I can’t believe this is the first ‘What’s In My Bag’ post I’ve ever done, but I’m hoping it will be the first of many to come throughout this next year because, well, I always have a bag and it’s always got stuff in it!
As you may have seen on my Social Channels, I was a very lucky girl this Christmas! Santa brought not one but two gorgeous handbags for me and I’m delighted with both of them and so very thankful to my hubby who clearly gave Santa a nudge in the right direction, oh and he paid for them 😉 The first of these new arm candies is this insane studded Givenchy Antigona bag (medium size). I had been wanting needing a larger size bag for a while now and if you remember my handbag ‘Wish List’ from my 30th birthday last year then you’ll remember seeing an Antigona at the top of the list. Last year I went through a phase of buying (and receiving) smaller bags, cross body bags tend to be my ‘thing’ and I accumulated quite a few. This Antigona is pretty spacious, so it allows me to carry around extra crap goodies, but please no one tell my mum because she is the queen of carrying ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ in her handbags, and I know she’ll want to borrow this if she knows it’s got Mary Poppins potential!
Without further ado (always wanted to say/write that) let’s get stuck in and have a rummage in my handbag!
BEAUTY
I always carry around a few beauty essentials (handbag size permitting!) and normally one of those is perfume. I’m currently wearing Chanel Chance Eau Tendre because it’s fresh and light, I’m not a fan over overpowering scents so I stick to low key floral fragrances. For days when I have a smaller bag I carry a Travelo, which is the most amazing perfume atomiser, perfectly sized for your handbag and so easy to fill with your fave perfume…no funnels necessary!
I will always be carrying hand cream in my bag! I suffer from dry hands and dry cuticles so I always use hand cream every time I wash my hands, or when I can feel them getting a little dry. It is an absolute must for me at this time of year! I’ve been using this Aerin Rose hand & body cream for about 3 weeks now and I’m utterly besotted with it. The tube is a little on the large side so not really ideal for a smaller bag (although it does come in a smaller size) but it smells gorgeous and it really does the trick in leaving my hands baby-butt soft.
For me some kind of lip balm is of the same importance as hand cream. If I leave my lips to dry out I will be that disgusting person that starts gnawing on their own lips and devouring their lip skin, gross right? I have tried plenty of lip balms over the years, Carmex, EOS, Chapstick (the list goes on) but I always return to Nivea Pearl Shine because that little hint of pinky shimmer doubles up as a lip colour whilst moisturising my lips.
MAKE-UP
I don’t always carry make-up and depending on the situation I wouldn’t necessarily need it but when I have a larger bag it’s a small luxury that I will allow myself. My Mother-in-law got me this make-up bag for Christmas and it actually made me LOL when I opened it, because this bag does in face now contain my face!
I tend to only carry a few key items as I’m not really one for re-applying make-up throughout the day but if a minor touch-up is needed then I’m totally prepared. I use Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation so there’s no need for me to cart that around as it has a staying power to rival all others! But I do carry my concealer, L’Oreal True Match just in case I need a little blemish cover-up or a brighten under the eyes.
Although my eyebrows are tattooed on (FYI: that is NOT as scary as it sounds!) I do apply a little powder from the Benefit Browzings palette to give them a little more definition so I carry that in my make-up bag with this amazing Bobbi Brown angled brow brush.
To date I’ve never actually needed the Mascara that’s in this bag but in the back of mind there’s always that ‘but, what if’ thought so in it goes ever morning. My current choice is Sumptuous Infinite Mascara by Estee Lauder because on the first day I wore it a woman in Superdrug asked if my lashes were real, therefore…it’s a winner! Another winner is this double ended liquid eyeliner aka The Little Black Liner by Estee Lauder. Now this I have used plenty of times whilst out and about because I have a terrible habit of forgetting that I’m wearing eye make-up and rubbing my eyes, hello panda face!
This Naked Flushed Palette always comes in handy and it’s perfectly handbag sized with a darn good mirror inside (you see, dual purpose 😉 ). Inside the palette you have a gorgeous shade of blush, a bronzer and also a rosy highlighter which I use for contouring with the Real Techniques Contouring Brushes.
Lastly is a red lippy by Estee Lauder because you never know when you might have to quickly change the look of your outfit and a red lipstick can do that instantly!
