What's In My Purse? (Weekend Edition)

This is one of my favorite types of blog entries to read so I hope you enjoy this peek into what I carry every day.  It may seem like a lot but I do use most of this each day and feel lost if I reach for one of these things and its missing.  I really recommend all of these products!!

I'm a grad student so I do switch my things between my backpack and my weekend tote bag, and then I'll pare it all down and bring only the essentials in a smaller purse or clutch for a night out. 

The bag is the 2008 Juicy Couture Canvas Premier Shopper Tote:  a coated canvas tote that is a little Goyard-esque.   I would die for a Goyard bag, but for now I'm loving this Juicy tote.  It's big enough to handle magazines or other paperwork, but its very light because its coated canvas with leather only on the straps and trim.  The print on the bag is little scottie dogs :) Unfortunately, I don't think its still for sale anywhere.

And inside:

 Jonathan Adler for Barnes & Noble Love Dove Fuchsia Folding Umbrella,

Vera Bradley Double Kiss Coin Purse in the pattern "Very Berry Paisley,

Brown vegan leather wallet - no brand, gift from my mom a few years ago,

Black stretchy cotton mittens,

Tic Tacs in Wintergreen flavor,

Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy PLUS Intensive Repair Hand Creme,

Sephora Pop-Up Travel Brush,

Stephanie Johnson Katie Folding Clutch in the color "Lima Pink,"

Milly for Clinique brush/pencil case (part of this set),

Fiber One bars in "Oats & Caramel" and "Oats & Chocolate,"

Essence of Beauty (CVS store brand) antibacterial hand sanitizer in "Sunblossom" scent,

Awesome little purple folding mirror - no brand, gift from my grandma this past Christmas,

CVS travel size Cleansing & Makeup Remover Towelettes (similar),

My kitty Lucy (no I don't tote her around all day haha),

16 oz. Nalgene water bottle (this one was a free giveaway at an event I went to recently),

Moleskine Reporter Pocket Ruled Notebook,

Forever 21 black claw hair clip,

Assorted pens, pencils, and highlighters,

Post-It 1" Flat Tabs (yeah I'm a nerd - these are the only tabs I'll buy for my school work)

I use the little Vera Bradley Double Kiss Coin Purse to hold an extra necklace & bracelet in case I need them for a quick day-to-night switch, and I also use it to hold my headphones and SD memory card USB reader

So this may be TMI, but I use the little Milly for Clinique brush/pencil bag to hold tampons, an extra pair of undies, and a ziplock baggie.

And here's my favorite thing in my purse, my "purse pack:"   

I use my Stephanie Johnson Katie Folding Clutch as both a makeup bag and a first aid kit. This little baby is easy to move to whatever purse or backpack I'm using each day, and it holds a TON:

I love it because it has two zippered compartments inside...

And the compartments are clear!  So I can actually see what I need before I reach in and shuffle everything around.  I know exactly where everything is in there.

First, I'll show you the "makeup side"

Nivea Kiss of Moisture lip balm - I love this but it doesn't have SPF, so I usually also have the Paula's Choice Moisturizing Lipscreen SPF 15 in my purse, but I just ran out.  I switch to the Shiseido Sun Protection Lip Treatment SPF 36 for the summer.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter lipsticks in 025 Peach Parfait - a perfect peachy pink, and 085 Sugar Plum - a beautiful light mauve.  These new lipstick/lip balm hybrids have taken the blog world by storm this past year and for good reason!

