The thing with working in an office is that there are certain inescapable realities. Your guaranteed to face a situation where your best friend asks you to go out for an impromptu dinner catch up after work; at some point, you will probably be asked to do a last-minute presentation to a room full of people and, chances are, that guy you’ve been texting will try and organise last minute after work drinks too.
And when that happens, you won’t have time to rush back home and get ready and that’s why it’s always worth making sure your drawers are stocked up with the requisite beauty staples to make sure you can put your best foot forward, work-related or otherwise. So without further adieu, we’ve done the hard work for you and whittled down the 10 key products you’ll find yourself reaching for, time and time again.
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Rollerball perfume: Rollerball perfumes and mini bottles are perfect for the office because they’re compact, so there’s no reason you can’t have a selection stashed in your desk. They’re great for those days when you make last minute plans for after work and need a little spruce. Having a selection of your favourite scents to choose from without lugging big bottles around? Er, yes please. Some of the big brands do roll on versions like Viktor & Rolf’s Flower Bomb scent and Jo Malone is the master of mini bottles too. If you have to have one roll-on on your radar right now though, it’s the new Blanche and La Tulipe scents from our favourite candle and fragrance band, Byredo. They’re easy, fresh and perfect for this time of year.
Nail polish remover pads: We’re starting with these because if you buy anything on this list, these are probably the most important because there’s nothing more unprofessional chipped nails. Butter London’s Scrubbers 2-in-1 Nail Prep & Remover Pads are our favourite because they’re small and compact unlike other removers but are brilliant for quickly removing stubborn nail polish, without you having to rub too hard. So for those annoying moments when you get a drastic chip that you can’t get away with until you get home, these pads will save the day.
A compact foundation: When we’re rushing out to a meeting or need to be at our dinner reservation straight after work, there’s no time to be applying a liquid foundation and that’s why a compact foundation will be your best friend. The award for the best compact goes to Laura Mercier – we can’t get enough of the brand’s Crème Compact. It’s creamy so gives your skin a flawless, but natural, dewy finish and it allows for really easy buildable coverage. It’s the perfect product to use for on-the-go touch ups. Charlotte Tilbury has a great compact too. Opt for this one if you’re after a more matte finish.
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A classic lipstick: It will always give you that confident-boosting pick-me-up, even if you that is the one piece of make-up you’re wearing. We love all of the colours in the NARS Audacious Collection. The formulation is incredibly creamy and smooth to apply but doesn’t budge, so you can put it on without having to worry about using a lip liner. The same is true for Charlotte Tilbury’s Matte Revolution collection. We have one in every bag we own, you know, just in case of an emergency…
Dry Shampoo Spray: If you arm yourself with any product for your hair, make sure it’s a dry shampoo spray. It will give an instant boost to your hair and avoids the chalky residue you sometimes get from powders that could end up on your clothes.
Oil Sheets: Anyone with oily skin will understand just how annoying it is when your face starts getting increasingly greasy as the day goes on. Oil-absorbing sheets will save you. Just touch, absorb, and go!
A hard-working concealer you don’t need to apply with your fingers: Blemishes have a tendency to pop-up out of nowhere or might simply become more visible as the coverage you applied in the morning begins to fade and that’s why a powerful concealer you can apply quickly without getting your fingers covered, is a powerful tool in your beauty kit. Clinique has just come out with Perfect and Conceal, which combines a foundation with concealer with a wand for application so you don’t have to worry about using your fingers. Another product we’re obsessed with is Charlotte Tilbury’s highly pigmented retoucher pen. The problem with most concealers is that they can be quite heavy but Tilbury’s is perfect because it creates a natural-looking veil of coverage without it looking too much. It’s a lifesaver – we speak from experience.
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A Creamy Eyeshadow Stick or Pot: Creamy eyeshadow pots are perfect for giving your eyes that wow factor. Tom Ford’s Crème Colours are brilliant because they’re smooth and easy to apply but don’t sit in the creases in your lids and the same is true of Estee Lauder’s Pure Colour Stay-On Shadow Paint. The plus side of eyeshadow sticks over pots is that you can apply them without having to use your fingers and they’re just generally less messy and allow for more control in application. Bobbi Brown wins the crown for eyeshadow sticks, hands down. The colour options are incredible – you can choose from anything from sunlight gold and sand dune on one end of the spectrum, to forest, violet, iced blue and black on the other. Laura Mercier is another great option for eye colour sticks. Let’s just say, its caviar stick has reached cult status for reason. They’re honestly a stroke of genius.
A Nourishing Hand Cream: After a morning of typing away and trips to the bathroom, you might notice your hands begin to dry out and that’s why keeping a hand cream closeby is always a good thing. There are so many great options out there but our favourites come from Laura Mercier. There’s no question about it, each of the brand’s hand crèmes are pure indulgence. They’re thick, without being greasy and instantly absorb but also come in incredible combinations like fresh fig, almond coconut, amber vanillé and crème brûlée. They smell incredible too.