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    14 Products That Worked So Well For My Co-Workers, I Had To Try Them Myself

    Once I found out about lash lift kits, it was truly over for my bank account.

    Amy Glover
    by Amy Glover

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. My co-worker's nails always look amazing, so when she told me she swore by this Seche Vite topcoat, I added it to my basket ASAP. I've been really impressed by its silky, chip-resistant finish!

    Amy Glover / Valeza Bakolli / BuzzFeed

    Nail polish used to barely last me a day, partly because when I saw a loose bit of varnish I couldn't resist picking it off (I know, I know). All that changed when my colleague started giving me long-lasting manicures using Seche Vite! It bonds your nail varnish to the nail beds underneath, so your manicure will stay put for weeks.

    Price: £6.06.

    2. I couldn't miss out on this absolute steal of a mini electric whisk after seeing it in one of my co-worker's posts.

    Valeza Bakolli, Amy Glover / BuzzFeed

    I love the extra-frothy milk you get in coffee shops, but there is frankly no way on God's green one I'm going to spend the best part of a fiver every time I want a fancy cuppa. My colleague (who is also a caffeine addict) showed me this inexpensive frother that achieves the same results, and I bought it in approximately 0.007 seconds! It gives all my hot drinks a luxurious and silky-smooth finish, and it doesn't take up much room in my cutlery drawer either.

    Price: £3.59

    3. After seeing what this well-reviewed lash lift kit had done for my colleague's lashes, I knew I had to give it a try.

    Valeza Bakolli / Amy Glover / BuzzFeed

    I genuinely felt like I'd been introduced to witchcraft when my co-worker told me about a lash lift kit that'll give you longer-looking lashes without any need for mascara. It works by perming your lashes upright, and I was really surprised by how easy it was to use! I hadn't heard of the treatment at all beforehand, but having Googled salon prices I'm glad I bought this kit that'll see me through several lash lifts for under £20.

    Price: £18.98.

    4. And speaking of lashes, it's fair to say that the TikTok-famous 'Sky High' mascara has taken our shopping team by storm.

    Jasmin Nahar / Amy Glover / BuzzFeed

    All four members of our team have ended up buying Maybelline's viral mascara (along with half of the office), because once you've seen how well it works on someone else it becomes pretty much irresistible! I love how buildable and flake-free its inky formula is, and I find that it lifts and separates my lashes better than any other product I've tried.

    Price: £9.99.

    5. NGL, I shamelessly copied my editor's interior design taste when I nabbed myself this celestial tapestry.

    Jasmin Nahar / Amy Glover / BuzzFeed

    One of the advantages of working from home is that you get to nose around other people's houses during video meetings (you can tell me you aren't fascinated to see what Kelly from HR's kitchen looks like, but I won't believe you). My editor had a smaller version of this tapestry hanging in the background of a Zoom call once, and I knew I needed one for myself ASAP. I bought this tapestry pretty soon afterwards  – it made my WFH space much more inviting, and it covers up a really boring part of my room too! 

    Price: £18.99 for a 2.3x1.8m tapestry – it's also available in 2x1.5m and 1.5x1.3m sizes.  

    6. Not a single member of our shopping team can go without these hydrocolloid patches that conceal *and* heal spots at the same time.

    Valeza Bakolli / BuzzFeed

    Let me set the scene: it was pre-lockdown times, my co-worker sat beside me and told me she was struggling with a spot, and I looked at her flawless skin before (regrettably) accusing her of lying. Turns out she'd actually just been wearing one of these unclockable hydrocolloid patches which work to dry out and eradicate spots while also covering them (I'm sorry, Lana!). Needless to say, we've all sworn by them since – I keep a pack beside my mirror so I can tackle any zits the second they crop up.

    Price: £5.99 for 24 patches.

    7. Remember the caffeine addict I told you about earlier? Well, she reckons this matcha tea perks her up without making her feel jittery, and having recently become converted myself, I can vouch for that claim.

    Valeza Bakolli / Amy Glover / BuzzFeed

    TBH I was a little sceptical when my colleague told me about how much of a caffeine kick matcha tea gave her, but I thought I'd give it a try because it promised to get rid of the Dreaded Coffee Shakes that had been making me feel like I was glitching. I was genuinely surprised by how right she was, and I love the smooth, gentle taste of this tea too (it's perfect for matcha lattes!).

