While we make our beauty decisions based on the quality of a product, we have to admit we're suckers for beautiful packaging. From pastel hues and pleasing fonts to minimalist design, a product that looks as good in our bathroom as it does on our skin always draws us in.
Certain cult brands are always on our shopping list – think Aseop and Byredo – but lesser known and newer brands are coming up with innovative and sleek designs that sit just as pretty on our shelves. From candles with a second life as makeup brush-holders and bath oils in bottles that might have come straight from an apothecary, to French pharmacy brands and soaps in the freshest colours, there's plenty out there to transform your bathroom.
Whether you're looking to add to your established interior design or you're just in need of something to elevate your house share, we've rounded up our favourite products that look so good you'll never want to use them up.
This bath and shower oil smells divine, instantly transporting us to an aromatherapy room. Rub into skin before showering, or pour a few teaspoons into a bath. You won't need to moisturise afterwards as the product sinks into skin so well, you're hydrated for the week.
Lola's Apothecary Breath of Clarity Uplifting Bath & Shower Oil, £40, available at Lola's Apothecary
We're hooked on Atelier Bloem's scents. They're fresh, light and perfect for summer days. This sleek bottle sits on our bedroom dresser alongside our jewellery stand.
Atelier Bloem Half Moon Eau de Parfum, £160, available at Liberty
If you can't get your hands on a Bella Freud knit, her candles are the next best thing. A heady scent that evokes the spirit of the '70s, this candle goes nicely with the prints in our living room.
Bella Freud 1970 Candle, £45, available at Cult Beauty
A classic, Kiehl's' intensely moisturising cream soothes all manner of skin types and is perfect post-hair removal.
Kiehl's Creme de Corps, £18, available at Space NK
The first luxury skincare aimed at women of colour, Epara focuses on hyperpigmentation and dehydration. Everything from the range has worked wonders on our skin, but the cleansing oil is a particular favourite. The brand has also won awards for its packaging (understandably).
Epara Cleansing Oil, £45, available at Epara
Tata Harper's farm-to-face philosophy had us hooked from the first slather of cleanser. Everything she offers smells wonderful and products like the Purifying Cleanser have amassed a huge following. This green and gold design looks fabulous next to our bathtub.
Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence, £60, available at Cult Beauty
Soap often veers into grandma territory, which is why we're thrilled that L:A Bruket is giving us sweet-smelling bars in bathroom-approved packaging. Soap on a rope never looked so cool.
L:A Bruket Sage and Rosemary Soap on a Rope, £21.50, available at Liberty
Everything about this elixir has revived our tired and city-damaged skin, but it's the font and apothecary-inspired tinted bottle that gives it pride of place on our shelves.
Kypris Beauty Elixir II, £77, available at Cult Beauty
No introduction needed for this cult brand, whose fragrances bless the homes of everyone from Alexa Chung to Kate Bosworth. Just look at it.
Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum, £142, available at Space NK
Another wonderful soap, this time from Malin+Goetz. The mustard packaging is slowly convincing us to paint our living room this shade.
Malin+Goetz Rum Bar Soap, £14, available at Liberty
Konjac sponges are the most recently hyped tool in the beauty world, but for good reason. Brilliant for aiding your cleansers, or getting stubborn face masks to wash away, our skin feels softer with every use. This French red clay version will look great on a black soap dish on the side of the sink.
The Konjac Sponge Company Puff Sponge with French Red Clay, £8.99, available at Cult Beauty
There's a reason people rave about Diptyque candles. With heady, rich scents and a burning time to rival all others, the candles themselves are a real treat. The pots, however, are what make this brand a great investment – we've repurposed all of our finished candles to hold makeup brushes, cotton buds and mascaras.
Diptyque Baies Coloured Candle, £60, available at Space NK
& Other Stories is renowned for its Scandi-inspired aesthetic, and its beauty range follows suit. Our favourite one-stop-shop for small gifts, the soaps and body lotions are pretty enough to join your existing beauty arsenal.
& Other Stories Punk Bouquet Hand Soap, £5, available at & Other Stories
Immunocologie isn't cheap. It's an investment buy for those who can afford it, but a little goes a long way and its innovative ingredients and technology make its products some of the best in the business. Plus, all-black packaging is always chic.
Immunocologie Super 7 Elixir Face, £240, available at Cult Beauty
It's pastels galore thanks to Indie Lee, and this blemish solution is our go-to overnight skin fix. Dab a cotton bud covered in the mud over the target area and you'll wake up with less angry skin.
Indie Lee Blemish Lotion, £24.50, available at Cult Beauty
Another monochrome beauty, the Allies of Skin Savior Mist actually sits pretty on our desk – perfect for 3pm slump pick-me-ups.
Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Mist, £36, available at Cult Beauty
We love the topsy turvy font on the Grown Alchemist packaging, plus the cool pastels that'll keep your shelf looking colourful and fresh.
Grown Alchemist Purifying Body Exfoliant, £19, available at Escentual
While we'd love for our bathroom to resemble the minimalist haven of an Aesop store, there's only so much room in a rented flat. Every product is beautifully packaged, from the squeezy tubed masks to the dark bottled serums.
Aesop Parsley Seed Facial Cleansing Masque, £30, available at Aesop
We'd have these candles in our home regardless of what's inside. Guaranteed scent longevity and a thousand uses for the vases afterwards (we keep fresh flowers in ours), we're saving up to buy them all.
Fornasetti Astronomici Scented Candle, £150, available at Selfridges
Mario Badescu has a cult following, not least because of his oh-so-Instagrammable products. Looking fresh from a French pharmacy, we love the whole range, thanks to its problem skin-combatting ingredients.
Mario Badescu Facial Spray, £7, available at Urban Outfitters
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