What's In My Bag? #1

Since I haven't been able to get up and out of my pyjamas this weekend, I thought I'd mix it up and give you something a little different.

No, I'm not going to share photos of a pasty-looking me feeling sorry for myself in my bed clothes- I don't want to scare you all away- trust me, it's not a pretty sight! Instead, I thought I'd share with you the contents of my bag.

Satchel, River Island

One thing I miss about being up on my feet in the real world, is carrying a beautiful bag full of the things I just can't live without every day. I even miss those conversations that arise after clocking a friend or colleague's beautiful new hand-bag.

I'm the kind of person who only packs light during shopping trips and outings. The rest of the time, my shoulders would take the strain of all the necessities I just couldn't live without. I knew that if the world around me was coming to an end, I would be equipped with my magic bag of essentials, that would bring comfort if nothing else. Sure, all those gadgets in their pretty cases would soon become useless, but at least I'd be able to keep my hair and make-up in line!

I am, of course, kidding. But I'm sure you know what I mean. I like to carry everything but the kitchen sink... just in case.

I'll warn you now, this is a long, photo-heavy post. Enjoy!

I bought this beautiful satchel from River Island in December. (I also have similar ones in green and brown, neither of which I've been able to use yet). My current situation has only allowed me to carry it out of the house once. I love the mixture of colours and textures.

 A couple of sneak peeks in to the organised chaos.

As you can see, I love pretty prints on my cases.

More organised chaos. These are the current contents of the bag emptied in a heap on my bed. Please excuse the bright pink, wrinkled sheets.

I love my gadgets!

Here we have my red and black Blackberry, which has a Cath Kidston floral case on the back. The case was so frivolous and expensive, but I love it.

My 32gb itouch gets used for everything from playing an eclectic mix of music, reading emails, taking photos, social networking, and games. I'm currently obsessed with Draw Something, Temple Run, and Words With Friends.

I bought the Kindle on Boxing Day. As a fan of books, and the smell of old pages, I looked down my nose on them for ages. Then my sister got one for Christmas, and I changed my mind! It's so light and easy to use, and the font makes my mind think I'm pouring over a paperback. If I'm cold, I only need to stick one arm out of the duvet to read, and when I've finished I don't even have to leave my house to go browsing for a new one. I can buy and download a book in under a minute! I've read more since I got it than in the last few years put together. I'm currently aiming to work my way through Stephen King's entire collection. The best one I've read so far is The Stand- one of the best books in existence- read it! I've just put IT aside to read The Hunger Games trilogy. I'm a quarter of the way through the first one and am already loving it!

The Kindle case is from Cath Kidston. I originally wanted the shooting stars pattern, but it sold out everywhere in the couple of days I waited to buy it. The case is great as the zip is covered on the inside so it doesn't scratch the gadget.

This is my lovely Purple Canon Powershot SX210IS camera with, you've guessed it, a Cath Kidston gadget case. It's fantastic for a point and shoot camera. It has many of the features you'd find on a more professional camera, with 14.1 mega pixels and has a 14x optical zoom. I've already used it at a ton of concerts, and it takes amazingly clear photos and HD videos. It served me well in New York, last summer, too. One of my favourite features is a video setting that allows you to shoot in black and white, but allows a particular colour in the shot to remain. You could choose red to focus on a fabulous red dress, or perhaps blue to make somebody's beautiful blue eyes dazzle in a world of grey.

What bag would be complete without sunglasses and glasses? I've really poor eye-sight, so only wear the shades when I've got my contacts in. I always keep a spare pair of glasses on me in case the contacts irritate my eyes, or, God forbid, I lose one. I usually have a lenses canister as well, but that's currently on my dressing-table.

From the top:

Red Guess Sunglasses (my favourites).

Roxy Glasses. They look black, but are in fact tortoiseshell.

Boots Sunglasses. I got them in Boots, but can't remember if they're a brand or not.

I also have another pair of glasses. These are by Red or Dead, which I got in Specsavers. They're black with leopard print arms. I need to get them adjusted as they keep slipping off my face, so I can't wear them. I really love the monochrome design of the case they came in, but I also use the Cath Kidston case in my bag, too.

This is my gorgeous Fossil make-up case, which I bought in their Times Square branch in New York last summer. I'm obsessed with old ornate keys, so snapped this up without a second thought.

I love the cute teal lining, and the mirror comes in handy, too.

Full of a selection of useful make up. The contents change all the time in terms of eye-shadows and liners, but the basics usually remain the same.

A few essentials... not all from the case...

♥ Vaseline Cocoa Butter Lip Therapy.

♥ Benefit Foundation Some Kind Of Gorgeous Lite.

♥ The Body Shop Pressed Face Powder 01 (Translucent, I think).

♥ Bourjois Paris Khol & Contour Eyeliner in Ultra Black.

♥ Rimmel Exaggerate Eye liner Intense 100% Black 001.

♥ Carmex Lip Balm.

♥ Maybelline Dream Touch Blush (Peach shade).

♥ Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Waterproof Black Mascara.

♥ Benefit They're Real! Mascara (Black).

♥ Benefit Foxy Lady Lip gloss.

♥ L'oreal Colour Riche Serum Beamy Plum Lipstick.

♥ Travel-size hair brush- (which works as well as a regular one!)- and a spare hair bobble.

♥ B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful Bon Bon Highlighter.

♥ Inglot Eye shadows.

♥ Plasters, for nasty paper cuts and blistered feet.

And, finally, the contents of my Cath Kidston Purse. No money. Boo hoo.

I keep things simple. I have one bank card. I don't have a credit card. I have a Dorothy Perkins store-card (bad, bad move!), Boots Advantage Card, National Insurance Card, Blockbuster Video Card, a Cash Passport Card left over from my holiday to New York (you load it up with money before you go, and then use it like your regular debit/credit card), a card for my Laptop Insurance, stamps, my staff card for when I shop at work and a Donor Card.

I forgot to take a clear photo of the purse, but you can see it in one of the photos near the beginning.

I also usually have a notebook and pen to hand for scribbling things down, my keys (I scoop them up from the front door when I leave the house), headphones for my ipod (can't remember where I left them), and usually a drink, magazine, and painkillers, too. In winter you may find a pair of gloves and a scarf in my bag, too.

Sorry for the photo-heavy post. Hope you've enjoyed taking a peek!

What things can't you leave home without? What must you carry on you?