The bag of essentials

I'm not someone who touches up their make up throughout the day. Mainly because I don't really go out anywhere for long periods of time - a quick workshop here, an hour long lecture there and I'm back home. However, I do like to carry a bag of essential products and items with me everywhere I go. I've done this since the beginning of summer and I believe it's about time I showed you the products that have ensured my life is that little bit easier.

Lady essentials

Of course, these had to be in there. The case comes with Bodyform packs from Boots which are currently on offer for £1 - a bargain if you ask me. The case makes sanitary towels discreet, pretty and easy to carry around with you.

Soap & Glory Mini Hand Food - £2.50

My hands don't tend to get all that dry but I do like to keep them moisturised and nourished. This is my favourite ever hand cream as it smells delicious and sinks into the hands pretty quickly. I love the mini version as it's perfect for carrying around with you and just to let you know, I have two bigger tubes of this dotted around the house as well. I just can't be without the stuff!

Halo Handy Hygienic wipes* - £1.09

A definite must! If you're going out for the day then you aren't always guaranteed a sink to wash your hands in. These hand wipes come in handy all the time and I love the Halo ones because they aren't drying on the skin and smell delicious. I love how convenient they are and although I was worried about the pack drying out, I haven't had any issues with it thus far and I used these all the time whilst on holiday. I've also stocked up as they're currently on offer at Boots.

Toothbrush Holder - £0.50

I do have braces so carrying a toothbrush around with me is most definitely essential. Inside my holder I carry a Boots Expert TePe 0.7mm Interdental Brush - £3.09 and a Wilko Kids Toothbrush - £0.70. The kids toothbrush fits inside the holder better and allows me to get a close clean when it comes to my braces. I also carry around a Boots Smile Mini Toothpaste - £0.50 as I like to brush my teeth after meals regardless of where I am.

John Frieda Full Repair Touch-Up Flyaway Tamer* - £10.99

This product is quite new to me but I absolutely adore it. As a fan of the Full Repair range, I was dying to try this out when I saw that it was released. It uses Inca Inchi Oil to smooth down flyaways and frayed ends to ensure that your hair is looking healthy and full of volume throughout the day. The applicator is the same as a mascara wand which makes brushing the product through your hair easy peesy and the small tube is perfect for my essentials bag. I have little baby hairs around my fringe and when I haven't blowdried my hair properly, they stick up like crazy which looks awful. This smooths the flyaways down without weighing the hair down or leaving it feeling crispy - perfect.

Trevor Sorbie Tease Comb - £4.79

I have long hair that gets tangled easy and lacks volume so a comb is a must. I'd love to have a brush in my essentials bag but unfortunately, one won't fit. This comb is compact and does a good job at backcombing my hair throughout the day. It takes a while to get the knots out of my hair but I can cope with that.

Fake Bake Bronzing Powder Brush* - £10.00

Like I've mentioned, I don't top up make up throughout the day but I do take a face powder and brush with me to eliminate any shine that manages it sneak its way onto my face. I love this bronzing brush as it comes with its own carry case so it doesn't get dirty in the bag. My face powder of choice is the No7 Crème Touch Face Powder - £8.50 basically because I need to use it up. It isn't my favourite but it does eliminate shine and add a teeny bit more coverage.

Dirty Works Emery Board and Case* - £2.99

My nails are pretty brittle which means that unfortunately, they break easily. This tends to happen when I'm out and about and for me, there's nothing worse than an uneven nail - they just look so awful and it makes me want to bite them even more, disaster! So I carry this nail file around with me for emergencies. I also love the fact that it comes with its own carry case.

Compeed Heel Blister Plasters* - £5.99

I suffer from blisters badly regardless of if I've been wearing heels or new shoes. I recently went on a Twitter rant about blister plasters as I've always used and bought Compeed ones which are quite expensive. I picked some up from Wilkinsons the other week and they were an absolute bargain at £1.35. However, they aren't the same as my trusty Compeed ones. The Wilkinsons ones were essential plasters but bigger and they needed changing everyday. Compeed Blister Plasters last forever and they won't remove themselves until the blister has heeled itself and disappeared. A complete must have.

