The first thing I realised when I became a student was that I had more freedom and free time than I’d ever had in my life (thanks, History) but absolutely no time to do anything remotely productive. Sleeping, partying, eating - sure, not a problem - but buying toiletries, washing clothes and taking care of basic needs? Unlikely. The second thing I noticed is that spending money on anything more than the aforementioned core three plus clothes, obviously, was a luxury I could do without. The problem with this mentality is that it’s easy for basic hygiene standards to start to slip which, when you’re trying to make a good impression amongst your fellow university initiates, is not such a good tactic.
To avoid this fall from sweet-smelling grace, you need to get organised and this starts before you set foot on campus. Make the most of having the bank of Mum and Dad to hand and take a trip to Boots to get your cosmetic and toiletries arsenal fully-stocked - you'll seriously be able to get hold of everything you could possibly need there (even the fancy stuff), and to help soften the financial blow for your mum, she can use her Advantage Card to earn more points - whoop!
Here are your new-term essentials - all available at Boots.
Skincare Staples
Make no mistake, you will need all the skincare help you can get once the nights out and deadlines kick-in. A brightening toner and hydrating eye cream will help you trick your tutors into thinking that you did actually go to bed before your 9am lecture. Taking your make-up off properly is key which is where a gentle cleanser comes in; follow up with a toner and an eye cream, to keep your skin in top condition - your standard moisturiser on its own isn't going to cut it. For off-days when you’re sporting a few angry freshers week-induced spots, tackle them with a spot gel and treat yourself to a clay face mask for a deep cleanse.
Boots Essentials Cucumber 3 Minute Clay Mask, £1.50 for 50ml, Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner, £3.99 for 250ml, Boots Skin Clear Ultra Rapid Action Spot Gel, £4.99 for 25ml, Superfacialist by Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Cleanser, £7.99 for 150ml, Botanics Radiant Youth Hydrating Eye Cream, £8.99 for 15ml.
The Essentials
In other words, the things you forget you need because you usually just nick your mum’s. A decent pair of tweezers is essential, not just for stray brow hairs, but for other stuff like putting on fake lashes and pulling out splinters (it happens). Dry shampoo and make-up wipes are a given because no one should be without either of these. Ever. And you want to keep that skin silky smooth, so stock up on a moisturising body lotion.
Boots Essentials Moisturising Wipes, £1.50, Boots Original Dry Shampoo, £2.29 for 200ml, Garnier Intensive 7 Days Lotion Cocoa Butter, £5.25 for 400ml, Tweezerman Slant Floral Tweezers, £14.95.
Shower Time
These bits are going to ensure that you're actually *clean. *Grab some shower gel; how else are you going to get rid of the writing on your arm that claims you love your new uni until you die? Go as large as possible on the shampoo and conditioner; these 900ml bottles are ideal and should last you for the whole of first term. Get yourself a decent razor too, so you don’t have to resort to using your new flatmate’s rusty disposable. It’s a bit full-on when you only just met.
Boots Replenish Shower Gel, 89p for 300ml, Tresemme Moisture Rich Shampoo and Conditioner, £5.24 for 900ml, Gillette Venus & Olay Razor with Shower Holder, £11.53.
Even better news? You can order online by 8pm at boots.com and collect in store for free after 12pm tomorrow, which means you don't even have to drag her into town for your pre-term shopping/bonding session...
*See boots.com/ordertodaycollecttomorrow for more info. **Monday-Saturday only. **Geographical exclusions apply. *
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.