Nicola Moulton chooses her must-have fragrances and cosmetics
Nicola Moulton chooses her must-have fragrances and cosmetics
Hermès Les Mains Nail Enamel

Hermès Les Mains Nail Enamel, £42 each
For the most swoon-worthy of beauty gifts, Hermès’s new nail enamels have to top this year’s list. (I’m notoriously terrible at doing my own manicures, but these could be the impetus I need to learn.) hermes.com

Loewe Solid Soap

Loewe Solid Soap, £40 each
Not just for dads: Loewe’s soap-on-a-rope-style collection comes in three of the house’s earthiest, most grounding home scents: Marihuana, Oregano and Liquorice. Jonathan Anderson describes them as “both scientific and sentimental” – which, to my mind, also sums up the twin approaches needed for buying the perfect gift. perfumesloewe.com

Chanel neon hair clip

Chanel neon hair clip, £385
This is one of those accessories you’d wear forever, either swept over to the side – a little bit ’70s – or in place of a hair bobble securing a low-slung ponytail. chanel.com

Augustinus Bader The Bader Ritual

Augustinus Bader The Bader Ritual, £256
This will be my “to me from me” gift, as my devotion to Augustinus Bader’s complexion-transforming routine means it’s not something I want to leave to chance. This collection contains all the heroes, and if you’re yet to dive in, it’s the right place to start. 24s.com

Byredo Box Of Lipsticks

Byredo Box Of Lipsticks, £580
Holiday gifts gain extra points for being packaged in boxes you want to keep, and one of this year’s most covetable is Byredo’s wooden box of 13 lipsticks, illustrated in the vivid, geometrical patterns of Bihar-based artist Mamta Devi. byredo.com

Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous Nail Lacquer

Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous Nail Lacquer, £35
“Fucking Fabulous” started life as a perfume and seems such an apt description of the glossy, glamorous world of Tom Ford that it now appears on everything from lipstick to beard oil. But somehow, it’s this just-deep-enough high-shine red nail lacquer that wears it best. I’ve gifted it to teens and septuagenarians, and it always hits the right note. tomford.co.uk

Susanne Kaufmann Mountain Pine Bath Oil

Susanne Kaufmann Mountain Pine Bath Oil, £53
Second only to a trip to her spa in the Austrian Alps: Susanne Kaufmann’s spirit-lifting, muscle-relaxing bath oil – with a little piece of the Alpine forest thrown in. selfridges.com

Louis Vuitton The Ultimate Bottle Rose des Vents

Louis Vuitton The Ultimate Bottle Rose des Vents, €15,000
This is my all-time favourite rose fragrance, so nothing would make me happier than owning one of the 200 Marc Newson-designed, one-litre Baccarat crystal bottles that, as Newson says, have been “scaled up to a sculptural dimension”. Almost – but not quite – too beautiful to use. louisvuitton.com

Westman Atelier The Brush Collection

Westman Atelier The Brush Collection, £434
I love everything that the make-up artist Gucci Westman does, and this year she has created a collection of eight incredible make-up brushes, which as well as being pro-standard are also handmade in Japan from sustainable hardwood and cruelty-free nylon fibres. Any make-up wearer’s dream. libertylondon.com

Ortigia Zagara soap set

Ortigia Zagara soap set, £40
Hand-washing has become so synonymous with liquid soap that it feels almost retro to consider keeping a bar beside the basin. But these zesty glycerin soaps from Sicilian brand Ortigia make the requisite 20-second hand wash feel pretty special. libertylondon.com

Victoria Beckham Beauty The VB Beauty Bag

Victoria Beckham Beauty The VB Beauty Bag, £78
I love Neoprene make-up bags: stretchy, squashy, washable and functional. This Victoria Beckham one is the perfect size for throwing in a handbag, and always looks pristine. cultbeauty.co.uk

Dior Diorific The Atelier of Dreams lipstick

Dior Diorific The Atelier of Dreams lipstick, £34
Christmas always calls for a “lipstick as event” moment, and this year it’s coming from Dior, who has intricately etched the soon-to-reopen Maison Dior at 30 Avenue Montaigne onto its sides. dior.com

Aesop The Listener skincare set

Aesop The Listener skincare set, £59
This dinky body wash, scrub and balm kit ticks all my boxes – plus its purchase benefits Pan Intercultural Arts, which empowers refugees and minorities. selfridges.com

Sisley Paris Sisleÿa L’Intégral Anti-Age Radiance Anti-Dark Spot Serum

Sisley Paris Sisleÿa L’Intégral Anti-Age Radiance Anti-Dark Spot Serum, £365
Alongside the traditional festive perfumes and bath potions, a gift of luxurious skincare never goes unappreciated. Sisley is a brand that knows a thing or two about potent yet luxurious skin serums, and this new one is dedicated to boosting radiance, calling it “the ultimate beauty goal”. sisley-paris.com

Biagio Barile Gocce wooden box

Biagio Barile Gocce wooden box, from £195
I use the small lacquered wooden boxes for cotton pads and hair elastics, and the bigger ones for blushers and lipsticks. libertylondon.com

Marvis Toothpaste Flavour collection

Marvis Toothpaste Flavour collection, £21
Beautiful, useful, travel-friendly and palate-broadening: if you’ve never brushed your teeth with Jasmin Mint or Amarelli Liquorice, this absolutely needs to be on your list. libertylondon.com

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