Irene Malin 29, is a part-time model and runs her own business selling vintage clothing online.

Anna Clarke 46, is a beauty therapist and has spent £16,000 on cosmetic treatments over the past four years

Inayah Sher 40, an aromatherapist, spends up to 14 hours each week making beauty products for her friends and family.

Sarah MacRae 39, is a former Miss Scotland and spends £18,000 a year on her beauty regime.

Irene Malin 29, is a part-time model and runs her own business selling vintage clothing online. She lives in Essex with her husband, an oil trader, and has two children, aged nine and two. she spends £24,000 on cosmetic products a year.

I can understand why some people think spending so much on cosmetics is extreme – it’s more than many people earn in a year. But I take a lot of pride in my appearance and, as a model, my beauty regime has always been a big part of my life.

Since the age of 18 I’ve been prepared to buy anything that promises to keep my skin looking good. Of course, then all I could afford was a pot of Nivea Creme, but now I’ve reached a stage in my life, where I’ll happily spend hours searching for a miracle cream, and money is no object. My favourite place to shop is Harrods because it has a huge selection of brands from all around the world. I spent about £12,000 a year in there on products from La Prairie and Chanel. I don’t think they have changed the way I look especially, but they have without doubt helped ensure my skin keeps its youthful glow and suppleness.

I have cupboards full of creams now and use nearly all of them every day. Every morning I use La Prairie’s Skin Caviar range and set aside an hour and a half each morning to work through all my products, relaxing in the bath and allowing the products to soak in. My favourite is a La Prairie serum with real gold flakes in it. It’s known as ‘the facelift in a jar’ because you can feel it tightening your skin. A small 30ml jar costs £500, which is the most I’ve ever spent on a product, but I believe it to be good value for money – a pea-sized application three times a week means it lasts for at least a year.

It’s not just creams that burn a deep hole in my pocket. It’s also really important to my career to have perfect hair, nails and skin, and my afro hair takes a lot of work. Therefore, as well as a gym and Jacuzzi, I have a hairdresser who comes round once or twice a week to wash my hair and weave in hair extensions. I also have a girl who comes about once a month to give me a manicure and pedicure. Every other day I change the polish myself, as I don’t like chips.

I am very lucky as I have a live-in nanny, a driver and a cook, which means I can spend this time on myself without it impacting on the rest of my life. I even follow my routine on holiday, but we usually stay in luxury spa hotels. I always start off with a Moroccan bath, and then go on to a facial and manicure, before finishing off with an eyebrow wax. These treatments come to about £10,000, but that’s what makes me happy. Everybody has their little obsession; I don’t drink or do drugs, I just like to look good.

Anna Clarke 46, is a beauty therapist and has spent £16,000 on cosmetic treatments over the past four years. She lives in Southampton with her partner, an engineer, and has two children, aged 21 and 19.

I was in my mid thirties when I suddenly noticed I was developing deep lines across my forehead. I suppose it’s just the natural consequence of getting older but, as a beauty therapist, looking good is part of my job description and seeing myself ageing knocked my confidence. Within weeks, I began having consultations about cosmetic treatments. I’d always looked after my skin but things had got to a point where creams, no matter how expensive, weren’t doing what I wanted them to do. I felt I had to call in the experts.

I went to see a doctor about Botox, which I had for the first time in June 2006. I loved the results because my deep frown lines disappeared immediately. The doctor then explained that you couldn’t reverse ageing with Botox alone and suggested a few other treatments that would suit me. Within three years of my first Botox injection, I was also having skin peels, fillers and Sculptra, an injectable volumising treatment that works by stimulating the body’s natural collagen to smooth out lines and wrinkles. There’s also Vavelta cell therapy, in which fibroblasts – cells responsible for producing collagen – are injected into the skin. Thanks to these, my lines faded and the contours of my face seem more defined.

The treatments do cause some discomfort, but I wouldn’t describe any of them as being particularly painful. With injectable treatments there’s always a little bruising and swelling afterwards, but it only lasts a few days, and it’s nothing a little make-up can’t cover. The worst side effects come from the skin peels, which leave my face flaking and slightly red.

I still went to work as normal after the treatment, and didn’t feel in the slightest bit embarrassed. It doesn’t last for long and it’s all worth it when you receive compliments from friends telling you how brilliant you look. I am often told that I look like I’m in my thirties – people are astonished when I tell them I have a 21-year-old daughter.

The only downside to these treatments is that it’s difficult to stop. I have to maintain it, otherwise I’d go back to how I looked before. This means I have to have Sculptra every two to three years, Botox every three or four months and dermal fillers every six to nine months. I never planned to spend thousands on my appearance, but when I recently totted up how much I’d spent over the past four years it came to £16,000. I fund these treatments through savings and my earnings, and I don’t splash out on things that other women might, such as expensive clothes. It might sound bizarre to some, but I’d prefer to spend the money on my face.

I’m sure there are people who think I am vain, and I guess I am in the sense that I don’t like to go out without my make-up on and my hair done. But I don’t believe I’m extremely vain or self-indulgent. To me, it’s the same as getting expensive highlights every few months. I’m no more vain than any woman who likes to look after herself.

My partner, Andy, and children never complain, and always tell me I look great. My daughter Natasha, 21, is so impressed that she has said she wants to have the same treatments. Although she’s far too young to do that at the moment, I most definitely won’t be holding her back. I don’t see the point in anyone looking old before their time.