Wealden Times | WT166 | December 2015 | Interiors supplement inside

Penhaligon’s Christmas Collection – The Nutcracker,
£38 for 6 x 25ml (at Fenwick and Penhaligon’s stores).
Penhaligon’s really comes into its own at Christmas, with stunning
and excellent value gifts – and this is a wonderful introductory set
featuring bestselling shareable scents, including Empress, Ostara,
Juniper Sling (a G&T in a bottle!), Artemesia and my new favourite
Iris Prima. Do check out their ‘musical box’ offering, too.
Christmas
The twelve
Josephine Fairley shares her top tips for fabulous
beauty gifts
Illustrations: Susanne Hayes
gifts of
My friends and family never seem to read what I write
for YOU Magazine or Waitrose Weekend, where
I also happen to be Beauty Editor. But Wealden
Times…? Every time this column appears, I get feedback from
my nearest and dearest about the advice contained in the pages
of this glossy magazine, which they all – to a woman/girl – seem
to devour, month after month. So, a little plea to Stephanie,
Maggie, Roxy, Saba, Sally, Gill, Lisa, Amy, Joanna and the rest
of my adored family, friends and team: please flick a couple of
pages on – or go back to enjoying the property ads at the front.
Otherwise there’ll be no surprises on Christmas Day, as you
unwrap some of the top ‘beauty picks for 2015’ which follow…
Aromatherapy Associates, The Star, £10 for 9ml.
Pop this on the Christmas tree, if you like: a little star-shaped
box with a bath oil inside, by the brand whose aromatherapeutic
treats are the most effective I’ve ever used. Come January, when
they’re feeling slothful, the Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil
will put the bounce back in anyone’s step (male or female).
Cath Kidston Painted Rose Hand Creams,
£6 for 3 x 30ml at www.cathkidston.com.
Brilliant little stocking filler: the set of three means there’s
a tube for beside the bed, in your handbag (perfect on-thego
size), and one for the downstairs loo. The Cath Kidston
cosmetics range is actually all amazing value (it’s made by
bodycare maestros Heathcote & Ivory) and this is a beautifully
softening formula scented prettily with roses – one of the
most universally appealing scents, I’ve always found.
The Perfume Society VIP Subscription,
£25 at www.perfumesociety.org.
OK, a little blowing of own trumpet here: as some of you may
know, I founded The Perfume Society last year to create a ‘hub’
for fragrance-lovers, offering ‘Discovery Boxes’, events around
the country, an on-line (and now print) magazine, The Scented
Letter, and much more. We had such truly fantastic feedback from
everyone who received this as a gift last year: the intro box features
eight fragrance samples, ‘Smelling Notes’ to explore in depth (like
a wine society, but for perfume), eight issues a year of our digital
magazine and a VIP Subscriber card with many, many privileges
including insider discounts at Penhaligon’s and Miller Harris.
Diptyque Mini Candle Set, £58 www.liberty.co.uk.
With dozens of different scents to choose from, I find it almost
impossible to decide which Diptyque candle to gift to a friend
– unless I know her fave. Featuring a quintet of votives – Feu
de Bois, Opopanax, Ambre, Pomander and Vanille (five of
Diptyque’s bestselling fragrances (and including the very festive,
orange-and-spice Pomander), this will save much dithering.
Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile Gift Set,
£74 at www.uk.spacenk.com.
There are so many different fragrance gift sets around this
Christmas, but this is one of my absolute favourites: open
the too-beautiful-to-throw-away hatbox to reveal a generous
50ml size of the Velvet Body Cream, Velvet Bath & Shower
Gel and the Rosa Nobile fragrance itself, a summery swirl of
soft roses and cool green notes that’s utterly beguiling.
Bobbi Brown Caviar Mini Eye Palette, £26.50.
Is there a make-up lover alive whose heart doesn’t pitter-patter a tad
faster when opening a Bobbi Brown gift…? The textures are always
fab, the shades invariably spot-on – and this downsized version
is perfect for on-the-go touch-ups, squeezing seven shadows and
lipcolours into one palette. While you’re at the Bobbi Brown counter,
have a good snoop around for other Christmas gifts; she’s on the
money this year with just about everything, including fabulous sets of
make-up brushes – and if you’re looking to give ‘experiences’ rather
than just more ‘stuff’, her make-up lessons are the best in the biz.
Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge
(Abrams Image), £18.99.
Have to admit: notwithstanding the brilliance of her YouTube
videos, which get millions of views, and her talent at making-up
famous faces, I did slightly wonder what this make-up pro could
possibly have to add to the cosmetics oeuvre with her book. Turns
out she’s a serious make-up historian as well as a genius with the
brushes and this book is as fascinating a beauty read as I’ve ever
turned the pages of, packed with utterly gorgeous images and
the stories behind the make-up items we take for granted.
119 www.wealdentimes.co.uk