What’s In My Handbag?

I really am a rather nosy girl. I’m not even kidding, there’s nothing I like more than finding out things about people I know, those bits of information that we’d never think to reveal but are always endlessly fascinating.

For me, one prime example is the common or garden handbag. Now, I’m definitely more a bag than a shoe person –  I lust after bags so much, and I’ve been known to follow people around shops, at least within eyesight range. Mulberry, Radley, Anya Hindmarch; how I love thee all.

I’d like to consider my own handbag to not have the conventional contents, or at least for my own personality to shine through as soon as you peek inside…

Bag – From some random small shop, was a christmas present

Contents include: Keys|Hairbrush|Notebooks|Diary|Makeup|Random bits of paper|Bookmark|Purse|Phone|Pens|Passport

So, there’s it in a nutshell, but I’m going to talk in a little bit more detail about some of the contents in particular….because to hear the reasons why people decide to shove certain items into their bags is always the most interesting part…

So, these are probably amongst the most interesting/random items I carry. As a book lover, I’ve always a paperback in my bag and I firmly refuse to join the e-reader generation! Also, the purple notebook is one that I write all my ideas for this blog down in, so it’s very valuable! The bits of paper look like stuff that really needs chucking in the bin (which in the case of the cinema times leaflet, it should) but the others are my holiday form copies and payslip. Really, if I was ever to be mugged, someone would do a world of harm in terms of identify theft.

Phone is pretty standard, as are both my house and work keys, but I’ve also two random key rings I got from work that have no keys on them. Lord knows why I have them in my bag.

I always have this mini version of my proper hairbrush in my bag. Even if my hair is in a style that doesn’t require one (and that is often). I also have this book mark that Jem got me for Christmas, but I always forget to actually use it, as I tend to forget where it lives.

If I’m having a makeup day, there will always be a combo of Benefit, M.A.C and Urban Decay. The BeneFit palette is one of my go-to default ones, one that I can apply almost in my sleep. The Soap and Glory mascara is one that is new and I got free with a magazine….it almost trumps my usually beloved BeneFit Bad Gal. The Topshop lipstick is a shade I adore and interchange either with my Revlon Strawberry Suede or with the Vaseline Rosy Lips stick that you can also see.

This purse is one of three Radley purses I own. I’m oh so slightly addicted to Radley product, and I crave a Radley Holloway like nobody’s business (have you seen the Laura Bailey campaign for them….totally amaze!).

This one is about ooooh, four or so years old, but because I swap purses around like the crazy person I am, it’s still in pretty good nick. I like the fact its an envelope style, and has oodles upon oodles of card holders inside. That being said, my all-time favourite purse was an old lady style one from Ted Baker with their trademark clasp on it (in fact, it was from the first collection they did in that style….in a aged pewterish silver….but the clasp fell apart and it went to purse heaven. Sob.)

Needless to say, I lust over the current Ted Baker purses and I aim to have one in my life at some point….I’d aim for a Mulberry purse to match that dream Mulberry bag, but I think that’s aiming for the moon a little too much given how beyond poor I am at present!

This is the point where I’ll probably seem like a crazy bag lady, or at least a crazy lady whom has strange bag contents. My passport  HAS to be in my bag, alongside my purse, keys, hairbrush and phone. If any of those are missing, I feel like I’ve lost a limb. And there’s an even crazier thought process behind it. Whenever I head to bed, I must have my bag by my bed. Why, I hear you ask? Well, in case we get burgled or there’s a fire in the middle of the night – at least then I’d have my bag with me and some semblance of a life. Told you I was strange.

I also have a diary which is meant to be for jotting down appointments, places I need to be, birthdays and work schedule in, but needless to say, I tend to forget to write in it, and use my Blackberry to look at the date and hope that jogs my memory. Which of course is far from a foolproof system.

The other books are my book diary – I’ve actually got two, a portable one and a home one (both gifts) and I tend to cart that one around….but again, tend to forget to write in it. I really should write a March resolution to be more organised. That being said, I go from that to the other notebook that lives in my bag. It’s from the rather gorgeous Alice in Wonderland range they did at Paperchase last season (everything I own stationery wise is from there), and it contains the same list written over and over and over….its my ‘work to-do list’ book….because I find I stress less when on late nights when I’ve checklist to make sure I’ve done everything.

Finally, not one, not two, not three but four pens. technically its more like ten, because that fat one is one of those ones we’ve all had where its got a few colours in one. Why do I need more than one pen in my bag? Because I’m a pen collection cum kleptomaniac.

So, that’s it folks….the contents of my handbag….never really changing, unless it’s a going out clutch and then I tend to do a shrinkage of stuff….if I carted all this crap with me on a night out, well I’ve done it and I always feel a bit encumbered!

One last thing, lovely people – this post is a sister post to this one to the delightful and deletable Jem of Beautiful Clutter. We’ve actually had our bags physically side by side on many occasions (and I’ve lusted over her Mulberry one) that it seemed only fitting that our contents got showcased with each other. She really is a wonderful writer, and even lovelier friend and her blog is all kinds of awesome. But then I’m sure you’d see that for yourself should you toddle along to her blog. The two of us are actually in the process of starting up a collaborative project together, which is beyond exciting, so keep your eyes peeled for announcements regarding that!

I’d really rather enjoy being able to have a similar sort of rummage in your bags, so if you have already or feel the need to respond with a post similar, tweet me: @sarascribblings! I promise to add any posts to the bottom of this one should you feel inclined!