WHAT'S IN MY BAG | Rebecca Minkoff Mini M.A.C.

For my 21st birthday, I was a very lucky girl and received a Rebecca Minkoff Mini M.A.C. from my family. I was never especially into small bags, always preferring to cart my life around with me. However, in recent years, I've taken to a more minimalist approach with my bags and ditched all the excess crap and stuck to the basics instead. I wear my Mini M.A.C. for pretty much any occasion - going out for dinner, a night out, a jaunt around town in the day. It's my favourite bag, after my beloved Kanken. 

Being rather compact, it forces me to really think about what I bring out with me. It isn't absolutely tiny however - I have been able to fit my iPad Mini in this sucker a few times when I was in a hurry to get out the door. It's deceptively roomy and the various pockets are super handy. 

Typically, these are the essential items I carry in my Mini M.A.C.:

-River Island purse

-Topshop blush (also doubles as a mirror

-Jack Black Intense Therapy lipbalm

-whatever lipstick I happen to be wearing

-my keys

-iPhone 4

WHAT'S IN MY BAG | Fjallraven Kanken

My Fjallraven Kanken backpack is one of the best purchases I made last year. I decided that in my final year of university it was time to get serious and ditch the silly, flimsy bags I'd used to carry my shit around for the past 2 years. I'm 21, damn it, and it was high time I got myself a big girl backpack. The Kanken is super sturdy and durable. I take this thing with me everywhere and throw all manner of stuff in it and it never gives me backache. If you're considering getting a Kanken, I couldn't recommend it anymore highly.

A day's typical contents in my Kanken:

-iPhone 4, complete with adorable Gemma Correll case

-ridiculous holographic River Island purse

-iPad mini

-pencil case

-Cath Kidston make-up bag

-notebook

-Moleskine planner

-water bottle

I got this absurdly bright and holographic purse in River Island. Every time I pull it out someone compliments me on it. After years of plain black or brown purses, I decided to opt for a fun option. My new Gemma Correll cat-print phone case from Iconemesis is probably my favourite thing in my bag currently. How did I not own a phone case covered in cats before this? Plus Gemma Correll is a Norwich-based artist so I quite like carrying a little bit of local artwork around with me.

I don't carry tons around in my everyday make-up bag. Just the standard lipbalm, concealer for necessary touch-ups, and some emergency hand sanitiser. I'll usually throw whatever lipstick I'm wearing on a given day in there too but otherwise I keep it pretty minimal. 

TRAVEL | What I Packed for 5 Days in Prague

I'm off to Prague with some friends for 5 days this week. Last year, I went to the south of France and that was wonderful so hopefully this is just as good. Prague's been on my list of places to visit for a while now so I'm looking forward to it. Packing was an interesting task. I only moved back home from university for the summer a few days prior to my trip. So I had to unpack all my stuff and then pack again in the space of a few days. Just a tad stressful. I am a pretty meticulous packer though and always create packing lists for wherever I go which helped. For this trip, we're only bringing a carry-on as we didn't want to go through the hassle (and cost) of checking baggage. I thought I might struggle to fit everything into a small suitcase but it was actually surprisingly easy so I thought I would share what I've brought.

-5 tank tops (I wear these under everything)

-1 pair of denim shorts

-1 black bodycon skirt

-3 blouses

-2 t-shirts

-1 dress (casual enough for daytime, but nice enough to wear at night too)

-2 pairs of tights (in case it does turn chilly)

-2 cardigans

-1 lightweight scarf

-1 pair of Converse (for walking)

-1 pair of flats

-2 handbags (one for day, one for night)

-1 pair of pajamas

-1 pair of sunglasses

-make-up bag (most of my toiletries fit in here as well as make-up)

-bag for ~feminine items~

-perfume

-camera

-a book

-foreign currency

-passport

-purse (/wallet, if you prefer)

-jewellery

I won't bother to go into specifics of toiletries or it would be a long and boring list of mundane essentials. To ensure everything was under the 100ml liquid limit, I transferred some things to those travel-sized containers you can get in various shops along the high-street. Mine were from Primark, but I know Boots and Superdrug and the like have them too. 

