A is for antibacterial tongue scraper The plastic strips of the Breath RX Daily Tongue Care Kit look like something to tie back plants with, but pull them over your tongue and they’ll remove any trace of last night’s curry. £8.49, from Boots

B is for buffer With six attachments, the battery-operated Power File to Go, by Kiss, will shape, buff and shine finger- and toenails to perfection. £10, from Boots

C is for curl-booster With its triangular heated plates, the BaByliss You Curl gives a modern, wavy kink, rather than the hard-edged tonged effect. £40, from Argos

D is for Dermaroller This ingenious facial tool by Leaf & Rusher works on the same principle as the needle rollers used by cosmetic surgeons, which puncture the skin so it can absorb more product. It is painless and safe to use at home – and moisturiser applied afterwards is said to be absorbed up to 4,000 times more efficiently. £78, from Space NK

E is for eyelash curlers The ultimates are by Shu Uemura, loved by make-up artists for their stiff curling action and long-lasting hold. You could also try Suqqu: the make-up artist Kay Montano swears by their large upper-lash guard. Shu Uemura eyelash curler, £18; 020 7240 7635. Suqqu eyelash curler, £12; 0800 123400

F is for finishing brush When Mary Greenwell used Laura Mercier’s finishing brush on Cate Blanchett, the actress loved the effect on her skin so much, she kept it. “It is perfect for foundation, powder and blush,” Greenwell says. “It holds onto colour, and transfers it evenly onto the skin.” £32, from Selfridges

G is for Get Bent eyeliner brush by Benefit The make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury uses it to create feline eyes on celebs such as Kate Moss and Jennifer Lopez. “Its hooked end makes it really easy to get right into the corners, to achieve the perfect line,” she says. £12; 0808 238 0230

H is for hairbrushes A good one can make all the difference to how healthy your hair looks. The Goody Styling Therapy Copper Brush claims to kill 88% of the fungus associated with dandruff, thanks to the natural antifungal action of its copper tips. Or, for a glossy mane, the New York hairdresser Frédéric Fekkai’s bristle brush gives a natural shine. Styling Therapy Copper Brush, £9, by Goody; 0844 412 1182. Classic bristle brush, £67, by Frédéric Fekkai, from Space NK

I is for inventing your own tools Some of the best are homemade. James Brown, Kate Moss’s hairdresser, has a trick with balloons – blow one up and rub it over your hair for a static bed-head look. The session stylist Eugene Souleiman advises folding hair over a knife, then applying tongs on top. It gives a weirdly beautiful kink to the curl.

J is for Japanese make-up brushes Inspired by the make-up artistry of geisha girls, who spend hours perfecting their pale complexion, Japanese brushes have had a huge influence on how we apply make-up. The Shu Uemura 18R brush is a staple in the make-up artist Kay Montano’s kit: “It is one of the most perfect blusher brushes.” She also loves the Nars Kabuki Ita brush, “for finishing touches such as powder under the eyes”. 18R brush, £35, by Shu Uemura; 020 7240 7635. Kabuki Ita brush, £28, by Nars; 020 8740 2085

K is for knot-buster Goody’s wide-toothed comb slides through postwash tangles painlessly. Ouchless comb, £4, by Goody, as before

L is for luxury tools Practical need not be drab. Bobbi Brown’s 24-Carat Gold Luxe Brush Collection comes with 24-carat gold handles and its own leather travel roll. You’ll have them for life, so they’re worth the investment. From £600, from Harrods

M is for mascara The up-and-coming make-up artist Lucia Pica has this tip for blondes fed up with half their lashes looking black and the other half fair. “Dab your usual mascara wand onto a Shu Uemura 4.5Ex fan brush, usually used for powder, then drag the brush through upper lashes while looking down. Repeat, looking up.” You’ll get closer to the roots than you would with a conventional mascara brush. £15; as before

N is for nose-hair trimmers Nasal hair is never pretty. Red’s Super Groom Precision Hair Trimmer gets rid of it neatly and painlessly. £9.99, from Boots

O is for orange stick There are ordinary orange sticks (think boring, wooden, could probably make do with your thumbnail), and there is the Leighton Denny Hoof Stick. Push back cuticles using the soft rubber tip, and clean the day’s grime from under your nails with the pointed end. £1; 0845 004 2453

P is for Parlux 2800 hairdryer The hair stylist James Brown swears by it. To create classic Kate Moss-meets-Bardot hair, he advises turning your head upside down and blasting it from all angles. He then back-combs the hair at the crown, massages hairspray into the roots and moves the hair in a circular motion to create volume. £45; www.luxuryhaircare.co.uk

Q is for Q-tips But not as you know them. Mac’s Cleansing Tips are disposable cotton buds saturated with a cocoa oil-based make-up remover that cleans up smudges, removes mascara and gives you a precise eye line. £9; 0870 034 2676

R is for root touch-up Cover them up with the Pro Tip tinting brush, a favourite of the top John Frieda colourist Nicola Clarke. Its strong bristles, crucial for good application of hair colour, make it easier to get even results. Use it for tinting eyebrows, too. £3.29; 020 7434 0064

S is for scissors Save on fortnightly trips to the hairdresser’s by trimming your fringe yourself. Johnnie Sapong suggests cutting hair dry, pointing the scissors upward for a softer effect. Boots Professional Hairdressing Scissors, from £7.10

T is for tweezers Essential for groomed eyebrows. The ones with a springy middle give you a firmer grip. Try the Jemma Kidd Make Up School Essential Tweezers. £12, from Boots

U is for US import America is brilliant for novel beauty aids such as Aquafresh’s White Trays – disposable trays prefilled with a whitening solution that you place in your mouth for brighter teeth in days. Seek them out if you’re headed to the USA.

V is for vanity case Louis Vuitton is the ultimate jet-set accessory. With pockets and loops to hold bottles and brushes in place, and the all-essential mirror, it’s tough enough to withstand turbulence and glamorous enough to guarantee you a place on a Learjet. Louis Vuitton Vernis Vanity Case in Amarante, from £885; 020 7399 4050

W is for weighing scales Jump on Tanita’s state-of-the-art scales and you get more than just your weight. They accurately measure body fat, metabolic rate, bone mineral mass and muscle mass, too. Tanita Innerscan BC-545 New Segmental Body Composition Monitor, £199, from John Bell & Croyden; 020 7935 5555

X is for X-rated cleavage-enhancers Chicken fillets to you and me. Myla’s Cleavage Enhancers are silicone-filled pads that sit in your bra, turning diminutive breasts into Playboy heaven. £30; 0870 745 5003

Y is for Yuroll Professional lymphatic drainage roller The facialist Nichola Joss’s indispensable tool, this jade roller is said to take the stress, heat and tightness from your skin, aid lymphatic drainage and improve circulation. £65; 020 8749 6370

Z is for Zeno spot-zapper This gadget, the size of your mobile, heats up to nuke spots gently. It claims to kill 90% of the bacteria that cause spots without damaging the surrounding skin. Zeno Acne Clearing Device, £129, from Boots

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3.20 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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