It's officially Advent Calendar season, and this year we're kicking things off with the very first fragrance calendar of 2026 - the Sentier Fragrance Advent Calendar. It's a 12-day calendar packed with six fragrances and six candles, coming in at £109 against a contents value of £529, so a pretty decent saving right from the start.
I've unboxed the Sentier Advent Calendar back in 2024 and honestly, it wasn't my favourite. But this year, I'd heard there had been improvements and the design alone confirms this straight away. The entire Calendar box is wrapped in a gorgeous 360 degree watercolour illustration including a water feature, wildlife, swans, chess pieces and a beautiful pink cherry blossom. This is definitely pretty enough to be left out on display during December and it not look out of place!
The lid lifts clean off to reveal the compartments and drawers underneath, which is unlike anything I've seen on a calendar before, and everything about it feels a lot more premium than the last Sentier Advent Calendar I unboxed. The numbers also aren't right next to eachother this time, so you actually have to hunt around the box to find each day, which makes opening it a bit more exciting!
Day 1 - Balade in Autumn - 10ml worth £32
Day 1 kicks things off with our first fragrance and it's one I've not seen before from Sentier! My first impression of this with a quick spritz is it's genuinely nice.
Balade in Autumn sits in the amber floral family, with top notes of bigarade, saffron and powdered sugar, moving into jasmine sambac, wildflowers and Turkish rose, then settling into ambergris, resins, cedarwood and moss at the base, so exactly the sort of cosy, leaves-crunching autumn scent the name promises.
The fragrance comes in the 10ml spritz-top size (as will all the fragrances in this Advent Calendar) and whilst 10ml doesn't sound a lot, it's the perfect size to pop in your bag for when you're out and about.
Day 2 - Ombre de Miel
The candles have clearly had a glow-up too this year! Ombre de Miel is presented in a glossy jar with a luxurious matte lid with the Sentier logo embossed on it. I couldn't find this one on the Sentier website so it's possibly a brand new scent, or a limited edition for the Advent Calendar.
Whilst I can't find the actual notes of the fragrance, the name suggests warm honey and that's exactly what I can smell. It's a gorgeous cosy scent, a little bit sweet but warm. This one would be perfect for burning in a home office.
Day 3 - Ardent Cherry - 10ml worth £62
This second fragrance stood out the second I saw it, with it's gorgeous red bottle, completely different to the usual clear bottles which Sentier fragrances come in.
Ardent Cherry is part of Sentier's new extrait de parfum collection, so it's really nice to find this in the Calendar already. Extrait de Parfums feature a higher concentration of oil which results in a longer lasting scent.
The cherry notes come through really clearly, and it's genuinely rare to come across a nice cherry fragrance! Ardent Cherry features notes of black cherry, incense, amber and cherry blossom - the perfect date night scent.
Day 4 - Land of Dreams - 60g worth £39
The next candle has definitely featured in a previous calendar but the candle jar itself seems to have had an upgrade too. Land of Dreams features notes are cinnamon, clove and heliotrope over driftwood, cashmere wood and musk, and the musk really does come through.
This is very much a candle I would light when winding down before bed, the kind you'd have burning whilst you're having a bit of a chill in the evening.
Day 5 - Méribel - 10ml worth £32
It's been so long since I've smelled this one that I genuinely couldn't tell you what to expect before spraying it. Méribel is one of the alcohol-free fragrances and it's description on the Sentier website sounds delightful - 'Méribel, a tribute to the enchanting snow-capped mountain villages nested in Switzerland, where the holiday spirit dances in the crisp alpine air'.
The notes include heliotrope, white flowers, patchouli and amber, with vanilla, sandalwood and musk underneath. I personally love a vanilla fragrance, and while this one isn't quite as strong as the first two in the calendar, that might make it a good everyday option to wear right through winter.
Day 6 - Alpine Chalet - 60g worth £39
The next candle nestled in day 6 is Alpine Chalet - another one I'm sure I've seen before. Notes of bergamot, green tea, florals, cedarwood and tonka bean make this a perfect cosy winter evening candle.
Day 7 - Path of Lemons - 10ml worth £32
As the name suggests, this one is very lemony! Lemons aren't my favourite scent so this one is personally not for me, but for those who like a citrus scent this one will be right up your street.
