What’s On Inge’s Christmas Beauty Wish List?

Su-Man is a Taiwanese elfin with the physique and strength of a ballet dancer – she is, in fact, a professional dancer as well as a very experienced facialist and Shiatsu therapist. You don’t go to her for techie bells and whistles (although she will use lifting electrical currents or an oxygen mist on occasion) but for her hands and her intuitive knowledge of re-booting skin’s intrinsic healing mechanisms. Using very little product, a gua sha stone and carefully choreographed manual massage techniques (on your face as well as your body, if she detects blockages there), she’ll get rid of the knots, bloat and tight spots that hamper the proper flow of a healthy lymph and circulatory system, with instantly visible lifting, toning and radiant results. I never fail to come out looking and feeling much lighter and brighter. 

Available at SofitelStJames.com

I’m wedded to my Kent quill brushes but this limited-edition one goes one better, and not only because it’s the blingiest brush around. More than a pleasing luxury upgrade, its gold-plated copper pins are ace at reducing static and smoothing hair, and they’re round-tipped and free of any jagged, snaggy edges so as to be kind on hair and therapeutic for the scalp – every use is a mini-scalp massage. The brush is not too bulky so it’s easy to style with, and its smooth wood handle feels like a nice tactile pebble. The pins are designed so that they won’t dislodge and disappear inside the rubber cushion after a while – I call that a £50 well spent by Santa.

Available at KentBrushes.com

Crème de la Mer perfected the art of turning a single product into a legend, and that in itself justifies some of the brand’s stratospheric pricing. Its entire range is pretty sumptuous, but I still constantly go back to the original moisturiser as it has never let me down when my skin is particularly dry and upset. One of the first to deploy a seaweed concentrate to tackle dryness and irritation successfully, its anti-ageing claims may be a little far-fetched (you’re better off selecting the brand’s serums for that), but the comfort and silky skin it delivers is real. Obviously, the aim is to slather it on top to toe, like J-Lo once claimed she did (it clearly did her no harm) and, for that, one needs the 500ml ceramic tub – a snip at £2,160. This Christmas, this will also get me the super-cute CldM limited-edition snow globe, free with a minimum £750 spend – what more could I want?

Available at CremeDeLaMer.co.uk

I must have a very odd taste in perfumes, because every single one I’ve ever truly loved eventually gets discontinued. L’Artisan’s Tea for Two, more redolent of spicy-sweet gingerbread than actual tea, is the latest of my favourites to bite the dust, so in the spirit of Christmas (and of my own hankering for spice and incense when it comes to fragrance), I am asking Santa for something with the same vibe. This one, created by the reliably great Jean-Claude Ellena, has the cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla of my old favourite, but also features ever-lovely patchouli plus powdery and floral notes, all adding up to something that feels warming and velvety when it’s cold outside. Let’s just hope I don’t jinx this one too. 

Available at ArtisanParfumeur.com

I don’t like hand cream (always too heavy and too oily) and it shows: my hands are getting so gnarly I’ll have to ask Madonna for some of her fingerless gloves soon. This treatment set may have the solution, though, as both the Serum Hand Mask and Filler Hand Cream have the textures of luxurious but evanescently light serums. Inspired by in-clinic hand tweakments, you use the lushly scented hand cream daily and the scent-free serum once a week, allowing the latter to infuse deeply with the help of some silly-looking silicone gloves. Packed with plant retinoids, cell energisers and brighteners, amino acids and probiotics, and a deep-penetrating hyaluronic acid blend, the products work together to soften even the skin on the back of your hands. Frankly, this stuff is good enough to put on your face.

Available at Harrods.com