Disney Princess Lip Smacker in Snow White* - £3.00

An essential bag wouldn't be an essential bag without lip balm and this is my current one of choice. It nourishes the lips, adds a bit of a sheen and tint and smells and tastes delicious.

Swiss Army Knife Victorinox travel spray holder*

This was a limited edition item that  PR company sent me and I absolutely love it. Not only is it pretty but it's also convienient and I use it to top up my perfume all the time.

Other essentials: a mirror, hair band & grips

Of course! My mirror is a Hannah Montana one that I've had forever, my hair band is from Primark and my grips are from Boots. Definite essentials.

What essentials do you carry around with you on a day-to-day basis?
*PR Sample

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Orthodontic Braces Survival Kit!

I've had my brace on for a week now and I've come up with a pretty good kit to help keep my teeth and brace healthy and clean and my mouth pain-free!

The basics that you need are of course, toothpaste and mouthwash. I'd recommend sticking to the same brand throughout your entire 'brace journey' just to be on the safe side. I'd also highly recommend getting a children's toothbrush. The one I have is the Boots Smile Kids Toothbrush and it was around £1. I'd say get a children's toothbrush because it's easier to reach the smaller areas and also, it's easier to fit the brush in your mouth without over stretching your gums. As well as this, definitely get a travel toothbrush. Mine's just a standard one from Boots. It's important that you do this in case you go out for meals or end up staying over at a friend's house. You never know when you'll need one! The orthodontics recommend that you get some Interdental brushes. Mine are the Boots Expert TePe Interdental Brushes and these are great for cleaning in between the brace to make sure food doesn't get stuck there. You may have to change these every now and then depending on the spacing between the brace. Orthodontics also recommend getting some wax. Mine's just from my own orthodontics and it cost me just £1. You only need a tiny amount and all you do is pop it on top of the brace and it'll stop the brace from rubbing against your gums. It's literally a life saver. Another life saver is Bonjela. You will without a doubt get a lot of mouth ulcers from where the brace rubs - especially when you're sleeping. Bonjela is an instant pain relief and it helps to calm and heal the ulcer. Another thing you'll need is some form of pain relief like paracetamol and ibuprofen. I have the Nurofen Meltlets tablets just because I can't take tablets and they help a lot. Finally, I'd recommend getting a lip balm as your lips become more dry when you get braces. Also, make sure none of the products that you use are whitening as you'll end up with half of your teeth white and the other half not as white due to the brace blocking the whitening products from working!

The picture above is of me wearing my brace. The brace I have is the InVu Brace and as you can see, it's barely noticeable. I won't go into too much detail about it but basically they blend in with the natural colour of your teeth. They're also a lot smaller and more lightweight than your standard brace so it makes them more comfortable. I only have a brace on my top teeth as there's nothing majorly wrong with my bottom teeth. 

Have you had braces before?

xxx

Mini Boots & Lush Haul

Today I got paid after having no money for the past month and seeing as I've done well in my last 3 assignments, I thought I'd treat myself to a few things.

 It's 3 for 2 on all make up at the moment and I was in need of a new foundation. I love my high end foundations but I've been using them daily and I just can't afford to do that any more. I've read some good reviews on the 17 Miracle Matte foundation and I can't wait to give it a try. I also picked up a 17 Pressed Powder. I had a voucher for a free 17 Shine Control Pressed Powder but unfortunately, they didn't have any in and I didn't want to wait. I've popped this one on though it does control shine pretty well. It also adds more coverage which is what I'm after because I'm not happy with my skin at the minute. And finally, I picked up a darker Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer as I've been applying fake tan and my usual one is too light for me. I also bought some Sanex deodorant for my sister (which came to 93p instead of £2.35) and some Boots Smile toothpaste as I had a voucher for it. But I don't think they're interesting enough to show!

Finally, I nipped into Lush. It's been a while since I've been in Lush and I'd forgotten how beautiful it smells. Me and my sister are going home soon so I thought I'd treat us both to a bath bomb each. I'll also do reviews of them both when we use them. For myself I got the Fluffy Egg bath ballistic which reminds me of the smell of Snow Fairy which I love so much! And for my sister, I  bought Butterball as it smells of vanilla which is her favourite scent.

What have you been buying recently? Are you loving the weather?

xxx