What's in my bag: NCTJ edition | Thursday Talks

Sorry about crap quality - forgot to bring my DLSR to Brighton this week

'What's in my bag' videos/posts are things that I love wasting time watching/reading. It's that thing that all humans have called noseyness, don't try and deny it's an evolutionary thing, I think. Anyway, as I enjoy seeing what other people have stashed inside their bags I thought I'd share mine with you, probably with the end result not being as enjoyable as intended. So this is what's in my bag NCTJ edition (spoiler alert, if this works I'm planning weekend addition, hand luggage edition etc so let me know if you like it or if you hate it, but be nice either way).

So for travelling on cramped busses everyday I have found, through much trial and error, that my rucksack is best suited. No nearly breaking shoulders if I'm forced to stand in between four smelly adolescents on their way home from school and no fear of things falling out if it falls off the seat I have it perched on as 'don't sit next to me I'll bite your head off' warning. I received this for Christmas from my parents intended for my hand luggage but the bus situation meant I've had to get it out sooner than intended. I'm breaking it in if you will. It's from a local independant shop called Tiempo but it's buy Brakeburn. I really love it, it's super comfy and holds all my stuff (necessary and not) and still feels sturdy and I think looks pretty nifty too.

Now I carry a lot of crap in my bag but I have basic essentials that I wouldn't leave the house without i.e headphones, phone charger, purse and keys. All these things go into any bag I take with me everything else is optional. Apart from the carmex and a packet of chewing gum but they normally end in my pockets rather than my bag anyway. Because I change my bag a lot (every weekend at the moment) I keep all the essentials in a separate bag so I can just lift that out and not loose anything I need in the corners of my big bag. I keep all the essentials in the protective bag that my Louis Vuitton bag came in. It's handy as it has a drawstring on it which means I can keep it closed so it doesn't all fall out and like I say I can just lift that out when it comes to changing bags rather than trying to find loads of little things. Arguably this does make it easier for pick pockets to get all my expensive stuff in one swipe.

I also carry a variety of weather gear with me. Gloves, umbrella and sunglasses are in my everyday bag. At the moment Britain's weather seems to have a case of schizophrenia. Blue skies change to black clouds and torrential rail within an hour and therefore I never know what I might need within the day so it all comes with me so I'm prepared for every eventuality.

I carry a few beauty bits with me most days. Perfume stays in my bag as a staple as smelling good is key over anything else for me. People who smell bad make my day bad, I don't want to make someone elses day bad so I carry perfume and often deodorant as well for those days when it all gets a bit much and I need a top up. My perfume of choice is Hugo Boss' Femme as it's not to heavy so is great for everyday and any occasion really. I also carry hand lotion and hand sanitiser with me most days, particularly hand lotion. This hemp one from the body shop is a work of the gods. My hands have never been so soft and moisturised and it's the least greasy hand lotion I've ever used but you only need literally a dot for your hands to feel, also, like work of the gods. As stated before and in previous posts, my Carmex lip balm may as well be surgically attached. I'm already making a dent in my new one and I only use the smallest amount as that's all that's necessary. I just use it so much cause it does my lips wonders.

Books and notepads appear in my bags in abundance, this ones quite tame. I always have a reporters notebook on me at the moment as they're the easiest thing for jotting down notes at college but also just anything I think of during the day can be scribbled in them. I normally carry my blog post notebook with me in my bag but I haven't done this week as I forgot to pick it up before I left. My filofax is an essential, but I try not to carry it on the weekends as it reminds me of work and on the weekends that's something I do as I please and not to a schedule. Filofax's are great though I've had mine two years and I'd never go back to a normal diary. You can personalise them to suit your lifestyle for instance I have addresses, to do lists and notepaper in mine but there are many other things you can put in them to suit you. I also always carry the book I'm reading with me. You never know when you might get a chance to squeeze a chapter in so I carry it with me. At the moment I'm reading Charlotte Grey by Sebastian Faulks.

Lastly food and drink. A bottle of water comes with me everywhere I drink at least a litre a day and carrying a water bottle with me helps me make sure I do that. Also my lunch, I try to take a packed lunch everyday to save money but also it tends to be healthier that way. At the moment I've been eating a lot of soup for lunch but I've also been taking my breakfast with me to eat at college as I've heard it's better to eat breakfast about two hours after waking up. Eating it later also helps to keep me going for longer so less snacking happens. I've been taking granola with fruit and yoghurt the past couple of days with some fruit and then having soup of many varieties at lunch time.

So that's it, that's what you'd find in my bag most days of the week.

I told you not as enjoyable as intended.