The last two months of the year are a social whirlwind: brand dinners and store openings, birthday drinks with colleagues, or an impromptu Hinge date that materialises just as you are shutting your laptop. Add to that the friends who’ve moved abroad and suddenly reappear for the holidays with 24 hours’ notice, and you have a calendar that refuses to let you go home before going out. By 7 pm, most of us are racing from work to something, which means the real survival kit isn’t at home—it’s what we stash in our office bags and desk drawers.
A true after-hours glow-up requires strategy, not spontaneity: a primer that erases eight hours of screen fatigue, a lipstick that reads “I planned this”, and a hair serum that tames whatever the day has done. We asked The Nod’s editors to unzip their makeup pouches and reveal the products they rely on to transition from Slack to social hour.
Butool Jamal, fashion editor
First up, I have the Benefit Porefessional pore primer for the gaping pores on my nose and cheeks—it really reduces the visibility of the pores and makes the skin look matte overall. For blush, it’s Glossier’s Cloud Paint in Beam, and I’ve just started using this Elf Sheer For It tint in Cherry Cola because I just need a bit of colour to liven up my face in the evening before I step out. I also have a kajal by Mokae, which is incredibly pigmented and really soft, so I can do a subtle wing with it in case I don’t have my usual Chanel liquid eyeliner on me.
Diya Parakh, social media editor
The Nudestix Nudies Bloom All Over Dewy Color Blush is basically my ride-or-die whenever I’m stepping outside after work. I’m all about blush that looks like you’ve been playfully toasted by the sun, and the shade Poppy Girl—my fave—totally gives that natural, glowy vibe. It doubles as a glossy eyeshadow as well and even looks great on the lips. I use it with my trusted Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Oil slathered on top.
Priyanka Parkash, jewellery editor
The Rhode Pocket blush in Tan Line is my favourite. It makes you look naturally tanned and gives me a nice, fresh-faced look, even at the end of the day. You don’t even need a brush; it’s very easy to put on with your fingers and it’s super convenient on the go. I love the pink Dior Addict Lip Glow balm. It’s pH-activated, so it basically pulls out the pink from your own lip. I love finding beauty products at local convenience stores and drugstores when I’m travelling. I got this Crystal Moist lipstick by Merrezca on the recommendation of our hotel receptionist in Thailand—her lip looked so pretty and blurred, my friends and I had to ask her. We all picked up tubes from 7 Eleven and it literally cost us 300 rupees. And I love my Slick Stick. I can’t live without it, especially postpartum with all my baby hair growing out. At the end of the day, when my hair’s suddenly a bit greasy, I just put it in a bun and go over it with the stick. My ultimate favourite fragrance is the Burberry Goddess, and it actually lasts all day. Very rarely do I need a spritz again, but I always have my mini version just in case.
Ruhi Gilder, audience growth analyst
Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey is my go-to for a lowkey look, and it’s also really moisturising. I also have a mini MACximal lipstick in Creme In Your Coffee. It’s really cute, the perfect size, and the shade works for day and night. I layer Black Honey on top of it to add more shine. I also have the Huda Beauty Blush Filter in Sunset Lychee. I love that it’s so compact, and I just dab on a little with my fingers and I’m ready to go from day to night.
Ridhima Sapre, co-editor
I have come to realise that it’s a very different person who is hearting and saving the fun makeup looks on my feed and the one that shows up in front of the mirror with five minutes to spare before the cab pickup. My formula for those five frantic minutes is: a nice brown smudged over and under the corner of the eyes (the Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Warm Memories is so pretty); fluffed-up brows courtesy Too Faced’s Brow Wig; a brown lip (really into Simply Nam’s Hanna right now) that’s a bit blurred out at the edges; and blush. The Daniel Sandler watercolour blush has been a discovery—it’s light and builds well, and leaves a pretty, healthy-skin finish. Some days (cab’s downstairs!) I will swap the eyeshadow for the Chanel Baume stick (I have Scintillement—transparent with gold and pink flecks) and some mascara before I rush out.
Chloe Chou, fashion and beauty writer
I have this thing where I look tired perpetually. So, to liven up my face at the end of a workday, I mainly use blush and mascara (never without a lash curler, because otherwise it does nothing for me). Like Butool, I too am a huge Cloud Paint devotee, but lately I’ve been using the Braye Lipsleek all-in-one balm that a friend gave me. I dab some on my lips and cheeks with my finger, and the packaging is gorgeous—like one of those cool sidekick phones from the ’00s. Sometimes, I’ll swipe a bit of Bobbi Brown Crush Oil-Infused Gloss over my lips for a bit of shine. The shade I use is Force of Nature—it’s a medium pink-brown that I think is universally flattering. Then, I use a Shiseido lash curler to lift my virtually non-existent lashes and go over them with either the classic MAC Stack mascara or Too Faced’s Better Than Sex mascara, and I’m ready to head out!
Shalini Shah, managing editor
MAC’s Ruby Woo is the only lipstick that I’ve been using for the past 15 years. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer in Ebony is another mainstay. I also have a 5 ml tester bottle of the Nexxus Promend Resurrection serum that I keep handy for my curly-hair frizz emergencies. (I keep refilling it with the larger bottle I keep at home.) I just bought the Laneige Glaze Craze tinted lip serum in Chocolate Frosting, with the doughnut applicator; I’m yet to make up my mind about that. The Nars eyeshadow quad in Lumpur, too, is a new acquisition, somehow both subtle and festive. Also in my kit is an old Dior Diorific Mat lipstick in Troublante that I can’t seem to part with; the gold bullet is too pretty to throw away.
Shop some of the team’s essentials below:
