Anthropologie's Advent calendar sells out every year — I cracked it open to see if it's worth grabbing early

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Fall is right around the corner, but I already have my sights on all things merry and bright. And by that, I mean Christmas. Yep, I know I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but as Yahoo's gifting expert, I know that a little holiday spirit can really do wonders. Just ask Anthropologie — much to my delight, they dropped not one, but two beauty Advent calendars before I even sipped on my first PSL of the season.

I've opened dozens of beauty Advent calendars over the years, and I've come to learn that all that glitters really isn't gold. Nope, it's useless junk. Seriously, most brands think they can pull a fast one on us by filling cardboard boxes with cheap gimmicks and teeny-tiny samples at a premium price. Anthropologie's 24-day countdown is the rare exception — and this year's assortment somehow tops last year's, which, mind you, sold out in October.

24 days, 24 buzzy beauty buys to help you get through the (utterly delightful) chaos of the season. If history repeats itself, it'll sell out before December, so you know what to do...

Artist Nephthys Foster's illustrations invite you on a journey to a whimsical wonderland, one beautifully decorated box at a time. The box itself is a sturdy stunner — use it to store ornaments, holiday cards or small decorations once the season's done.

It's what's on the inside that really counts, though. Now, I know that being surprised is the name of the Advent calendar game, so I'll refrain from getting into the specifics. Let me just say that this year's selection stretches your wallet big time — that's right, you'll get 3x the value of travel-size makeup, skin care and fragrance samples.

This thing is seriously stacked with incredible brands and products, and for such a steal. It's a really good way to try a bunch of things to see which one you'll end up committing to. - Marie Lodi, Senior Beauty Writer

I know my strengths — gifting is one of them, but having an encyclopedic knowledge of beauty products isn't. So, I tapped our resident beauty expert Marie Lodi for her take on this year's assortment.

Sunday Riley Good Genes : "Literally one of the best all-time exfoliators ever and one that we include in a lot of our lists. It's the first AHA product I tried and the one that made me take chemical exfoliants seriously. A must for treating texture and dark spots!"

Vacation Chardonnay Oil: "They remain my forever favorite SPF brand. This Chardonnay Oil is stunning. It feels so luxurious and smells so divine that you forget it's actually a sunscreen."

Caudalie Vinoperfect Brightening Eye Cream : "The hero ingredient is grapevine sap, which is known to help with brightening, so this is great for dark circles, but it also has niacinamide for smoothing and soothing and caffeine to energize. Just a solid eye cream all around."

Salt & Stone Santal & Vetiver Deodorant : "This one is super popular, and when I finally tried it, I understood why — I don't think my armpits have ever smelled that rich ."

Everything's touted as a "premium sample" — some products are bigger than others, but everything's under 2 oz. So, if you're looking for full-size versions of your favorite products, then I'd wait for brand-specific countdowns since they tend to be packed with larger offerings. (Psst, brands like Benefit, Typology, L'Occitane and Charlotte Tilbury have included full-size products in the past.)

Here's the deal: The old me would steer clear of curated assortments because, well, nothing's ever curated exactly to my taste. But the 2026 version? I've learned that Advent calendars are a great way to build up my travel-friendly beauty stash. Now, I shop my own selection of minis before trips instead of going to the store, which saves me time and money in the long run.

And in the spirit of giving, here's a little advice for you: The Anthropologie Advent calendar is always one of the first to go, so do yourself a favor and scoop it up, stat.

Not sure you can justify the splurge? Anthro gets it, which is why they also dropped a 12-day countdown for half the price. You'll still get the same caliber of products — I'm talking about Ilia mascara, Batiste dry shampoo ( one of our top-tested picks !) and more standouts.

We received complimentary samples of some products and purchased others ourselves, but we reviewed all products using the same objective criteria.