It's the new seat of all beauty power - the chair at your dressing table, that is. In a world where the reality of time management means a large proportion of us do our make-up on the go - in the car, on the bus/train/Tube- the counter-trend is to indulge and take your time (whenever possible, at least). Enter the return of the dressing table. Sitting down and doing your face is all the rage again.
Take Claridge's, for instance. It is celebrating its collection of art-deco dressing tables by collaborating with Dior to dress them with the house's classic fragrances (Miss Dior, Diorissimo, Diorella and the like), as well as offering lipstick, powder and nail polish for anyone staying in the Linley and Claridge's suites. They are also throwing in use of a silk dressing gown and marabou slippers for guests to make the most of their languishing time.
This isn't only about an occasional hotel jaunt, however. Women are returning to their dressing tables and finding sanctuary there. "It's where I feel that I'm me and I have time for myself," says Gisele Scanlon, author of The Goddess Guide and The Goddess Experience. "It's my space. It's the one place that's my own and not something shared with my boyfriend." In other words, it's somewhere that provides proper, grown-up girl power (or should that be woman power?). So invest in some glam accessories and products (they needn't be expensive, just beautiful) and pledge to indulge in a bit of beauty ritual, not just a hurried routine. You are, after all, worth it.
Me and my dressing table
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"I enjoy spending mornings at my dressing table, having a moment to myself to think. It is where I spray on my signature scent, try on pieces of jewellery and, most importantly, perfect my red lipstick."
Lulu Guinness, fashion designer
"A dressing table turns any woman into an artist, as you are painting a fine and intricate painting each day. I keep cards in the drawers and write little postcards to friends."
Kit Kemp, boutique hotelier
"I bought my 1930s mirrored dressing table many years ago from B&T Antiques on Ledbury Road. I love it because it reminds me of my wonderful grandma, who I would watch sitting at hers while she put her make-up on."
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Pearl Lowe, interior designer