For the first time in a long time, we’ve got that back to school feeling. You know the one: filled with fresh, never scribbled in notebooks, unscuffed shoes, crunchy new denim, and tingling anticipation. Adulthood autumns are usually punctuated by lingering whispers of that feeling, most palpably any time we walk into a Target or see a uniform-clad teen. But this year, it really feels real with many businesses—including Glossier HQ!—heading back to the office. So back to school becomes back to work, replete with all the familiar pleasures and a long list of coworkers we can’t wait to introduce ourselves to IRL. We’re a little rusty on our socialization skills, so we’re stacking our beauty decks with lots of new products to show and tell. Need a fragrant midday refresh? An emergency zit solution? A chic-yet-functional fantastic elastic replacement? Here’s everything we can’t wait to show our new deskmates:
If you haven’t yet invested in makeup brushes… count your blessings. Because makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes’ collaboration with Spectrum, which launched this past year, ticks all the boxes. Each brush was built specifically by Hughes to fulfil a need in her kit (and often, that need is for something multipurpose) and is vegan, sustainably made, and downright gorgeous. You can buy the full set of 25, but Hughes created her edited sets with the casual makeup wearer in mind.
Highlighter this, highlighter that… Before you get sick of hearing about the product du jour for glowy skin, give this subtle stick from Ami Cole the last word. Those who love using a thick cream to add dew will love its clear, balmy base. But it’s so much more than that! A sprinkling of iridescent gold pearl, so faint it really just looks like wet skin, is what makes this highlighter special. Imagine your most radiant complexion—then add this to cart.
At this point, you can’t remember a time before counting PKWS—phone, keys, wallet, sanitizer—before heading out the door. And sanitizer’s come a long way, baby! This one smells the best of any we’ve tried, particularly in the fall and winter seasons. It’s pumpkin spice-y, but not in a cloying, sweet, Bath and Body Works kind of way, which is noteworthy! Throw the mini in your bag for long-awaited coworker coffee breaks, and dazzle anyone who forgets their own at home.
Did you know the cult-favorite Dior nail cream now comes in an easy, mess-free squeeze pen? The precision tip allows you to use juuust enough to hydrate each nail bed, so you don’t waste any of the pricey goop inside. Plus, it’s just more sanitary. You think about these things now.
Each of these comes with 42 gunk-absorbing stickers. And the whole pack will only set you back six bucks. That’s just the genius of The Klog (and Soko Glam) founder Charlotte Cho’s take on pimple patches, which are also transparent, come with a thin beveled edge so they blend in easily, and vary in size from small to teeny. If you make it known that you have 42 pimple patches handy, you may notice that coworkers will start swarming around your desk at strange hours of the day. They want—no, need!—a pimple patch. And you just became employee of the month.
In 2019, you’d have been hard pressed to walk into a Glossier HQ meeting room and not see at least one candy-hued claw clip. But a year and a half later and our Instagram feeds are so saturated with clips that it’s got us craving something new. The French pins from Mae Mae are similarly colorful (check), don’t leave creases (check), and are also—dare we say—even easier to carry and use. It’s thin and flat, so it slides easily into any beauty bag or purse, and is so darn versatile. If you fall down a rabbit hole researching French pin hairstyles, you can even use it as a pick to climb your way out.
To avoid smudgy 4PM makeup, setting spray exists. But there’s not really anything you can apply in the morning, at home, to avoid a greasy scalp by the end of the day. These mini dry shampoos are the perfect remedy: throw one in your gym bag and keep the other in your desk, and you’re set for any spontaneous post-work drinks emergency. It doesn’t hurt that Sam McKnight is a master of the effortless tousle, and his oil-sopping mist adds zhuzhed body too.
Dropping fall temperatures take care of humidity, but a spritz of leave-in conditioner is like a booster shot for bounce and shine. This limited edition collaboration between Byredo (purveyor of sophisticated-but-not-serious fragrances) and Ouai (already known to produce fantastic-smelling hair stuff) is like a hair perfume with extra oomph. It’s softly juicy and comfortingly woody, and we’d call it a skin scent if not for the fact that it’s meant for… not your skin. Worth it for the complexity it adds to your scent profile alone! Also great to have on hand if you decide to pivot to a slicked back look later in the day.
What do you get when you combine two fashion editorial hairstylists and a global environmental crisis? These rainbow-brite combs, which are recyclable and made exclusively from recycled plastics. After sourcing household and manufacturing waste and turning it into little multicolored pellets, they’re sorted by color and re-melted into marbled designs that vary from aquatic to radioactive. Makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench is a fan, and so is hairstylist Clara Leonard, who recommended the brand to us on set. And while the price tags on most luxe combs may leave you scratching your head in confusion, this one will only set you back a cool 18 bucks.
Photo via ITG
