Bag Lady

Cosmetic bags.  I have a whole lot of cosmetic bags.  With all the GWPs (gift with purchases), limited edition makeup sets and miscellaneous bags bought on a whim, I have quite a collection of pouches - some of which I know I will probably never really use.  And I'm probably not the only one.  Anyone who has ever ventured beyond drugstore makeup will likely have more than one cosmetic bag in their possession.  I never really paid attention to how many I had accumulated until I stumbled onto a few in a drawer...

This pretty little Clinique bag was snagged while cleaning my ex's childhood home.  One of his sisters had left the pink felt patchwork bag there, totally forgetting about it with no interest of reclaiming it.  So I took it...

...and re-purposed it as traveling bag for my makeup brushes. 

This brown nylon Laura Mercier zip top came with a cluster of limited edition products inside.

Safari Pouch (front)

Safari Pouch (back)

CARGO offered this cute faux leather pouch with its Safari Collection that came out two years ago.  I love that it looks like a stamped post card!

This simple, cotton snap pouch came with my 5-piece EcoTools brush set.  It's pretty small so I'm not quite sure what I would be able to put in this.  A couple of eyeshadows, maybe?

I love the print on this cotton zip up.  I also love that it has an additional zip pocket in the front of the bag. 

It's from Burt's Bees and came with a set of his grooming products, including items for hands, nails and lips.

Here's another Clinique bag, this time a white patent leather one with a dragonfly attachment.

I actually bought this denim makeup case not because of need, but because of want.  I couldn't resist; I thought the embroidered girl holding a mirror on the front was just too adorable to pass up.

But I have made good use of it.  It is my mobile nail grooming station as I fill it with different polishes and grooming devices needed on the go.  And did you notice the plastic still on the mirror?  Yes, another one... (inside joke for all those who have read my post Holding On).

Sephora was having a grand opening for its JCPenney store location in my area so I received this shiny number as a "thank you" for attending.  It's just a tad bit narrow for my likes, so...

I use it to store a chunk of my samples such as perfumes and other freebies I get from shopping online.

This denim clutch I believe is from Bath and Body Works.  It's pretty cute... don't remember what came in it or with it, but it's pretty cute.  And I did have the nerve to wear it as a clutch one time, but that was a long time ago.  A really long time ago.  A loooooong time ago.  (ah-hem!) Anyway,

...with all the fancy schmancy bags I have at my disposal, I truly prefer the simplicity of the clear, kidney shaped one I bought from Ulta.  It's conveniently sized to fit into all of my handbags and, because it is clear, I can easily assess what I have in it.

So there you have my motley assortment of cosmetic bags (some of them) and as I put them back in their respective places, including the aforementioned drawer, I am reminded of who and what I've become.  I am a new age "bag lady" of sorts, gathering and safekeeping my prized possessions in the numerous satchels, cases, bags and pouches I've collected.  However, instead of it being a burden of baggage, I see it as a testament to how far I've come and how much I've evolved in the makeup game.  A growth I'm pretty proud of, to say the least.