What's in my bag??

The LV Speedy (medium size)

I know it's rude to go through a lady's bag but I'm quite nosey... and I love 'What's in my bag' posts so I thought it'd only be fair to do my own :- )

I try to travel light because I hate carrying heavy bags - especially when I'm travelling around London, on the tube or train!

From clockwise left:

Quilted gold makeup bag - got this free with a magazine, although I usually hate magazine freebies, this one caught my eye

Makeup bag - I desperately needed a makeup bag when I was going to Paris and in a rush I grabbed this one from Superdrug... I would prefer a Gucci one though :)

Sweets - I always have sweets or chocolates in my bag... my friends go through my bag because they now I'll have something!

D&G perfume - this is probably the biggest, heaviest thing in my bag but I love it so much that I don't mind lugging it around... I wish they'd release a travel version though

Mobile phones - My Blackberry is a lifesaver - I use it to check emails, Tweet, BB Messenger... it's so addictive! The other phone is just a backup in case my BB dies, which it usually does...

Pen - what kind of journalist would I be if I didn't carry a pen with me?! (I usually have a notebook too, but on this occasion I left it at work)

Keys and Oyster card holder - I'm always losing stuff in my bag and it takes ages to find things (anyone else have that problem?!), so I got this pink, glittery cardholder from Accessorize, hich is pretty hard to miss...

Purse - I got this recently from River Island for my birthday... it's quite Mui Mui/Prada esque non?!

In my makeup bag...

From clockwise left:

Black Khol - My friend brought me this from holiday and it's what I use pretty much everyday for my lower lash line... it's sooo intense and black... maybe it deserves a post of it's own?

Pink Heart USB - I'm not sure where this is from because I got it as a gift but it's sooo cute... and soo me

Origins On the Spot Relief Breast Cancer version - this is a great stress-buster and the scent is so soothing...

Lipstick - I have quite a lot of lipsticks *guilty face* so I try and wear a different one everyday

The Body Shop bronzer - I got this ages ago and use it more for the mirror, although the powder is great to use as a subtle shimmer for the face and neck

Mini D& G The One perfume sample - I got this in Sephora when I went to Paris but I'm not too keen on it...

Bourjois Kabuki Brush - I love this! Kabukis are usually really expensive and super soft. This isn't as soft but for a fiver it really does the job

Paracetamol - I rarely take these but then there are instances when I really need one... usually during the time of month!

YSL Lip Contour - This is like a lipbalm and is great for keeping my lips soft... it's got a rich, creamy consistency so it's almost like a moisturiser

Carmex Cherry lipbalm - This doesn't really moisturise my lips as well as the YSL but it tastes and smells so nice that I just HAD to have it!

Ring - I usually have some random piece of jewellery in my bag 

Other bits and pieces...

Pink iPod - keeps me entertained when I'm commuting

Hand sanitizer - if you use the tube you'll understand why this is a MUST

Picture - this is actually a  broken keyring that I just carry around. This pic is of my cousin and I'll pull it out whenever I need to :- )

Tissues - a had a nose bleed on the train a few months ago and since then my mum's been giving me tissue packets to keep with me in case it happens again... bless her

I also keep my camera in my bag but I can't exactly take a pic of it as I'm using it now... I'm also a magazine JUNKIE and usually have something to read in my bag... And I'm going to get a diary (FiloFax!) to keep me organised too.

Anyway... I hope you enjoyed having a nose around in my bag... and I hope this doesn't turn into an open invite for muggers :-O haha!

I'd love to see what's in everyone elses handbags!

Sami xx

My Nail Varnish Collection

As you can probably tell by all my NOTDs I loooove nail varnish! And I've built up a little collection over the past few months... here's what I've got right now....

Left to right: OPI Coney Island Cotton Candy, OPI Glitzerland, OPI Pinking of You, OPI So Hot it Berns, Bourjois Rose Lounge,  Bourjois Rose Lounge, Barry M Bight Purple, Mint Green, Flamingo Pink and Matt White, Estee Lauder Wild Orchid, Nubar Creme, No7 Matt Top Coat, NARS Adelita, Rimmel Urban Princess, Sleek Nailed Polish, GOSH Golden Brown, LCN no name pink

My Top 5

OPI Pinking of You - a lovely bright candy floss pink that I have been wearing non-stop lately

OPI Glitzerland - another beautiful colour from OPI, this is from the Swiss collection and looks like melted gold on my nails... I don't think I'll ever get fed up of this colour

Barry M Mint Green - I love how obscure and bright this colour is! 

Barry M Pink Flamingo - beautiful two-toned colour that looks amazing in the sunshine

Bourjois Rose Vamp - this is, in my opinion, the perfect pink

I also LOVE Bourjois' Fuchsia Hype but I've lent it to a friend :)

Not really liking...

OPI Coney Island Cotton Candy - the colour is a little blah in my opinion... but maybe it just doesn't mesh with my skintone... Zara from MouldyFruit suggested using it as a top coat to give bright colours a pastel wash so I might try that

 Barry M Matt White - I'd been itching to try white nails for a while but found that the consistency of this was awful... imagine applying Tipex to your nails and you'll get the idea...

Bourjois Rose Lounge - another blah nude that just gave my nails a polished sheen but failed to make any impact 

Rimmel Urban Princess - gorgeous colour but chips a few hours after you apply it

NARS Adelita - again... blah, blah, blah on its on but could be used as a top coat to give a shimmery finish

In terms of brands I really like OPI but find that their nail lacquers are slightly overpriced... but for high street I really like Barry M and Bourjois for colours and quality.

As you can see I tend to avoid blues, greens and darker colours and stick to pinks and neutrals. It's mainly because I have been collecting nail varnishes throughout the summer and so my taste has geared more towards the brighter, girly colours... I'm still on the lookout for the perfect purple so any suggestions would be lovely :- ) 

Sami x

Quick NOTD - Fuchsia Hype

You may remember a previous Nail of the Day post I did for OPI's So Hot it Berns... it was this really bright red and although I absolutely adoooored it, the colour just didn't seem to mesh well with my skintone. I put it down to the fact that my hands are freakishly darker than my face (about five shades darker, I kid you not).

Anyhuu I discovered Bourjois' Fuchsia Hype Nail Polish which is goooooooooorgeous! It's a rich raspberry red and suits darker skintone really well. If you're not too sure about wearing a bright red nail varnish this is the perfect alternative.

Chic Raspberry Red Nails!

I'm still going through a nail polish obsession and on the look out for a bright purple/lilacone, which of course is the only colour that I can't find ANYWHERE! Suggestions are more then welcome :-)

Sami xx

Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer

Hey guys,

I recieved this yummmy Bourjois bronzer in the post this morning after winning a Twitter competition. Needless to say I was crazy excited because I've never won anything! :- )

I always look longingly at this bronzer whenever I pass the Bourjois counter but stop myself from buying it because I have sooo many bronzing products already, but this one always stood out to me.

:- )

What it looks like inside

Me testing it out

Soooo, I've been playing with it all morning and have come to the conclusion that I LOVE it! Most bronzers look really orange on me and this one is more of a deep brown, chocolaty colour with tiny gold flecks running through it. It's great for contouring, but because the colour is so deep I think it would work better on olive-dark skintones. It's also very pigmented so if you're after a natural bronzy glow use a light hand to apply it. 

I really like the packaging as well; not only does it look like a bar of choc - it smells like one too!

Overall I'm quite happy with this product... only prob is I keep wanting to eat it :-S

Has anyone else tried this bronzer out?

Sami xx