What's In My Bag?


Today I'm writing a post that has been requested a fair few times during the time I've been writing my little blog. You probably already know what I'm on about, having read the title of the post, but it's a What's In My Bag post.
 
I love a good old what's in my bag post, as I just love getting to have a peek at all the things someone else carries around with them everyday. I think the contents of a handbag can tell you a lot about the person and that's always lovely, especially in the world of blogging. So, if like me, you are quite a nosey person, this post is likely to be one that is right up your street.


My little bag is one I purchased from Primark about three or so weeks ago now, for the amazing price of £8, I do believe. It's a tad on the small side for a handbag, but as I tend to carry what seems like the whole world, around in my bag, I thought this time I'd buy a bag that's on a smaller scale, so I have no choice but to only carry around the essentials.


It's your typical satchel shade of brown, but it has this stunning cut-out floral details around the edges of the front of the bag, which makes it look very pretty.


As with all satchels, it has the flap top opening and a grab handle, along with an adjustable shoulder strap.


The first item in my bag is my purse. Now, I picked this up from Primark around a year ago. I can't at all remember how much it was but I can't see it being more than £5 or £6, seeing as it is Primark.


Inside the purse, it has your usual zipped coin pocket, with space either side for notes, reciepts or whatever takes your fancy. It also has lots and lots of inner card compartments, which is fab as I have more loyalty cards for different stores, than I probably need, and I need a place to store them all.
 

Next in my bag I have my iPad mini. Myself and my iPad are inseperable so it's so handy it fits in my bag as it means I don't have to look like a muppet carrying it around all the time. I keep it in a mint green case I purchased from Amazon (you can find it here). If you are interested in seeing which apps I have on my iPad, I did a "What's On My iPad?" post a few months back, which you can find here.
 

Now it's the turn of my Phone, iPod Nano and Keys. There isn't much I can really say about this apart from the fact that my Phone is a Samsung Galaxy S3, which I keep in a case I picked up in the Next Boxing Day Sales for around £3. My iPod is a purple iPod Nano 4th or 5th generation, I can't remember which because I've had it for forever and a day. Finally, I keep my keys attached to an old Topshop wire bow bracelet. It was one I never actually wore and it's really handy having them attached to something fairly large that I can grab easily.


In one of the internal pockets of my bag, I keep some of my most used makeup bits and pieces, so they're easy to find. At the moment, it contains my Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in the shade "Iced Caramel", my Soap and Glory 'A Great Kisser' Lipbalm, my Lush "Honey Trap" lipbalm and my Barry M "Lychee" nail polish. I'm one of those girls who always carries around the nail polish I'm wearing, because I simply can't stand having chipped nails so I always have to have the polish on standby ready for me to touch up my nail the second they chip. Is anyone else like that?


These are three of my go-to hand products, so I always keep them lying about in my bag. Hand Cream-wise I have the little Soap and Glory "Endless Glove" Hand Cream and the Yves Rocher Hand Cream in "Cocoa and Orange", and I also use my Soap and Glory "Hand Maid" Hand Sanitiser when my hands are feeling a bit grubby.
 

I can't be the only girl who carries food around in her bag, can I? It's always nice to pop a snack in your bag before you go out, just incase you get peckish when you're on your travels. My snack of choice at the moment is the "White Choc Raspberry Cheesecake" selection from my Graze Box. It contains a lovely blend of white chocolate, raspberry cranberries (they're nicer than they sound - trust me) and hazelnuts. Yummy.


This is always a necessity. I spend most of the time I'm up and about during the day, chewing gum so I have to have a well-stocked supply handy at all times. You can pick these fabulous pots up at most supermarkets and they're actually really good value for money considering how many you get per box, compared with the cost of buying multiple individual packets. The only issue with these pots is, when you're walking they sometimes rattle, which is so annoying so I always try to bury the pot at the bottom of my bag to it making too much noise.


This is England, and you never know when you're going to need an umbrella, so I always keep mine in my bag ready to protect me from any nasty rain showers. I think I brought this umbrella from Primark a while back and it's served me well so far.


Next in my Bag is my Topshop Makeup bag, filled with some of my daily makeup. I always get very paranoid about the state of my makeup so I like to carry a little bit around with me so I can top it up as and when it requires it.


I picked the bag up from ebay a few months back and it's perfect handbag size, so I'd recommend popping over to Topshop if you need a travel-sized makeup bag.


