Handbag Essentials

I like to think I'm that 'mumsy' type of person that is prepared for every situation. When I'm out and about I like to be the person who's able to supply people with everything and anything from hair bands to blister plasters.

The contents of my bag changes depending on where I'm going and what I'm doing. I tend to reduce my stash of handbag essentials down to the very basics when I'm carrying a smaller bag.

Let's get the boring bit out of the way, I have the basics - purse, keys, phone, headphones, gum and sunglasses, I'm pretty sure most people carry that, minus the sunglasses depending on the weather but at the moment us Brits are experiencing somewhat of a heat wave.

As I've said I like to be prepared for every possible situation and for me that generally means I carry a bag that's rather large and very heavy, I can't pack light for anything! Being asthmatic I can't go anywhere without my inhaler, I also keep painkillers, eye drops, a spare pair of contacts, tissues and a mini pack of wet wipes to freshen up my hands after being out and about.

Smart phones are amazing, and I'm rarely seen without mine because quite honestly I feel lost when I don't have it in close proximity. But the problem comes when I'm out all day or night and my phone's battery simply can't keep up. So to save my phone from running out of battery and becoming useless I bought a portable charger online. I keep it charged up and in my bag at all times to ensure that I never have to be without my phone!


Now, down to the more exciting bits (for us beauty lovers anyway)! I tend to keep these items in a separate makeup bag in an attempt to keep by bag organised. I carry deodorant (boring but important), a mini hairbrush, hair bands and hair grips in case I need to re-vamp my hairstyle, or (more likely) simply throw it up into a bun at the end of the day. I also keep a mini facial mist which is especially useful in the summer months. I find they're great not only to refresh the skin but also to lock makeup into place and to keep it looking its best. I love the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, which I decant into a smaller spray bottle or the La Roche Posay, or Liz Earl ones. I like to be able to top up my perfume throughout the day but don't want to carry a big heavy glass bottle around with me, so opt for a smaller, more travel friendly rollerball one. At the moment I'm loving the Taylor by Taylor Swift one for keeping in my bag.

I don't carry much makeup around with me on a daily basis, only the bits that need to be topped up, this usually consists of a pressed translucent powder, the Urban Decay one is my favourite for on-the-go, my Lanolips lip balm which can fix even the driest of lips in no time at all, and the lip product I'm wearing that day, I will also bring concealer with me from time to time depending on how good or bad my skin is.

I know I love knowing what people carry around with them to look for new ideas and also to see if I carry too much or too little in comparison to most people.

Is Bioderma cleansing water worth it?

I don't like to be too quick to say I love something... But sometimes you just know!

I've wanted to try the highly loved Bioderma micellar cleansing water for a number of years but as I love the L'Oreal and Garnier versions I held back due to the price.



Paying £14.99 for a bottle of what essentially looks and feels like water seems a little crazy. But I figured that this miracle water must be fairly good as I haven't read a single bad review (and I read a lot of blogs!).

One cotton pad, a bit of Bioderma Sensibio H2O (that's what it's really called even though everyone just refers to it as Bioderma, which is actually the brand name.) and a full face of makeup is gone in seconds. 

It has to be the simplest, quickest, easiest and most effective method of quickly removing makeup. It's also perfect for a morning cleanse to refresh the skin. I do however, go in with a second cleanser after makeup removal in the evening, to fully cleanse my skin as I'm very particular with my skincare routine. It can also be used on a cotton bud (or Q tip if you're American) to correct mascara or eyeliner mistakes.


Here are the figures if you want to compare prices :
Bioderma - £14.99 for 500ml - £3 per 100 ml
L'Oreal -£3.33 for 200ml - £1.67 per 100ml
Garnier - £4.99 per 400ml - £0.83 per 100 ml
(Many other brands make cleansing waters but these are the few I have tried and tested.)

All in all I think it's an amazing product and I would say it's most definitely worth the money. However if you are on more of a budget or simply can't bare to pay nearly £15 for a cleansing water (as I originally couldn't) then the L'Oreal and Garnier versions are good affordable options.

Meeting Lily Pebbles and Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup

The two well known English bloggers and Youtubers Lily Pebbles and Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup held a meet up in London today. It was a lovely day out, we all had a picnic in the park, and luckily the sun was out! (A rarity in England despite it being summer)

We exchanged blogs and met lots of new people with similar interests.

But when it came down to it I was incredibly excited to meet the bloggers and youtubers I'd been following for a number of years. Lily and Anna were so lovely and we had a good old chat about shopping and blogs. I even gave them a bag of Ben's Cookies as I know it's one of their favourite places in London for a snack. It was really nice to be able to see them in the 'real world' as opposed to on my laptop screen, as surreal as it seemed.


I met two other lovely girls who came to the meet up and spent the afternoon with them.

I had a little time to kill so stopped by a recent discovery, thanks to Lily Pebbles, Zest Pharmacy near Oxford Street. And needless to say I spent far too much on cult pharmacy products (mainly French). (Reviews to follow soon!)

All in all it was a great day out in London, despite getting rather sunburnt! (That'll teach me for being lazy with suncream!)

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