Handbag Essentials

It's been a while since I've dumped out the contents of my handbag and had a sort out of all the beauty bits rolling around in the bottom, amongst a bunch of receipts and cereal bar wrappers. After I'd removed all the unnecessary debris, and approximately 29472 lipsticks, I thought I'd round up the essentials for you.

I always have a Bath and Bodyworks Hand Sanitizer floating about in my bag, when you live in London and travel on the tube this is a total necessity. I'm currently using Vanilla Berry Sorbet which smells, err, like vanilla berry sorbet. Because the weather is getting colder, my hands are reacting by shriveling up, so I'm also carrying a small tube of Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream. It smells like grapes, it's super hydrating, and also paraben free, which is a bonus.

Also in the hydration department, I'm carrying The Body Shop's Aloe Lip Care because come autumn my lips feel like I've been making out with a cheese grater. This is pretty much the only lip balm that seems to do much.  Something else from The Body Shop, The Vitamin E Eyes Cube, which is a lifesaver for tension headaches and tired eyes.

Another little lifesaver, the Neom Energy Boosting On The Go Mist, which I spritz when I'm stressed, anxious, or when things get a little too much. 

And lastly, another little scent booster for throughout the day, the Victoria's Secret Noir Tease Rollerball for sweaty moments in the city. 

What are your handbag essentials? Is there anything else I should be carrying?

What's In My Bag - The All Day Edition

When I headed up to London for the day on Saturday, I wanted to have all the essentials with me, but I also didn't want to be lugging a giant bag around all day. I was out of the house for over 17 hours, so I needed a fair few things, but I managed to condense it all into one bag.

The bag in question is this simple black bucket bag that came from Primark of all places. I'd been on the hunt for a bucket bag for ages when I spotted this, I was struggling to find one that wasn't covered in weird chains or fringing. It was a mere £9 and I can fit so much in it.

So, the contents!

My iPhone 6: an obvious essential.

Card wallet: an Accessorize purchase that's perfect for space saving, just big enough for a few essential cards, and a little cash.

Camera: the Canon 550d with a 40mm lens. 

iPad Mini: for reading and writing on the train.

Portable phone charger & wall plug: because I'm on social media so much I'm guaranteed to run out of battery.

Spare camera battery: just in case.

iPod & Beats Heartbeats 2 Headphones: to drown out crying babies and shouty football fans on the train.

Rifle Paper Co Notebook & Pen: for making notes and planning blog posts.

The Happy Reader Magazine: in case I get bored of reading books.

Antibac Wipes: because you just never know.

Lip Balm: because I have the dryest lips ever, I love the Avene Cold Cream for Lips.

Bath and Bodyworks Hand Sanitizer: because London is dirty.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer: for touch ups, this applies nicely over powder for undereyes and blemishes.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir: for refreshing the skin, this came in handy in the 31 degree heat.

Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder: to combat shine.

Sephora Monoi Flower Mini Perfume: to stay fresh.

Nurofen Tablets: in case of headaches.

Compeed Blister Plasters: because shoes rub when you spend 17 hours walking around London.

Hair Pins: in case my hair all falls down.

Frosties Cereal Bar: for hunger purposes.

Naked Green Machine Smoothie: for breakfast!

What are your all day bag essentials?

The Clutch Bag Essentials

 

 You'll never guess what happened last week. Brace yourself. I went out. At night. To a bar. I know. 

I used the opportunity to take out my oversized clutch/iPad case. I got this in Next last year and it's probably one of the best investments I've ever made. It was £20 and I used a gift voucher, so to me it felt free. This has been amazing for travel, when I went away over the summer, each time I used this to hold all my travel documents, my iPad, phone, headphones, the important stuff, and then at my destination I used it as my evening bag. I use it when I go back to Bournemouth to hold all my bloggy stuff, and I use it as a clutch if I don't want to take much out. So handy! 

