I read Hayley’s post on Sunday and realised that although I LOVE writing (and reading) these posts I haven’t done an updated version. So, here’s what’s been in my handbag over my internship. And yep, only two days left of this 13-month internship to go…
I’ve alternated quite a bit between my satchels this year, and I’m actually pretty damn sure all seven of them have visited the office at some point. The one I’m using for the last part of my internship is my Patent Naked Taupe one from my beloved Leather Satchel Company. I absolutely adore the colour of this, though I try not to use it too often to keep it looking pristine (I have found the buckle straps to crack quite easily too with this one). It’s a smaller 14″ satchel so I do struggle to fit everything in…this is the smallest bag I could carry on a daily basis! My
12.5″ which came with me to Italy was a real struggle…
So, what’s inside?
We have purse, travel bits, keys, phone, phone charger, overnight oats, Filofax, Kindle, and lunch. Then there’s the usual spare knickers, painkillers, allergy tablets, multiple pens and drink bottle.
I have tried not to carry my Filofax around too much this year, preferring to leave it on my desk. The main reason for this is I’m completely lost without it at work, whereas I can just about cope in the evenings. As long as I make sure to sync it to my phone calendar each morning…I’m still using my
Malden filofax and I still adore it. However they now make the Original in the EXACT same leather as this satchel. I’m desperate for it!
My travel stuff is kept inside a Filofax card holder, which matches my actual Filofax perfectly – I tracked it down via Ebay after a good few months of searching. I love my Travelcard photo. I’d been putting off going and getting it done, and in the end had to get it done about two hours before we piled into the car and moved down to London. After sleeping at W’s parents. With no makeup bag. Luckily I do keep a powder (Bourjois Java Rice) and mascara (no idea which one!) at theirs, and I had a lipstick in my bag from dinner the night before. Turns out MAC’s Lady Danger works quite well in photographs!
I carry around my phone charger because my current phone (for just a few more days!) is very unpredictable. It can last 18 hours between charges, or it can last just 2. It doesn’t take photos, the vibration motor has died, and it overheats like a bitch. Oh, and it occasionally likes to open and close apps incessantly (with the off button taking screen-shots) until it runs out of battery. I am pretty much decided on my new phone, so hopefully soon I’ll be able to do some social-mediaing more reliably during the day. And spam your Instagram feeds.
If there’s one thing I couldn’t live without on a day-to-day handbag basis, it would be my Kindle. Whether its a 20 minute commute or 2 minutes waiting for a bus, my Kindle keeps me sane, stops me from having to make conversation with the weird guy sitting next to me, and makes my whole day so much more enjoyable. I’ve had a Kindle for just shy of three years now, and whilst I do prefer to read an actual book, I do think they are a fab idea. I speak as someone who once took 10 books on a fortnight holiday…baggage workers much have hated me.
Then there’s an awful lot of food in my bag. Overnight Oats for breakfast (yum), and then lunch. It’s usually a wholemeal-roll-with-ham-and-mustard-and-a-packet-of-ready-salted-crisps affair (seriously, I have had that lunch 90% of the time for the last seven years!), though occasionally I switch to a white-roll-with-chorizo. In winter I’ll take soup, and if I have leftovers I will always take those. Last week was a couscous mix, Greek inspired with plenty of mint and tzaziki, and I picked up some falafel from Sainsburys too (they lived in the work fridge). I’ll also have an “emergency apple” for if I feel faint, and I try to keep a Nakd bar in there for the same reason. And a water bottle, because that’s what Southern Rail recommend
Then the embarrassing stuff. Spare knickers. I don’t actually know why I carry them around, but like Katy says, you never know where the night will take you! I always carry painkillers, because I always get a headache if I don’t! I always carry antihistamines, because I react so easily to traces of tomato. And pens, because I’m always losing the damn things.
If I’m going out after work then I’ll also carry a small makeup bag, usually containing concealor, my Hourglass palette, eyeliner, and mascara. And always, always, always will be the lipstick I put on in the morning. And probably a lipliner too – I’ve recently discovered Kiko ones. I say recently, I picked up two in Italy in June, and recently added another seven to my collection. By far and away the best liners I’ve tried. Full review next week, promise!
Looking back at all this, it’s no wonder my shoulder is stiff when I get in the door of an evening! And apologies for the not-so realistic photos. I wanted to do the ‘tip everything out’ style, but the light is awful when I get in at 6:30pm, and I just don’t love you all quite enough to do it before I leave the house. #sorrynotsorry
What do you always carry around in your handbag?