It wouldn't be a post on this blog without some reference to Lush now would it? I keep two Lush products I keep in my bag, starting with"Grease Lightning", which is what I consider to be the worlds best spot treatment. If I ever notice a pesky spot about to make an appearance, I just dab a bit of this on and it works like magic. The other Lush product I have in my bag, is (ignore the label) their "Dream Cream" hand and body lotion. Lush sell this product in huge great pots so what I tend to do is grab a teaspoon and pop a bit of it into an old Lush sample pot, so it's perfect handbag size. You could probably do this with any hand/body lotion that isn't sold in handbag friendly sized pots, so give it a try.


Makeup-wise, I have my Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation, Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer, Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder and Benefit They're Real Mascara. I also have my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and Powder Brush (please excuse the appalling state my brushes are in, I took the photos just before I cleaned them, I promise.)


I also have my little Primark mirror, with a stunning floral pattern. This was a bargain at around £1.50 and it's the perfect size for a mirror: big enough for it to be practical, yet small enough for it to fit in my makeup bag for when I'm on the go - win win.


Also in my makeup bag, you'll find my slanted tweezers by the Vintage Cosmetics Company. I don't think I've mentioned them on my blog before but they are my most favourite tweezers in the whole wide world. They're so good at getting all the little hairs and they're so easy to use, so it's so much easier to be precise when plucking your eyebrows.
 
I didn't photograph them but I also keep a little notebook and a couple of pens in my bag for noting down different blog post ideas as and when they pop into my head. This is a necessity for any blogger though, isn't it?
 
So those are all the bits and pieces I have in my bag!
 
If any of you have written posts like this, leave me a comment so I can have a read.
 
What do you keep in your handbag?
 
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEffFLmhgu6RwURlMwzDRaDTMi7RiKEhKcockaNudLO86Ir9C3dMTmzU1Rpu2d2gOW1-ZjiJ9cd9nxfrm5BanMBhvu9mPrxvthjDMDhpuJrRFNwh30mJ-AhAq1MHh8UWczeIT84rMmwgE/s200/blogger-image--2059827276.jpg
 

A Quick Apology

I am in the midst of writing a 'fancy' post with lots of words and pictures and all that malarkey but before I post it, I just want to apologise for me not being around in the world of blogging over the last week or so.

As I've mentioned a fair few times before, I'm in year 11, which (if you don't know) is GCSE year.

I have 45 days until my first exam, which is absolutely terrifying, so I'm currently spending lots and lots of my time with my head stuck in a revision guide of some sorts. This means that blogging has had to take a bit of a back seat, and this will probably continue until around June time, when my exams finish.

BUT my summer holiday officially starts at around 10am on 23rd June (after my last exam, which is the joy that is physics; note the sarcasm there) and I'm going to have lots of  free time where I can blog to my hearts content, so expect posts here there and everywhere from that date onwards.

I'm also planning lots of little adventures to different places with different people during the summer months and I'll make sure to take my camera along with me to document it all and share all my snaps with you lovely people.

I also want to say a huge good luck to fellow year 11s and anyone else who is completing some form of examinations in the coming months. Fingers crossed we'll all do fabulously.

But please bear with me over the next two or so months when my posts are a bit higgledy-piggledy. You will still be able to reach me through my social media accounts and emails as usual, if you want a chat, and hopefully this blog will not be desolate for any significant period of time as I'm going to try and pop up at least one post a week for you to have a read of!



March Wishlist

As you're probably already aware, I'm organising an Easter Beauty Box Swap at the moment (if you're not already taking part but might be interested, let me know a.s.a.p please, I may be able to fit you in) and I'm obviously taking part in it myself. Over the last few days I've been searching the likes of Boots and Superdrug online to give me some ideas for beauty bits and pieces I can pop in the box I'm filling for the lovely blogger I've been paired with. 

The trouble with this is, I'm spotting lots of little gems that I really would like myself, so I've decided to compose a wishlist, filled with a selection of those products.


1. Lush "Golden Egg" Bath Bomb
5. Lush "Let The Good Times Roll" Cleanser

Up first we have the Lush "Golden Egg" Bath Bomb. If you read my Lush Haul: Easter + Mother's Day Products, you'll know that I recently popped into Lush and had a good old nosey at all their new products for this season. Before I went, I had a little look at their website to give me an idea of what I wanted to pick up and "Golden Egg" was a product that caught my eye and was immediately popped on my 'to buy' list. Sadly though, Lush had sold out, so I wasn't able to purchase it, but fingers crossed I may be able to pop it in my basket next time I venture into Lush. Lush call it a "glistening golden bath melt AND bath bomb rolled into one", which just sounds perfect. Plus, it has the "Honey I Washed The Kids" scent, which is my personal favourite of the Lush scents, so you can't get much better.

