Periodically, my friend Brandy gets an idea and shoots me a post. It can be about leadership or do-gooding, but today we’ve got some practical fashion polish help for Fashion Fridays. Welcome Brandy back for our all girls Fashion Friday lunch date:
We all have these days. You rush from meeting to meeting, or plane to plane, and at day’s end you are expected to arrive, fresh-faced, sociable and polished, at a work dinner, or speech, or date, or whatever. And you just aren’t feeling it. You are work or travel weary and grungy.
I start most days with a 6 am workout, so by the time the 6pm business cocktail hour begins, I am already OVER!
So, how to fix? With a killer office makeup bag. My fix-it-up-fast bag! Tiny space. Huge results. Here’s what goes into mine (all at reasonable price points!):
1) The toothbrush: Look, most of us don’t have great breath or white teeth after 12 hours of coffee. But it was also a TOTAL pain to carry around a toothbrush and toothpaste. Not to mention the unhygienic part (um, what year did I buy that toothbrush?). My fav fix is the Happy Morning Disposable Toothbrush. It’s a single use toothbrush with the paste already in it. Use it and toss when done. Currently these sell for $30 for a box of 100.
2) The under eye cream: Like most working moms, boy do I have dark circles. I adore the Garnier skin renewal anti dark circle roller. For a $9 investment, I have fresh awake eyes.
3) The freshen up factor: I get air plane funk. I just feel gross after a long flight. Enter my friend, the Playtex sport body wipes. They are meant to be a post workout wipe before you run back to the office after a lunchtime workout, but they also work great if you have to run from plane to meeting or head to a work dinner after a long day. They’re gentle and $4 a pack at your local drugstore.
4) The face fix: Do you get dry or oily on your face? Or, if you’re lucky like me, you get both with the combination skin. Usually, I get oily. I love the Tarte not so slick oil blotting papers $10 for 50. But if you get dry, or because even an oily skinned girl can get dry skin after a flight, enter my favorite face freshener: Skin by Ann Webb cucumber melon calming mist. It feels and smells amazing. It’s also a great addition to your beach bag to use after a few hours on the sand (retails for about $10).
5) The hair rescue: My hair gets flat and nasty after a long day, so I love the ease of Got2B styling powder. It’s super cheap, about $5, but it totally works. Shake a little on your palms and run it through your hair. Insta fix!
6) Eye drops: For real, you should use them. Eye drops improves your look after a long day at the office AND they makes your eyes feel better.
7) Lip fix: Savannah Bee Company makes an earl grey lip balm I swear by for $10. It lasts for hours, smells great, and doesn’t smear your lipstick.
8) Smelling like a rose: I love a small roll-on fragrance for my small bag. Something a bit gender neutral and not too girly works me for. One of my first picks is Bvlgari.
9) A nice hand wipe: I adore Herbal Essentials towelettes, in peppermint or lavender, which are naturally antibacterial. These come in single packs, so they are super small and easy, and as an added benefit I can also wipe down a nasty airplane tray table!
And all of this fits in one of those little makeup bags they give you as a free gift with purchase! (Or, if you’re Gindi and you write about fashion, and I promise this is my only editorial note to this genius post, you could put it all in this great little pocketed bag with zipper compartments that’s still small enough to throw in a work handbag – either Steph & Co patterned from Nordstrom for $27 or Ulta has these mini make up bags to drop in your purse from Tartan & Twine between $10 and $24.)
I hope this helps you survive a long business dinner or gives you a boost to have fun at an evening event!