WHAT'S IN MY BAG | Travel Make Up 2011

I admit that I am probably one of the nosiest people ever and therefore love all of those Youtube videos and blog posts about what people keep in their bags. I am that person who will rifle through your cupboards and stare into houses' windows from the upper deck of the bus.  It's in my nature to be inquisitive. So while I was packing my make up bag to go away to the south of France for a week, I decided to join in and share what I wittled it down to in the end.

I do pride myself on being a bit of a packing mastermind, it has to be said so I figured I would share some tips as well as mentioning just how useful everything I brought turned out to be in the end.

First, I took into account the criteria for the make up I needed to bring. The south of France is hot, nearing 40 degrees Celsius on some days while I was there, meaning it couldn't be anything that would melt off. Also, I was sharing a single suitcase with two friends to save costs (since we're all poor students now) and couldn't take up too much room. No overpacking was to be allowed. It all had to fit in a modest sized make up bag without being so full I could no longer zip it closed.

All this considered, I turned to my make up collection and after a good amount of sorting things out and making 'necessary' and 'unnecessary' piles, I was packed. 

Face Products:

-Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer: I have a few concealers on the go at the moment but this one is pretty heavy duty. While the claims of '16 hour wear' might be slightly hyperbolic, it does the trick.

-GOSH Touch Up Concealer in '#2': This concealer is less for actual concealing than it is for colour correction. I use this solely for my under eyes as the salmon colour hides the dark bags I cannot seem to get rid of, even with 8 hours sleep a night.

-Natural Collection Tinted Moisturiser: I have fairly good skin and don't wear foundation. However this product is more moisturiser than anything else; I can barely see any colour when it's applied. I just brought this to keep my incredibly dry skin hydrated without worrying about losing more expensive moisturisers.

-No7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder in 'Translucent': Hot weather means melting make up and shininess, neither of which I am particularly fond of. A bit of powder to stop my carefully applied face sliding off halfway through the day is a must.

Cheek Products:

-Natural Collection Blush in 'Pink Cloud': I always like to have a little colour in my cheeks but I worry my blushes will break in transit. Natural Collection have some of the cheapest stuff going but their blushes really deliver so I always take one or two of these with me when I go away.

-Maybelline Mousse Blush in 'Peach Satin': This ended up not coming with me. Cream products and hot weather, I realised, do not mix. Plus, while it is one of my favourites for a nice healthy 'glow', when in sweltering heat this would have simply left me looking unattractive and sweaty.
-No7 Blush Brush: I tried to take as few brushes as possible as they take up so much room and I'd hate to lose them. This one was unavoidable though; applying blush with my fingers wasn't about to happen, so I bit the bullet and took it along anyway.

Eye Products:

-L'Oréal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara: One of my biggest tips for packing your travel make up bag is to throw in those items you don't often reach for. Both of these mascaras tend to fall to the wayside next to my other preferred kinds so I took them along to use them up, plus if I lost them along the way I wasn't going to be upset.

-Rimmel Max Volume Flash Mascara: Also, if you're going to be swimming, as I was, I'd suggest a waterproof mascara. Sadly, I had none so ended up having to take my make up off every time I wanted to swim which was time consuming and I wouldn't recommend it.

-Lancome Eyeshadow Compact: I'll admit I could have done without this in the end. I don't think I ever reached for it as it would have creased and smudged in the heat.

Lip Products:

-17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in 'Peace': This was my daytime shade to add a touch of gloss and colour while still looking fairly natural.

-Natural Collection Lip Gloss in 'Fondant': A basic nude for going out or to tone down a lipstick.

-MAC Lipstick in 'Costa Chic': Being one of my favourite summer lipsticks, I had to bring this along. It really is the perfect shade for this time of year.

-Neutrogena MirrorShine Gloss in '#110 Fruity Pink': I just love this lipgloss. I wear it all the time and I am never without it so, naturally, I couldn't leave it behind.

Along with an SPF 15 chapstick and some perfume (YSL 'Elle' on this occasion, which is a new love of mine), I had all my bases covered and used pretty much everything I brought except the eyeshadow, which I will forgo another time. 

For a week long trip where I would change two or three times a day, depending on whether we were going to museums, at the beach or getting dinner, this was the perfect amount of make up for me and I managed not to take up too much room in the, already very cramped, suitcase.