Being a voyeur, I love seeing what people fit into their handbags. This is especially true of smaller bags. Not being one for a small bag myself, I am always curious to know how people manage to carry their daily essentials in a tiny little bag. Me? I used to lug around gigantic sacks, filled to the brim with everything, including the kitchen sink.
Recently, thanks to a poorly back and shoulders, I’ve cut back. So over the weekend, as I finally got round to switching things out of my regular daily handbag to another one, it struck me that I’d never done a “What’s in my bag?” post.
So basically, I go around perving at what other people stuff in their bags but haven’t shared what I put in mine. Well, let’s remedy that shall we? 😀
The bag du jour for the past 6 months (gasp! Not getting my cost per wear for the rest I own!) is a black leather Gucci Vintage Web Boston Bag which I lusted over last year. It’s just plain black leather with subtle Gucci Guccisima embossed strips down the middle of the bag and on the detachable strap. Part of the reason I’d been loathe to switch out of the one, is just how practical this bag is.
It’s subtle (doesn’t scream the brand at anyone unless you really peer at it), the colour goes with everything, the shape goes from day to night and importantly, it fits a ton of stuff. Granted it then weighs me down, but when I need to carry a ton of stuff with me, this does the job while looking unruffled or bulky.
The other thing I have to mention is just how durable and wonderful the leather is. It’s soft yes, but importantly durable. I’ve been bashing this around for half a year, not babying it, placing it anywhere and everywhere, getting it caught on doorknobs and everywhere, and it still looks amazing! The leather hasn’t scratched, nor has the metal hardware tarnished nor scratched. I love it and it is for this reason I find myself taking a second and third look at what Gucci has to offer. As a brand, it’s isn’t as popular – AND I LIKE THAT! 😀
So, what have I been lugging around then? I decided to tip out all the contents of my bag for posterity so you get the raw, unedited version of what’s in my bag 😀
- Makeup pouch – ‘makeup’ in my case means lipsticks. All 8 of them housed in a largish RMK 15th Anniversary commemorative pouch. This alone weighs a ton!
- Long wallet – LV Insolite Damier Ebene. Fits a ton, and looks slim and elegant while being a workhorse.
- A phone charger – I could carry a powerbank, but I’m hardcore like this LOL! Bought a plug head that can fit a USB cable, and received a USB charging cable for Christmas from a dear dear friend, which turned out to be the best present ever!
- Receipts – The inside of my bag is a mess of receipts and bits of paper. Please tell me I’m not alone!
- Phone – Self-explanatory and housed in a bright red case so I can spot it inside the bag. If you’re wondering, it’s a Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
- Sunglasses – Lasik-ed eyes are sensitive to sunlight and it’s good practice to wear sunnies. Minimizes sun and UV damage to the sensitive eyes, and prevents you from squinting in the sun and getting crow’s feet!
- Cheque book and red packet – Have had to write a lot of cheques recently. Boohoo! Money flowing out faster than water! The red packet was one I’d neglected to remove since the Chinese New Year. I usually carry one around for luck during the festive season.
- Pens – 2 of them because I’m kiasu that way!
- Panty liner – What? Does no one carry one for emergencies?! 😛
- Earrings – I surprised myself here as much as you are. So, that’s where they went!
- A stray 10 sen coin – I told you this was raw and unedited!
- Pouch with keys – Different keys for different purposes get their own pouches. This is one of them and I forgot to include another key pouch for even more keys.
- 2 card holders – One for the blog, one for work. I like keeping my life separate. In case you’re wondering, the colourful pouch is the work one and the black is for the blog, because I’m contrary that way.
- A stray lipbalm – It escaped from the makeup pouch somehow! It’s the Fresh Rose lip balm and it’s surprisingly nice so it’s one of the few lip balms I’d voluntarily wear.
