What's in my gym bag

After I had done my Summer's makeup bag post, I thought it would be a fun idea to see what else I carry with me in my different bags, and I wanted to kick off with my gym bag. The fabulous gym that I go to is very generous and they actually have both shower gels, hair products and everything you could possibly want available right there, but I kind of like to use my own stuff - we don't all want to smell the same now do we?

Admittedly I don't always wash my hair after the gym, it all depends on what type of work out I've been doing, but when I've been VERY energetic I'll use my Avon Naturals Wild Violet & Grapeseed Shine 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner. I've talked about these 2-in-1 products from Avon before and I have to say that I think they're excellent value for money. I've tried many different scents and types and they all cleanse your hair wonderfully, and leave a subtle fruity scent that lingers for a few hrs, which is so nice when you've just had a work out. With this particular product, the scent of Violet is hardly noticeable which is a good thing since I'm not a massive fan of that note. I wouldn't recommend that you only use this type of product since it can dry out your hair, but for weekly use or every now and then it's absolutely fine, and this particular product also brings out a lovely healthy shine.

Now on to body care. After a work out I like to keep it fresh and fruity so the Body Shop Sweet Lemon Shower Gel is just the ticket. It's a soap free shower gel that won't dehydrate your skin but it still works up a good lather and has the most amazing fresh, but slightly syrupy sweet lemon scent. It's delicious and zesty and it reminds me of Limoncello - oooh yum... I follow up the shower gel with the Body Butter in the same range. The Body Shop body butter is a classic. It doesn't matter which scent you go for, they are all amazing in terms of giving you a deeply hydrated sensation that lasts many hours after you've massaged it in. The texture is really rich and buttery and when you heat it up between your hands you release the scent and the oils, and it absorbs into the skin without leaving any greasiness. They are just wonderful! If you haven't yet tried your first Body Shop Body Butter - you should definitely treat yourself to one.

Boring but necessary is the deodorant bit. I can't say that I have a favourite, but at the moment I'm using the Dove Cucumber & Green Tea Deodorant which is a spray deodorant with a lovely fresh scent and it does seem to have effective protection too.

I never really bother with a full face of makeup after the gym, but if I do need to go out on the town there are a few basic products that I want to use. I think I've mentioned before that I have very blonde eye brows and after the summer they have more or less disappeared, and while Mona Lisa may be a masterpiece of a painting, it's not a great look on me. So the first product to go on is Avon's Glimmerstick Brow Definer. I have used this brow definer for years and am very happy with it and the result is gives. Most importantly for me is that it's in a blonde shade that works really well with my natural coloring, but it's also very easy to use - to define and blend the brows in a natural way.

So now that I've framed my face, I add a little bit of Estée Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara, and this trial size fits great into any bag. This formula has a way of volumising and plumping the lashes without weighing them down, and with only one coat you get a fresh faced and wide eyed baby doll look. If you want to add a little more mascara, you'll get very defined lashes and it's a real statement look. Just a little lick of MUA Professional Out There Lip Gloss and I'm done with the make up. MUA has marketed this as a plumping lip gloss, but to be completely honest I can't say that I've noticed any such effect. I do however think that the shade is a very pretty, subtle and slightly shimmery peach color that is perfect for that bare faced look after the gym.

I always carry with me little anti-bacterial pocket hand gels from Bath & Body Works, and the one I have in my gym bag is in Ocean Sunset. It's not that I have a few of germs or anything but it's really practical to carry with you, and when we travel I have at least 2-3 with me since Him Indoors tend to steal them too - the cheek! The Ocean Sunset is a lovely fresh and crisp mix of watery scents like melon and cucumber together with piquant key lime and coconut. Sounds like an amazing cocktail doesn't it, but it also makes your hands feel impeccably clean and protected.

Last but not least of course I need a spray of something fresh, energetic and uplifting and for me Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine EdT is just right for this occasion. I don't think that this is similar to the original Daisy at all. This has much more of a fruity and less floral note - it's like a fresh, zingy fruit salad in the morning of strawberry, apples and grapefruits. YUM! But it also has a soft and feminine deeper floral tone of rose, jasmine and violets. With that I'm ready to go out and get a quick Starbucks, or do a sneaky little pit stop at Boots on the way home.

I also have to take a minute to talk about my bag. Now, I know that I am just a little bit biased because it is in fact MY bag, but even if I had seen someone else wear it I still would have though it's so cute. It's a personalised handmade jute bag from ClaireaBella Designs and every single bag will be different. When you order your bag you get to choose hairstyle, hair color, outfit, eye color and skin color - how perfect is that?!
 

As you can see, my bag is all about the fitness but don't worry - amongst the outfits you have some fantastic options to choose from like glam, glitz, chic, posh, brideabella, relaxed, precious cargo, hot pink dress, rock chic and of course the gymabella that I've gone for. The bag has a few cute little bows, a silver charm and to finish off some swarowski stones, because even a gym bag needs some sparkle!

If you go to the ClaireaBella web page you'll see that they have other products as well, not just bags - but I think a customised bag is a PERFECT present for someone, or if you just want to make your own special bag for whatever occasion.