Path of Lemons is quite a summery scent, which is quite different than any of the other fragrances in the calendar, with the description leaning into an Amalfi Coast kind of mood. The fragrance includes notes of bergamot, grapefruit, tangerine, orange blossom, cocoa and leather with the idea that it's a day to night kind of scent.
Day 8 - Botanical Sanctuary - 60g worth £39
Day 8 is the first of the bigger drawers in the calendar but this is actually quite deceiving. Opening day 8 reveals another 60g candle - Botanical Sanctuary. This scent includes top notes of zesty lemon and orange, heart notes of chamomile and jasmine and base notes of sandalwood and cedarwood. I'd say the scent is quite a calming scent, similar to Land of Dreams, but one I would likely light if I was having a nice relaxing bath.
Day 9 - Parisian Embrace - 10ml worth £32
Opening day 9 revealed the fragrance I'm most familiar with from Sentier and honestly probably the closest to my own personal style out of everything in this calendar. Parisian Embrace features top notes of juicy nectarine, peach and pear, heart notes of bitter almond and liquorice, and base notes of vanilla and brown sugar. It's a fruity scent without being too overpowering, and it's one I'd wear as an everyday fragrance as much as a date-night one.
Day 10 - Lait de Feu
Another one of the new white jars is revealed in day 10 and this scent caught me completely off guard! Lait de Feu is a gorgeous Christmassy scent, think gingerbread by the fire. As with Ombre de Miel, this one isn't listed on Sentier's website, so it's either a brand new scent or a limited edition for the Advent Calendar. I'm hoping it's the former because this is exactly the kind of scent I love to fill my house during the festive season!
Day 11 - Noor Riviera - 10ml worth £32
The final fragrance of the calendar is Noor Riviera. This scent is built around a lavish coastal cottage kind of vibe with notes of apple flowers, jasmine and gardenia with a hint of salty sea air. I'd personally say it's not too far off Parisian Embrace, so probably another one that could work as an everyday scent, though it feels a bit more relaxed and holiday-ish.
Day 12 - Whispering Spell - 60g worth £39
The final candle of the calendar, and going by the name alone, I'd have reached for this one in autumn or around Halloween rather than Christmas Day. Whispering Spell's scent is built on Davana (a mysterious herb known for it's spellbinding properties), lavender and orange blossom, with base notes of amber and tonka bean. I'd say this is probably a scent for somewhere central in the house, like a hallway since it's meant to keep lingering even once you've blown it out.
Final Thoughts
When you add it all up, six fragrances and six candles for £109, with a contents value of £529, is a pretty hard deal to argue with, especially at under £10 a day. The design is by far the biggest improvement this year. The 360-degree illustration is beautiful, and having to actually search for each numbered drawer rather than opening them in a straight line made the whole thing more fun to unbox.
The fragrance lineup felt much more varied than last year, where everything blurred into the same scent family a bit. This year there seems to be something for different moods and preferences. Path of Lemons is the outlier and not my personal choice with it's citrusy notes, but it's exactly that difference that makes it stand out. Lait de Feu takes the crown for candles for me though with it's gorgeous gingerbread scent.
The only thing that caught me a little off guard was days 8 and 12 with their larger doors. Looking at the size difference had me expecting something a bit more special behind them, and ending on just a fairly standard candle on Christmas Day seemed a little deflating - it would have been nice to see the Christmassy candle saved for the final day, or something a bit more "wow" to close things out. It'd also be good to see a bigger candle size offered at some point, since the 60g ones can burn through in a single sitting once you're enjoying them.
Even so, the box itself is worth keeping afterwards to repurpose. The smaller drawers would work well as jewellery storage, and the bigger ones would easily fit bangles or watches, or you could just keep restocking it with your own Sentier fragrances and candles, tucked safely away from the light. Overall, this feels like a genuine step up from the last Sentier Advent Calendar I unboxed, and at this price it's an easy one to recommend to those who enjoy fragrances and candles.
The Sentier Advent Calendar is available to order right now and already shipping, so it will be delivered in plenty of time for the start of Advent. Given this calendar has sold out for the last two years running, it's worth getting your order in sooner rather than later if this is on your radar for this year.
AD - This post is kindly sponsored by Sentier Fragrances.
🎥Watch the full unboxing on Youtube: