It’s no secret that I like handbags. Over the years I’ve put together quite a collection. I have to admit that I’m not particularly loyal to one specific brand. Most of my handbags are from different high street stores such as New Look, Primark, Quiz, and Next. But there is one particular brand of more expensive handbag that I tend to buy again and again. And that brand is Fiorelli.
Today I thought I’d talk about my favourite of all my Fiorelli bags: the Mia Grab Bag in a beautiful aubergine shade. And as I know you guys are a lot like me and enjoy having a nosey through other people’s handbags, I’ll also show you what I keep inside when I’m out and about. So without further ado, let’s jump straight in.
So, I picked up the Fiorelli Mia Grab Bag at the beginning of November last year. I remember seeing it and thinking it was the perfect size to just ‘grab and go’ when I didn’t need a big bag to cram full of stuff. It was around the £60 mark, and although I noticed it came in lots of different colour ways, the aubergine shade really called out to me. I tend to wear a lot of black, so I knew it would go with most of my outfits whenever I wanted to add a pop of colour to them.
From the second I picked this bag up, I knew I’d get a lot of use out of it. But I have to be honest and say I never expected it to become the bag I would reach for almost every single day. And that’s exactly what’s happened! I just love the style and size of the Mia grab bag. It’s the perfect in-between of being small without being too petite, but at the same time, it’s big enough to fit everything inside that I need on a day-to-day basis.
The bag has three main compartments that zip up and an extra, smaller compartment on the front which opens and closes with a popper. I don’t really use the front compartment very much, as I’m the sort of girl who puts way too much stuff in her handbag, and I don’t want to ruin this one by doing that. Having said that, I went to the theatre a couple of weeks ago and I found it was the perfect place to keep my tickets safe and secure.
The centre compartment on the top of the bag is slightly bigger than the other two, and there’s an extra little zip section and two compartments that are perfect for holding things like a travel mirror, or small external charger for your phone. Which reminds me, I have loads of these and still forget to take one out and about with me!
The two compartments either side of this seem to be the same size as each other. And to give you an idea of the width of these, I’ll tell you that I can fit my iPad mini inside them nice and snugly. Anything any bigger though and I think it would be a struggle. But to be fair I rarely take anything larger out so it’s not a problem for me.
This particular Fiorelli handbag has beautiful gold hardware. And I like that the branding is subtle and understated. You’ll find the words ‘Fiorelli, est. 1988’ in gold hardware on the front, the letter F in gold hardware on the back and then ‘Fiorelli’ is written very faintly all over the lining inside. You won’t notice this unless you look closely though.
The Fiorelli Mia Grab Bag has two small handles, and an adjustable cross-body strap that can be removed. I don’t tend to use it as a cross-body bag though. I just perch the long strap on my shoulder. I’m only 5ft 2″ so you’d think the bag would pretty much reach the floor when used like that, but it doesn’t. It sits nicely below my hip. And I could quickly adjust the strap if need be.
The one thing I have noticed with Fiorelli handbags though is that the handles and straps are always the first things to show signs of wear and tear. I must have 10 different styles in my collection, and all of them would be in excellent condition if it weren’t for the handles. I know that this is because they’re used more than any other parts of the bag, but it’s a bit of a shame as I have cheaper ones that don’t have any damage to the straps or handles at all.
Despite this, Fiorelli remains my favourite handbag brand. And the Mia Grab Bag is most definitely my favourite style of bag! I love everything about it, and as you’ll see in a moment it fits in quite a surprising amount of stuff without looking like it’s been overfilled. I don’t think they do this particular shade in a solid colour anymore, but I noticed that John Lewis currently have a quilted version available here.
Since purchasing the Mia it’s safe to say that all my other bags have been pushed aside in favour of it. It’s the bag I find myself reaching for whether I’m going for a coffee with friends, on a shopping trip, or even a meal out at a fancy restaurant. It seems to go with everything, and I always get lots of compliments from people when it makes an appearance. I can’t recommend it highly enough. And now you guys know what I think of the Mia Grab Bag, I’m sure you’ll be wanting to know what I’ve been keeping inside …
Let’s start with the first compartment near the front of the bag. I like to keep the things I need the most in here. So it would usually have my phone in, but I can’t show you that today as I’m using it to take my pictures with! I currently have an iPhone 6, but I’m hoping to upgrade to a 7 very soon.
I also keep my purse/wallet in this section, and at the moment I’m using this black, quilted effect one from Avon. I’ve been using this for a couple of years now and love the studded detail around the edge, but I have to admit that it’s not the most practical of wallets. My cards tend to jam in the card section and to save faffing around when I’m paying for things while shopping I end up keeping them in with my notes or receipts. This makes everything very unorganised, and I can never find the card I need as it’s a total mess in there – hence why I haven’t shown you the inside of my wallet. I most definitely need to treat myself to a new one. Let me know if you have any recommendations.
As it’s been nice and sunny here in the UK recently, I’ve been taking my sunglasses out and about with me. The ones I’ve been wearing this year are from a luxury brand called Maui Jim. They’re the Rising Sun design* in a burgundy colour, and I absolutely love them. I’d never owned any designer sunglasses until this year, and I was worried that I wouldn’t wear them for fear of damaging them, but I’ve had them on loads already. I’d most definitely recommend checking out the Maui Jim website if you’re after some new sunnies this year!
