap

These travel-friendly soaps can be massaged along your body to cleanse and delicately fragrance your skin. I’m a big fan of using soaps like this for your hands instead of liquid soap. Not only do they reduce the amount of plastic you buy but they look much prettier than a cumbersome bottle. The scent isn’t overpowering and each soap lathers up beautifully without leaving your skin feeling dry.

Sara Miller London Shower Gel

I was really pleased to see shower gels inside several of the boxes. For me shower gel is one of those products I begrudge buying as it can seem so mundane when you plonk it in your basket during a food shop. However, being presented with beautifully packaged, quality shower gels such as these, can turn your boring beauty routine into a proper mini pamper session. As with all Sara Miller London beauty products, they smell beautiful. Not overly-scented but enough to linger on your skin and leave it smelling fresh and clean. They lather up nicely, look great in your bathroom and are even the perfect size to take with you on any travels.

Sara Miller London Hand Cream

As someone who works in a laboratory, hand creams are a must. The Sara Miller London Hand Creams are rich and creamy and leave my skin feeling beautifully soft and smelling great. With 30 ml in each tube you get plenty for your money and they will last you right through the New Year.

My only disappointment has to be that there are eight hand creams in this advent calendar, two of each scent. As lovely as they are, I do feel eight is a bit excessive. It would be great if some could be replaced with say a Sara Miller Lip Balm, more shower gels that get used quickly, or even just have them all with different fragrances. That being said, they are are lovely hand creams and will definitely be used in time and I’m sure some may even magically find their way into my mum’s beauty drawer.

Sara Miller London Eau de Toilette Roller Ball

My favourite products in this advent calendar have to be the eau de toilette Roller Ball perfumes. The bottles are a beautiful clear glass with opulent gold leaf design which mirrors the gorgeous fragrances within. The rollerball glides along your skin dispensing just the right amount of perfume. They’re the perfect size to pop in your handbag and top up your perfume whenever you feel like it.

Sara Miller London Lip Gloss

The Sara Miller London Lip Glosses have different but complimentary fragrances to the rest of the collection. They all smell amazing and sound good enough to eat, with my favourite being Cherry Blossom & Watermelon. I was pleasantly surprised to find the lip glosses are clear. I find this makes them much more wearable and suitable for any time of day. The stick factor is minimal, practically non-existent and feel nourishing on the lips. The tube is a squeeze bottle with a smooth surface open applicator giving you control over your lip gloss application and are more hygienic than a wand.

Overall the Sara Miller London Chelsea Advent Calendar is one of the best Beauty Calendars, I’ve had. At £95, it’s certainly not one of the cheapest on the market. However, the classic Sara Miller packaging and the products itself are well worth the price tag. All products inside are cruelty free and vegan making this the ideal calendar for anyone. I can’t wait until the 1st of December! B x

advent calendar Christmas festive Lifestyle Perfume sara miller london