NOTES
We might be overrun with technology these days and don’t get me wrong, I love it, but sometimes I just want an old fashioned pen & paper. Ok so not super old fashioned as I have this rather jazzy marble effect notebook (amongst a million others which I like to hoard). Being a blogger is a very creative role to be in and sometimes an idea might just ping to the forefront of your mind and I’m not one to let those ideas slip away. So whether I’m in the queue at the Supermarket, waiting for a train or even on the toilet I like to make sure I have somewhere to jot down my creative thoughts (No one wants to touch my notebook now do they).
THE ESSENTIALS
These are five things I literally cannot leave my house without
1 Antibac! Anyone that uses public transport really should carry this stuff around! I have seen people sneeze into their hand and then put their hand immediately back on the pole to which they were holding, even without the thoughtful ‘trouser-wipe’ first. I’m often eating on the go and even if I pick up a quick bag crisps or a chocolate bar, I slather my hands in this stuff. Mmmm the smell of hygiene.
2 Wallet. Obvs! Without my YSL wallet (bought from Bicester Village) I would be without my bank cards and my copious amounts of press discount cards (of the upmost importance!). Has there ever been a day where you have forgotten your wallet? I experienced this about two years ago and it was the worst day of my life (slightly dramatic but you get the gist) because I found a coat in Zara for £20 in the sale, last one, my size…no wallet = gutted! Lesson learnt!
3 My Prada card holder. I’ve had this bad boy for near enough five years now and it’s seen better days, I fear it may be time for a new one but I’m struggling to let go. In here I carry my Oyster card, yep because I’m retro like that, contactless-sshmontactless! I also carry a few EJStyle business cards in the reverse side and if I have a teeny tiny bag which can’t fit my wallet then I can transfer my bank card into one of the slots.
4 Sunglasses. Is it raining? Yes. Is it dark? Yes. Is it the end of the world? Yes. No matter what the situation there will be a pair of sunglasses in my bag. But I would just like to add that ‘no’, I am not one of those dicks that wears them on the tube…I’m one of those dicks screwing up their face everytime you sneeze and hold the pole 😉
5 My beloved iPhone. Much the same as the instance I spoke about with the wallet, there was a day back in 09′ when I forgot my phone. Life may as well have been over (this case is not dramatic). My phone is like a extra limb, it’s something which I can’t function without, unless I choose to (very rare!). Emails, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, WhatsApp, Camera; these are all things which I use on a daily basis. Do I ever actually call anyone? No, but since when were phones for calling people these days?! I like to accessorise my best friend (yes really) with an array of covers, you might remember my grey and white snakeskin ones from last year, well now I’m on to this black chunky reptilian case from Missguided.
TECH
Pen & paper aside, technology is a huge part of my daily life, I think that goes for most people these days. So along with my iPhone I also carry my Samsung Galaxy Tablet. When I’m travelling I normally take my Macbook Air so I can blog on the go but for day to day the tablet is much smaller and lighter to pop in my handbag. I use it for reading, I’m currently reading Life, Naked by Benjamin Michaels for the second time, it was too good to just read once! And obviously I use it for it’s internet capabilities, social media, Pinterest and the occasional spot of online ordering (someone please delete that Net-A-Porter app!). I also have the WordPress app on there for if I need to make any little changes to a particular post whilst I’m out and about.
I’ve never been much of a music lover, don’t get me wrong I love a bit of Hotline Bling but I’m not obsessed by music, I basically have to be in the mood to listen to something. As I like to be prepared for all eventualities I carry these gold Happy Plugs earphones in one of the pockets in my bag just in case the mood for music strikes….’You used to call me on my cell phone’…Wait, who uses phones for calling?! Drake, we’ve just been through this!
Finally, my camera. I bang on about this camera all the time and I mean, all the time! It replaced my DSLR last year for the main reason that it’s portable (Oh, and it’s awesome!). This Olympus PEN EPL-7 compact camera is lightweight enough to carry in my bag along with the 45mm interchangeable lens I use for taking my outfit shots. As with the notebook, sometimes you never know when an idea might strike, in this case an idea for a picture and if there’s one thing I hate, it’s missing out on a killer shot!
Thanks for reading guys, I hope you enjoyed this post? Let me know in the comments below x