So all the essentials went in first. My iPhone, do you like my new case? It's from Alphabet Bags, and it's just such good quality! Then I have my little coin purse, my standard purse is huge, so I use this for small handbag days! It's from Accessorize and I think it was about £6. Inside cash, because I hate having to pay to use my card in bars, my ID and my Starbucks card. You never know when you're gonna need a Starbucks. Also essential, my keys. My actual bunch of keys is massive, I have my keys for my flat in London, my keys for home, my gate fobs, my car keys, and a few keyrings, so if I'm taking a small bag I just take the keys I need, in this case, my flat keys! My Oyster is an essential too, in it's cute Cath Kidston case. I also chucked in my iPod and crappy iPhone headphones, so I could listen to music on the way there and back. 

As for the beauty bits. I took my Kleenex blotting sheets in case of shine, my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer for touch ups since it's good for under eye concealer as well as redness, and my lipstick of choice, the MAC Lipstick in Peach Blossom, I opted for a smokey eye so I took a new lip. I also took the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder, but mostly because I like the mirror. I also chucked in a hair band, because I always end up frustrated with my hair by the end of the night! Especially if it's hot!

And lastly, Compeed Blister patches because I wore heels, and a pack of Smints, because sometimes alcohol gives you bad breath. Or the kebab you devour on the way home.

What are your clutch bag essentials?

What's In My Handbag #3

 I did a What's in my Bag post back at the start of the year, but I got a new handbag for my birthday and was just itching to show you guys it! I originally planned to do this as a video, but I'm not very well right now and nobody wants to hear my croaky voice.

So the bag! It's the Zara Mini City Bag with Zip detail, in the shade 'jeans', a beautiful powder blue, the shade I am currently totally obsessed with. I normally go for handbags in various shades of black, but since pretty much my entire wardrobe is black, I figured a pop of colour would be nice. The bag is really well made, the quality is excellent, so I can't fault that! The fabric is textured so I would imagine that if you scratched it, it wouldn't show too badly. What really drew me to this bag is the fact it feels really secure. First off, it's pretty compact and small, although it fits a lot in it. Secondly, you've got two big zip pockets either side which are perfect for storing the important stuff, purses, phones, iPods, cameras, whatever you want protected. There's a small zip pocket on the front which is perfect for storing my Oyster card (in a Cath Kidston travel card holder), so it's safe and I can always find it. The mid section is the biggest, and whilst it doesn't have a zip, it's got a popper at the top and a couple of compartments inside, and because the bag holds it's shape so well it's pretty well protected. Also, I love that you can clip the handles together, it just offers a little more security, since it's harder to get into the zip pockets when it's clipped shut. The bag sits perfectly in the crook of your arm, but it also comes with a long strap if you want your hands free! 

So onto what's in the bag! First off, the obvious one, my purse. It's a grey leather Michael Kors Purse in the largest size, with rose gold detailing, and I just love it. It's big enough to hold everything I could possibly need, I can even slip my phone in it if I'm popping out without a bag. I keep this in the front zip pocket, along with my iPod & headphones. I have a red iPod Nano which is in a case with a big clip on it so I can hang it in my car, or clip it to my bag if I'm listening to music and I don't have any pockets. I've always had an iPod as well as my phone, I hate the music player on the iPhone! Plus this is much smaller for when I go for a run. I'm currently using just the standard apple headphones whilst my Beats are being fixed, and I have them on this little organiser thing to stop them getting tangled, makes life much easier! Also in this pocket is my camera remote, I'm back home for a week and I don't want to lose it so I just keep it in there! 

In the back zip pocket I keep a NARS makeup bag with a few essential bits in, blotting sheets, a small Sephora body spray, some setting powder, hairbands, an eyeliner and a lip balm. In this back pocket is also a LOT of lip products, since I tend to chuck whatever I'm wearing that day in, and forget to take them out. This time there is the Bobbi Brown Sheer Lip Colour in Rosy, the L'Oreal Glamshine Splash Stain in Lolita, the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Sex Machine, the MAC Lipstick in Lustering, the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy and the Tanya Burr Lipgloss in Aurora. Definitely need to sort that out later! Also in this pocket are Compeed Blister Patches, you always need these in London, some Nurofen, an assortment of pens and a Notebook from Tiger, for lists and ideas on the go. 