Next up is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. This is a product I once used religiously (my current go-to concealer being Rimmel Wake Me Up) but somehow managed to forget about. I know a fair few bloggers and youtubers swear by it and I do recall it to be pretty fantastic, so I'm keen to get it back into my makeup bag.

The third product on my March wishlist is the MUA "Undress Me Too" Eyeshadow Palette. I seem to be the only beauty blogger yet to try an MUA palette. Over the last few months I've been far too in love with my Sleek "Oh So Special" Palette to even consider betraying it and trying out a new palette. But now we're getting into the Spring months, I'd like to switch around my makeup collection a little bit and try out a few new products, and this palette is first on the list. It's full of neutral shades, which is perfect for me because I've always been a neutral eye, bold lip kind of girl, rather than going for a bold eye. And at only £4, how can a girl say no?

Fourth we have the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in the shade "Peach Parfait". I've heard so many bloggers and youtubers rave about this product over the past two or so years and I just can't resist the temptation to treat myself to one, any longer. They supposedly sit somewhere on the lip-product spectrum between tinted lipbalm and lipstick, which just sounds fab. They're also apparently really hydrating and feel really light on your lips, which is perfect because who can deal with heavy-feeling lipstick that just dries out your lips? If any of you lovely bloggers have this product, let me know what you think, and which shades you reccomend.

Finally, it's the turn of the Lush "Let The Good Times Roll" Cleanser. Or as I call it, the 'popcorn cleanser'. The lovely people at Lush gave me a sample of this beauty back in September, when I switched up my skincare routine, and I fell in love. For some reason or another though, I never purchased a full sized pot. It contains Maize Flower and Polenta, which "gently exfoliates the skin" and cinnamon powder, which "simulates and leaves you feeling fresh and revived, with beautifully soft skin". And it smells like popcorn... need I say more?

If you've tried any of these products, let me know what you thought!

What's on your wishlist at the moment?



A Whole Lot of Questions Tag

I feel like I haven't done a tag post in ages, and I just reading them so when I saw this tag on Alex's lovely blog, I just couldn't resisit doing it.

Apple juice or orange juice? It's got to be orange juice, there's nothing better than a glass of fresh orange.

Are you a morning or night person? Oh definitly night, I hate mornings!

Which do you prefer, sweet or salty foods? I don't know! Can I just have both? I do tend to go for salted popcorn though, if that helps.

Ninjas or pirates? Pirates. Definitely Pirates.

Autobots or Decepticons? A quick google search tells me that this is a reference to Transformers. I'm going to have to go Autobots, simply because they look less likely to try and kill me.

What was your favorite childhood television program? I'm not too sure what my overall favourite was, but I know What's New, Scooby-Doo was a good contender.

Are you a collector of anything? Not really. I do have a heap of magazines though.

If you could be any animal, what would you be? A dolphin.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I love the idea of being invisable, so I could eavesdrop on peoples conversations, being the nosey person I am.

What is usually your first thought when you wake up? Can I go back to sleep?

What do you usually think about right before falling asleep? It's normally something really random. Like, I think of something stupid I said in a conversation back in like 2007 and spend ages thinking about how much I wish I hadn't said it.

 What's your favorite color? Mint green.

What's your favorite animal? Dogs.

 Do you believe in extraterrestrials or life on other planets? I'm not too sure... if it existed then why haven't we found eachother yet?

Do you believe in ghosts? No.

Ever been addicted to a video/computer game? Which one(s)? I was addicted (still am really) to the Sims Games. In particular, Sims 3, which I still play all the time. Oh and the Harry Potter PC games. I had the first 3, and I adored them. In fact, I actually still play the third game, and the disk is in my laptop at the moment, because I was playing it earlier... sshh don't tell anyone.

You're given 1 million dollars, what do you spend it on? If I was given it now, I'd split it and put pretty much all of it in a bank, so I can use it to pay for things in the future, such as houses, my wedding etc. Then I'd spend a little bit of it now, buying things like clothes, a new camera and taking my family on holiday.

Have any bad habits? I don't know if you can call it a bad habit, but I'm so stubborn. If I don't want to do something, you do not stand a chance in hell in getting me to do it.

Which bad habits, if any, drive you crazy? I hate people who can't accept other peoples opinions. Like, I'm stubborn so if I don't agree with someone's opinion, that's it but I always accept that people do have opinions that differ from my own, even if I think they're complete and utter rubbish.

List 3 of your best personality traits: Ooh I don't know. I'm a perfectionist, I'm loyal and I'm quite a dependable person.

List 3 of your worst personality traits: I can get annoyed really easily, I'm sarcastic (it can drive people insane;sorry) and I don't know what word to use to describe it, but if I don't like someone for whatever reason, I don't like them, end of. I also make it very obvious that I don't like them. It's got me into trouble a fair few times.

