Renowned beauty editor Sali Hughes has unveiled her highly anticipated festive wish list for Christmas 2025, offering a curated selection of presents that blend luxury, practicality, and heartfelt charm. Known for her exacting taste, Hughes reveals that while she is easily pleased by simple pleasures like a vintage Welsh blanket or the perfect pottery mug, she has also been the recipient of some wonderfully imaginative gifts over the years.
Personal Favourites and Cherished Presents
Hughes shares that her husband once gifted her the complete catalogues of the late Elizabeth Taylor's belongings, a present she treasures. In another touching gesture, her girlfriends adopted a rescue goat in her name. Perhaps the most beloved item in her collection is a miniature ceramic replica of her house, commissioned by friends from ceramicist Alice Mara.
Her personal wish list for the coming festive season, however, spans a diverse range of categories, ensuring there is inspiration for every type of recipient.
Top Picks for Beauty and Fragrance Lovers
The guide features an array of standout beauty and fragrance items. For scent, Hughes highlights Miu Miu's Miutine eau de parfum for the fashion-forward woman and Vyrao's I Am Verdant for a bright, vegetal fragrance. She praises La Pyae Apothecary's woody scent for its gentle longevity and the inclusion of a free, returnable sample.
In skincare, the Byoma So Hydrated set is recommended as a foolproof, kind, and effective gift for any age or gender. For a luxury tool, the Navy Essential Home 2.0 nail kit, ethically made in Yorkshire, is cited as the ultimate manicure set. Hughes also expresses unwavering loyalty to MyKitCo makeup brushes, stating she would choose them if she could only use one brand for life.
Home Comforts, Fashion and Unique Discoveries
Beyond beauty, Hughes's selections include thoughtful home and lifestyle products. She suggests the Rainbow wooden tissue box cover from Glassette to disguise unsightly boxes and the Trudy bird candle holder as a cost-effective, reusable gift.
For sartorial comfort, she champions Cos's ribbed silk socks for their beautiful colours and heavenly feel. A particularly unique recommendation is the catering-size tin of Casa Marrazzo organic chopped tomatoes, which serves a dual purpose: providing tomatoes for a vast pasta sauce and subsequently becoming a stylish, permanent utensils holder.
The guide also features thoughtful gifts for specific needs, such as Curated's clip-in hair fillers for those experiencing hair loss, described as life-changing and easy to use. For the literary-minded, she suggests Bobbi Brown's memoir Still Bobbi or Christopher Hitchens's God Is Not Great for Christmas-loving atheists.
Final Festive Thoughts
From the La Bonne Brosse hairbrush she initially scoffed at but now buys as gifts, to the Bodum x MoMA coffee maker offering a dose of pleasing nostalgia, Hughes's 2025 guide is a comprehensive mix of luxury, practicality, and personal passion. It underscores the idea that the best presents often combine quality, thoughtfulness, and a touch of individuality, perfect for bringing joy during the festive season.
