The Must-Have Make-Up Bag…

Recently I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect make up bag, yet bizarrely none of my high street finds uncovered a new little beauty-nest I loved enough to bring back home with me. Everything has either been too small, not pretty enough or just ridiculously overpriced for what it is. Maybe I’m just a hard gal to please, but when it comes to picking a cosmetic bag (for me) it needs to tick three boxes: pretty, functional and affordable. I just want something I can lift, love and admire without it overly denting the contents of my bank account.

I admit, all seemed lost until a few weeks ago when a gorgeous raspberry coloured item caught my eye whilst wandering around Ikea. Honing in for a closer inspection I couldn’t believe my luck… surely I hadn’t gone and found the perfect home for all my make-up goodies?

It was indeed love at first sight, so you can imagine my inner jumps of joy when I unzipped it to discover the vast amount of room for my assortment of eye palettes, blusher compacts, lip pencils and glosses. There was even a tiny inner compartment to house my eyelash curlers and brushes, along with a roomy outer pocket to stuff any other little trinkets in. Best of all ladies *brace yourselves* it was a mere £3.75 thanks to my Ikea family card which knocked a further £1.25 of its original £5 price tag *thud of lower jaw hitting floor*

 

Isn’t it beeeeeautiful? *swoon* It’s made of a strong nylon material that’s wipe clean, which helps keep it free of grubby make-up finger prints and looking fresh as a daisy on the outside. Another fantastic feature is that when the bag is opened, it stays wide open due to a hidden framing around the edge of the mouth of the bag so you can clearly see what you’re looking for – makes having to drop everything and rummage through it with make-up covered mits a thing of the past!

Although the gorgeous pop of pink is what initially caught my eye (it’s not a sickly ‘bubble gum’ pink but more of a rich raspberry/cerise tone) it does comes in navy or black – always handy to know if raspberry just isn’t your thing or you’re tempted to treat your fella to a less girly version… perfect for any upcoming holidays or romantic getaways don’t you think?

I really love the chunky metal zipper, it’s incredibly heavy duty, which for me is a huge bonus considering the zips on my last few cosmetic bags have ended up jamming, sticking or simply going bust within a matter of months. I actually bought the smaller pink Ikea bag (pictured below) about a year ago to use as a pencil case and I have to say it’s still like new and showing no signs of wear, tear or zipper weakness.

After a considerable amount of searching I finally found it on the Ikea website (click here) otherwise you’ll just have to haul yourself along to your nearest store to pick one up personally – not a bad thing considering there’s so many other great items on offer for around the home. If like myself you’re a ‘self confessed candle addict’ I’d advise you give them a try too as they’re relatively long lasting and the fragrances are beautiful. I always end up stocking up on a few new packs every time I visit and as a result my cupboards are currently coming down with scented tea tree lights and candle holders!

  

For the price, these handsome little holdalls are amazing quality, durable, roomy, functional and quite the eye candy… I’ve had numerous compliments about mine so far. So if you’re also on the look-out for a dazzling new cosmetic, make up or travel bag, get yourself down to your local Ikea store… it’s well worth the trip!