This holiday season, SK-II is launching limited edition designs of their cult favorite Facial Treatment Essence, with a floral design painted by Taiwanese artist Po Chih Huang. We recently caught up with the brand’s ambassador, Cate Blanchett, who told us which product is her favorite, what makes a gift meaningful, and what she loves most about the holidays.

Which of the Facial Treatment Essence Limited Edition designs is your personal favorite?
It’s a difficult choice, but the red bottle reminds me of the red of passion and excitement and all that is sensuous. Red is such an energetic, positive color, which seems to me to reflect the potential of the festive season. It makes me recall a combination of action and vision—acting on ones beliefs. Passion is a quality I admire in a woman.

What do you like most about the bottle?
All the special edition FTE festive bottles are so vital—flamboyant, strong, yet delicate. They are stunning ($205 each; nordstrom.com).

What do you like about the holiday season the most?
I look forward to the holiday season every year. Ours are always different, but essentially the ingredients are family, friends, and food. Everyone pitches in and the day itself rolls into the next one.

Where is your favorite place to spend the holiday season?
The place is secondary to the company. Sometimes it’s a last-minute trip away, but it’s usually in the home of a loved one, often at our place. I love it when the house if full of people and noise. So my favorite place would always include close friends and family.

Do you have any special holiday traditions?
I have been known to make the Christmas breakfast with an SK-II mask on—any female guest joining the breakfast does the same, and willingly. Last year my husband joked that the Facial Treatment Essence mask is my version of the Christmas cracker hat.

How do you prepare for a holiday party?
Frequently, leading up to Christmas there are a few late nights, so the SK-II eye cream and eye masks are my trusty friends over this period. All year-round I take the mask in my handbag—to the beach, to the mountains, on a plane—wherever we go, as it’s a wonderful pick-me-up for the skin during the day and part of my morning and night skin care routine.

In your opinion, why makes a gift meaningful and memorable?
When a gift is difficult to give away it becomes even more rare and precious; somehow gathering a part of the giver to the gift itself. My mother-in-law gave me her mother’s engagement ring a few years back. I know how much my mother-in-law’s mother meant to her, so to part with this and to watch the joy on her face when I wore it was very special.

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