Beauty advent calendars can cost hundreds - but are they value for money?

It's easy to see the appeal of a beauty advent calendar. Like many women at this time of year, Julia says she often finds herself tempted to splurge on one - especially a perfume calendar. But she takes quite an unsentimental approach.

"I always look at what's in them. If I like enough of the fragrances, I'll buy it," says the 39-year old, who works as a senior commercial manager in engineering. Julia says she earns a good salary but is keen to get value for money and doesn't want to waste it on items she won't use.

"I spent £160 on a Space NK fragrance calendar last year," she says. "I got some fragrances I'd been wanting for a while for a lot less than recommended retail price, and those I didn't like I managed to sell on for a slight mark-up on what I paid." Beauty calendars, which often cost upwards of £100 and sometimes much more, have been around for more than a decade and the marketing has grown ever more sophisticated.