DEBENHAMS vs John Lewis & Advent Calendar: Which One Is Better?
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If you’re trying to decide between the Debenhams Beauty Advent Calendar and the John Lewis & Partners Beauty Advent Calendar, this year’s choice is actually quite interesting.
In this post, I’m breaking down how the two calendars compare on value, product mix, brands, and overall appeal so you can figure out which one is actually worth buying.
Price, Product Count, and Overall Value
If you’re looking purely at the numbers, Debenhams is the more affordable option. You’re paying less and still getting 37 products, which is actually slightly more than John Lewis. That gives it immediate appeal if you want a fuller-looking calendar without spending quite as much.
John Lewis & Partners, though, pushes harder on prestige. Even though it has one fewer product, the value is much higher on paper, and the calendar includes some very expensive brands and hero products. So while Debenhams feels more accessible, John Lewis feels more indulgent.
Packaging and Design
Both calendars feel reusable rather than overly festive, but they take very different approaches.
John Lewis went for a very beautiful design with a red curtain front, gold detail through the middle, and sturdy drawers that can literally be turned around so the numbers don’t show. It’s a perfect one for reusing.
Debenhams is much darker and more minimalist. It’s black, shiny, quite reflective, and not very Christmassy, but definitely one that you can reuse all year round. The only downside is that the outer sleeve is incredibly reflective, which made it harder to film.
Product Mix: Broad and Budget-Friendly vs Curated and Premium
This is where the calendars start to separate.
Debenhams feels broader and a little more mixed. It gives you hair care, scalp care, skincare, fragrance, makeup, body care, and a couple of more unusual inclusions. The selection feels less predictable, which is part of the appeal.
John Lewis, on the other hand, feels more curated and more polished by category. It doesn’t just throw products in. In several cases, the items work together in a way that makes the drawer feel more thought through.
Hair Care
Debenhams gives you a lot of hair and scalp care early on, including the Wella Fusion Mask, Hair Gain scalp foam, Typebea overnight scalp serum, Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Booster, and Dizziak deep conditioner. That makes the calendar feel a little more treatment-focused than average.
John Lewis had less hair care overall, but the edit felt tighter. The Philip Kingsley shampoo and conditioner, Wella oil serum, and Larry King hair oil made it feel like a perfect hair care routine and we can use all the products together.
So Debenhams gives you more experimentation in this category, while John Lewis gives you a more polished routine.
Fragrance Selection
If fragrance matters to you, John Lewis probably has the edge.
Its lineup included brands like Kilian Paris, Versace, Initio, Le Labo, and Frederic Malle, which makes the fragrance selection feel much more luxurious. The reviewer was actually quite surprised by these because they were actually quite nice, especially the Versace and Kilian.
Debenhams handled fragrance differently. Instead of scattering lots of separate mini perfumes across the calendar, it opened with a Laboratory Perfumes discovery set. That’s actually quite a cute little set because rather than just giving us one fragrance and hoping that you like it, you get five different scents to try. That’s practical and quite a clever way to do it.
Makeup Edit
Debenhams feels stronger if you want a more varied makeup lineup.
It includes a Spectrum cheek brush, Revolution highlighter, Iconic London liquid highlighter, Nudestix eye colour, and more, which gives the calendar a more playful beauty feel. It feels like a good mix of products you can actually use together.
John Lewis has stronger prestige makeup brands, though. The Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge is gorgeous, the Charlotte Tilbury lipstick is a standout, and the Laura Mercier and Trinny London eye products are both very wearable. The only issue is that a couple of the eye shades felt very similar, so the category wasn’t quite as balanced as it could have been.
Skincare Focus
Skincare is a major category in both calendars, but they handle it differently.
John Lewis definitely leans harder into premium skincare. It includes brands like Medik8, Elemis, Clinique, Perricone MD, Rodial, Eve Lom, Kate Somerville, and Estée Lauder. The problem is that the balance isn’t perfect. There were three eye creams, and that did feel excessive.
Debenhams also leans skincare, and a lot of it is very anti-aging, which is perfect for someone who likes that type of routine. The reviewer even points out that the skincare products seem to be very anti-aging, which is perfect for me, but just worth bearing in mind. The sizes, though, are generally smaller, so it feels more like a try-before-you-buy skincare calendar rather than a full premium skincare wardrobe.
Body Care and Extras
John Lewis feels a little stronger in body care because it includes more instantly recognizable favorites, like Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, plus This Works, Rituals, and ESPA.
Debenhams is a bit more mixed here. The Bear by Vogue Williams liquid body illuminator is more niche, and whether you like that kind of product really depends on your routine. If you enjoy body glow products, it’s a fun inclusion. If not, it may not feel as exciting.
Where Debenhams Gets It Right
One of the best things about the Debenhams calendar is that it doesn’t feel like the value has been inflated by one random huge hero item. The more expensive products are all kind of reasonably priced, which makes the overall value feel a bit more believable.
It also feels generous in the number of double-door drawers, and for a first-ever calendar, it actually comes across as a very strong launch.
Where John Lewis Feels More Luxurious
John Lewis just feels more premium overall.
The fragrance lineup is stronger, the skincare brands are more high-end, and the body care edit is more satisfying. It also has that polished feel where the calendar seems designed for someone who already likes prestige beauty and wants a more indulgent experience.
It’s not perfect, though. Some products were described as full size when they felt more like travel sizes, and the repeated eye cream category did make the selection feel slightly less balanced.
Final Verdict
Pick Debenhams if you want:
- a lower price point
- more product variety
- a broader beauty mix
- more experimentation
- a strong first-time calendar that feels generous
Pick John Lewis & Partners if you want:
- more luxury brands
- a stronger fragrance selection
- more premium skincare
- better body care
- a more curated overall feel
Debenhams feels like the better buy for someone who wants variety for less money.
John Lewis & Partners feels like the more luxurious and indulgent calendar overall.
If I had to sum it up in one sentence: Debenhams is the more budget-friendly all-rounder, while John Lewis is the more premium option with a slightly less balanced mix.
Brittany Nims is a freelance staff writer at FashionPeriscope. Her work has appeared on the Huffington Post, among others. She spends most of her weekends in search of strong coffee and stronger Wi-Fi.