
Self-Care for the Cubicle-Bound
Most of us work too hard—it’s just a fact. Sitting is the new smoking (if you don’t have a standing desk, make sure you get up and roam the office as often as you can—improved office relationships are a side benefit of actually speaking to someone face-to-face), and office air is still the same old office air, computer screens and florescent lights are still skin-and-sense-dulling. Beyond going for a walk, doing a few breathing exercises, stretching, and keeping an essential-oil-heavy arsenal of beauty items in your desk drawer can sharpen your wits, improve your mood, and liven up your skin. If you’re going to practically live there, why not make it a happier life?
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goop by Juice Beauty
Enriching Face Oil goop, $110This nourishing, potent miracle oil sinks
instantly into skin and starts to work. Made with
a pure blend of organic oils, it leaves skin
remarkably supple, soft, and glowing. It
turbo-charges any moisturizer, but also
hydrates beautifully on its own. It can even
be patted on over makeup for a midday
pick-me-up. The Enriching Face Oil isformulated with USDA-certified organic ingredients and
contains approximately 99 percent total organic content.
FOR THE 4PM LACKLUSTER SLUMP
(PAT LIGHTLY OVER MAKEUP)
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de Mamiel
Altitude Oil goop, $44An inhalation essence that utterly transforms
the experience of flying—a few deep breaths
of it over the course of a flight clears and energizes. Carry this exquisite mix of luxurious plant oils everywhere in your bag. It’s a unique multi-tasking, do-it-all essential that’s life-changing.
INHALE CALMING
VAPORS
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Youtheory®‚
Collagen Powder Multiple Retailers, $21.99Infused with vanilla so it’s
brilliant in water, coffee, juice or
a smoothie, this collagen packet
nourishes skin from theinside out, and its single-serving packaging makes it perfect for
the desk drawer, not to mention the makeup bag or gym tote.
SIP GLOW-INDUCING
REFRESHMENT
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Tata Harper
Aromatic Irritability Treatment goop, $65This adorable vial of essential oils will
make you smile every time you open your
makeup bag. Swipe a little on your palms; it also doubles as a subtle scent, not
to mention an in-a-pinch face oil. Tiny and truly all-purpose-amazing.
COPE WITH A DREADED
OFFICE-MATE:
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Ursa Major
Essential Face Wipes goop, $24The company’s miracle 4-1
Face Tonic formula is infused
into each individually-wrapped
bamboo-cloth face wipe—use as a cleanser, gentle-but-powerful exfoliant, potent skin-soother,and hydrator, for all skin types. The wipes smell subtly of orange, fir, and lavender—refreshing after the gym, beautiful for taking off makeup, life-changing for the breakout-prone.
CLEAN EVERYTHING
(FACE, HANDS, SCREEN, ETC)
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Naturopathica
Lavender Protective
Moisturizer SPF 17 goop, $58This light hydrator is so easy to apply (we
wondered whether it was true physical
sunscreen, given its silky feel and the
way it sinks effortlessly into skin) that it
turns the daily chore of trying to blend
in your stubborn sun protection into agenuine pleasure. Skin-soothing lavender plus antioxidant and
turmeric root combine with micronized (not
nano) zinc oxide in this nourishing, mattifying, and
ultra-protective SPF moisturizer. It smells and feels fantastic;
used daily.
FOCUS, RELAX, AND STAVE
OFF WRINKLES
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French Girl
Nail + Cuticle Oil goop, $20A luxurious, super-effective treatment
for healthier nails and cuticles, this
citrus-rose-scented oil mixes potent
botanical extracts with organic essential oils
for serious results. The roll-on formula ismade with argan, evening primrose, sea buckthorn, and tamanu
oils (among others) for maximum moisture; it sinks in like a dream,
leaving your hands softer, smoother, faintly scented, and
fully hydrated.
10 SECONDS OF
CUTICLE-TREATMENT/TOTAL
ZONE-OUT
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goop Fragrance
Shiso Mini goop, $55A perfume of cool air, pale sun, new life
unfurling on the forest floor, this mystical
perfume channels the energy of spring:
sensual heat against cool, damp air. Shiso leaf
(also known as perilla) is the unexpected starof this scent: It has a slightly spicy/fresh characteristic that’s
green, earthy, and delicate all at once. Its complex simplicity is
similar to Ikebana, the art of Japanese floral composition: The
shiso note is closely hinged on the other notes, so the scent
begins simply and then slowly opens up into spicy greens,
crushed stems, and ancient exotic woods. Now in a brilliant,
purse-size glass spray bottle.
SMELL GOOD AND UP
YOUR INTUITION
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Alder New York
Organic Natural
Dry Shampoo goop, $27This clean, USDA-certified
organic dry shampoo powder is
the kind you use sparingly, so oneof these bottles lasts a long time. Not just a cleanser but a
texturizer, apply this blend of refreshing eucalyptus, cleansing
clay minerals, and absorbent, volume-boosting rice powder and
horsetail powder by tapping a bit into the palm of your hands;
then, using your fingers, comb it through at the roots, then use
a brush to gently dust off any excess.
FRESHEN HAIR IN SECONDS
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Kosas
Weightless Lip Color goop, $24These hydrating,
everyday-wearable lipsticks are
made with organic oils and
botanical extracts (antioxidantgreen tea, rosehip, grapeseed, and sweet
orange), plus deeply hydrating mango and shea butters. The eight
universally-flattering shades are perfect everyday lip colors;
depending on your style, they range from full-on dramatic to
subtle and natural. No matter which one you choose, it’ll
instantly compliment and brighten a natural complexion.
PULL IT ALL TOGETHER INSTANTLY
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Cocofloss
Cocofloss goop, $8Try clean, refreshing Cocofloss
once, truly, and you’ll be foreverruined for regular floss. Never mind its cleanliness and social
impact, it’s simply better than anything we’ve tried–ever.
Created by two Bay Area sisters, one a dentist, the other an
artist, Cocofloss is thick, yet glides smoothly between your
teeth, is strong but flexible, and just feels—fantastic,
transforming a chore into a pleasure. The floss has the faintest hint
of the coconut oil its infused with, and the mint scent is
especially fresh and invigorating.
NEVER BE WITHOUT FLOSS
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Olio E Osso
French Melon goop, $28This citrusy, super-moisturizing tinted
lip/cheek balm delivers all the cushy
hydration of the original No. 1 Balm,with the addition of the most flattering-to-all-skin-types
sheer pigment out there, period. It’s the sort of your-lips-but-better color that brightens up your whole face, yet doesn’t read as “lipstick” or even “gloss”—just all-natural prettiness, pure and
simple. Bonus: The stick fits the shape of your lips perfectly,
so it feels especially fantastic going on.