    Price: £9.99.

    8. My editor recommended O'Keeffe's 'Lip Repair' balm to me when I complained about my dry, almost cracked lips (and I'm so glad she did).

    Jasmin Nahar / Amy Glover / BuzzFeed

    When it comes to my lips and hands I think I can accurately describe myself as a lizard woman, so I'm always on the lookout for great hydrating treatments. My editor told me how much she loved O'Keeffe's unscented balm, and now that I've tried it I've started recommending it to everyone else I know too! It heals your skin while also creating a protective barrier around your lips, so it's no wonder mine improved so quickly. 

    Price: £2.82.

    9. So when she told me she'd also been impressed by this ridiculously highly-rated hand cream from O'Keeffe's, you'd better believe I took her word for it.

    Jasmin Nahar / BuzzFeed

    Both of us have dry-leaning skin on our hands, so when lockdown (and the subsequent endless hand-washing) began we knew we'd have to bring in the big guns. This cream from O'Keeffe's contains allantoin, which protects your skin from drying forces AND rebuilds your natural barrier! I love how non-greasy its formula is, and it absorbs really quickly into my skin without leaving a chalky cast behind. Oh, and we're both still using the same tub now that we bought back then because of how far a little bit of this product goes! 

    Price: £10.38.

    10. My colleague treated herself to an at-home spa day with these fancy AF gold-coloured patches, and I thought to myself "that should be me too, you know".

    Valeza Bakolli / BuzzFeed

    Aside from looking luxe AF, my co-worker told me that these soothing under-eye pads were a great way to de-puff the skin under your eyes! Having used them myself (and feeling like an influencer while doing so), I 100% agree.

    Gold patches price: £9.99 for 25 pairs.

    11. My editor and I both like to keep our hair in high ponytails, so when she told me that these coiled Invisibobble hair ties gave her the same look without tugging on her tresses I was pretty much instantly sold.

    Amy Glover / Jasmin Nahar / BuzzFeed

    I knew I *had* to have these cult-status hair ties when my editor told me that they prevented her high ponytail from tugging at her scalp. Their coiled structure applies pressure evenly to my tresses, meaning I face less headaches while it's tied up! 

    Price: £3.93 for three.

    12. And while we're on the subject, L'Oreal's 'No Haircut' cream has been a saviour for both my split end-prone locks AND my colleagues'.

    Valeza Bakolli / Amy Glover / BuzzFeed / Via BuzzFeed

    Salons had been closed for months when my co-worker first tried this cream, so it's no wonder that she was so excited to tell us all about it when she discovered how well it worked. I'm a huge fan of how it transforms the ends of my long hair, and it's really easy to use too  – I just ran a small amount of its hydrating formula over my tresses after washing  for salon-worthy results.

    Price: £3.96.

    13. Nothing unites our shopping team like our love of tea except for our hatred of scaly cuppas, so it's pretty unsurprising that we all rate this limescale-busting kettle doughnut.

    Jasmin Nahar / Amy Glover / BuzzFeed

    I moved to London in 2019 and was initially confused as to why my kettle got crustier here than it used to back home. My co-workers let me know that the city (along with loads of other places in the UK) has hard water and told me to invest in this lil' gadget to keep my most-used kitchen appliance limescale-free. It's definitely helped to prevent mineral buildup, and it's so low-hassle that I forget it's there most of the time. I just had to drop it in and continue using my kettle as normal while the ball gathered limescale in between its wires! I can rinse and reuse it when it gets full, too. 

    Price: £1.69.

    14. And last but not least, both my baking-obsessed colleague and I have had our lives changed by these reusable baking mats.

    Amy Glover / BuzzFeed

    Most of us cooked a *lot* more than usual during lockdown, which meant that the foodies among us spent more on tinfoil and baking paper than we wanted to. These non-stick sheets are a great replacement for both, because 1) they're reusable and 2) the silicone material distributes heat much more evenly than other products do. I can simply chuck them in the dishwasher or wash them in the sink when they get grubby!

    Price: £9.99 for two.

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