My favourite beauty luxuries - the products and gadgets I spend a lot of money on

Throw your loofah away immediately, before it kills you! And other, less dramatic, recommendations.

Not Born With It

Dec 05, 2023

We all know by now that I firmly believe that you shouldn’t pay more than you need to for anything,

How to stop overpaying for your skincare - the complete guide

Not Born With It

November 21, 2023

Read full story

However, there are some things that either bring me so much joy, or work so damn well, that - to me - there’s no point skimping on them.

Reminder that the shopping guide principles should be applied at all times to pay less than the RRPs listed.

Supracor Stimulite bath/shower mitts

These are, on the face of it, ludicrously expensive.

They’re $38 for one in the US. You can only get them on import in the UK, where they run to about £60. And I’d recommend you have one for each hand.

BUT, HEAR ME OUT.

First of all, loofahs and shower puffs are a biohazard.

They literally harbour E. coli. You should not own one.

Here's one of a zillion articles that will tell you the same thing

So you need to replace them with *something*.

A washcloth/flannel works; just take a fresh one in each time you shower, or you risk recreating the same bacterial swamp.

But do consider these mitts too

I own 2 (i.e. one for each hand). Per my Amazon order history, I bought the first in 2013 and then I went two-handed and bought another one when I moved to the US in 2015.

They both still look like new. I dread to think what your loofah would look like after a decade of regular use.

They don't hold water, so they don’t encourage bacteria, they dry quickly, fold easily, travel well and helped eradicate my keratosis pilaris.

They may seem offensively expensive at first glance, but the cost-per-use is micropence. I LOVE THEM.

You can buy direct or they’re available on Amazon in the UK and US. As above, $38/£65

This is just lovely. It feels lovely, it smells lovely (there’s now a fragrance-free version if that’s your preference) and it gets rid of EVERYTHING, leaving skin feeling clean, nourished and overjoyed.

It’s a treat in a jar. There are other, much cheaper, balms available, but this is a luxury worth paying for, IMO. £48/$68.

Simple Human Sensor Mirror

This is a light-up magnifying mirror and is the gadget I miss most since I’ve been travelling. I LONG to sit at my dressing table and do my makeup in this. But, for now, it languishes in a box in my storage unit on a dodgy street in SE London.

It gives you ‘daylight’ wherever you are and would also be the perfect tool for Charlotte York’s Secret Single pore-staring Behaviour1.

I also find tapping on it to make it work extremely satisfying. It makes me feel like I’m living in a vision of the future from the 1970s.

It’s £$200. Mine brings me £1000 of delight every time I look in it.

There’s also a compact version for your handbag, but that’s a bit bougie, even for me.

Tom Ford Private Blend

This is ridiculously, embarrassingly expensive and it unwaveringly goes up by 10% year-on-year2. But I fucking love it.

I’ve worn Tobacco Vanille every day for about 15 years, year-round. No seasonal or mood-based substitutes ever darken my shelves. This is my mood, 365 days a year.

I have flirted with others. I even bought a bottle of Vanille Fatale, provoking a visceral reaction from my friend, El. “You don’t smell like you!” she cried, aghast.

I sold it on eBay a couple of months later.

I buy it as a birthday present to myself every year in the Cyber Monday sale and a 100ml bottle lasts me a year.

I’m not here to sell you on my particular perfume, but the whole range is full of delightful, expensive smells. Also, the bottles are Proper Fancy and give off strong boudoir vibes3.

They will decant very generous samples if you want to trial a meaningful amount before committing. I’ve teased myself with White Suede over and over again. I imagine it’s how Jackie Collins smelled during her Hollywood Wives4 era.

But, to TV I stay faithful.

Price = literal insanity: £295/$425 for 100ml. But I will not be without it.

NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3 1:1 (CAIS3)

This is the only expensive skincare item that I still buy. I don’t have any with me at the moment and I miss it. It contains tripeptides and *does* tighten and smooth skin. It just works 🤷‍♀️5

You used to have to mix it together, which I found rather fun, but they’ve stabilised it better now and it comes in one handy bottle. And it’s blue. What’s not to love??

£70/$93 for 30ml6

I feel like I wang on about having psoriasis weekly. But if you have it, you know what a massive admin hassle it can be to keep it at bay.

This pre-wash foaming spray is the best salicylic acid scalp treatment that I’ve found. And I have tried all of them7.

It blasts your scalp in the most satisfying way imaginable and genuinely does clear all kinds of crap away. MEGA fan.

Used to be called Scalp Detox, looks like the rebranded version is not currently available in the UK. Gah8.

$37

Kerastase

I’ll be brief. If you’re thinking of splurging on some Kerastase, just do it. Your hair will thank you and your nostrils will sing a symphony of joy every time you smell your hair.

I’m not going to make specific recommendations, as the range is tailored to solving specific scalp or hair concerns. But I have always loved every product I’ve used.

It is *much* more expensive in the US. So come and visit Europe and fill your suitcase.

From around £25-£40/$40-$75

Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Eyeliner

I am not discreet about my love of Posh Spice9.

But I was wary when everyone started recommending this eyeliner. There are more egregiously priced eyeliners out there, but £25 is still pretty spendy.

Then I bought one. Just to see. And it is glorious. It does every single thing you’d want an eyeliner to do (blends well, smudges well, doesn’t transfer onto eyelids, has the perfect amount of sheen without being glittery) and comes in every colour that’s actually going to flatter you and not make you look like you accidentally went into one of your kids’ pencil cases.

Hard, hard yes from me. A delight. No notes. £25/$32

Dyson Airstrait

Full disclosure: I don’t own this yet, as it’s not available in the UK until next year10.

But I am throbbing with excitement about it. In theory, it dries and straightens your hair in one deft motion with *confused face* no heat damage.

THAT, I am willing to pay through the nose for.

£TBD/$500

Go spend some money. x

@hbo There's no shame in SSB... or lack thereof. #SATC #SATC25

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This was only available on TikTok. So here it is, with my apologies.

No, it actually does. Tom Ford takes the wicked piss every year and every year I take a deep breath and just pay more.

I fucking love a boudoir vibe

This is the greatest Jackie Collins book. Many of her books are magnificent, but this one is The Best.

The negative reviews on the Deciem site are people who don’t know the difference between volume and mass and should still be writing with crayons, not keyboards.

The Ordinary do a junior version of this if you want to road-test a less concentrated, less expensive option first. But that’s not really in the spirit of this post.

Yes, even that one.

This is your sign to go to the US and pick up some Supracor mitts whilst you’re there.

AKA, my future BFF

And US voltage won’t work in UK, so import isn’t an option.