Hello world,

This post was actually meant to come out during early December, but life happened and I got too busy with kids and house work, I didn’t get the time. I’m basically “proudly brought to you by wine” right now. Things are waaaaay too hectic.

So, during the holidays I consciously went through my bag to move the most important stuff into a smaller bag. I usually use a ginormous bag, but Christmas shopping with kids is no fun while lugging a potato sack with you, so I wanted a smaller bag to use when out and about with the kids. I had to choose what is most important for me to take with everywhere, so this is what I was left with for very practical reasons:

Wet wipes and gum: With kids (plus an unhealthy obsession with clean surfaces), one always needs wet wipes. My favourite are the Woolworths Time to Clean Up Hygiene wipes. They come in a tiny pack, have no distinct smell and get the job done. All boxes ticked. A pack of my trusted Dentyne sugarfree gum is essential when I need to quickly freshen my breath (because OCD…).

Hand cream: I have a bit of an obsession with hand creams. I have so many favourites and I’m constantly buying more. The three (yes 3) that I decided on are:

• Body shop Wild Argan Oil Hand Cream is an awesome cream. It absorbs quickly and has a deep moisturising effect. My hands feel soft and stay moisturised for quite a while with this cream. A bonus is that I bought this as part of a gift pack, so it is very small and fits into my small bag very easily.
• Inebrya Ice Cream Argan-Age Hand Cream is my second favourite. It absorbs quickly but still has a lasting moisturising effect. The scent is very subtle and I can’t say exactly what it smells like. It’s just sort of clean and fresh smelling. This is one I can use on the kids as well, without Eczema rearing its ugly head.
• The Woolworths Love Your Skin Extreme Moisture Hand and Nail Cream is also a great go-to. Of the three, it takes the longest to absorb but its effect last the longest. It has a stunning subtle (cocoa buttery) smell that lingers as long as the cream effect.

Lipstick/Lipgloss: I flip-flop between The Body Shop Matte Lip Liquid in Windsor Rose, Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid in Nude Flush and Essence Colour & Care in Girls Club. The first two are matte, so they can be drying at times although the Body Shop’s one feels slightly more moisturising. The Essence lipstick looks and feels like lip balm. It has a slight gloss to it due to the avocado butter, which keeps my lips super soft and moisturised. The swatches below are in the order above:

Rice paper and face powder: my pet peeve is an oily, shiny face (I don’t mind it on anyone else, just hate it on me), so I keep either rice paper or powder on hand for a quick touch up whenever necessary. In my bag I have:

• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish: it is not my favourite powder but it is perfect for a touch up. It leaves a velvety, dewy finish that is not flat and it doesn’t build-up with each touch-up (within reason).
• Rice paper is perfect for blotting oil off the face. My favourite is still the Palladio Rice Paper in Translucent. The matte side is for blotting the face and the powdered side for touching up. The packaging is small and perfect for the bag.

So, I have my cards, some cash, the list above, car keys and my phone in my bag. Perfect for shopping in busy malls with kids in tow. Love it. In my head I see myself prancing around the shop isles with all these goodies in my Valentino Satchel (R33,609), but yeah… that’s just in my head. I just love this bag.

Oh, almost forgot: there’s also my trusted everyday chill-out scent, the Lanvin Marry Me. I buy the special set which consists of one 100ml bottle plus a 30ml bottle. The 30ml  is perfect for my smaller bag.

That’s it from me for this week. Shazz, sending you love and light.

*Also, I apologise for the over-use of the word “moisturise”. I love moisturisers so I point out anything that moisturises. Note the number of times I used the word in the apology.