And the last thing I throw in this section when I’ve got myself ready in a morning is whatever fragrance I’m wearing. Today this is the Cherry Blossom perfume body spray from Body Fantasies. I’m fairly obsessed with this scent at the moment. It has a beautiful floral scent to it that is perfect for Spring, and whenever I spritz this on I can smell it all day. And the best part is that it only costs £3.99. Bargain!
Next up is the middle compartment, and this is where I usually keep Oscar’s things when we’re out and about. So I’ll pop in a packet of wet wipes and a clean t-shirt etc. But as I have some appointments today he isn’t with me, so I got to fill it with a couple of my own things instead. Yay!
I have horrible, fine hair that tangles easily, so I can’t leave the house without a hair brush or I’d look a complete mess. At the moment I’m using this beautiful rose gold Liscio Detangling Brush* from Alfa Italia. I love this particular brush as it works in the same way as the Tangle Teezer, but the bristles feel a lot softer so I’m not constantly worrying that it’s going to damage my hair. I’m hoping to do a full review on this soon, as it’s one of the best brushes I’ve used in a long time. Would that be something you guys would be interested in?
And then the other thing I have in this section today is my ‘Tidy Tunes’ case* from Happy Jackson, which houses my apple earphones. I’ve been terrible in the past at just throwing my earphones into my bag, and they’ve ended up getting all tangled up and damaged. So when I saw this fun-looking little case I just knew I had to buy it. And it does a really great job too! I take it everywhere with me. The only downside is that it looks like it’s designed with a teenager in mind as it’s really brightly coloured. I wish they made it in a variety of different shades as I’m sure I’m not the only older lady who likes to listen to music or audio books when she’s out without the children.
And finally, in the back section of the Fiorelli Mia Grab Bag, I keep all the goodies that I think will be of most interest to you guys. Yes, this is where I keep my makeup bag, among other things. But I’ll talk you through the other couple of bits first if that’s OK?
The first thing I have in this section of the bag is a Sanctuary Spa Velvety Hand Cream. I don’t go anywhere without hand cream because I hate it if my hands suddenly start feeling rough and I can’t rub some nice, refreshing hand cream into them. I usually take hand sanitizer out with me too, but I’ve run out and keep forgetting to replace it. Oops. Anyway, Sanctuary is one of my favourite high street brands, and I’ve been using their velvety hand cream on and off since I first started blogging back in 2012. I like that it has a really luxurious feel to it, sinks into the skin quickly and easily, and smells good too. It’s enriched with shea butter, so it makes my hands feel lovely and soft and smooth whenever I use it. The size I have is the travel one, which is perfect for popping in your bag, and it’s a bargain at just £3.00 for 30ml.
I also like to carry around a mini can of hairspray. If I’m being then I have to admit that I’m not particularly loyal to any one brand of hairspray. And the one I have in here at the moment is the Toni & Guy Glamour Firm Hold Hairspray. Now, I can’t remember buying this on its own, so I more than likely received it in a monthly beauty box, but it does a good job, and that’s all that matters. I’m not one for using loads of product in my hair, so this doesn’t get used that often. But it’s handy for having in my bag just in case I have curls and need something to help stop them from dropping out.
During the warmer months of the year, I always carry sun cream around in my bag. And my favourite one at the moment is the Nivea Sun Protect and Refresh, which comes in a handy spray can. I like this particular one as it’s sort of halfway between an actual cream, and an oil. Meaning it doesn’t take ages to sink into the skin, but it doesn’t leave you feeling all oily either. I can even use this on Oscar without him moaning, and I think this is because it’s really cooling on the skin as well as not taking forever to sink in. My friend Michelle tried it out when she called for a cuppa the other week and she thought it was great too. I believe she was going to pick some up for her holiday in Florida later this month. I told you it was good stuff, didn’t I?
And last but not least we have my makeup bag. At the moment I’m using one I got with a kit I bought from Charlotte Tilbury back in January. It’s a brown colour with goldy coloured lipstick prints all over the front, and I like having it in my bag because I can see through it when I want something. What I do is fill it with whatever makeup I’ve used each morning, minus my foundation. Once I’ve applied that I don’t worry about it (unless I’m going out all day). I also throw in 2 or 3 brushes to use if I need to reapply something. So, what do I have on my face today? I’ll list everything below:
- Face Powder – Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder
- Concealer – Benefit Erase Paste
- Eyeshadow – Soap & Glory Lid Stuff Quad in ‘What’s Nude’
- Mascara – Rimmel Wonder’full Wake Me Up
- Eyeliner – Avon True Colour Glimmerstick Eyeliner – Blackest Black
- Brow Pencil – Browtec Retractable Pencil – 002 Foxy
- Brow Gel – Rimmel Brow This Way Styling Gel – Clear
- Blusher – Avon ColorTrend Blusher in ‘Cheeky’
- Lip Balm – Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm – Hydrate
- Lipstick – MAC Brave – Satin Finish
- Top Brush – Real Techniques Buffing Brush
- Middle Brush – H&M Eyeshadow Brush
- Bottom Brush – Real Techniques Lash & Brow Groomer
I love using these products together on a daily basis as they give me a lovely, understated look. Have you tried any of them before? I’d love to hear your thoughts on them.
And there you have it – my review of the beautiful Fiorelli Mia Grab Bag in Aubergine, and a list of everything that’s inside of it today. I really have gotten a lot of use out of this bag since I got it, and I think it will see me through the Spring and the Summer too.
Do you have a go-to everyday handbag at the moment?
And what do you think of the Fiorelli Mia Grab Bag? Let me know in the comments below!
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*Items with an asterisk (*) were kindly sent for review consideration.
All other items purchased with my own money.