One of the things that I miss most about living in Manhattan is the ease with which you can stay immaculately groomed.
There was a lovely nail bar opposite my apartment in SoHo where I could drop in for an affordable mani-pedi (manicure and pedicure). Around the corner, my beauty therapist would wax me to virtual hairlessness.
Needless to say, now I'm back in Britain, my hands and feet have a lot less neighbourhood-based help.
However, I can let things slide only so far. With the help of some celebrity-tested experts, here's how to get the high-maintenance look at home without a time-consuming, credit-card bashing trip to a top spa.
Immaculate: In Manhattan, it is much easier to keep well groomed skin and nails
A common misconception about hard, dry skin on hands and feet is that it is merely in dire need of some moisturising. Although cream may help superficially, the real issue is the build-up of dead skin.
Leading top-to-toe dermatologist Dr Howard Murad knows so much about skin that his "walk-of-fame pedicure" has become legendary in Los Angeles.
Thankfully, we don't have to go all the way to LA for A-list friendly feet. A good lather of Murad Activating Body Scrub means that hands and feet work together to give an exfoliating treatment to soothe and soften both.
Regarding the feet, I have never met anyone who knows as much about them as chiropodist Margaret Dabbs, who has created her own brand of foot products that really work.
Like all her products, the Intensive Hydrating Foot Lotion is rich in emu oil, which Margaret spent a long time researching after discovering it had been used by native Australians for centuries for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits.
I love applying it before I go to bed, so the oil can go to work overnight.
Touching people's faces and working with make-up means I am constantly washing my hands. This destroys the ph balance in the skin, so my hands become sore, dry and rough.
I can't let my skin dry out because I need soft hands when I'm working on people's faces. It means I never go anywhere without L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream.
In fact, before my last flight to the U.S., I spent 15 minutes decanting half of my 150ml tube (restrictions permit 100ml tubes only) into a small plastic bottle so I could board the plane and remain moisturised until I got to New York's JFK airport.
Marian Newman, nail artiste extraordinaire, has found time outside her manicuring work on almost every British Vogue cover to create a bespoke line (in partnership with Nails Inc and hairdresser Charles Worthington) of nail products that suit a variety of nail needs.
Her Great Queen St Base Coat (named after the address of one of Charles Worthington's salons) contains diamond dust to help strengthen nails.
All that hard work deserves glamorous nail varnish, so over to my favourite deluxe brand, Chanel, and their beautiful summer colour, Antilope.
| 
