Should you buy the Jo Malone or Diptyque advent calendar? I got my hands on the two in-demand luxury calendars, and this is my verdict

Is there a better way to make the lead up to Christmas special than by opening an advent calendar and getting a little treat every day of December? I don’t think so. And I’m lucky enough that trying out some of the best alternative advent calendars is part of my job. This year, I managed to get my hands on the two ultimate luxury calendars – but when comparing the Jo Malone vs Diptyque advent calendar, which is better?

That’s what I’m going to try to answer here. Considering that both of these are two of the best advent calendars available on the market, it’s no easy feat. But they are also among the most pricey, with the Diptyque advent calendar retailing at £399 and the Jo Malone calendar selling for £360, so my expectations and standards are high, no excuses.

Especially since there are plenty of other advent calendars that look and feel luxurious at a much lower price point, like the just-launched The White Company advent calendar.

Diptyque advent calendar: Pros and cons

Full disclosure – I’m a big Diptyque fan. I love the brand’s aesthetic which can only be described as chic French cool, and I love the Diptyque candle scents. Out of the 25 daily gifts in this advent calendar, nine of them are mini candles – some of them, like the pine-scented Sapin, I know very well, others I smelt for the first time. But all of them are lovely.

The design of the calendar resembles an XL-sized storybook, finished with a metal clasp that holds it together. The design references the festive collection’s inspiration of a fairy tale, as well as the Paris bookshops and literary cafes. That’s why the interior of the calendar features illustrated shelves of books with mischievous golden cats hiding among them.

So if you or your loved ones are cat lovers, this would be the perfect Advent calendar to go for.

While there are several beauty products like vials of perfume, a 30ml bottle of a hair mist and a body and hair oil, there are also some more home-focused treats to be found - golden Christmas ornaments and a home spray with notes of basil among them.

This calendar is the more expensive of the two. But if you are willing to spend over £300 on an advent calendar, the extra £39 is worth it if you’re a fan of Diptyque or prefer to have more home-focused goodies in your calendar. As the Jo Malone one is definitely heavy on beauty and perfume.

Jo Malone advent calendar: Pros and cons

In the UK, Jo Malone is certainly the more established and widely popular brand compared to French Diptyque. Which is exactly why many might prefer the Jo Malone advent calendar over the Diptyque one. That and the lower price of £360.

Just like in the Diptyque calendar, there are 25 treats included so you get a little Jo Malone surprise even on Christmas day. On one hand, I prefer the round, dartboard-resembling design with colourful stripes because it’s unique and stylish; but on the other, I didn’t like that you can’t display the calendar as easily standing up.

Another thing that I found slightly off-putting was that when opening each of the compartments, the products were loosely placed and came wrapped in black tissue paper, which took a while to take off. That element didn’t feel very premium, and for £360, I would expect the experience of opening the calendar to feel a little more luxurious. Meanwhile, Diptyque’s compartments were pre-cut to perfectly hold each of the products.

The Jo Malone calendar opened up with a 65g mini candle in the brand’s popular scent, Orange Bitters. It then closed with a 30ml bottle of Orange Bitters cologne on the 25th. But all of the other candles, which there weren’t many of, and perfumes were much smaller than that.

Besides perfume and candles in some of the most popular Jo Malone scents, you can also look forward to a lip conditioner(one of Jo Malone's lesser-known beauty products), two 50ml glass jars of body cream in different scents and hand creams, among other things.

Verdict

A lot of this comes down to personal preference and brand alliance. But I personally preferred the Diptyque advent calendar over the Jo Malone just that little bit more. I preferred the products included and found that the majority of them were a little bigger compared to the Jo Malone one. I also like that the Diptyque calendar is easier to display, and it felt a little more premium when I was opening it.

But if you love Jo Malone products and Diptyque's £399 is a little too steep for you to justify, then the Jo Malone is a beautifully done option as well.