I'm still setting up my apartment (I haven't even finished unpacking yet! The horror!) so this post is a little filler, but I've seen so many "What's-in-my-purse?" blog posts and YouTube videos that never tell the reader/viewer a good way to organize purse items. Have you ever noticed these girls just pull random crap out of their bag at random intervals? Well, that was me. Until a few weeks ago, when I said to myself, "What are you doing? This poor lady behind you just wants to look at Revlon mascara and you're taking up the whole space with your purse on your knee and arms full of crap while you try to dig out that lip stain to see if you already have that color! You. Are. A. Mess." Okay, so the conversation with myself didn't go EXACTLY like that, but you get the idea, right? Enter my newfound solution and obsession for organizing my purse: The Target-found makeup bag. (It'll make a little more sense in a minute, promise.) So let's take a peek inside my purse and get some organizing done, shall we?
So, here she is in all her glory:
This was such a great find at TJ Maxx. So perfect.
Now for the inside:
Inside. What I love about this is that everything has a place and I can see each item easily!
1. Keys
2. Glasses
3. Sunglasses
4. Wallet
5. Purse junk containment system
Keys are easy:
I'd already purged these, so no more loyalty cards and excess weight.
Wallet organizing is always fun though:
I like to keep everything in a single place. No loyalty cards on the left, no cash to the right.
I've found that wallets like this work really well for me. Just enough space without letting me hold on to too much extra stuff.*
Okay. Now for the good part. This is what has been making my life SO much easier. I know where absolutely everything is. I never have to be worried about being stranded without lip balm or hand sanitizer. Any time I want to switch bags, I have to move literally five items. I love this thing, best investment I've made in a while! So, here's the bag-o'-junk:
I'm completely obsessed with these colors. The neon purple & pinky-coral combo is so bright and cheery and chic, I just adore looking at it! And to make something functional, you have to really want to use it. I love pulling this bag out, so I love using it!
The inside. I love the makeup brush holder built into the top. It makes it so easy to store everything!
And the contents!
1. Tums, for the insane amount of heartburn I always seem to suffer from.
2. Tide pen that's not actually Tide but I have no idea what else to call it. Stain stick?
3. Lip & Cheek stain from The Body Shop. I love TBS, their products are incredible. This comes in handy since I'm not huge on lip colors (no matter how many I buy) so in a pinch, I have something flattering and lasting. And it doubles as a cheek stain in case I need to freshen up my face! Perfect multitasking product to carry.
4. Sally Hansen cuticle oil pen, since I'm obsessive with nail care!
5. Nail file. See above.
6. Advil, since nothing else works for my headaches.
7. Sunscreen! I'm not as obsessive about SPF as I should be, but this mini allows me to have it on me at all times should I find myself outside for more than a minute. (Really, between work and school, I'm inside 99% of daylight hours. So sad!)
8. Aveda Hand Relief. BEST. HAND. LOTION. EVER. And what I love most is that even though Aveda makes travel/trial sizes of a lot of their products, most aren't available in stores/salons. Hand Relief almost always is, though.
9. EO hand sanitizer spray, lavender scented. I've since bought the smaller one to keep in my purse (this one now lives in my vanity). I love this stuff! Smells great and moisturizes my hands!
10. EMERGENCY LARABAR. You know you have one.
11. Band-Aids. I'm clumsy. I cut/break myself on everything.
12. Lighter. Never know when you're gonna need one.
13. Emergency lip balm. This isn't my daily lip balm, but this is in case I forget to grab mine from yesterday's pants or leave it on the nightstand. I'll never be without!
14. BareMinerals Matte Foundation in Light is always nice to have. I have problem skin to say the least, and if I need to touch up, I prefer this to piling on more liquid.
15. EcoTools foundation brush. I love using this to apply the BareMinerals. It can conceal small areas or cover large ones. Also good for blending out makeup settle and glasses marks!
16. Brush & Mirror. Enough said.
17. Hello Kitty pencil pouch. Got this in the $1 bins at Target back in high school to use for tampons. Still am. Perfect little bag for them!
So there you have it! Everything (well, I've since added a pencil, pen and floss - I eat a lot of Chipotle, okay?! I do not want cilantro teeth! - to the bag, though.) is in one easily accessed spot and I know exactly what I have with me at all times. I love love love this bag, it makes everything so much simpler!
Also, I plan to do a bookbag organization post soon. Then when I get my couch, I can finally decide on paint and start decorating! Can't wait to share all of that and the organization involved with you guys!
*PS, change goes in my piggy bank at the end of each day. More on this in an upcoming post about my entryway dumping ground.
