Lipsticks. A symbol of glamour and grooming, what could be more demurely feminine? But that innocent stick of pigment and wax hides subversive subtexts and precision engineering which would make a watch-maker look twice. The bullet is just the tip of the iceberg.

Colour may be the first thing we’re drawn to, but the packaging is also an important consideration. For those occasions when you have only one hand free, Guerlain’s Rouge Automatique operates with a one-touch mechanism: slide the switch and up pops your lipstick. Our current favourite shade is the holiday edition “Lou-Ling”, which is a sheer raspberry red with a hint of shimmer.

Chanel’s new Rouge Allure Intense lipstick may look like the classic Rouge Allure on first glance but, like the best leading ladies, it has had some expensive work done on the sly. The Chanel lipstick engineers have reworked the case so that the lipstick now pushes smoothly into the case with no catch. There are also new shades in the range including the neon orange “Excentrique” which never fails to lift the mood on application.

Tom Ford has released a collection of reds that are presented in the brand’s classic black case and perfect for the mistletoe season. Packing intense names such as Slander, Reckless and Narcotic, these lipsticks are for Saturday nights not Sunday afternoons. After all, if you’re going to give the gift of lipstick, it should have glamour, form and function. Your lips deserve nothing less.

Whilst the fickle and faddy amongst us will be willing to try the latest vial of mythical snake oil to primp and beautify, there are others who will find their holy grail face cream and stick to what works beautifully best. But that’s not to say that the best things don’t come to those who are consistent. Christmas is when your tried and trusted favourites get super-sized and served up in deluxe editions to add a dollop of decadence to your daily routine.

The Definitive Crème by Crème de la Mer serves up the beloved face cream in an abundant 500ml portion. At this size you can afford to be generous and lavish your hands, neck and décolletage area, the exposed areas of our skin, which age fast but don’t get the care and attention they deserve.

La Prairie has triple-sized its Caviar Luxe face cream, given it a crystal studded case, a silver serving spoon, and then housed the set in leather coffret. Whilst it’s impractical for your hand luggage, twinkling away on a dressing table it’s unlikely to be overlooked.

If size isn’t your thing then perhaps you’d prefer hand-crafted artisan flacons? Afficionados of Nina Ricci’s classic fragrances might love them a little bit more as a collection of extrait de parfum Lalique bottles in a collector’s coffret.

Even the daily staple of tea is given the luxe treatment in the world of Jo Malone. Open the hefty black laqueur Tea Trousseau and you’ll find three exclusive tea fragrances and pâtisserie inspired scented candles for the aroma if not the taste of a genteel English afternoon tea.

For those who know what they like and prefer their tried-and-tested beauty potions over the one-hit-wonder creams, the perfect gift might be an encore of more, more and more of the same, but in a luxurious decadent new outfit.

Forget knuckle duster cocktail rings; these days the place to wear bling on your hands is on the tips. Nails have gone from an overlooked afterthought to an essential accessory. Whilst the classic French manicure languishes out of favour, it is not enough to just have a nice tidy set of nails. Nail wear is now a statement and like any good accessory, can make-or-break a look. The fashion equivalent would be a pair of shoes, but whilst we can only wear one pair of statement heels at a time, we have ten finger nails with which to play around with and have animated our four favourite party looks.

It’s not just about the colour of your polish these days. The texture, shape, finish and theme are all considerations of a manicure. Contrast is preferred, so if the rest of your look is simple, outré nails are the way to go. The red carpet trend of the moment is the accent nail: choose one finger to add a contrasting shade or design. The charm in this look? It’s the kind of detail that only gets noticed by someone who’s paying close attention to you.

If you’re good with a brush, then get painterly with it and draw in your nail art. For the rest of us, a nail wrap with a pre-printed design is the instant stick-on option.Rhinestones, glitter and sequins are also easy to do: place a few carefully on top of wetpolish, or sprinkle with abandon.

It may be one more thing we need to pay attention to in our grooming routine, but when something is this much fun and has such a varied palette of shades and textures, we say... enjoy the freedom and let your tips do the talking.