Keeping up appearances at work isn’t as easy as it sounds. You might feel polished and fresh-faced at 8 a.m., but by noon you’ve lost your battle with the dry chill of that climate-controlled environment. Or maybe you’ve been quietly typing away all afternoon, but anyone who saw you at happy hour would assume you’d been doing some P90X workouts in your office. Whatever your challenge, we’re here to help you stock your desk drawer with essential beauty products that’ll keep you looking and feeling lovely all day long.
1. Tokyo Milk Hand Creme in Bulletproof No. 45 ($22): This brand is one of our favorites for shea butter goodness paired with grown-up scents (no more Bath + Body Works for us). Plus, the tube is so gorgeous that it’s almost a shame to keep it cooped up in a drawer.
2. Dior Skin Forever Wear-Extending Invisible Retouch Powder ($44): Ultra-fine and light, this touch-up powder is meant for just that — touch-ups.
3. Batiste Dry Shampoo ($14 for three): Dry shampoo is a must, and we’re not sure what we love most about this UK brand… the instant root lift, the variety of fun, retro branding or the fact that it comes in travel sizes and three-packs so we will never have to live without it again. Rather DIY your own concoction? Check our tutorial!
4. Benebalm Lip Tint Hydrators ($18): Moisture is a priority, but a little tint in your lip balm will help it stay polished in case your boss’s boss decides to stop by your desk. Benefit’s balms come in four bright, but surprisingly natural colors.
5. Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist ($22): This magical mist (made with organic rosehip, ylang ylang and resveratrol grapeseed oil) will leave you supremely refreshed in a dry office building.
6. Wegner Swiss Clipper Tool ($27): Bad ass and beautiful, it’s the Swiss Army knife of the beauty world. It’s packed with a pair of scissors, nail clipper, nail file, nail cleaner, tooth pick, tweezer, mini screwdriver and key ring.
7. Tweezerman Mini Slant Tweezers: If you choose not to go the all-in-one-route, these mini tweezers are so good that you might as well get another pair for your house, too. As you know, we also love a good geometric print… so, extra points.
8. Josie Maran Bear Naked Nail Wipes ($9): Finally, a nail polish remover that won’t make your neighboring cube roomies want to punch you in the face. These wipes condition with natural argan oil and remove polish without harsh (and strong-smelling) acetone so you can be rid of a chipped manicure on the fly.
9. Ribbon Hair Ties ($8): Clear elastics are useful if you have to throw your hair up quickly before a presentation, but these bright hair ties might inspire that mid-day yoga session you’ve been talking about for seven months.
10. Shisheido Pureness Blotting Paper ($19): Your clients will no longer be able to see their reflections in your forehead. The day is yours.
11. Benefit Brow Zings ($32): We’re firm believers that a wash of lipstick and a well-groomed eyebrow will do more for a 5 o’clock face than eyeshadow ever will. This little kit is killer. And again with the mini tweezers… clearly we’ve got brows on the brain today.
12. Mini First Aid Kit ($28): Stock this puppy with Band-Aids, ibuprofen, blister protection pads and various other essentials to care for minor scrapes.
13. La Bella Figura Perfume Oil ($90): A tiny roll-on or a natural solid perfume is great if you’re heading straight to a date after the office. We love this Chicago brand’s handmade, globally inspired line of scents. Each bottle is like a mini vacation to Istanbul, San Miguel, Barcelona…
14. Honey Can-Do Lint Brush ($5): If the office pup likes to say hello just as soon as you walk into the office in your black pencil skirt, this little desk-sized lint brush is absolutely necessary.
15. Jane Iredale My Steppes ($58): We adore the versatile shades in this handy grab-and-go kit that includes two lip colors, bronzer and blush.
16. Bobbi Brown “On-The-Go” Face Touch Up Stick ($28): This chubby mini stick is meant for the road. It will keep your concealer fresh without messing up your existing makeup. Win-win.
What else is stocked in your drawer? Let us know in the comments!