The most significant shopping event of the year, Black Friday 2024, is just around the corner, with just a couple of weeks to go. Retailers like Dyson, LookFantastic and high-street favourite Boots have already launched deals and discounts. This year, Black Friday lands on Friday, November 29, but many brands have started their deals earlier in recent years to capitalise on the major event.
Boots actually began its Black Friday event on November 1, and it is expected to run for the entire month. This event provides shoppers with the opportunity to bag some serious savings on beauty products, gifts, and more. The health and beauty retailer has reduced prices on thousands of items across premium makeup and skincare, electricals, fragrances, and more.
The sale on the Boots website promises ‘amazing savings’, but with so many discounts and price reductions to sift through, it can be overwhelming. Luckily, there’s an easier way to identify the best deals. Before her time at the Mirror, reporter Bethan Shufflebotham worked as a customer assistant for Boots from 2015 to 2018, gaining insights into how to unearth the best deals and maximise savings.
She has reviewed the retailer’s Black Friday offers and chosen what she believes are the best value for money for the season. If you’re unsure where to begin your search, here are some of her top picks for deals available now, ahead of the main event.
Star Gifts
The first place she scouts for Christmas gifts is the Boots Star Gifts. To maximise savings, look for sets that are worth more than their retail price and have been further discounted. Take the No7 Ultimate Beauty 9 Piece Collection. Valued at over £135, it’s already a steal at £85.
But with this week’s rotation of Star Gifts, customers can get it even cheaper with a discount code. After adding the highly-rated set to your basket, Boots shoppers can apply the discount code ULTIMATESAVE at checkout, reducing the price to just £39.
This equates to a saving of £96 compared to buying the products individually, and makes each item inside cost less than £4.50 each. Bargain seekers can also take advantage of a significant reduction on the Ted Baker Bath and Body Collection.
This set, filled with body lotion, hand wash, body oil creme, body wash, body spray, bath foam, a face mask and vanity case, has been reduced from £52 to a mere £25.50. Meanwhile, the Too Faced You’re So Jelly Star Gift Set has seen a price drop from £78 to just £38. The set boasts three full-sized products and a limited edition jelly bag.
Inside, you’ll find the Better Than Sex Mascara, Kissing Jelly Lip Oil Gloss and Cloud Crush Blush in Golden Hour. Given that each product typically retails around £30, this represents excellent value for the brand, and the box makes it an easy Christmas wrap.
Advent Calendars
Beauty advent calendars are a fantastic way to bolster your makeup and skincare collection at a fraction of the cost, often containing four times the amount of products than the price you pay – and Boots is brimming with them.
The Boots Macmillan calendar, valued over £150, was initially priced at £90 but has been slashed to £44. This deal sold out back in September, but last month saw a restock of the calendar at full price, so now that it’s been reduced again, we can anticipate it flying off the shelves once more.
This festive treasure trove contains 24 beauty and skincare products and accessories from various beloved brands, including Liz Earle, Ted Baker, Soap and Glory, and No7. It offers everything from creams and serums to body mists and handy beauty tools, making it the perfect treat for anyone who enjoys a bit of pampering.
There are other beauty advent calendars available on the Boots website that are definitely worth considering. For those who are fans of No7, there are two options: the No7 25 Day Beauty Secrets Advent Calendar, valued at £236.65 but priced at £60, and the No7 The Ultimate 25 Day Beauty Advent Calendar, which is worth over £500 but costs £175.
Additionally, there are two premium advent calendars for £99, one offering a 12-day countdown and the other a 24-day countdown. The health and beauty retailer also offers countdowns from brands such as Profusion, 17 Cosmetics, Ted Baker and Soap and Glory, providing more affordable options – some of these are priced as low as £20 in the sale.
The three-for-two mix-and-match offer from Boots has been a hit with Christmas shoppers for years, long before I started working there, and it remains just as popular in 2024. Bethan advises choosing products with similar prices to maximise savings, and if you’re placing a larger order, ensure your basket can be divided by three so you don’t miss out.
Boots will organise all your gifts in price order, from highest to lowest, and every third item will be free. This means if you have 12 items in the three for two deal, then the third, sixth, ninth and 12th items will be free when arranged in price order, so don’t waste money.
Fragrance
When it comes to fragrance, some of these deals are part of Black Friday and others fall under Star Gifts, so make sure to browse both sections to avoid missing a perfume steal. One of the most sought-after fragrance deals this week is on the YSL Black Opium Eau de Parfum Extreme 50ml, previously priced at £102 but now slashed by half to £51.
It boasts base notes of black coffee accord, vanilla accord, patchouli essence, tonka bean. The middle notes are composed of orange blossom absolute, jasmine absolute, while pear accord, mandarin essence, cherry accord form the top notes.
Another designer perfume that’s seen a price cut is the Jimmy Choo Blossom Eau de Parfum, now reduced from £58 to £29 for a 60ml bottle. Described as a ‘bold bouquet’, this scent features top notes of red berries, mid tones of sweet pea, and concludes with a white musk base.
And, for the gentlemen, the much-desired DIOR Sauvage Eau de Parfum 60ml was £85 and is now down to £70. Allegedly ‘inspired by the desert at sundown’ Sauvage presents notes of vanilla over a woody, ambery base of citrus and bergamot. Its popularity and timeless charm could make it the ideal Christmas present for the men in your life this December.
£10 Tuesday
Every week, Boots hosts their £10 Tuesday event, where a variety of beauty products are discounted to £10 on – you’ve guessed it – Tuesdays. The items on offer change weekly and typically include anti-ageing solutions, moisturisers and more from brands such as Olay, No7 and Nivea.
Additional early Black Friday bargains can be found at Oodie, ideal for anyone wanting to stay cosy this winter. Tech enthusiasts should note that Currys has also launched a substantial sale in anticipation of November 29.