Have any celebrity crushes? Joe Sugg 

List 1 thing you wish you could change about yourself: I wish I had clearer skin, it would improve my self-confidence so much and it would just make my life so much easier. People who naturally have clear skin honestly don't know how lucky they are.

Any tattoos or piercings? Just my firsts on my ears.

What's the first thing you notice in the opposite sex? Ooh I notice a few things straight away, their hair, eyes, height (it's important when you're a girl who's almost 5"9) and you can almost tell what sort of person they are by the way they act.

What personality traits do you look for in a partner? Someone who can make me laugh and someone who I can just talk to all day and the conversation will never stop or get boring.

What personality traits do you dislike in other people? People who think the whole world revolves around them.

Are you mostly a clean or messy person? I'm neither. As long as my room's clean enough that I can find everything, I'm happy.

Do you see yourself getting married in the next 5 years? I'll be almost 21 in 5 years time so no. Hopefully in the next 10 years though.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? London

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? I'm not too adventerous so I'd love to travel around America, as it doesn't contrast too much with the UK.

List 5 goals on your life's to-do list: Go to Uni to train to be a teacher, Get a good job, Buy my own house, Get married and Have a family.

Name 1 regret you have: Friends I've lost.

Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid: I miss school being easy!

Name 1 thing you love about being an adult: I'm two years off officially being an adult, but I like the independance you get, as you get older. I like being able to make my own decisions.

What's your favorite song of the moment? I honestly don't have one, I listen to lots of songs reguarly.

What's your favorite song of all time? Let It Be by The Beatles

What's your favorite thing to do on a Saturday night? I love getting a takeaway, and sitting with my laptop taking part in the #tbloggers chat, and doing lots of other blogging bits and pieces.

What's your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon? I always love spending time with my family on Sundays, going out for lunch or for a walk; something together.

Have any hidden talents? Nope!

You're about to walk the green mile, what do you have as your last meal? A lovely roast dinner.

What would be your dream job? I'd say a musical theatre performer, but I'd have to have talent for that, so let's go with a teacher.

Which would you rather have, 100 million dollars or true love? True Love.

If you could have 3 wishes granted, what would they be? I have 3, but they're all quite personal so I'm not going to say, if you don't mind.

Ever wish you were born the opposite sex? If so, why? Umm no?

Name 1 thing not many people know about you: Not many people know I'm a blogger.

If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to? I don't know... I've always liked the idea of having a traditional name but spelt differently, like Emelie or Rubie.

Do you believe in the afterlife? I don't know...

On the topic of abortion, how do you feel about cookies? They're lovely!


I tag these lovely girls to do this tag ~


Jamie
Georgie
Megan
Yasmin
Jasmine
Tash





Lush Haul: Easter + Mother's Day Products

(apologies for the rubbish photo, my camera is having an off day today)

So I 'accidently' popped into Lush on Sunday and spent a few pennies!

But let's be honest, how could I not? It was the first time I'd been in Lush since they'd put out all their Easter and Mother's Day products and they are just to fabulous for me to resist buying one or two.


First up, we have Secret Garden, which is bath bomb that was brought in as part of the Mother's Day range. I think this little beauty may have been available last year but I'm not too sure. It's the only one of the bits I picked up that I've used so far, so I'm able to give you a quick review. This bath bomb reminds me so much of the musical Wicked, as it fizzes to show pink and green 'Glinda and Elphaba' colours, and as a self-confessed Wicked lover, Lush get lots of bonus points for this, even if it wasn't their aim. It smells a-m-a-z-i-n-g (yes, the hyphens were necessary) and a quick trip to the Lush website tells me that this is down to a blend or rose, sweet wild orange and rosewood oil. I've found that unlike some of the other Lush bath bombs, this product produces a lovely foam that sticks around for a fair while, and it fizzes for a long while longer than your usual bath bombs, which is fab. This product is priced at £2.95.


Next, I picked up the Fluffy Egg bath bomb, which is one of their Easter products. I'm yet to use this product so this is just going to be a first impressions review. It has the well-loved snow fairy, sweet shop style, scent, which is one of my favourite Lush scents ever, so the minute I picked this bath bomb up, in the shop, I fell in love. Can we also just admire the name? It's so cute, and perfect for Easter! It's definitely a very girly bath bomb, and I think it would make a fab alternative to a chocolate Easter present, if the recipient of your gift isn't a huge fan of chocolate. This product is priced at £2.95.


