9 Beauty Editor-Approved Office Essentials To Stash At Your Desk

By Ashleigh Cometti

Thursday Jan. 18, 2024

Viva

Mark your return to the office with trusted beauty essentials to keep you looking polished. Photo / Babiche Martens

These workday beauty staples will ensure you look (and feel) fresh, no matter what your 9-5 throws at you.

Setting foot in the office after a long, hot summer holiday can (in some cases) feel like a cruel joke, especially if the sunny weather is still beckoning you outside.

Although these beauty items can’t necessarily ease the transition from beach to boardroom, they can ensure you look the part while you do so.

Consider this your complete guide to desk-side beauty — a handful of well-edited staples to keep that summer feeling alive despite the neon lights and AC blaring overhead.

Below, we share the products that promise the same level of pick-me-up as raiding the vending machine during the dreaded 3pm energy slump.

A multi-purpose skin salve

If your office air conditioning is anything like ours (cool enough to render a cardigan appropriate in peak summer and a daily 2pm freeze that calls for a hot coffee), then an intense moisturising regime is a must.

Air conditioning can be ultra-drying on all skin types, so a buttery balm that can stave off scaly bits will offer welcome relief.

Look for multi-purpose products that can transform dry cuticles, knees or elbows, saving room in your desk cubby or drawer, not to mention reduce the strain on your spending.

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Viva loves Aotea Kawakawa Balm 60ml, $22, a soothing salve that harnesses the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and analgesic properties of kawakawa leaves alongside sweet almond and mānuka oil to calm skin irritations, bites and sores, or hydrate lips and cuticles. Remember: a little goes a long way.

Trilogy Everything Balm, $30, is touted as the brand’s “beauty fixer-upper” and we tend to agree. The multi-tasking balm uses Trilogy’s hero rosehip seed oil and a host of plant-based antioxidants to nourish, soften and moisturise dry skin from top to toe. Chapped lips, dry cuticles and dehydrated limbs have met their match.

Eye drops

Contact lens wearers know the struggle all too well — the eye strain that comes with staring at a screen all day under harsh lighting. Eye drops help to lubricate both the eye and rehydrate contact lenses, making them more comfortable to wear. Not to mention they also help to rid lenses of any residue.

Although I don’t wear contacts myself, my eyes certainly get tired from the glare. A couple of drops of Systane Complete Preservative Free Lubricant Eye Drops, $25, prevents dryness and irritation.

Dry shampoo

If the humidity is wreaking havoc with your blow dry, then dry shampoo is a surefire way of forcing strands into submission once more. A quick blast on roots is enough to restore volume and lift lost by lunchtime, or if you’re office-bound on a non-wash day, dry shampoo will soak up excess oil at the root and leave hair looking fresh.

If you’re a regular TikTok user, you might be aware of the controversy that followed a particular dry shampoo brand at the end of last year, where information surfaced about its formula containing benzene, an alleged human carcinogen.

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Instead, try Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo, $51, or Co Lab Dry Shampoo Original, $12, both of which are benzene-free.

Fragrance

A spritz of scent is an excellent way to freshen up before heading out to an event or a meeting, but there’s a certain level of fragrance etiquette that should be followed if your job is office-bound.

The key to selecting a signature scent that’s office appropriate? One that your colleagues can’t smell unless they’re sitting very close to you. That’s for a multitude of reasons — some people have allergies or scent preferences that can make a potent perfume obtrusive or offensive. Ever walked past someone and had their cologne sit with you for far too long after they’re gone? Well, imagine sitting next to that all day long. No thanks.

Instead, select a concentrated version, like eau de parfum that can be used sparingly but lasts all day. Spritz it on one pulse point (select from wrists, necks or backs of knees) or do the perfume waltz — spritz the air and walk through it to have it settle on hair and clothes instead.

For something light and feminine, try Regime des Fleurs Chloe Sevigny Little Flower 100ml eau de parfum, $390, or for notes of sweet, salty musk, consider Abel Cyan Nori 50ml eau de parfum, $270.

Deodorant

It’s no secret it’s hot with a capital H right now. Even if you’re religious about applying your deodorant first thing, there’s a chance that rushing from the office to a meeting and back again can leave you feeling less than fresh. It’s true for me, anyway, which is why I keep a tube of deodorant handy throughout the day (especially helpful when your day involves leaving your desk to head straight to dinner).

Try Aesop Deodorant, $45, which is an aluminium-free deodorant formulated with zinc ricinoleate and essential oils to disguise unwanted underarm odours.

Otherwise, the Drunk Elephant Sweet Pitti Deodorant Cream, $29, cares for skin while it defends against odour with a pH-balanced formula containing mandelic acid and absorbent arrowroot to keep underarms free from sweat.

Lipstick or lip gloss

One of my beige flags is always carrying a minimum of five lipsticks or glosses in my handbag — neutral hues always go the distance no matter your ‘fit or what the day holds.

What my favourite lacks in longevity it makes up for in versatility — Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in the shade Bare Affair, $20, is my perfect nude and swipes on seamlessly, keeping my lips hydrated and enveloped in colour.

If you do want a product to stand up to your twice-daily flat white habit, then Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink Longwear Liquid Lipstick, $19, does just that — trust me, I’ve tried it.

A hair tie, scrunchie or claw

This week I saw a TikTok that shared three tips on how to look instantly pulled together, one of which was styled hair. But appearing polished doesn’t always call for hours spent blow drying your hair to perfection, instead a simple hair tie, scrunchie or claw can be used to twist hair into a low chignon, high ponytail or a simple braid.

Back when I worked for a quarterly publication, a friend and I would joke that if we were slammed, we’d pull our hair into a “busy bun”. Ever since, I’ve always had a hair tie handy in case of (deadline) emergencies.

Try Lady Jayne Elastic Snagless Blonde 18pk, $4.50. Prettier still is this Gloria XL Silk Scrunchie in Ivory, $55, which looks chic whether wrapped around a ponytail or twisted around a top knot.

Concealer

Finding a concealer that won’t settle into fine lines and wrinkles surrounding under-eyes is no mean feat, and I’ve tried more than my fair share in pursuit of appearing bright-eyed all day. From Mecca, Kosas Revealer Concealer, $54, is a creamy, medium-coverage concealer that promises a skin-like finish but does an excellent job of concealing purple hues under-eyes or diffusing red tones left behind from blemishes. It blends seamlessly with foundation, and sets beautifully with a dusting of translucent powder on top.

Next is the Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer, $54, which promises full coverage with a matte finish. After you’ve swiped it on under-eyes, the formula doubles as a contour, helping to illuminate skin while disguising imperfections. While others may argue the ultra-creamy formulation is better for the orbital area, I find the original formulation works just fine.

The last (and the newest) is Revlon’s new Colorstay Flex Wear Full Cover Concealer, $28, a feather-light concealer with a skin-like finish, which sees hyaluronic acid and vitamin E combine to care for skin while concealing blemishes and imperfections.

Facial mist

The Viva team is still in the midst of its long-term love affair with face mist (I receive regular top-up requests for mists to stash on desks). It’s not unlikely to hear a symphony of spritzing come 3pm when energy levels hit their daily low.

Don’t let its lime-green appearance fool you, Mario Badescu’s Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea, $13, is heaven on a hot day. Facial sprays are miracle workers when it comes to reviving makeup (and mood) and this one contains three known skin soothers to rehydrate and invigorate tired skin.

Similarly, Caudalie’s iconic Beauty Elixir, $86, helps to refresh makeup, tighten pores and awaken the senses with its uplifting scent of mint, rose and rosemary essential oil.