What's in My Bag?

What's in My Bag?

My handbag is full of knickknacks from my everyday life, and the content of my bag definitely shows a lot about myself.  This blog post was a chance to throw away all the crumpled receipts, count my change and of course, filter through the content of my bag:

This is my current bag of choice for my everyday adventures! It was from Primark and I absolutely adore it. It's very sturdy, holding its shape well, whilst being large enough with enough pockets to hold all my everyday essentials!

I never leave the house without my daily planner, it holds my life together in one neat pink package! Its a week-to-week view style which I prefer, as I can see my weeks laid out simply. It is a re-fillable style also, making it easy to replenish the planner when it runs out.

I always keep a notebook and pen in my handbag for organisation. As I am a University student, its important for me to be able to do my work wherever I am and a pocket size notebook is perfect for jotting down ideas, and planning my next study steps on the go!

I bought these Study Skills booklets to aid my University degree. I love the fact they are pocket sized and can easily fit inside my handbag to ensure I can study on the go!

I always have a small deodorant in my handbag to freshen up during the day, if my perfume has dulled. Also, I adore the Fat Face body lotion to ensure a moisturised face and hands at all times whilst busy and out of the house. The same applies for the Nivea lip balm which I love due to the lack of taste, application and the goodness it does to nourish my lips on cold days!

Another thing I tend to keep with my in my handbag, is a small roll on perfume if my perfume has dulled throughout the day. I also always keep a 4 Head roll on stick on hand for headaches, as I like to avoid taking tablets whenever I can. Another thing I always take with me is plasters, as I have very sensitive feet when it comes to shoes!! Plasters are always advisable just in case!

Having a puppy, my jean pockets, coat pockets and of course, hand bag, becomes littered with poo bags! Luckily these are fragranced so smell nice enough to leave in my bag!

I don't leave the house without my Beats Ear Bud Headphones. They are fantastic! The sound quality is incredible and they really do dull out all outside static noise which is just what is needed when on public transport, or you need to block the world out! With my love for photography, I always keep a spare memory card with me also in case I use mine up which usually occurs. I never want to be caught short!

In this winter weather at the moment, when its absolutely freezing, I can't leave the house without my plain black, touch screen gloves. They are fabulous for keeping the cold out, and I don't need to take them off when sending a quick text or email!

Keys, keys, keys! I think these are a given.

Another essential but I adore my Kate Hill purse. This was bought for me on a birthday, and being my favourite colour I fell in love with it! Its the perfect fit for all my cards, receipts and coins, with many compartments, whilst being small enough to fit in my bag without taking up too much space.

Motivation Week 23/01/2016 - 30/01/2015

Motivation Week 23/01/2016 - 30/01/2015

The Little Book of Mindfulness - This week focus on INCREASING GRATITUDE and appreciate what you have been gifted with, whether this be friends, family, or time. Forget about time and guilt, and focus on the positives surrounding you.

The Mindfulness Journal - Take simple short walks during the course of your day to help you order your thoughts. Notice your surroundings and keep your attention on what you can see - Stay Present.

Walking on Sunshine - SLOW DOWN. We are human beings, but we don't always have to be humans-doing!! Take an hour from your day where you can sit, with no urgent task to complete and recharge, and reflect.

Calm - "Press a Flower" - Take a token from something good that's happened this week and preserve the beauty of the day. May you always be reminded of the good!

Downton Abbey Village Tour!

Downton Abbey Village Tour

I absolutely adore the Downton Abbey series that aired on ITV and finished Christmas Day 2015. Luckily, I live 30 minutes from Bampton, Oxfordshire, where the village scenes were filmed. So today I wrapped up warm, grabbed my camera and travelled over to Bampton in order to walk along the same streets as Lady Mary Crawley did.

I started my trip in the centre of Bampton, and visited the church in which Lady Edith, Lady Mary and many funerals took place throughout the series - St Mary The Virgin Bampton. It was beautiful, making it understandable as to why they chose to film in this location. Next to the Church was the house were Isobel Crawley resided when she came to Downton for the first time, with Matthew, the heir to Downton Abbey.

Across the street from Isobel Crawley's house was Bampton Library, the location set for the country hospital where Isobel Crawley and Violet Crawley were on the Board. Unfortunately, this was closed at the time of my visit, but definitely worth going to another time when opened!

I also had time to visit the Post Office, The Dog and Duck pub, The Grantham Arms and The Red Lion pub, based in Shilton, just down the road from Bampton.

I would recommend this journey for any Downton fan who wants to visit the location sets! My next stop..Highclere Castle in Newbury!! A.KA. Downton Abbey House.

Motivation Week!

Motivation Week

Those who know me, know I've suffered with anxiety for the past 6 years. In this time I have read multiple self-help and mindfulness books in order to keep control of it. And I want to share with you several of the ones I feel are best..

