Fashion Blogs

Living in a big city means spending the larger part of my day outside. I rely on my bag a lot, and I’ve joined the secret group of girls whose bag contents are formidable and mystical like some esoteric depths. Not many people can find their way around my bag, but I can, and this is what I’m most often fishing out of it:

1. Cosmetics

How often is it that you find lost kohl pencils in the secret pockets of your bag, after days of furious searching? Very often, if you’re anything like me. I don’t often go for a full face of makeup in the daytime, for fear of smudging. I would do my makeup in the morning, and touch it up in the car (is there anyone with decent bathroom lighting at all?). My mascara is waterproof, so I don’t need to drag it around, but I always have a corrector pen, a lip pencil, and lip balm in my bag. I choose lip balm over lip gloss because I like my lips functional and healthy, and also because I have long hair that tends to get caught on the gloss. If I’m feeling extra fab that morning, I would also pack a duo-set of eye shadow. I never invested in eye primer, so a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do (which is re-apply eye shadow much too often).

Now, makeup isn’t all the cosmetics I haul around with me. I live in a windy city, and every inch of my skin will crack easily. Hand creams are an essential part of my bag, and my brand of choice is Neutrogena, because it is widely available, and because the Norwegians know a thing or two about cold weather.

1. Hygiene

I like to keep my hands clean, and I’ve recently upgraded from wet wipes to sanitizer fluid. It’s probably not the best habit, but I am germaphobe and will not deal. Though hand sanitizer gets bad rep every time it’s not flu season, I will vouch for it at least to the point of stating that if you plan on staying out most of the day, you will probably be eating out. And as most restaurants are a bit skimpy on the soap… it’s good to be prepared. Another thing I am already prepared for is the next severe allergic reaction. I have plenty of those throughout the year, and I swear by my tissues. Other than that, I don’t trust the people around me as much as I could trust myself, so I always have birth control at hand. The moment when you need it, and find out you don’t have it, may not be the most inspirational moment to go and buy some, so all praise the Internet where you can even buy a variety of the best condom brands online. I’ve also got breath mints at hand, because society calls for a fresh breath. And last but not least, I’ve also got small scissors with me at all times, because there is always something to snip away.

1. The bureaucracy

I do most of my banking online today, avoiding long queues and making the most of my day. You could take care of all your financial business via smartphone these days, and that is such a pleasant shift from the heaps of paperwork we once had to balance (the negative point is that you have to remember all the passwords now, which can get as confusing. There are password saving tricks though, you ought to have a look at them). However, there is some paperwork I still like to keep with me - a tiny notepad and a couple of pens, a real no-brainer, and you’ll find you need them more often than you’d think.