4 Beauty Treats That Are Always On My Desk & Things I Do Everyday To Feel Ready To Take On The Day

2017 has been the year of wearing a lot less makeup for me, there have been weeks lately where I've not reached for it at all and it's really refreshing. I used to rely on makeup so much to make me feel complete and to be able to leave the house and still feel like myself and even confident is a huge thing for me. Even on the days where I don't wear makeup, there are still plenty of beauty products I find myself reaching for and here are the 4 that have got permanent residency on my desk and the things that I do every day without fail to feel ready for work.

it's skin cookie & hand mint cream*

I've said it before and I'll say it again but I seriously love mint in beauty products and I wish it was used more often. A product that's stolen my heart and my nose lately is this product from It's Skin*, not a brand I'm familiar with at all but if their other products are as delicious as this then I think I'll be exploring the brand further. It's the perfect hand cream to live on my desk as it gives my forever parched hands just the right amount of moisture that I need to make me feel better but it doesn't leave them feeling sticky or greasy which is the last thing I want when I need to use my hands immediately after use. And the smell, oh the smell is absolutely incredible.

caudalie beauty elixir*

This product was huge in the blogging world a few years ago, some heralded it as skincare gold and some say it's a total princess product. I'm a little in-between and I've been using it on makeup free days and on days where I've been wearing makeup all day and I have to say I can see why it's such a cult classic. First of all, the smell is absolutely beautiful it contains grape, orange, rosemary and mint which when blended together creates an invigorating yet delicious scent that when you're feeling a little drained is an amazing pick me up. Of course, it makes the skin look super radiant and dewy but it doesn't make it look wet or oily which are two things that can so easily happen with glow-inducing products but this makes me look seriously healthy. Which let's be real in the festive period can be quite difficult to obtain. And then when I've been wearing makeup I've been using this to freshen up my complexion, especially if I'm going back out in the evening it's absolutely incredible for making things look as fresh as they once did when first applied.

lanolips lip ointment

I've been trying to finish up some products that I've had around for far too long lately and one of them is this classic do it all balm from Lanolips. My lips have been painfully dry lately due to the weather constantly changing and I needed to bring out the big guns and the Lanolips Lip Ointment has never failed me yet and once again it's returned my lips to their usual supple state. When I'm sat at my desk I don't tend to really care about what I look like so I slather this on, quite a thick layer and leave it to works its magic. It's formulated with lanolin, obviously and that's a natural ingredient which can hold 200% it's weight in moisture which is why this is such a cult favourite do it all balm and even though I favour it for the lips it also works beautifully on dry patches of skin.

burt's bees almond and milk hand cream*

Something that I've been doing a lot lately is digging out the fluffiest socks I can find, slathering my feet in this hand cream, popping on the socks and creating a little moisture bath for my feet whilst I work. I realise this is most definitely a thing that you can only really do if you work from home or in a very relaxed office but it's the easiest way to bath your feet in moisture without having to faff around. This dreamy product from Burt's Bees is marketed as a hand cream and you can most definitely use it as that but be aware it is very thick. So if you don't like that feeling you will not like this as it's so rich it's been perfect for my feet. Which, to be honest, are a sorry state right now and this has been helping those particularly pesky dry patches of skin like the sides of the foot and heel too.