In the main section there are two little pockets, where I keep my Student ID Card, blog business cards in a Kurt Geiger card holder, and my white iPhone five. Then in the main section is hand sanitizer & hand cream, a small bottle of CK Shock perfume, a bottle of nail polish for if I ever get time to paint them, a charger cable for my phone since my battery always dies, some Wylers Light sachets, my favourites, and a Forever 21 Beanie because it's bloody cold in London. I also usually have my Sunglasses in here but they appear to have gone walkies.

A lot of stuff for a small bag! What are your handbag essentials?

What's in my Handbag #1

I felt like it was about time I did one of these posts! Since I'm nosy and I like seeing what other people carry about, I thought maybe you might too!

This bag is from Warehouse, I bought it recently, since I was after something smaller than my Zara Office City Bag, and my Michael Kors, which is what I'm normally lugging about! I love how classic it is, black leather and suede, but I was totally sold by the rose gold hardware, it's so pretty!

First things first, I carry around two phones, my personal phone, an iPhone 5, and then I also have the Huawei Ascend P6*, which I use for emails, blog stuff, and for it's amazing camera. Most of the time, I also have my iPad Mini with me too, in it's Victoria's Secret Pink case, which I use for uni work, writing blog posts, and reading on the go. Also in the technology department is my iPod nano, and headphones. My Beats headphones are being repaired at the moment (the wire got ripped on my keys, sob) so I'm using the Apple ones at the moment. I'm currently listening to Laura Palmer by Bastille, The Pretty Reckless, and Subfocus feat. Alex Clare.

I always have a drink of some sort in my bag, usually it's water, but I've been so tired recently that I've been carrying about Lucozade. There's always a pack of gum or mints floating about too, and at the moment I'm loving the Wrigleys Extra White Bubblemint. Two pairs of glasses are in there, I carry a cheap pair of sunglasses always, I only wear my glasses when it's really sunny or I'm going to a barbecue or something, as I'm paranoid about them getting damaged. I keep my glasses on hand too, in case I need to read/drive/use a computer. My uni ID is in there too, in case I need to nip into campus, or I want student discount!

My purse is a leather Ted Baker one, I like it because it's really different to any other Ted Baker Purse I've seen. In there is a mishmash of store cards and not much money. I keep my Oyster card and Railcard in this travelcard holder from Emma Bridgewater, I really like it, it's so cute! I sometimes slip my debit card and ID in here too if I'm going out and I don't want to take a bag. My keys of course, I actually normally have two sets, this is the set of keys for my Halls, I have another set with my car keys and new flat keys on, but they are locked in the boot of my car thanks to my clumsy boyfriend, so I can't show you them! My key ring I got at the Lady Gaga concert last year.

Most of my beauty bits are in the little Vaseline makeup bag, but there are a few miscellaneous bits floating around loose, my Kleenex Blotting Papers for if I get a little oily through the day, or sweaty on the tube, a mini Bumble and Bumble Thickening spray for giving my hair a little extra oomph, and a body spray, this one is Impulse Vanilla and Peach and it's very soft and feminine.

Into the little makeup bag, I always have a mini handcream and sanitizer, and currently that's the Soap and Glory ones. I have another pack of chewing gum, some Nurofen and paracetamol in case of headaches, and a mini dry shampoo for hair emergencies. In case of nail problems, I carry my current polish pick and a file, this is Model's Own Toxic Apple and a freebie nail file from Escentual which I like because it has a little plastic case.

I carry a miniature perfume to freshen up throughout the day, this one is DKNY Women Energizing Eau de Parfum, which is supposed to 'capture the essence of New York' with the scent of Mandarin, Vodka and Daffodil. I like it because it's very fresh and light. Also from the scent department is my This Works Deep Sleep Stress Less rollerball, which comes out if I start to feel panicky.

For makeup touch ups, I carry The Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals cream foundation compact. I don't like this as a base, but it's great for touch ups. I use that with the Eco Tools Kabuki. I also carry two lip products, my Korres Lip Butter in Pomegranete for hydrated lips with a pop of colour, and my Dior Serum de Rouge, which gives a super wearable sheer red lip.

So that's it! Other editions normally include my Canon, fifteen other lip products, a handful of receipts and a packet of monster munch.

What do you carry in your handbag?