Quick answer: Ulta's 25 Days of Beauty calendar ($150, 31 pieces) is the best all-round beauty advent calendar of 2026 you can still buy. If you mostly wear makeup, get NYX's Bling Box instead: all 24 doors are full size, and it's $110 at Ulta (checked November 15, 2026; the $88 sale ended November 14, 2026). Sephora's $105 calendar has the best stated value, but both Sephora listings showed out of stock when we checked on November 13, 2026.
All prices, contents and stock below come from Ulta's and Sephora's own product pages, checked on November 13, 2026. The "value" figures are the retailers' own numbers, not ours, so we've also worked out the cost per door and counted how many products are full size.
Beauty advent calendar 2026 comparison: cost per day and full sizes
| Calendar | Price (Nov 13, 2026) | Doors / pieces | Full size | Cost per door | Stated value | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulta 25 Days of Beauty | $150 | 25 / 31 | 9 | $6.00 | $440 | In stock |
| NYX Bling Box | $110 (checked Nov 15, 2026; $88 sale ended Nov 14) | 24 / 24 | 24 | $4.58 | $212 | In stock |
| Sephora Favorites 25-Days of Beauty Must Haves | $105 | 25 / 25 | at least 3 | $4.20 | $393 | Out of stock |
| Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Wonderland | $220 | 15 / 15 | 4 | $14.67 | $400 | In stock |
| Benefit Hotel Beneville | $168 | 24 | 4 | $7.00 | $330 | In stock |
| Revolution Beauty Advent Calendar 2026 | $65 | 24 / 24 | 10 | $2.71 | $135 | In stock |
How we did the math: cost per door is the price divided by the number of days. Full-size counts are the items each retailer labels "full size." Sephora labels three items full size (Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze, Glossier's lip liner and the Haus Labs blush balm stick) and doesn't give a size for the YSL gloss stick. That's why its count says "at least 3."
Ulta vs Sephora advent calendar 2026: which is better?
On paper, Sephora's calendar wins. Its stated value is $393 for $105, about 3.7 times the price, compared with about 2.9 times for Ulta's $150 calendar ($440 stated value). Sephora's lineup is also more prestige: Charlotte Tilbury setting spray, Kérastase hair oil, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream, Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask and a GrandeLASH-MD serum. Most of those are deluxe samples or minis, though.
The catch is that you can't buy it from Sephora right now. Both the online-exclusive listing and the in-store edition showed "Out of Stock" when we checked on November 13, 2026. If you find it elsewhere for more than Sephora's $105, you're paying a markup on a box that's mostly minis.
Ulta's calendar is the one you can actually order. Ulta's page says it "usually ships in 24 hours," which leaves time before December 1. You get more pieces (31 across 25 drawers) and more full sizes (9). Ulta's full-size list includes The Ordinary's Multi-Active Delivery Essence (3.38 oz), Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel, an OPI lacquer in Malaga Wine and NYX Butter Gloss Bling. Two of the nine "full sizes" are press-on nails and a three-pack of menstrual heating patches, so don't count them as makeup. There are also hair and body picks (Moroccanoil Treatment, Tatcha The Rice Wash, an OSEA body oil, amika and Drybar dry shampoos), plus a Carolina Herrera Good Girl Blush mini.
Verdict: Ulta's is the calendar for a woman who likes trying a bit of everything: skin, hair, nails, fragrance. Skip it if you'd only use the makeup.
NYX advent calendar 2026: the Bling Box is back to $110
NYX's Bling Box is the only calendar here where every door holds a full-size product. Ulta's page says it "includes 24 of the most viral best sellers in all full sizes," and the box photo shows lip glosses, lip oils, liquid blushes, Smooth Whip lip creams and an eyeshadow palette. It's $110 on Ulta when we checked on November 15, 2026, which works out to $4.58 a door.
Ulta's Early Black Friday page listed "20% off NYX Professional Makeup select kits," online only, ending November 14, 2026, which had the Bling Box at $88 ($3.67 a door). That offer is over. Ulta's main Black Friday sale starts online November 21 at 8 p.m. CT; check the price then; we couldn't confirm whether this calendar will be included.
Who it's for: anyone who wears lip color every day, or a teen or 20-something on your list. Skip it if you want skincare or something luxurious. It's all color makeup, with no serums or hair products.
The other three, in one line each
- Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Wonderland ($220): 15 surprises. Four are full size: Matte Revolution lipstick in Pillow Talk Medium, Unreal Blush stick, Beauty Light Wand and a Lip Cheat Contour Duo. Nine are travel sizes, plus a gua sha tool and a mini makeup bag. At $14.67 a door, it's for Charlotte Tilbury loyalists. If you want her products more than the daily-door fun, read our Charlotte Tilbury party bag price check first. That $135 bag holds seven items.
- Benefit Hotel Beneville ($168): only four of the products are full size: BADgal Bang mascara, 24-HR Brow Setter, Benetint and Cookie highlighter. The rest are minis and "fun sizes," mostly mascara, brow products and POREfessional primers. Buy it only if brows and mascara are your thing. Ulta's page also notes Benefit is excluded from most Ulta coupons.
- Revolution Beauty ($65): the cheapest per door at $2.71, with 10 full sizes, 8 minis and 6 accessories. Read the label first: Ulta's page says the holiday palette, face pigment pot and face shimmer stick contain "pigments not approved for use on eyes in USA." The FDA's eye cosmetic safety guidance says some color additives approved for cosmetics in general aren't approved for the eye area. Use those three on cheeks, not lids.
Which beauty advent calendar should you buy?
- For yourself, and you like variety: Ulta 25 Days of Beauty, $150.
- For a makeup lover, at the lowest cost per full-size product: NYX Bling Box, $110 ($4.58 a door).
- For a Charlotte Tilbury fan: the Hollywood Beauty Wonderland, $220, but don't also buy her the party bag. The products overlap.
- For a teen or a stocking-level budget: Revolution, $65, with the eye-area caution above.
- Waiting on Sephora: it showed out of stock on November 13. Don't pay a reseller more than $105.
A note on Black Friday: Ulta's Black Friday sale starts online on November 21 at 8 p.m. CT and in stores on November 22, according to its Black Friday page. Ulta hasn't said whether any advent calendar will be discounted then, and calendars count down from December 1. If one of these is the gift, we wouldn't wait. Our Black Friday 2026 dates by store has every other sale date.
Shop the post
Prices and stock checked on Ulta.com on November 13, 2026. These aren't affiliate links: BCL earns nothing if you buy.
- Ulta Beauty 25 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar, $150 (checked Nov 13, 2026): the most variety, with 31 pieces and 9 full sizes across skin, hair, nails and makeup.
- NYX Professional Makeup Bling Box 24-Day Advent Calendar, $110 (checked Nov 15, 2026; Ulta's 20%-off NYX kits offer, $88, ended Nov 14, 2026): 24 full-size products for $4.58 a door.
- Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Wonderland Advent Calendar, $220 (checked Nov 13, 2026): the splurge, with four full-size Charlotte Tilbury makeup products.
- Revolution Beauty Advent Calendar 2026, $65 (checked Nov 13, 2026): 10 full sizes for the lowest price per door. Keep the three labeled pigments off your eyes.
