What's in my makeup bag?

So, until rather recently, I didn't carry a makeup bag around with me. I don't really tend to do touch-ups during the day as I always feel weird doing my makeup if it's either in front of others or in a public restroom or both. I just don't really want to spend more time than necessary in most bathrooms. I also have been dying to pee in a queue for the loos enough times to find it morally objectionable to add to the traffic in a bathroom. (What do women do in restrooms? Why are the lines always so long?)

*end mini rant*

But, as anyone who carries bags on the reg knows, it's always a pain to swap things to a new bag. It's also annoying to be unable to find anything you need in your bag. I normally only need my lip balm, perfume, blotting paper, compact mirror and sun cream during the day and decided to put them into a pouch to make them easier to find. Then I added in my other major essentials so I'm good to go if I end up crashing somewhere, some disaster befalls the makeup on my face and I feel the need to redo it all instead of just washing it off for some reason and to simply keep the stuff I use most together.

These essentials include my Dream Pure BB and Baby Lips in Peach Kiss from Maybelline,  17's Superlash mascara and eyeliner, Primark's Volume Boost mascara, Benefit's The Porefessional primer, TONYMOLY's Bunny Gloss Bar in Cherry, Topshop's Gloss Lipgloss in Long Time No See, Clinique's Eyeliner in Brown Sugar, a sample of Chloe (because it's easier than carrying the bottle), Dr Bronner Organic Lip Balm in Peppermint, L'Occitane's Cherry Blossom solid perfume, Catrice's Blotting paper, my compact which is from the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork with an image from Harry Clarke's Eve of St Agnes and my Nivea Sun Kids Pocket Size sunscreen SPF 50. The bag is from Lulu Guinness and I use it as a makeup bag and clutch intermittently. I do think it's too gorgeous to be forever given the supporting role of makeup bag, non?

What's key in your makeup bag? Anyone interested in me doing a post on my daily makeup routine, comment below!

(Everything I've talked about has been linked where possible and something similar in some cases)

What's in my bag/Wide-Eyed and Bargain.

This is a two-for and a combo of some signature Colette-posts - a bargain and a bag post! I think I initially promised a What's In My Bag every week but I came to realise that that got repetitive real fast. So, instead, I'll only be doing them when I buy/have interesting things with me.

So, yeah, here's what I had.

My trusty Longchamp Le Pliage avec my Mulberry wallet, diary, passport, Topshop sunglasses, keys, my Tangle Attack, my Andy Warhol pencil case, some snackage in the form of a Wispa, a Pink Lady apple and a travel mug of tea.

I also had this room freshening spray in Tangerine and Vanilla that I picked up in a random shop. It's from a brand called Pan Aroma and they're often in gift shops, DIY stores etc. It is, indeed, as it says on the tin (/label) - blissful. Both fruity and warm! 

I had this egg box in there as well. It originally had little cakes in it (so cute!) that our course director brought along to a meeting that day. Not sure how I ended up with the box....too lazy to walk to the bin? Most probably. 

Above are the Dexter's Laboratory pens I found in a pound shop kind of place - I'm pretty damn excited about them.

Here are some badges I had floating around in there - for the National Gallery of Ireland's 150th Anniversary and for the Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI). Also pictured are the makeup essentials and only products I carry around on the reg - L'Oréal's Collection Privée Color Riche in Freida, Soap and Glory's Thick & Fast Super Volume mascara and Dr Bronner's Organic Lip Balm in Peppermint. 

And this is the point at which the bargain aspect comes in! In Style UK is giving away Eyeko eyelash curlers with this months issue. Worth £12, the magazine only costs around €5...a magazine and a really good eyelash curler for under a tenner? Em, yeah, I'll be having that.

Anyone else purchase In Style this month? Pleased with the freebie too?

Skincare Spree Super Fun Day.

Okay, not with the "super fun" but it can be rather relaxing to take a day and pamper your skin. My day to day routine is fairly minimal but every now and then I have a proper go at it. Here's a run down of how I do a pamper day.

I use nose strips from time to time and have done so since I was a teen. Generally, I notice a rather minimal difference afterwards. However, this Greentea Nose Pack from Etude House (one of my recent KollectionK purchases) actually offers real results. No, there aren't any miracles happening here but (and excuse the grossness of this next bit) but blackheads were visible on the strip afterwards and the skin was soft to the touch. As results go for this kind of product, it wasn't a bad one.

At this point I use a Lush Tea Tree Toner Tab. The tab is placed in a bowl of hot water and then you lean over the steam for 15-20 minutes with a towel over the head. I then pat my face dry gently with a towel.

Next I do a general cleanse with my VOYA Cleanse and Mend cleanser. I use about two pumps, put on the back of my hand and then massaged into the face with my fingertips. Then I rinse off the cleanser with some water and pat my face dry with a towel.

Now, I use the water from the Toner Tab earlier as a more conventional toner. This is applied over the face with a cotton pad.

Once the toner has dried I use my VOYA Softly Does It body moisturiser. Again, about two pumps on the back of my hand is enough and then massaged into the face - especially the driest areas such as my nose and jawline. Though this is a body mousturiser, it is organic and gentle and most VOYA products are multi-use, so I double it up on body AND face. 

Then I go in with the VOYA My Little Hero serum on top of this. One pump is enough!

Lastly, as I put on some Buffy in the background and settle on my bed with the lights off, I use Tony Moly's Panda Dream Eye Patch - again from KollectionK.

I also throw on a coat of Dr Bronner's Organic Lip Balm in Peppermint.

So, there you go. That's how my skincare regime looks if I'm being a real girl for once. Day-to-day, it's pretty minimal but with a lot of the same products. I usually just cleanse and moisturise but I use sun cream pretty much every day (need to get stricter on that one) and lip balm. I'm currently in the market for an organic toner, any suggestions? Let me know!

I'll probably cover my shower routine as that includes haircare at some stage but that's all for now folks. xxx

What crazy stuff is in my bag? - The more the merrier.

My new weekly segment continues. This week sees less toys and more being a boy scout/finding bargains.

So, aside from my dayplanner, pencil case, passport, notebook (and reading for a seminar), sunglasses and Smarties - which are standard bag affair and were seen in the previous post - there was:

Irish Film Institute programme for February.

Bad weather preparedness:

Umbrella

Hat

Windbreaker

A wetwipe 

Two Euro Shop Shenanigans:

Hello Kitty Pen-keyring

Maxell Earphones

Hair Chalk (such good value - go buy!)

Travel Mug

Argan Oil Conditioner

Frog Water Pouch

Tiger:

Stretchy Metallic String

Earring Fastenings

Organic Aloe Vera Gel

Oriflame Compact Power

Dr Bronner Organic Lip Balm

Lush:

Dirty Toothy Tabs

Tea Tree Toner

Topshop:

Glitter Nail Polish x 2 (More colours available in person)

Glitter Sticks x 2

Glitter Tub 

What will I find in my bag next? The Holy Grail? A UFO? All the socks you've ever lost? Who knows! Tune in next week to find out.