The Mindfulness Journal by Corinne Sweet.
The Little Book of Mindfulness by Dr Patrizia Collard.
Walking on Sunshine by Rachel Kelly.

Calm by Michael Acton Smith.

I feel I've read these books and not properly "read" them, so for your benefit and mine, every week I'll be posting weekly objects from these four books to live your life, and mine, by for the following week.

This weeks tips go as followed..

1. The Sky is Low; Take note of Emily Dickinson's poem about the Winter period.

"The sky is low, the clouds are mean,

A travelling flake of snow

Across a barn or through a rut

Debates if it will go.

A narrow wind complains all day

How some one treated him;

Nature, like us, is sometimes caught

Without her diadem".

This poem express the close relationship between our internal weather and the weather outside. It helps us realise that even in the worst of times, there are often opportunities to laugh and lighten the mood when we bother to find them.

TIP 1- Find something to laugh and smile about, whatever you face this week.

2. Look Around you and Live Longer; Focus on every aspect of life, increase your perception of the world around you instead of focusing on the difficulties in your life. It will broaden your mind and act as a form of meditation through a difficult period.

"With a sense of adventure and curiosity, we can learn and experience more, moment by moment"

TIP 2 - Realise the world around you, not just the world inside your head.

3. Start the day RIGHT; Many people are usually in such a rush in the mornings, they forget to slow down and take a second to think. And this moment of thinking and reflection, can create a sense of calm before you brace yourself for the day. Give yourself extra time to get ready, have a cool shower where you actually take notice of the water rather than the thoughts inside your head, eat breakfast without the TV or a phone, and appreciate the solidarity for the moment before your whirlwind of a day begins. Check you have everything you need before you leave the house and use the few minutes before hand to breathe and not rush.

TIP 3 - Don't rush, appreciate solidarity and calmness when you can find moments of it.

4. Spend time in nature; Take time out of your busy day this week to use those legs of yours and walk. Whether its through nature or through your city, walking is an instant reliever of stress when you have been couped up in an office environment or a busy environment. I think with our busy lives we all forget how important a simple walk away from our problems can affect us and create a sense of calmness for when we go back. It gives us the strength to carry on with our day.

TIP 4- Find your Arcadia. Walk away from your problems to create the strength in yourself to go back and deal with them.

New beauty buys!

New Beauty Buys!

Having been shopping recently after Christmas, I bought several items which I'd love to share with you all.

Mac Lipsticks are a firm favourite of mine due to colour and durability. I've seen many recommendations over the last few weeks for Amorous and the simple Mac Red, so I thought I would buy them and try them out for myself. I wasn't disappointed! The colours were so vivid and pigmented which I LOVED. They also were fairly easy to apply, but like with any lipstick in a darker shade, it becomes easier with a lip pencil applied before-hand. In terms of durability, they also receive rave reviews from me. Having put it on in the morning, by lunchtime it was still on with little smudging or discolouration after eating and drinking. Although Mac Red was a little more smudged, and I found much more residue on the cup after drinking. 8/10! £15.50 each from House of Fraser.

I've been a fan of MUA's make up range for a long time, due to the high quality of the products and the value. I especially like how pigmented their eyeshadows are, and how, with the right make up setting spray, they can last all day! I love the colours in this palette, as I feel they are shades that can be adapted to wear with any colour for brilliant results! 9/10 £8 from Superdrug.

Barry M, as with MUA have a brilliant eyeshadow collection, and shortly after purchasing the MUA palette, I was drawn to this beautiful Barry M eyeshadow palette. This I feel is a perfect little gift idea, with its gorgeous cover and simple lay out. Must buy product with simple shades. 10/10.










I've been dying for some Real Technique brushes for a long time, but I've been waiting for the moment the price dropped. And lucky me!! In the New Years sales I managed to get the Real Techniques Core Collection set of 4 brushes for an amazing steal of £13.99 on Amazon, reduced from the usual price of £21.99. They are brilliantly soft and perfect for applying makeup in a profession way. 8/10.














Another product just purchased was the LOreal Paris Le Lip Liner Magique by Color Riche for £3.99. Its a clear lip liner so it can be paired with any lipstick for the perfect application. It fantastic, rather than searching the shops for the right shade to match your lipstick!! 8/10.














The last product I brought was a risky purchase from Primark's makeup collection. Due to the price of £2.50, I really didn't know what to expect with the quality and last of this liquid lipstick in shade "Nude". I was definitely pleasantly surprised! The colour is highly pigmented, and the sheen is gorgeous. However, I dislike the brush applicator which can make the lipstick appear rather gunky and harder to apply. Aside from this, I think Primark did themselves proud. 7/10.

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