- A stray lipstick – I don’t know how this one escaped from the pouch either but it’s Guerlain Rouge G Madame Batifole which explains why my bag weighs a ton. I have 3 Guerlain Rouge G lipsticks in there 😛
On a day when I have to attend events, I fit my DSLR in there alongside house keys and car keys. Yes, the full size DSLR fits quite easily although it does weigh the bag down. Oh but this particular bag doesn’t suffer from a case of “saggy butt syndrome” which is another reason I like it! 😀
Did you expect me to carry more stuff or less stuff? 😛
I notice a lot of people have mints or tissue paper or notebooks or tablets or headphones while I have erm… crumpled receipts, a phone charger and pantyliners. Go psycho-analyse that eh? 😉
So, what’s in YOUR bag daily? Do you like toting a large bag or a small, organized one?
And no, I never got the hang of using a bag organizer so it’s out of the question. I now go for medium sized bags. Large and oversized bags are now a thing of the past, as I try to cull the amount of junk I carry daily. It’s better for the back too!
Paris B
I’ve never bought a bag organiser, because I just couldn’t see myself using it. Gosh I can see why you love this bag, now I’m in love with it too. I also need a big bag because apart from the usual stuff (wallet, keys, etc) I wear glasses, so in go the glasses, the prescription lensed sunglasses (big case for that), make up (various lip glosses, powder, etc) tissues, tiny brush, rain hat, gloves (if winter), eReader. I bet I have even more stuff!. When I say to someone: please pass me my bag, they always flip at how heavy it is!
Hiya Sofia – how have you been? 🙂 I think bag organisers work for certain type of more structured bags but not floppy ones like this. This is a great bag – roomy yet streamlined to look at! Oh oh I know what you mean by your bag being heavy. Sometimes, I ask my friend to hold onto my bag for me while I do stuff and they always get stunned at the weight! It’s like “How do you carry this everyday?!” haha
panty liner? how about a couple of sanitary towels, a bar of soap, wipes and little packets of toilet paper. yes I actually carry all those things haha. I have a morbid fear of 1. having to use a public toilet and 2. finding that that public toilet lacks soap. And 3: the unexpected monthly visit. what if they hit you all at once!?
And then there are plasters, bandages, a mini sewing kit, emergency medication … so if you’re ever caught in a dire situation I’m your man!
anyhoo I like how you kept the contents of your bag “real” – most bloggers seem to empty out the junk and “unslightly” things like pads and show the pretty stuff :p
Haha ok Celine, you win! 😀 A bar of soap! 😀 You are truly a girl scout – always prepared 😀 Thanks for sharing your thoughts – I know what you mean about the edited versions of the “What’s in my bag” posts out there. I mean I’d love it if my bag was so tidy and uncluttered and so edited all the time but really, it just isn’t that way in real life is it? 😀
I love this type of posts and surprisingly you have never done one before 🙂 I do not like lugging around big handbags and use the same work bag 5 days a week so my leather handbag is usually not very big. I love your handbag though. LOL. Like you, I do not like bag organisers and instead keep them in small pouches. So my bag contents is usually my long wallet, handphone, small prayer book, small diary, 2 pens, a lot of panty liners (i top them up at work), 2 sanitary pad, a cosmetic pouch (1 lipstick, 1 perfume in travalo bottle, hand cream, small mirror, tissues in Naraya tissue holder & wet wipes from Guardian), a thin flat pouch with a nail clipper and metal nail file and car keys, house keys, rosary (all in individual pouches).
