What's on my desk?

Hand cream – this has always been where I fall short on skincare. No matter how many tubes of hand cream I have strategically placed I always seem to have a reason not to apply it. Either I just forget completely, or I make excuses such as “I’m going to have lunch soon, I don’t want to eating a sandwich covered in cream”. The tub of Atrixo that you can see has followed me to a few different jobs over the last few years and it’s still half full! However I am getting better and I think it’s due to Soap & Glory’s Hand Food as it sinks in so quickly, yet you can “feel” it on your hands for ages afterwards.

Lip balm – I literally don’t go anywhere without it so it’s handy to have one live on my desk permanently. I should throw away the E45 one because it is utterly useless, but I figure it’s better than nothing in an emergency. The Figs & Rouge is lovely and works really well, but the lid has a habit of getting jammed on quite tightly if it lives in my bag so now it stays on my desk 24/7.

Vitamins – especially useful during the winter months when I have a tendency to feel a bit run down.

Water bottle – cos as we all know hydration is the best skincare there is 

Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle – I am seriously bad at bothering to reapply lipstick during the day, however I am literally in love with this lipstick and have been reapplying it practically every day after every meal at work (that makes me seem greedy – I swear I only have breakfast and lunch at work. And an afternoon snack. Oh god, I’m such a hobbit :D)

What must-haves do you keep on your desk?

Real Techniques Core Collection

It was my birthday recently and I decided to treat myself to a few odds and ends. First up was something I have been lusting after for ages – the Real Techniques Core Collection. I ordered them online from Amazon as I had a voucher to use and they only took a few days to arrive. In those few days however, I ran across what seemed like a million negative reviews online so I was starting to doubt my purchase somewhat, but luckily when they arrived I fell in love with them before I even used them. They’re so soft!

I was initially a bit concerned that the Pointed Foundation Brush was a bit too small (it’s about half the size of my now discarded Avon brush) but as soon as I started using it I wondered why on earth I’d wasted so much time with another brush. Foundation goes on like a dream without any streaks, and while it is a small brush it doesn’t take any longer to apply foundation as I don’t actually have to blend with this brush half as much as I did with the Avon.

The Detailer Brush is for lips and concealer, however I have found another use for it. I have very dry skin and therefore stay away from powder, apart from right underneath my eyes or else my mascara smudges like crazy. However, with this little beauty I can apply powder exactly where I want it under my eyes and it doesn’t affect my overall look – apart from the absence of the Alice Cooper look.

I have tried the Buffing Brush for a couple of different types of blusher, but I have not yet settled on a definite use for it yet. I’m going to see how it compares to the Pointed Foundation Brush for applying liquid foundation and will report back soon, as well as on the Contour Brush, as I don’t really bother with bronzer in winter.