The evidence

The beauty director's desk

Kathy Phillips is beauty director of `Vogue'. She wrote `The Vogue Book of Blondes' and is currently working on a book about yoga

"My goldfish (1) were a present from Ester, a PR, as she felt that I needed the feng shui. She also introduced me to walking on hot coals. We always have bottles of our favourite scent (2) so we can have a squirt of it if we're going out in the evening. We have lots of other things like hand cream (3), moisturisers and lipsticks which people come and borrow. Janine Labell [the brains behind Stila make-up] went shopping with me the other day for a piece on what she thought was the best of the high street. I took some quick snaps (4) while we were out. Estee Lauder have just sent me 32 lipsticks from their spring/summer collection (5). I'm just going through the transparencies (6) from the Paris and London fashion shows. I did a shoot in Paris where we photographed the contents of bags belonging to various famous make-up artists. It's going into the June issue and these are the Polaroids (7). I always have lots of things I've been sent that I have to try (8). The Champagne (9) was a thank-you from Givenchy. It's been sitting there for I don't know how long, waiting for a Friday night to be cracked open."

Interview by Photograph by Claudia Janke