Today is my birthday. As usual, I am 19 again, and loving it. As with birthdays, enjoyable as they are, there is always an element of reflectiveness – so I thought to myself, why not reflect slightly on something a little more candy floss and  - if I dare say so – just a little more shallow. And why not? So today I reflect on what is in my handbag. First off the bag. Found here, it is one the most useful bags I have ever had, and is currently my day-to-day, day-to-night, work, home and play bag. A large-sized small bag, black quilted, with gold hardware and a double strap, it fulfils all my criteria for a non-fussy but fancy-looking bag. Inside is super spacious, with poppers to the sides which enables it to become roomier and really fit a lot of my ridiculous stuff into it! And here is where we start with the contents!
Let’s start with the ultimate oily-girl’s essential – powder. This is actually a repurchase, so I think we can safely say that L’oreal’s True Match The Powder in D3, W3 Golden Beige. Perfect for touch-ups, but also used as my actual setting powder. Finely milled, beautifully yellow-toned powder that really gives a beautifully flawless finish when paired with the Mii Cosmetics Flat Top Kabuki brush (short handled, so perfect for the old handbag).
Next up, my little perfume collection – previous to today, you would have also found another full-sized perfume in here, but last night I pared it down a little. So the full-size is my YSL Belle D’Opium, which I inherently love to pieces. Ultimately not a daytime perfume, but as with all of my beauty rules, I don’t actually have any! Heady, sexy and musky, this is just beautiful. The two mini perfumes are both from The Body Shop, and are White Musk Smoky Rose and Atlas Mountain Rose. Both rose-based, but completely world’s apart in terms of scent. The White Musk Smoky Rose is slightly dark, with a depth of scent that is completely amazing – far-removed from your traditional rose scent. The Atlas Mountain Rose was actually a birthday present today, partly due to the little-known fact that my middle name is Atlas. This is a traditional, clean, floral rose – the type of scent I tend to layer with others.
Let us move on to the lipstick collection – we are actually lucky that these are the only lipsticks in here, I did remove three yesterday! These all actually serve a function, and are at least different shades for my different moods. First of all, the Mac lippy in Snob. One of my absolute faves, this is a face-brightening blue-toned, mauve-ish, soft-looking pink that makes you look a little bit expensive. The Rimmel is called Asia, and is a perfect up-to-date 90s lip that is a little Kylie Jenner-esque. The last, by L’oreal is the Cheryl Cole nude, and is more-or-less the perfect nude-nude. By that I mean, this is the perfect I-have-no-mirror, or I-want-to-top-up-my-lipstick nude. These three together make a pretty wonderful lip wardrobe. Of course, with winter having arrived full-force, and with eczema-loving lips, I always carry a Burt's Bees stick around with me. The original variation is the best, and really sticks around on the lips.
Lastly, eye-liner: I heart kohl eyeliner, and Rimmel’s one is the original kohl I ever used, and is one of the best for super-smudgy eyes.
And that ornate book is my diary, from Paperblanks – very important for an unorganised girl who is trying to organise herself!

Much Love,
Ani x