This Advent Calendar Is a Festive Cheat Code to Upgrade Your Skincare Routine

2 min readAS SOMEONE WITH an eternal sweet tooth, I have a lot of love for advent calendars. But these yearly holiday countdowns don’t only need to help you flirt with diabetes like I love to do. In fact, there are some that are actually good for you—particularly for your skin. The one I had circled this year was the Korres Advent Calendar, which packs nearly $500 worth of grooming products into a $134 festive package. So much so that I already got my hands on one and dove in. Even if you hate the holidays (I don’t Grinch-shame), this is an easy way to upgrade your skincare routine while saving over $300.The box features a classic advent calendar setup with 24 mystery items counting down from December 1 to December 24. Usually, I’m a fan of surprises—never understood the people who read the end of books first. But in light of the recent Skims Advent Calendar incident—where people dropped $150 on what ultimately ended up being mostly hair ties and pins—it’s important to know what you’re getting before buying one of these things.Thankfully, Korres did not disappoint. Within the calendar, I found six full-size products and 17 travel-sized ones, along with one ornament, and, crucially, no hair ties. The biggest highlight for me was the full-size Greek Yoghurt Probiotic Gel Cream. As the name suggests, this cream features Greek yogurt in its formula—but that’s a good thing.The ingredient actually has the power to boost the skin barrier and increase hydration. Though that’s not to say you should cut out the middleman and start rubbing Chobani on your face, it needs to be formulated by the pros. This cream also includes bisabolol to calm and soothe sensitive skin, and pre- and probiotics to create overall more resilient skin. Plus, I can get well over two months out of one of these 40 mL jars with daily morning and night use.Another full-sized product you’ll find in the calendar is the similarly effective and hydrating Greek Yoghurt Probiotic Super Serum, along with the Greek Yoghurt Wide Awake Eye Roller to completely set you up with a two- to three-month skincare regimen. Korres also includes its stellar body wash, face wash, shampoo, and conditioner, so you’ll be set with most of your grooming essentials for the foreseeable future.That’s ultimately my favorite thing about this advent calendar: if you ignore the ornament and holiday packaging, you’re just getting 23 essential products for a fraction of their cost. I like having an advent calendar around as easy festive decor and something to draw attention away from my yearly Charlie Brown tree.But if the holidays aren’t your jam, no judgment. Just use this time of year as an excuse to completely remake your skincare and shower regimen for under $150. Come February, when your skin is glowing from using these products (and you’re still using the same containers), no one will know the difference.SHOP KORRES ADVENT CALENDAR ON AMAZONOther Skincare Sets We’re GiftingGreat for Guys New to SkincareSean Zucker is the Grooming and Reviews Editor at Men's Health. He brings over half a decade of experience covering health, wellness, and lifestyle. When Sean's not writing about hair products, you can find him running for exercise, or toward the nearest food truck. Christian is the Style and Reviews Director at Men's Health and Women’s Health, where he oversees shopping and style content for both brands. He started his magazine career as an accessories assistant at Vogue, and has since held editorial roles at Tatler Asia and The Manual. When he’s not online shopping, you can find him on long walks with his two corgis.