Funny isn’t it? 7 years and I’ve never done a “What’s in my bag” post LOL! Hmm you know, you actually fit quite a lot of stuff into your bag considering you say you aren’t carrying a big one! LOL! I love how so many of us carry pantyliners and sanitary pads around – always be prepared yes? Nevermind that we don’t have a lipstick, when emergencies happen, we need to solve them and fast! 😀
i LOVE this post too! made me suddenly want to check my bag, although i know what an unholy mess it would be! I switch bags very often to match what i wear and i also bash them about terribly, in fact just yesterday i stained my almost new Kate Spade bag because i left an opened Choki-Choki in there which i forgot about. =.=
so what i have in there now are 1. stray receipts. 2. stray coins. 3. mp4 player and headphones because i take the lrt to work everyday and no music is a killer 4. wallet 5. cardholder 6. cardholder 7. 2 identical lipbalms (meant to be distributed amongst my other bags 8. tampons 9. another lipbalm 10. facial mist 11. wet tissues 12. normal tissues 13. bottle of BodyShop’s Honeymania perfume which i love to death 14. travel version of Honeymania body butter which i use as a hand cream 15. pouch filled with medicine just in case. Clarinase, Novomin, Gaviscon, Charcoal pills, plasters, Smecta, Panadol, Beamodium.
my bag weighs.
a
TON.
Haha there’s a reason I don’t put food into my bags 😛 I don’t baby my bags but I do try to take as good care as I can of them. That said, most of my bags have pen marks in them thanks to these stupid ball pens. Yet, I never learn LOL! It was fun to know what you carry about in your bag! OMG I can’t believe you carry a bottle of perfume! I hope it’s a small bottle! And so much medicine! :O I’m one of those people who can never find a piece of tissue paper or panadol when I need it. I swear I need to carry a small medicine chest too LOL 😀
Haha the wonders of a lady’s bag. I always wonder why my bag is heavy but then it contains spectables, tissue packs, wet tissue packs, lip balm, lip gloss, pads, pen, notebook, phone, ipod, portable charger…it’s a small dresser drawer!
A woman’s handbag is like a magic pouch right? We cram so much in there just in case! LOL
I love brands that are not overwhelmingly popular, they have an uniqueness, like Rebecca Minkoff is quite unknown in Hong Kong(I got the MAB Mini in (Electric Blue which is quite like the one you own( from Shopbop.com a few months after your blog post assured me that the shipping is fast and safe). I also hate designs that have the brand logo all over the bag, it’s just too much.
It seems that the current trend of handbag is wearing it at the crook of arm, which really tires me out and gives me sour arm at the end of the day! I’m all about hanging it over the shoulder.
Rebecca Minkoff has fun designs but the MAB weighs a ton! I don’t use it a lot for this reason coz once I put my stuff in there, it weighs me down 🙁 BUT it’s a great bag and a nice design and you’re right, unobtrusive 😀 I like how the new bags have that detachable strap so you can choose to wear it over your shoulder if you want both hands free, or hand hold your bag if that’s what you prefer. I find that most practical
Wow, that’s a good idea carrying a red packet for luck! i should really start carrying one too, haha! Personally I’d keep the panty liner inside a small canvas bag for hygiene purpose (even it has the packet on its own – just a little particular on personal hygiene). It’s always pleasant to read this kind of post, keep more coming! 🙂
Yes! Carry one that’s given to you – apparently brings better luck 😉 Good point about keeping the pantyliner in a pouch. I keep mine in the inner zippered compartment, more for privacy sake. Can’t have embarrassing situations of me pulling out my wallet followed by a shower of pantyliners and pads! haha 😀 Glad you enjoyed this one Nicole
U r not alone! I have panty liners and sometimes pads in most of my bags too! Hahah
This is awesome 😀
Haha Thanks for assuring me pantyliners and pads are normal things to carry around 😀 Glad you enjoyed this
I have my wallet, handphone, charger, earphones, car and house keys, breath spray, small perfume, makeup bag filled with makeup items and brushes, a sanitary pad, sanitary wipes, pen and 2 notebooks for blogging ideas. My makeup bag weighs my handbag down the most.
Haha it looks like I’m not the only one carrying around tons of stuff! Thankfully my makeup bag is minimalist in variety but not in number of 1 product LOL
I love your handbag! its very rare to see one with minimal brand embossed all over bags these days 🙂
Thank you Sasha! I tend to agree with you. It’s actually hard to find brands or bags that don’t shout their name from the rooftops but maybe it’s because that’s what people want? Hey, look at me, I have an expensive bag! haha…