Finally, I brought The Brightside, which is a stunning bubble bar. This is one of those products that catches your eye as soon as you enter the shop, and it smells just as good as it looks. It contains Tangerine Oil and and Mandarin Oil and the scent is so refreshing. Fellow Lush fanatics may recognise the design of this bath bomb, as it's the same size and design as the famous Lush Comforter bubble bar, which makes it even more fab as it's a product that you can get a good two or so baths from. This product is priced at £4.50.

So those are all the products I picked up! I'm so so impressed with Lush's range of Easter and Mother's Day products that I may just have to make another trip into town at some point soon to pick up a few of their other special products.

Have you tried any of the products from the Lush Easter or Mother's Day ranges? Let me know which ones you recommend!



Ooh it's a Q&A


Hello all you lovely people of the internet,

Apologies for me not really making an appearance on my blog this week. I just thought it would be nice for me to have a bit of a break and have time to relax a little. But here I am once again!

It seems like a fair while since I've done a little Q&A post and I'm well aware that the number of lovely people reading my ramblings has grown a tad over the last few months or so, so I thought now would be a good time to attempt Q&A post number two.

I love reading Q&A posts, it's always lovely to get to know a little more about the person behind the blog, and hopefully you all feel the same way!

Let's get cracking~

1) How did you come up with your blog name?
Well, my blog name is a shortened version of the John Lennon quote "Reality Leaves A Lot To The Imagination". It's always been a favourite quote of mine. Part of me would like to change it to something new but to be honest I've grown attached to this little name!

2) What camera do you use for your blog photos?
I use my Fujiifilm FinePix S4200 at the moment, but fingers cross I'll be investing in a brand new camera some time soon!

3) If you could invite 5 people, dead or alive to supper, who would you invite?
Ooh this is a fab question! It's a tough one to answer though... I'd probably invite John Lennon, Leonardo Dicaprio, Joe Sugg, Keith Lemon and Channing Tatum. And then I'd hire McBusted as the waiters. Let me know in the comments who you'd choose!

4) One item in your wardrobe you couldn't live without?
That would have to be some jeans! Topshop, Miss Selfridge and River Island make my personal favourites.

5) Top 5 beauty products?
If you're talking beauty in general it's just too hard! But makeup wise it would have to be my Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer, Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation, Benefit They're Real Mascara, Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder and Lush Honey Trap Lip Balm.

6) Favourite clothing brand?
That's a tough one. Can I just say my top 5 stores? That would be Forever 21, Topshop, Miss Selfridge, River Island and Boohoo.com.

7) If you could only keep one makeup item what would it be?
Definitely concealer. I couldn't live without the thing.

If you have any other questions leave me a little comment and I'll do another Q&A post soon!

And why don't you leave me your answers so I can have a nosey?



Little Black Playsuit

As I write this I'm sitting on the floor, in the room I've been sharing with my sister this weekend in a stunning holiday home in Derbyshire, with a hot chocolate in my hand. It's my grandma's birthday on Monday so when Friday came around, 40 or so members of my family jumped in their cars and travelled from all over the UK to the Peak District, where we had a rather huge home waiting for us to enjoy.

Last night (Saturday) we had a bit of a party, so we all popped our gladrags on and sat down to a gorgeous meal. As you'll all more than likely know, I love getting all dressed up so I got a tad excited at the prospect of this.

As you may know from reading my February Chit Chat post, March is a month where I really want to venture slightly more into the world of fashion blogging so I thought that a little OOTD post would be a good way to start.


I went for a Little Black Playsuit, (or call it a romper if you will) with lovely lace detailing from Boohoo.com and paired it with a simple black H&M blazer to dress it up that little bit more. Footwear-wise, I went more casual, and popped on my Topshop Chelsea boots on top of my Topshop Black Frilly Socks.





For my Makeup I went for a fairly simple look. I used the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation (in the shade Ivory), the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (in the shade Ivory) and the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder (in the shade Sandstorm) to give me a lovely base. For my brows I used the Rimmel Brow Pencil (in the shade Hazel) and for my eyes I used the "Gift Basket" eyeshadow from my Sleek Oh So Special Palette, and the Benefit "They're Real" Mascara. I went for a fairly dark lip look, and used my Maybelline Superstay 24 Hour Lipstick in "Timeless Brown".


Hair-wise, I went quite simple. I just braided a fairly small strand of hair from towards the front of my head, secured it with an elastic hair band and pinned it up round the back of my head. I recieved a fair few compliments about my hair during the night, so it'll definitely be a look I try out more.

I was so happy with my overall look last night and I think it may be one I come back to fairly frequently in the future.




TEMPLATE DESIGNED BY PRETTYWILDTHINGS