It's been a long time since my last work essentials post, which was actually one of my first posts when I started blogging back in July - how time has flown. With changes in weather/circumstance what I carry around with me has changed somewhat - and is about to change again very soon what with starting a new job and cutting-off cycling once the daylight dwindles - but I thought I would squeeze this one in since these kind of posts are some of my favourites to both read and write. In my last post I focused mainly on the beauty products that I cart around with me, but this time I thought I'd throw in a few miscellaneous bits too.
As I mentioned, I'm still cycling to work so my current 'handbag' of choice is my trusty leopard-detail Mi Pac backpack - you can't see it too clearly in the photo but you can view it here. Not really being a 'backpack' kind of person, when I first started cycling to work at the start of the summer - to save myself some dollar on travel and also get fit into the bargain - all I had was a hulking great Peter Storm specimen that had been in the family for years and made cycling uphill even more of an ordeal because it weighed me down so. So, I started hunting for a lightweight, compact (aesthetically pleasing) vessel for my work things - and came across Mi Pac on Asos, which come in an array of colours/patterns and range from £15-£25. There are so many designs to choose from (from block colours to camouflage and floral) that there's something for everyone and if you're looking for an affordable, sturdy backpack I'd recommend checking them out. They're the perfect size for holding your daily essentials - phone, keys, wallet, diary, lunch - and I also manage to fit in a change of clothing, swimming stuff on the odd occasion, as well as of course a host of (some may say unnecessary) beauty products...
Moving onto what lives inside - non-beauty wise, a couple of things I always carry around with me are two little books, the first being my Moleskine weekly pocket diary as I'm awful for forgetting dates/plans unless I put them down in black-and-white (and even then not too hot at checking my diary). Sleek and streamlined, this is the perfect size for slipping in any handbag and I'll mostly likely repurchase for 2014 for that reason. The second is a wee notebook for jotting down blog ideas, shopping lists and reminders that pop into my head during the day - this one was £1.99 from Paperchase, which is one of my favourite stores to pop into when I'm in town for cute stationary, handbag bits and a sniff of the latest Yankee scents. I also always have both my Samsung headphones and USB cable to hand, for watching/listening to the odd YouTube video if I'm in the office on my own, and for charging my phone as my tinker of a cat chewed through my actual phone charger in the first week I had it! There's nothing worse than your phone running out of battery at work - nothing. Last on the non-beauty front, I always keep a couple of sachets of brown sugar (nabbed from my most recent coffee shop excursion) on me as although I can drink coffee without it, sometimes it's just what I need to get through the day/motivate myself to tackle the next task in hand.
Onto the products... As I mentioned (several times), I'm still push-peddling my way to work in the mornings and while the cooler weather means I don't work up as much of a sweat (never nice to talk about sweat but sometimes it's unavoidable) but one still needs to freshen up after a half-hour uphill slog, and so my favourite Sure Bright compressed deoderant (so mini and handy) is still firmly in residence at the bottom of my bag. Talking of freshening up, tissues and wet wipes are two things I'm never without for spills and smudges - I love these Tesco Satin Soft tissues (pack of 6 for 86p) for their luxurious-esque packaging and soft feel, while these H&M hand & face wipes are super handy not only for cleaning grimy mits/keyboards but also for correcting mascara/eyeliner mishaps since they're safe to use on the face. Ever the precautionist, I also carry hand sanitiser to keep extra clean and protect from cooties (technical term) and my current choice is Soap & Glory's Hand Maid which has the lush, fruity Original Pink scent (read more about it here); I'm also currently using up the matching Hand Food hand cream which as well as smelling gorgeous, is the best desk-side hand cream I've come across since it sinks in at rapid speeds while at the same time relieving dryness for smooth, soft hands.
For keeping my locks in check I'm still loving my baby Kent bristle brush, which is perfect for both detangling and smoothing due to the mixture of natural and synthethic bristles. I love the aesthetic of this brush, as well as how it feels on my hair/scalp, and would definitely recommend it as a first-class handbag hairbrush. I've mentioned before that I don't carry around much/any makeup - being of the attitude that once the damage is done, it's done - but something I do always have in my bag is a couple of lip products; a nourishing lipbalm for combating dryness, and a colour product as, while my base, blush and mascara tend to stay put, lip colour is the first thing to disappear on me due to the copious amount of hot drinks/(healthy) snacks that I consume throughout the day. At present my choices are the yellow 'Repair' version of Maybelline's Baby Lips and Bourjois's Colour Boost lip crayon in Orange Punch. I was sucked in by the Superdrug 2 for £5 Baby Lips offer, and have been pleasantly surprised by how soft and moisturising this feels on the lips. With a subtle sweet-citrus scent, this is a nice basic lipbalm to carry around which gives lips a pretty glossy finish and enhances their natural colour. I've raved about Bourjois's Colour Boost before but to re-iteratre, it's a pretty, wearable coral-red in crayon form for adding a sheer, glossy pop of colour to your daily look.
Can you tell I'm looking forward to finishing cycling?! I have enjoyed it as it's been an easy way of incorporating some exercise into my daily routine - as opposed to fitting in a gym session/class which seems to take up the whole evening - and it is nice being out in the fresh air in the morning/absorbing some vitamin D when it's been sunny, however it would be so much more enjoyable were my workplaces (I cover several) not all uphill. So, safe to say I'm looking forward to hanging up my crash helmet and switching up my daily essentials to suit my new routine, as well as experimenting with different makeup looks since I'm no longer restricted by wind, rain and perspiration (nice).
What can you not live without during the day?
Are you a minimalist or an extremist like yours truly?
Chandra
x
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