- Focus on face and hands
Washing your hands can make you feel cleaner all over. From turning a doorknob to typing on the computer, your hands come into contact with a lot of germs and bacteria, which can then spread to your face and lead to blemishes. Washing your hands will immediately make you feel fresher and cleaner, especially when you use a product like Melvita Orange Zest Cream Soap with its uplifting orange scent and silky soft results.
In addition to disinfecting your exterior, maintaining clean hands keeps your insides healthy, too. By not spreading germs to your eyes, nose and mouth, you protect yourself from the contagious diseases that so often infect the office, including the common cold, the flu, gastrointestinal disorders and food-related illness like salmonella or E. coli infection.
Got five minutes to spare? Splash some water on your face and lather on a foaming face cleanser like Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash. With refreshing ingredients like passion flower, chamomile, rose hip extract and milk thistle, this facial wash makes you feel revitalized. Follow with your daytime moisturizer and a few makeup basics, like concealer, blush, gloss and mascara.
For another five-minute option, use the H2O Plus Sea Clear 10 Minute Mattifying Mud Mask. Of course, this one is best for those who work from home or in an office with a personal restroom, unless your co-workers don't mind you wandering the halls with a mask on.
- Blot it out
Don't want to mess with your makeup and bother with reapplying after washing your face? For an ideal alternative, try facial blotting sheets such as Boscia Fresh Blotting Linens, which absorb excess oil when pressed lightly against oily areas on the face. Because oil is often the cause of skin-related discomfort, these blotting linens are one of easiest ways to feel fresh and fabulous. Keep them at your desk or in your purse, and use them as often as necessary.
- Nourish your nails
Give yourself a mini-makeover with a do-it-yourself manicure, or make a lunchtime appointment with a salon nearby. For the first option, try great, handy products like Tweezerman Nail Rescue Kit and L'Occitane Shea Butter Nail & Cuticle Cream to give you an instant beauty boost.
In addition to preventing hangnails – and we all know that a serious hangnail can cause serious pain – manicures improve the health and texture of your skin. When you use a cream as part of your mini-mani, you even increase your blood circulation. Not bad for a five-minute treatment you can do while reading an article online or taking a coffee break.
Got a longer lunch break? Take a stroll to your favorite salon for a quick manicure. It provides a much needed respite during your workday – the hand massage alone will help you relax – and your hands will look polished and pretty after your professional mini-makeover.
- Slather on relief
When your skin is dry, it's hard to concentrate on anything else, and it certainly doesn't let you feel your best. If you have sensitive skin or live in a dry climate, just washing your hands can be rough on your skin. And for seriously dry skin, an everyday moisturizer won’t be enough to comfort and hydrate.
Shea butter contains fatty acids and vitamins that help to defend and heal skin, and it rarely triggers allergic reactions, making it perfect for people with sensitive skin. It penetrates the skin easily and doesn't clog pores, so using it won’t leave you feeling oilier, either. Keep a balm like Melvita Soft Shea Butter by your side during the day. Apply immediately after washing your hands to seal in moisture and periodically throughout the day as needed.
- Spray the grime away
Do you spritz a little perfume or body spray on your neck and wrists every morning before you rush out the door? It helps you feel poised and glamorous, particularly because you love its woodsy, amber or floral scent.
Fragrance is a powerful mood enhancer. When you smell a perfume or body spray, its odor molecules stimulate the brain's limbic system, which controls our emotions, heart rate, hormonal secretions and stress levels. This is why scents prompt memories and emotions. Bringing a variety of portable fragrances to the office is a great way to complement the various moods each workday brings, and keep you feeling fresh.
To make sure that you feel fresh and vital throughout the day, put on a fragrance that energizes you in the morning, such as lemon, orange, grapefruit or a citrus blend. To keep feeling clean and relaxed, choose a lavender scent. For a boost after a meeting, try pine. Vanilla and ylang-ylang are great for relieving stress.
Another fabulous option for maintaining top form all day long is SpaRitual Infinitely Wise Vitalizing Fragrant Mist, especially if you're worried about offending others with an overwhelming fragrance. Spray it on any time to hydrate and rejuvenate your skin – it even protects against environmental pollutants.
- Feel baby powder fresh
Whether it's because your office is too hot or you just came out of a stressful meeting, sweat can easily ruin an otherwise self-assured day. Not to worry – simply keep a bottle of baby powder around. It not only absorbs and minimizes sweat, but baby powder also leaves behind a fresh, pure scent. Just apply it over your deodorant and you'll feel a whole lot cleaner, instantly. Try a natural formula like Burt's Bees Baby Bee Dusting Powder.
Here's a great related tip from Real Simple magazine: Before you start sweating in the first place, use baby powder to prevent stains on your white clothing. Simply sprinkle some baby powder on the collar and underarms of your top and then iron it. The baby powder forms a barrier that protects sweat from seeping into your clothes.
So next time you're faced with enduring an exhausting, grimy day – even at the office – just invest a few minutes in these simple solutions. Then no matter how busy you are, you'll always look – and most importantly, feel – fresh and fabulous.