I tried the LookFantastic 12 Days Of K-Beauty Advent and it’s not what you’d expect
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Forget little advent doors. Lookfantastic’s £50 K-Beauty countdown comes in a bag filled with 12 numbered boxes and skincare worth over £140. I like the idea, but the packaging may divide shoppers.
When I think of a beauty advent calendar, I picture a large box filled with little doors, each hiding a skincare or make-up surprise to open in the countdown to Christmas. The LookFantastic 12 Days of K-Beauty Advent takes a rather different approach, however, and I think it’s one that will split opinion.
Priced at £50 and worth more than £140, this collection swaps the traditional advent calendar for what I describe as an advent Santa sack. Inside the bag are 12 numbered boxes, one for each of the 12 days of Christmas. Rather than opening a door every morning, you reach into the bag to find the corresponding number, then open the box to discover the product inside.
While it might not be what you expect from an advent calendar, I actually like the idea. It’s a clever way to package full-sized skincare products without having to have a huge calendar, and therefore a lot of excessive cardboard. The calendar also feels like a fun introduction to some of the biggest names in Korean beauty. But does the unusual presentation work, and is it worth the money? Keep reading to find out my full thoughts.
What I like about the LookFantastic K-Beauty advent calendar
The biggest selling point of the Lookfantastic 12 Days of K-Beauty Advent for me is the value. At £50 for products worth more than £140, the LookFantastic 12 Days of K-Beauty Advent offers an impressive saving, especially when you consider the number of full-sized products included.
There are 12 products in total, featuring popular Korean skincare brands such as LANEIGE, Anua, SKIN1004, Beauty of Joseon, Medicube and INNISFREE. It’s a strong line-up, with a mix of cleansers, moisturisers, serums, treatments and even a tinted lip balm.
Some of the highlights include the full-sized Anua Zero-Cast Moisturising Finish Sunscreen, worth £18, the SKIN1004 Centella Ampoule, worth £15, and the Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum with Ginseng and Retinal, also worth £15. There’s also a full-sized Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0, worth £17, alongside the ISNTREE GIM PDRN Firming Cream, worth £28.
That last product alone accounts for more than half the price of the entire bag, making the collection particularly appealing if it’s already on your skincare wishlist. I personally loved trying the Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0 as I’ve been curious about them ever since they went viral - and they do live up to the hype and have found a permenant place in my skincare routine. But, I also loved discovering products from brands I’d never heard of, such as the Aromatica Rosemary Scalp Scrub, which has given my scalp the super deep cleanse I didn’t know it needed until I used it. I love the scent, and I love that it instantly makes my head feel cleaner, and it’s refreshed feeling that lasts.
I also think this is a great option for anyone who has been curious about K-beauty but hasn’t known where to start. Korean skincare can feel overwhelming when you’re faced with so many brands, ingredients and products promising different results. Having 12 products gathered together for you by the beauty experts at LookFantastic gives you the opportunity to discover new favourites without committing to buying lots of full-sized products individually.
As the previously highlighted product and price list highlights, you may only be able to buy two or three of the full-sized items included in this calendar for the £50 RRP, so this is a fantastic way to try many more. It’s excellent value of the LookFantastic 12 Days of K-Beauty Advent also means that if you do find some of the 12 products aren’t quite right for you it’s okay and it’s still more than worth the price. Perhaps if you find this, you could gift to a friend or loved one.
Although not everything is full-sized, several products are, and the deluxe minis give you a chance to try products such as the LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask and Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Ceramide Barrier Moisturising Cream.
I particularly like the alternative packaging, too. Traditional beauty advent calendars can be bulky, with layers of cardboard and oversized boxes taking up space. The numbered boxes inside this bag offer a more compact and different way to enjoy the countdown, while still giving you something exciting to open each day.
What I don’t like about the LookFantastic K-Beauty advent calendar
The main issue of the Lookfantastic 12 Days of K-Beauty Advent is that I think the presentation could be divisive. If you’re expecting a conventional advent calendar with 12 doors to open, this isn’t it. Instead, you’ll be reaching into a bag to retrieve a numbered box, which did at times feel a little clumsy.
Personally, I don’t mind this at all. In fact, I appreciate that LookFantastic has tried something different and think that this approach makes it stand out on what is an ever crowded beauty advent calendar market. But I do think the description of the calendar on the website, which invites shoppers to “unlock the 12 doors of K-Beauty Advent”, is a little misleading when there aren’t actually any doors to open.
My bigger disappointment is the packaging itself, not the overall presentation. Both the bag and the boxes inside feature neutral colours, and there’s very little about it that feels festive. I would have loved to see brighter colours or more playful Christmas-inspired details to make the experience feel more special. After all, part of the appeal of an advent calendar is the excitement of opening something each day, and more colourful packaging could have made this feel like a more inviting gift.
That said, I suspect the understated design helps keep costs down. With such a strong selection of products for £50, I can understand why LookFantastic might have prioritised the contents over elaborate packaging, and I would of course prefer this approach.
It’s also worth remembering that, while the value is excellent, not every product is full-sized too. Some are deluxe minis, so if you’re expecting 12 full-sized skincare products, you may want to adjust your expectations.
My Verdict
The LookFantastic 12 Days of K-Beauty Advent is a brilliant-value skincare collection that takes a different approach to the traditional beauty advent calendar. At £50 for products worth more than £140, it brings together an impressive selection of Korean beauty favourites, including several full-sized products that make the price extremely appealing.
I like the idea of the numbered boxes inside a bag, as it avoids the need for a huge cardboard calendar while still giving you something to discover each day. It’s also a fun, accessible way to experiment with K-beauty if you’re keen to try brands such as LANEIGE, Anua and Beauty of Joseon.
The packaging could certainly be more festive, and I can see why shoppers expecting traditional advent doors might be disappointed. But for me, the contents matter more than the presentation, and this collection of products included delivers where it counts.
If you’re shopping for a skincare fan, or want to explore Korean beauty without spending a fortune on individual products, I think this is well worth considering.
- Please note that delivery charges may apply.