Emtalks: Handbag Essentials!

Hello hello! So today I thought I'd do a handbag essentials post! I didWhat's In My Handbag' video recently and it went down really well and I also did a top travel bag items video but I've never done a handbag essentials post. I actually bought the bag of my dreams the other day (Burberry eek!) so should have probably included that in this post but keep an eye out because I'm sure it will make an appearance on my blog very soon. My bag usually has everything a girl could ever need in it so let's take a look at my essentials!

simple kind to skin micellar cleansing wipes

Face Wipes - I just have to have face wipes in my bag. I know a lot of people are against face wipes for cleansing purposes but I don't think you can beat face wipes for everything really, whether you have a spill in your bag, your mascara runs, you have a lipstick mishap or you just need to clean your hands - face wipes in your bag = necessary. I actually first started using them in my bag when I started travelling to London a lot, I hated getting the 9pm train home with a full face of make up on and I liked to just wipe all my make up off. At the moment I'm loving Simple's Kind To Skin Micellar Wipes because they have micellar water in them so they're better for the skin than normal face wipes. I also adore ThisWorks In Transit No Traces wipes (probably my favourite face wipes ever) and Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix wipes for calming, exfoliating and just generally moisturising the skin with hyaluronic acid (Nip+Fab is one of my all time favourite brands) - they're so easy to throw in your bag and trust me, they come in handy! So basically yes, face wipes all day every day for me and my bag.

Mini Nail Varnishes - Depending on what I'm doing, I'll have a mini nail varnish in my bag - I recently fell in love with these adorable ones from Mavala purely for their gorgeous little dinky size alone and versatile every day colours. I actually got my first one in a Birchbox I think years ago! My nails are always chipping, it's so bad, I do my nails and within a day they've chipped (no matter what polish I wear) so I like to do touch ups. This 100% isn't a handbag essential but we can pretend can't we?

Face Powder - I cannot not have powder in my bag. My face tends to go shiny throughout the day, even with a primer underneath at the moment so I always have powder in my bag. For years and years I have used MAC's Mineralize Powder in medium/dark - it's a compact case so you get a mirror too which I love for touch ups. Recently though I've switched it up for Nars Soft Velvet Loose Powder because I am an absolute sucker for Nars. I have never come across a bad Nars product. I just wish this one had a mirror on it too! This is a great powder though because it keeps the oil away but also almost blurs imperfections so I love love it.

Powder Brush - I always have a powder brush with me in my bag and it's usually my Real Techniques Powder Brush (the best £10 you'll ever spend) - the above is one of my fave brushes ever from the Bold Metals Collection purely because it looks so pretty. I have gone through about 3 Real Techniques powder brushes in the last two years and wouldn't use anything else now.

Lip Things - I often have so many lip things rummaging around in my bag. At the moment, my stapes are FRESH nude lip balm which is amazing as it treats the lips too and has SPF in it (sometimes I have Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour lip balm in my bag too though for extra moisture). I am absolutely obsessed with Illamasqua's 'to be alive iridesce' lip gloss at the moment though, it adds a nice glow and a grown up shimmer to everything. At the moment my biggest addiction ever though has to be Too Faced's Melted Metal lipstick which is just heaven and adds an amazing metallic sheen to the lips. It's like a gloss and lipstick in one - it's thick enough to be a lipstick but the metallicness just adds such a pretty sheen. Love.love.love. I honestly feel naked without lip products in my bag!

Aspinal Travel Wallet - If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that the Aspinal Travel wallet is my absolute life staple, I know that sounds dramatic but it's true - I don't just use this as a travel wallet but I use it as an every day organisation tool and purse. I used to have the black one and got a new shiny beige one more recently and I couldn't be more in love if I tried. You should all know by now that Aspinal is my favourite brand and trust me, their travel wallets do not disappoint. You can buy them online here and here.

Tampax Tampons - A random one but I've decided to include it because I had a little bit of a mishap on a train the other day whilst wearing a lightly coloured skirt (too much info!? sorry but it really hammered home the point to me that I need to be organised and have these in my bag). I really don't think talking about this should be such a taboo to be honest. I felt so anxious and awful on the train the whole time and then ran straight into Boots in Londons Kings Cross and picked up the new Tampax Compact Pearl - so so tiny and just looks like a little sweet or something haha, fits into my Aspinal wallet perfectly as you can see. I actually already had some of these new Tampax at home already but stupidly forgot to pack them and was so happy when I found them in Boots. These are the offer maximum discretion so they fit into purses and clutches. For once, I'm not embarrassed to have these in my bag anymore!

A Watch - I actually always take my watch off throughout the day or have been doing recently as I've been going to the gym etc, I found this in the little pocket of my bag as I totally forgot to put it back on. My new watch is a Michael Kors one kindly sent to me by LilyWho and I have never been in love with something more in my life! I am such a sucker for rose gold.

Passport - I don't like carrying my passport at all times because I feel like if I was to lose my bag or something that would be a nightmare, but, this gorgeous Aspinal passport holder has found pride of place in my bag recently due to travelling so much!

Perfume - I always like to have a little perfume in my bag. At the moment I am obsessed with Baiser Beauty - you may remember them from my Miami post but they're a fully natural brand and I am obsessed with their products. Baiser's roll on perfume just smells like heaven and feels so moisturising and lovely on the skin too - it's perfect to throw in the bag and the scents really strong so one little roll and it actually lasts all day. It has aphrodisiac properties to increase sensuality, repel bad energy and elevate the lower frequencies in the body leading to inner peace. I just love this brand and product.

Glasses - I always have a pair of Sunglasses in my bag (usually my Ray-Bans) and my standard glasses for myself because I am short sighted!

Skin Sprays - If you've read my blog for a while you'll know just how addicted to skin spritzers I am. Like so addicted. I take one everywhere with me, my favourites are Liz Earle Facial Spritz, The Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrator, Orico London Spritzer, Sanctuary Spa and Skyn Iceland (told you I love them haha!).

Butterfly Twist Shoes - I've saved the best until last here! It's all about the Butterfly Twists. You may remember these from my Shopping in Chicago blog post. These shoes genuinely have not left my bag at all. I am in love with them well and truly and particularly in this stunning print. I have never seen such pretty shoes. The best thing? These fold up but not in an ugly folding way, in a really simple way, you can't tell that they're foldable because they just fold without leaving a crease - you also get a gorgeous little silk bag with them meaning they don't get anything else dirty in your bag. They're light-weight, comfortable, easy to wear, insanely good quality and just so beautiful. My Mum loves them too so they've got her approval! Seriously, you need these in your bag! You can buy them online here (and you should!).