'I'm an ex-Boots employee - these are the Black Friday deals actually worth buying to save money'

Black Friday will be here before we know it, with just over three weeks to go until November 29. Many retailers, including the likes of Superdrug, Dyson, Oodie and LookFantastic, have released their Black Friday savings early - with plenty of unmissable deals to be had.

One of our high streets favourites, Boots, kicked off its Black Friday event last Friday (November 1) and it's expected to last for the whole month, offering shoppers the opportunity to nap up some serious savings on beauty, gifting and more. In fact, the health and beauty retailer has slashed the price of thousands of products across premium makeup, skincare, electricals, fragrance and more.

Boots promises 'amazing savings' but it can be a tall task sifting through all the price drops to find the discounts you actually want. Luckily, we've gone through and picked out some of our favourite deals and offers.

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Before becoming a journalist, writer Bethan Shufflebotham worked at Boots as a customer assistant between 2015 and 2018. During this time, she learned a thing or two about how to dig out the best deals and maximise savings, reports the Mirror.

Bethan has taken a look at the retailer’s Black Friday offers and selected what she considers consider to be the top picks for the season, and the ones that will offer the best value for money. So, if you're wondering where to start looking, these are some of my top picks of the deals you can shop now, ahead of the big event.

Star Gifts

The first place I always look for Christmas presents is the Boots Star Gifts, but what you want to do to maximise savings is look for sets that are worth more than their retail price, which have been further reduced. For example, the No7 Ultimate Beauty 9 Piece Collection is valued at over £135 and is already a bargain at £85.

However, as part of this week's rotation of Star Gifts, customers can get it even cheaper with a discount code. After adding the highly-reviewed set to your shopping basket, Boots customers can add the discount code ULTIMATESAVE at the checkout, which will see the price drop to £39. This saves £96 compared to buying the products individually, and makes each item inside work out at less than £4.50 each.

Bargain-hunters can also enjoy a great reduction on the Ted Baker Bath and Body Collection. This set, packed with body lotion, hand wash, body oil creme, body wash, body spray, bath foam, a face mask and vanity case, has been cut from £52 down to just £25.50.

Meanwhile, the The Too Faced You're So Jelly Star Gift Set was £78 but has dropped down to £38. The set includes three full sized products and a limited edition jelly bag. You can look forward to unboxing Better Than Sex Mascara, Kissing Jelly Lip Oil Gloss and Cloud Crush Blush in Golden Hour. With the products each typically costing around £30 this is great value for the brand and the box makes it easy to wrap up for Christmas.

Advent Calendars

Beauty advent calendars are a great way to top up your makeup and skincare collection for less. Many contain four times the amount of products than the price you pay - and Boots has got them aplenty.

The Boots Macmillan calendar is worth over £150 and was originally priced at £90, but has been reduced to £44. This offer sold out back in September, but last month saw a restock of the calendar at full price, so now it’s been slashed again we can expect it to fly off the shelves once more.

The festive haul contains 24 beauty and skincare products and accessories from various much-loved brands, including Liz Earle, Ted Baker, Soap and Glory, and No7. There’s everything from creams and serums to body mists and handy beauty tools, making it perfect for anyone who enjoys a pamper.

There are other beauty advent calendars on the Boots site that are well worth the investment. For fans of the brand No7, there are two to choose from, the No7 25 Day Beauty Secrets Advent Calendar, worth £236.65 but priced at £60, and the £175 No7 The Ultimate 25 Day Beauty Advent Calendar valued at over £500.

There’s also the two premium advent calendars for £99 , one being a 12 day offering, and the other a 24 day countdown. The health and beauty retailer is also stocking countdowns from the likes of Profusion, 17 Cosmetics calendars, Ted Baker and Soap and Glory, for those seeking a more affordable option - some of these are as little as £20 as part of the sale.

Three for two mix and match

Boots’ three for two mix and match offer has been highly popular with Christmas shoppers long before I had worked there, and in 2024, it’s still as much-loved as ever. I always recommend getting products that have a similar price to get the best savings, and if you’re placing a bigger order, make sure your basket can be divisible by three so you don’t miss out.

Boots will arrange all your gifts into a price order, from highest to lowest and give you every third item free. This means if you have 12 of the three for two gifts, then the third, sixth, ninth and 12th will be free when arranged in price order, so don’t go throwing money away.

Here are some of my favourite gifts that are currently in the three for two deal. Together, you’d end up paying £65 for the beauty set and diffuser, getting the luxury spa robe for free.

• Nobody's Child Travel Retreat Kit - £35
• Naeo Nola Diffuser - £30
• Champneys Luxury Robe - £25

Fragrance

When it comes to fragrance , some of these deals fall under Black Friday and others under Star Gifts, so be sure to check both areas to ensure you don’t miss out on a perfume bargain. One of the most popular fragrance offers this week is on the YSL Black Opium Eau de Parfum Extreme 50ml, which was £102 but is now half price at £51.

It has base notes of black coffee accord, vanilla accord, patchouli essence, tonka bean. The middle notes feature orange blossom absolute, jasmine absolute, while pear accord, mandarin essence, cherry accord make up the top notes.

Another popular designer perfume that’s been reduced is the Jimmy Choo Blossom Eau de Parfum, now down from £58 to £29 for a 60ml bottle. Touted as a 'bold bouquet', this fragrance features top notes of red berries, mid tones of sweet pea, and finishes with a white musk base.

And, for the gents, the coveted Dior Sauvage Eau de Parfum 60ml was £85 and is now £70. Said to be ‘inspired by the desert at sundown’ Sauvage boasts notes of vanilla over a woody, ambery base of citrus and bergamot. It's popularity and timeless appeal means it could just be the perfect Christmas gift for the men in your life this December.

£10 Tuesday

And finally, each week Boots hosts their £10 Tuesday event, which sees dozens of beauty products reduced to £10 on - yeah, you guessed it - a Tuesday. The products change each week, but generally contain anti-ageing heroes, moisturisers and more from brands like Olay, No7 and Nivea.

This week, some of the top deals include the No7 Line Correcting Booster Serum 15ml, down from £34.95, while the No7 Pure Retinol, Vitamin C & SPF 30 Day Cream Duo 2x50ml is usually £39.95. Down from £24.99 is the Olay Eyes Ultimate Eye Cream For Dark Circles, but for something a little more gift-worthy, there’s also a Radley Bath Soak down from £18 to £10 as part of the deal.

More early Black Friday deals are available at Oodie, perfect for anyone looking to keep warm this winter. Currys has also kicked off a massive sale ahead of November 29 for tech enthusiasts.