Beauty Advent Calenders - The Best of 2013

Personally I'm a newbie to advent calendars that don't involve me popping  a Dairy Milk stocking into my mouth before porridge of a December morning but the burgeoning beauty advent calendar is slowly converting me. I say slowly as I've yet to part with my cold hard sponds for one yet but 2013 is looking like the year that that just might happen. 

The BodyShop, we have long established, is one of my favourite brands for body butters and ablutions alike. This year their addition of an advent calendar to their already infamous Christmas line up is seriously threatening my bank balance. This one is stuffed with 24 luxury samples (see Frillseeker's post here if you dare for a spoilerific pic). 

It goes on sale on November 14th here and in stores for a princely sum of €99. (though psst it's only £55 in the UK so an order from Queen's country would save you almost 34 squidoos!)

The exclusive Selfridges advent calendar is one of the spendiest you're likely to encounter at £84 but that hasn't deterred shoppers as they've sold out twice already. With high end inclusions such as YSL, Kiehl's, Lancôme and Viktor & Rolf, we're talking serious luxe each morning of December. 

Although sold out right now, should you be mad for this one, use Parcel Motel to get it to the Emerald Isle from the Selfidges site here once it returns to stock, as the £15 delivery to Ireland option is just farcical. 

Coming in at a much more póca friendly €39, the Boots beauty calendar for 2013 is chock full of the stores top sellers, no surprise then that this has consistently sold out too. 

If Soap & Glory, Nails Inc, Paco Rabanne, Juicy Couture, Rimmel and Mavala float your beauty boat then keep an eye here for restock info. 

If, like me, you're a fiend for the polishes as much as for the chocolates then Ciaté's second Mini Mani Month offering is the one for you. 

Including 19 shades, 2 caviar blends, 2 mini glitters and one full size polish, you'll pick this one up here from Cloud10Beauty for a much more palatable €55. A new mani a day for a month? What's not to love? 

Benefit's first advent calendar offering, Countdown to Love, has caused more than a little stir of late. Mostly because of its extremely limited availability (November 2nd only!)(feck!) but I have an inkling we're going to see this calendar pop up all over the place as whisperings say that avid buyers have picked up more than one and will sell them on. I reckon Benefit would be crazy not to produce another batch quick smart. 

I've already sneaked a peek on US youtube channels and holy moly it's a Benefit bonanza in there. Had I the sheckles and the legs three days ago, I would have been on it!

Tell me, are you a fan of the beauty advent calendar? Will you be partaking this year or is it chocolate stockings all the way for you?