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?

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.

What (crazy stuff)'s in my bag? WEaB-style.

(WEaB - It's short for Wide-Eyed and Blind...I just thought that setting up a short-hand miiight just be easier for everyone in the long run.)

So, many of you will be familiar with What's in my bag? videos, blog posts and interviews but mine has a wee bit of a twist.

You see, when I was in first year of my undergrad degree, in the first term, very near to the start of the year, I went to a comedy gig. It was my first and I was nervous - I'd seen dvd's of live comedy gigs and it had put the fear of God into me. I knew not to sit in or near the front row. My party, however, had other plans. Horror of horror, the comedian (who I shall not name but now like to call my Arch-Nemesis just because I like the idea of having one - I'm not that bitter, I swear) spotted my shopping underneath my seat and proceeded to empty my bags on stage.

I took it better than I thought I would, I laughed along and agreed that I had a pretty weird collection of things. There was a lunchbox-grater, a season of Angel on VHS tapes, a wireless mouse, Microsoft Office something and other things that now evade memory.

The point of all this is that, traditionally, my friends have known me to be the person with weird crap in their bag. Whether it's an attempt to be prepared for anything, a shopping expedition I forgot to unpack or having spotted something bizarre that would make a particular friend smile, there's generally a reason for the weird. But it doesn't make it any less weird.

So, now, as a light-hearted take on the What's in my bag? and a fun new weekly post, I introduce what was in my bag two days ago. 

Bag: Longchamp Nylon Le Pliage in Beige. See here. 

Wallet: Mulberry. Similar here.

Sunglasses: Topshop. See here.

Random Crap:

I went into the two euro shop for one thing...and then ended up buying...
Pirate sword and mask set (so fun),
Travel mug,
Spray bottle (for a DIY coming soooon),
Hello Kitty Glow Jewellery Kit,
Knight helmets x 2 (AWESOME),
Spongebob Squarepants sweets.

I also had my passport, dayplanner, pencil case (with an Andy Warhol print, bought by my uncle in the Met), Smarties in case I got peckish and a Miro notebook.

A visit to Fallon & Byrne (a supermarket) saw me purchase Mulled Wine spice bundles for the 'rents because it may no longer be the season but they are still fans.

Nourish, a health food store, saw me pick up a new toothbrush which is biodegradable and made from sustainable materials.

And, finally, in Boots I grabbed a Real Techniques blending sponge and a SEVENTEEN SUPERlash Mascara plus free eyeliner. These are all great and I will review very, very soon.

Kinda eclectic, huh? Tune in for next week's edition!

Colette out.

High-End Grunge

Basically...polyvore is my new favourite toy. Play with all the clothes!

High-End Grunge by fitzpac featuring maiyet

Iconic pieces of the decade so far.

Okay...so I know we're only on our third year of this decade but I was thinking of pieces that have really affected me in the last few years and there were some massive stand-outs. Here are my Most Iconic Pieces of the Decade so Far:

5. Isabel Marant Sneaker Wedges:

So many tried and failed to combine runners and heels (I'm looking at you, Ash). This year's crop got them so right and while Marant wasn't alone in this, the label's version were probably the most lusted over. High street influence was huge and the "secret" height boost went down particularly well with Irish girls who can always do with a few more inches.

4. Stella McCartney.

...is not a piece but a person and label...obviously. In the last couple of years, however, she has produced items in almost every collection that have become "it" pieces for the season and which saw large-scale high street replication. I can't narrow it down any further so here are my favourites:

vogue.co.uk

vogue.co.uk

vogue.co.uk

vogue.co.uk - I WANT SO BAD.

3. The Alexa.

Mulberry's 2010 bag became the one to have and launched a craze for satchels that hasn't yet died down. I actually have on of these which makes the pangs for the other items on this list less painful, now that I think about it.

mulberry.com

2. The Alexander Wang Sweater Dress.

This is one of the first pieces that I was genuinely upset to be unable to attain. I still pine for it. The same show that featured this piece is probably also the root of the fishtail plait craze which lingers.

vogue.co.uk

1. Alexander McQueen's insanely beautiful last collection.

Particularly the first piece. Kind of the root of the opulence and baroque trends but years ahead as per. Still one of the most beautiful collections I've ever seen. Just try to tell that this isn't art.

vogue.co.uk

What do Where the Wild Things Are and Lana del Rey have in common?

What do Where the Wild Things Are and Lana del Rey have in common? Both are inspirations for Mulberry and both have lead to the creation of beautiful things. The A/W 2012 campaign? So pretty and playful, as per for the brand. Loving it. My American relatives gave me the book as a kid and I've always loved it. I recently rediscovered the joys of the story when I came across it while studying in the library in college. The style of the illustration, in particular, has always been a huge draw to it for me. The Mulberry ads capture the feeling of the recent movie more than that of the original book but they're still wonderfully dreamy and whimsical.