What's In My Bag #1

Surprise, surprise - my method of transporting all my beauty goods around with me has evolved yet again (for the better this time). It's still a 'bag in a bag' type situation but I can fit in so much more now and just have one 'beauty bag' for (almost) all occasions - I'm not sure I'd lug this out with me on a night out but for daytime excursions it houses just about everything I could ever need. First things first - the handbag in question is one of my all-time favourites; the luxe black faux-leather embellished number that I fell in love with last autumn after passing it in the window of Topshop every day for a month (my bus stop to get to work used to be right outside - torture), and it wasn't long before it fell swiftly into my online basket at a hefty (yet also not bank breaking) £40. Once it arrived it was everything I'd hoped for - buttery soft, slouchy yet structured and ultra comfortable to sling on either in the crook of my arm, over my shoulder or cross-body for when I'm also hauling my gym stuff/shopping bags around with me (often the case), ensuring I'm still hands-free. What I love most about this bag is that it's huuuge inside, allowing me to stuff in all manner of (probably non-)essential beauty items, while when I'm not carrying around so much it neatly  compartmentalises into a streamlined, sleek yet slouchy satchel.

So after much deliberation, the items I keep in here on a daily basis have been narrowed down to the following:

• Cath Kidston Royal Rose wallet
• American Apparel mint green 'beauty bag' (contents to follow)
• Next Paisley umbrella (a leaving gift from my lovely ex-colleagues)
• Moleskine pocket diary & Paperchase notebook, for keeping organised
• H&M argyle gloves - a recent spontaneous purchase one cold Sunday that I'm really loving; so cosy and festive <3
• Keys - complete with Kipling & Cath Kidston fobs to make them easier to find in that cavernous handbag!

 (My mobile I tend to keep easily accessible in my coat pocket)

As you can see everything fits neatly inside making me a very happy, organised bunny. As much as I like to carry lots of bits and pieces around with me, I hate having miscellaneous items rolling around my bag and getting lost so reverting to the beauty bag method for everyday really was the way to go. Here's a quick break-down of what's currently residing inside...

  
Handcream is an absolute must for me, especially at this time of year. I've finally gotten round to purchasing the NUXE Reve de Miel  hand & nail cream and so far, so good. It has a nice soothing texture, sinks in fast relieving that sore, tight feeling I get after  washing my hands too many times (OCD alert), and has a pleasant, light floral scent.

Lipbalm - at present the one I'm using during the day (though naturally I have others I use as part of my morning/evening skincare routines) is this cocoa butter lipcare stick from the Body Shop, which for me is just the perfect daytime autumn lipbalm, not least because of the gorgeous chocolately scent. The rich buttery texture really works to nourish and soften dry lips in this cold weather, and the compact packaging makes it satisfyingly beauty bag friendly.

Hand sanitiser - the Cuticura Cucumber & Mint that I'm always banging on about won pride of place purely because of it's compact size and magic Mojito scent.

Wet wipes & tissues  - I'm still working my way through my 90p 6 pack of Tesco Satin Soft tissues, while my prettily packaged H&M wet wipes have been replaced with these Carex Sensitive wipes for hands, face & body - fresh and moist to deal with all manner of accidental eventualities/after you've eaten a particularly sticky Krispy Kreme donut. 

Other than that I'm still hauling around my Samsung earphones and USB charger, lil' Lily Cole mirror, baby Kent bristle brush and Cafe Nero mints, as well as a handful of hairbands for those 'can't bear my unwashed hair a moment longer' situations and Nurofen for those pesky winter sore throats (already I've fallen prey to one, waa). Add-ons come in the form of Lillets tampons (not a pretty subject but I always get these because they're so small and discreet to have on you just in case you get caught out - we've all been there ladies), as well as the Rimmel Stay Matte powder which I like to have with me (along with this rather cute pink and white Primark kabuki brush) to eliminate my sometimes-shiny T-zone. Aside from these essentials that don't leave the beauty bag (so help me god), there's more often than not always a few miscellaneous oddments floating at the bottom, be it kirby grips, plasters or the odd brighter lipstick to perk up my look after a long day in the office. Lately I've taken to carting the Vaseline Paint The Town red lip tint, along with my No7 Poppy King lipstick in Power, with me everywhere I go in order to get that addictive rosy-lip fix wherever, whenever.

Finally I feel really, truly happy with my on-the-go beauty organisation - probably not so important to a lot of people but the heart wants what it wants.

What are your daytime beauty essentials?

Chandra

x