The Bare Necessities - Essentials - Winter Handbag Essentials.

Hi!!!

Welcome to Blogmas Day Seven! Today I wanted to talk you through some of my handbag essentials for the winter months. We all tend to be quite busy during December and the last thing you need is to get to someone's house or to a restaurant or to a Christmas market and realise you don't have any of the things you want or need in your handbag. This is sort of a checklist to make sure you're ready for anything and you can just get on with enjoying yourself. Also, I appreciate that these are very 'first world essentials' and I wanted to disclaim that before we began.

Phone/Money/Keys/ID.

These are all obvious so I'm counting them collectively, rather than as individual items - definitely make sure you have these, I don't need to tell you why these should be in your bag.

Sunglasses.

This might not seem obvious to some of you but I have quite sensitive eyes and with the sun being quite low in the sky in the winter months, I really appreciate having my sunglasses with me so I can look at all of the lovely seasonal surroundings rather than the ground with the hopes of saving my eyes. These are my prescription sunglasses - even more of an essential as they help me see everything with greater clarity, too - and they are from Joules via Vision Express.

 

Hand Cream.

Winter is my favourite season but I must admit that my skin does need some extra help in the winter months because of the changes from being out in the cold to being in shops and houses with central heating on full blast. I like having a small, travel sized hand cream in my bag in case I want or need to use it. The one I currently have is Hand Food from Soap and Glory, and I love it, but if you want something a little more festive then The Body Shop have their three Christmas scents (Vanilla Chai, Frosted Berry and Frosted Plum) available in hand creams.

Lip Balm.

I always have a lip balm with me - even if I'm not carrying a handbag, I'll probably have one in my pocket instead. Lip balm is always a must-have for me, but Winter is the time when it really becomes more of an essential because of the effects of the weather and central heating I mentioned earlier which can be quite uncomfortable. I swear by Vaseline Rosy Lips because it's moisturising and hydrating and has a really lovely soft pink tone - in the past I've been complimented on my lipstick when actually I'm just wearing this lip balm. 

A Book.

Whether I find myself on a train journey with nothing to do or in a coffee shop by myself while out Christmas shopping, I often find having a book with me useful. I don't really like sitting scrolling through my phone and I'd much rather sit and read a few pages or a chapter if I end up with some spare minutes. I'm currently reading 'A History of Britain in 21 Women' by Jenni Murray (it's amazing, highly readable and very interesting) and next on my list is something much more festive.

Tissues.

I'm sure we've all be caught out by a surprise cold at some point and there's nothing worse than being totally unprepared when the sneezes arrive. Having a packet of tissues is also super handy for all kinds of other things - should you find yourself in need of a napkin at a Christmas market or a cloth or something to wipe away your happy tears upon receiving a really thoughtful present, the possibilities are endless. I'm more than happy to sound like your Mom here and tell you to carry a little packet of tissues.

I hope you enjoyed this post.
What are your handbag essentials at this time of year? Do you have any other comments or suggestions for future posts? Leave a comment to let me know.
Thanks for reading Blogmas Day Seven. I'll see you tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day!

GingerSnaps xxx

The Bare Necessities - Essentials - My Carry On Essentials.

Hi!!!

I don't know about you guys but when I'm going on holiday (even if its weeks away), I'll be looking at packing lists, airport outfits and carry on essentials posts on the blogosphere. These are my own carry on essentials - I'm talking short haul today, because I have no experience of twenty hour flights. Let's roll.



Passport, Boarding Pass, Phone and Purse. These are the real essentials for your flight so pack these first, preferably in a little side pocket in your bag (if there is one...) so that you can find them easily and you don't have a mini did-I-leave-it-at-home heart attack.

 

Camera. I like to keep my camera in my hand luggage so that I know where it is and that it isn't going to get damaged in transit (or, you know, when its taken on and off the plane...). If you have a little case for it, then pop it in that. Having it in my hand luggage also means that, should I want to use it when at the airport or when I arrive, I have it to hand. Obviously it isn't in the photos because I was using it.

 

Sunglasses. I keep my sunglasses in my bag for multiple reasons. One is the good old 'don't want them to get damaged in transit' thing. Another is that, if I want/need them on the plane for any reason, then I have them handy. Finally, I might need them when I arrive (obvs this is dependant on the time of year and where I'm going). Mine will be in their plastic case.

 

Books and magazines. As much as staring out the window is my favourite thing to do on a plane journey, sometimes you want some other options. Bring a book for longer flights or a bunch of magazines for longer and shorter flights.

 

Tissues. They're just handy to have and even if you don't need them, someone else might. Buy a little packet and pop them in amongst the rest of your things.

 

Lip balm and hand cream. While I love plane journeys, I do sometimes notice it can leave my skin a bit dry. I like to bring hand cream as this keeps me feeling fresh and lip balm to keep my lips from drying. Pop them in one of those little clear bags and make sure they're under 100ml.

Pocket Size Sun Cream. This is somewhat dependant on where I'm going but if I'm going to somewhere sunny, then I like to bring this with me. Nivea do pocket size sun lotions which are less than 50ml, so you can bring these on the plane in your clear bag. You can then pop some on when you arrive at your destination - that way, you won't start your break with lobster red skin.

Sweets. I like to have some with me because they help to stop my ears popping (*shudders*) and also because I like sweets. I get them at the airport once I'm through security at WHSmith or something.

Water. You can bring water on a plane if you buy it at the airport, just to let you know (because I didn't until recently). I don't bring a bottle of water on shorter flights - I just get a cup of tea from the trolley - but on a longer flight, it's good to have the option. Dehydration at 30,000ft is not the one.

So, those are my carry on essentials. Hope you're enjoying the 'holiday-y' content.

What do you bring in your carry on? Do you have any recommendations for other things I could take? Do you have any suggestions for future posts or any other comments? Feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for reading. 

Have a sunny day! 

 

GingerSnaps xxx