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. Moving beyond predictable presents, her guide reveals a personal trove of discoveries, from a transformative hairbrush to a catering-sized tin of tomatoes that doubles as homeware.
Personal Tastes and Treasured Gifts
Hughes notes that while people find her difficult to buy for, she is easily pleased by thoughtful, simple items. Her own wish list includes a vintage Welsh blanket from eBay, a gift voucher, quality olive oil, a vintage magazine, or the perfect large, white-inside pottery mug for optimal tea-drinking. She has, however, been the recipient of some exceptionally imaginative gifts over the years.
These have included the complete catalogues of Elizabeth Taylor's belongings from her husband, a rescue goat adoption from friends, and a miniature ceramic replica of her house made by artist Alice Mara, which she describes as her most beloved item.
The 2025 Edit: From Scents to Sustenance
The guide is meticulously organised, covering every conceivable gifting category. In fragrance, Hughes highlights Miu Miu's Miutine eau de parfum for the fashion-forward and Vyrao's I Am Verdant for a bright, vegetal scent. For beauty enthusiasts, she recommends the visually stunning Vieve Icon mascara, the reformulated Nars The Multiple stick, and a classic Chanel Rouge Allure lip colour in Pirate.
Skincare is represented by the accessible and effective Byoma So Hydrated set and the gen-Z adored Rhode glazing milk. A standout tool is the La Bonne Brosse hairbrush, which she initially scoffed at but has since bought as multiple gifts for its gentle efficacy.
Home Comforts and Lifestyle Essentials
Hughes's selections extend far beyond the bathroom cabinet. For the home, she suggests a rainbow wooden tissue box cover from Glassette to disguise clutter and a Bodum x MoMA programmable coffee maker for its nostalgic design. Culinary gifts include the Casa Marrazzo organic chopped tomatoes in a 2.5kg tin that becomes a utensil holder, and a Jo Malone orange & chocolate candle that evokes a Terry's Chocolate Orange.
Practical luxuries feature heavily, such as COS's ribbed silk socks, Leatherology's personalised travel cases, and Navy's ethically made manicure kit from Yorkshire. For meaningful smaller gifts, she points to a Bob & Roberta Smith 'Make Art Not War' print from the Tate and a Chappell Roan Christmas bauble for cool teenagers.
Ultimately, Hughes's guide champions gifts that are personal, sensory, and enduring. Whether it's the life-changing Curated clip-in hair fillers for someone experiencing hair loss or the simple perfection of a Burleigh handmade earthenware mug, her 2025 list proves that the best presents are those which consider the recipient's true passions and daily pleasures.
