$276 for hair ties? Skims offers advent calendar refunds after online backlash

Natalie Stechyson · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 09, 2026 2:23 PM EST | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The contents of the Skims 2026 accessories advent calendar have been described as what you might find in the bottom of your purse, on the floor of a car, or behind your dresser when you pull it away from the wall.

After intense customer backlash, Kim Kardashian's apparel brand is offering refunds to anyone who purchased the calendar. The package costs $276 Cdn (or $148 US — a relative premium), is advertised as "12 fun days of surprises" and contains an assortment of hair ties, bobby pins and key chains.

Viral unboxing videos posted over the weekend by disappointed customers have called the pricey calendar "a mess" and a scam.

"Are we serious right now?" exclaimed influencer Kayla Ryan as she opened the package for Day 4 to reveal three pink bobby pins. She called it "the worst advent calendar I have  ever seen" in her Saturday video which accrued more than 20 million views as of Monday morning.

"I’m hoping this is a prank and the last one is a $150 gift card for all my money back," she added, after opening Day 9 to reveal an ornamental keychain comb that can't actually comb hair.

"This is the last one and it better be made of gold," another content creator says in a TikTok video with nearly 65 million views before opening Day 12 to reveal a furry compact mirror on a key chain and then grimacing.

"So, basically, everything that falls between my car seats," one person commented on the video; another described it as "wild for maybe $20 worth of stuff."

A composite of three screen grabs from TikTok unboxing videos for the new 2026 Skims advent calendar by, from left, @wetsloppyswollen, Brittany Shaw, and influencer Kayla Ryan. (@wetsloppyswollen/TikTok, @kaylaryan/TikTok, @brittanyshaw2.0/TikTok)

In statements provided to multiple media outlets, a Skims spokesperson said the company was "aware of the feedback" about the advent calendar and acknowledged that "for some, the calendar didn't meet expectations."

The company told told Page Six they "personally contacted every customer who purchased the calendar" and offered either a full refund or credit towards their other products.

CBC News reached out to Skims for further comment but has not received a reply.

WATCH | Chanel dragged for $1,025 advent calendar:

'Disappointed they got what they paid for'

This is far from the first advent calendar controversy. In 2021, Chanel was roasted online for a $1,025 calendar full of stickers, a magnet, a keychain and other miscellaneous branded items in addition to a miniature lipstick, hand cream and small bottle of perfume.

A year later, Dior was slammed for a nearly $5,000 advent calendar that mostly contained candle accessories and scented soaps in addition to small bottles of perfume.

Some commentators have criticized high-end advent calendars for being little more than luxury status symbols driven by the unboxing craze. Last year, for instance, Dior sold an $11,000 calendar. In 2019, Tiffany & Co. released a limited advent calendar that contained 24 pieces of jewelry and cost $158,000.

• A Dior calendar for $11K? Here’s how the humble advent calendar has gone bananas

• Luxury brand Chanel roasted online for $1,025 Advent calendar full of stickers, other trinkets

The Skims advent calendar is currently sold out with a waitlist. Some people have noted, the product description online details exactly what can be found in the calendar each day: a bear keychain, hair elastics, scrunchies, bobby pins, a squishie, bra elastic hairbands, more bobby pins, a comb keychain, a logo keychain, more scrunchies and a faux fur compact mirror keychain.

"While I agree the contents are ridiculously overpriced, we need to have a conversation about personal accountability as consumers," one person wrote on Threads.

LISTEN | Extravagant advent calendars:

"If the contents were disclosed, you ignored the description, spent $148 [US], and then acted completely blindsided by what you received, some of that responsibility belongs to YOU."

A Toronto influencer who goes by the name Glamzilla online defended the advent calendar in a TikTok video, where she argued it's about the experience of opening something leading up to the holidays rather than a "big gift."

She was dragged in the video's comments, with some accusing of "gaslighting" and being insensitive to the price.