Beauty advent calendars and baubles expand holiday gifting options

With the holidays approaching, retailers and beauty brands are expanding festive offerings that span luxury advent calendars to low-cost "beauty baubles"—single ornaments that conceal mini cosmetics—giving shoppers a wide range of price and gifting options ahead of Christmas. Major brands and retailers have launched calendars and baubles across price points this season, from sub-£5 trinkets to premium calendars valued at several hundred pounds.

Beauty baubles are being promoted as an affordable alternative to full advent calendars. These glossy ornaments typically contain one or more travel-sized products such as a lipstick, hair treatment or moisturiser and start at around £4.99, making them easy options for tree decoration or stocking fillers. Examples on sale include a bauble containing a 15ml travel jar of Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Water Cream, a Hair Gain ornament that includes a dry shampoo and a vegan silk scrunchie, and a Slip Pure Silk Skinny Scrunchie offering four Mulberry silk scrunchies for about £29. Other small gifts include a trio of almond-infused minis from L'Occitane and a Cowshed bauble hiding a grapefruit, bitter orange and lavender hand cream. One...