Tarina Tarantino Fleur de Lash mascara in Black Opal,

Mary Kay NouriShine Lip Gloss in Gold Rush (color isn't made any more),

Juicy Couture Original rollerball and spray travel perfume,

Harvey Prince Yogini spray travel perfume,

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl highligher travel sized,

Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in color "Birchbox Pink" travel size,

Benefit Erase Paste in shade No. 2 medium travel size,

bobby pins, nail file, and cuticle trimmer stick,

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in color "Lionfish,"

Milani Liquif'Eye metallic eye liner in color Black,

Beautiful little Vera Bradley mints tin given to me by my bf's grandma (they're not sold on the Vera Bradley site anymore but there are a bunch on eBay), which I use to hold my pills,

CVS nail polish remover pads (usually I carry Deborah Lippmann's Stripper to Go pads, but I just ran out)

This other side is more of a first aid / for-emergencies-only kit:

This side is not as fun so I'm not going to link to everything.

I carry a dryer sheet (top of the picture, folded) to rub on my hair if it is static-y, Mini lint roller, Tide to Go pen, Band-Aids, extra contacts, mini Revlon tweezers, earplugs, one little backup dose of my everyday medicines in case I forget to take them in the morning, a Larabar, ShowStoppers fashion tape, Tums, cough drops, Visine, Band-Aid Friction Block Stick (the bandaid brand one is a lot better than competitors for avoiding blisters), and extra hair ties.

Close up shot of the adorable mini Revlon tweezers

So that's what's in my purse!  Let me know what's in yours :)

What's In My February Birchbox? Plus, How To Use Beautypedia.com

Have you heard about Birchbox?

It's a monthly subscription box of 4 to 5 sample-sized beauty products that you receive in the mail around the second week of the month!  Usually, there will be at least one full-sized product in the box, or some little bonus items.  The subscription is $10 a month, or $110 per year.  If you like something in your box (or in someone else's box), you can go to the Birchbox shop and buy the full-sized version.  Purchasing full-sized products, reviewing your samples, or referring your friends gets you Birchbox points that you can use towards purchasing items in the Birchbox shop.

This month, I received some interesting items, and some sort of eh items.  Here are the full-size pics of the samples I received.  Drumroll, please:

{Shu Uemura Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Oil for Dry Hair}

{Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution}

{Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Serum}

{Eye Rock Designer Liner}

{Supersmile Powdered Mouthrinse}

I'm excited to try these products out!!

I always double-check my Birchbox samples in Paula Begoun's Beautypedia.  I mentioned in an earlier post that Paula owns Paula's Choice (a skincare and makeup line that I'm obsessed with and will review soon), but she also runs the Beautypedia website (also available as an app from iTunes).  Beautypedia is an encyclopedia of makeup and skincare products that is scientifically, meticulously, scrupulously researched.  Even though Paula sells her own products, she is not shy about telling you what else out there is good too.  She lists her "Paula's Pick's" in various categories in a subpage of Beautypedia, so I frequently go there if I need something on my list to see what is the best.  Additionally, Paula runs the Cosmetics Ingredients Directory that explains what each ingredient in a cosmetic does and whether its good for you.

So, when I want to research something on Beautypedia, I like to start on the Master Brand List page so that I can drill down into the brand's offerings with a control+f.  She also has a handy search page but I am always curious about what else each brand offers.  So, on the Master Brand List page, I'm going to search for Shu Uemura, click on that brand, then click around to find the Essence Absolue.  It must be a new product, because it is not listed.  Actually, a lot of Birchbox's samples are so new they are yet to be reviewed by people such as Paula or various bloggers.  So then, I read up on the brand in general at the top of the Beautypedia Shu Uemura page by clicking "More Info," and then I'll look through the brand's similar product offerings to see how many get good and bad reviews.

After doing the same process in Beautypedia to find the Kiehl's Clearly Corrective serum, I found Paula's review of it:  not good!  This is one sample I'll be donating to someone else - my skin cannot handle drying products with alcohol in them.

I am excited about keeping the Supersmile Powdered Mouthrinse in my Stephanie Johnson Katie folding clutch (what I refer to as my "purse pack" makeup bag), which I'll be reviewing soon!

Do you get a Birchbox?  What do you think of the product offerings?  Do you use Beautypedia to double-check your purchases and samples??  Let me know in the comments!