I call this the traveller's chant.

This one's for all the nosy parkers! I love reading "what's in my bag" posts, but have never written one before. As I've recently moved to Munich, I had to do some pretty cutthroat packing, and my fedoras didn't make the cut, even though the kitchen sink almost did. Hand luggage is always tricky (Shini's post inspired me to write my own!), so I thought I'd give you a bit of an insight into what I decided were the most important items to have on me at all times.

Leather bowler bag: £43, Marks and Spencer.

You've definitely seen this one before. I love this bag, and I use it enough to reflect it. It's leather, burgundy, and sufficiently roomy enough to house my camera (which would've been photographed, had I not been photographing with it) and every other "necessity" that winds its way into my possession on a daily basis. And it has a shoulder strap, which is the bag equivalent of clothing having pockets.

iPhone 4S, and telephone box case: £2, Primark.

Although I'm yet to get myself a German sim card (Handykarte in german, in case you were wondering), my phone's definitely coming with me. I've loaded it with the MVV and Munich Metro apps in some vain attempt to help me know where I am, and the EasyJet one means that I don't have to worry about losing my boarding pass, which is a legitimate concern for someone who is not used to waking up early and has a flight at 7am. And it has AM (plus B-sides) on it. 

HP Slate: Argos.

One of those "I didn't realise I needed this till I got it" items, this tablet has become my go-to piece of technology. Although right now I use it mainly for reading (come on guys, free books without having to leave the house, this is the dream), I've sorted it with Munich maps and tourist information. As my phone's getting a little weatherbeaten, the speed of this is appreciated, and the bigger keypad helps with my essay-length facebook message tendencies.

Purse: Luella (old and battered), with Costa, Nando's, and debit cards, and pounds/euros.

This was the first designer piece I ever bought, I was about sixteen at the time. Heavily reduced (I think it was about £70), I still love it now, even if it's seen better days. You can kind of see in the first picture that it's split into two halves, which I'm treating as my GBP/EUR sides, and is pretty handy for making sure I don't mix currencies. The cards bit is self-explanatory, because everyone needs caffeine, chicken, and the ability to pay for it.

Make-up: Benefit powder and eyebrow kit, Optrex eyedrops, Essie nail varnish, Bourjois eyeliner, and Vaseline.

I'm not one to cake on the make-up, but these are the bare essentials that I'd be pretty annoyed if I lost. I've bought another eyeliner to take with me in case of emergency, and it really would be an emergency if it ran out. The eye drops are a familiar sight for anyone who wear contacts (holla), as I find that any foray into air conditioning/public transport/cold weather/hot weather dries my eyes out, so I'm sure at some point during the flight I'll come into contact with one of these instances.

Disposable camera: ebay.

Ah, the holy grail! I love my DSLR like a child, but film photography will always win when it comes down to nostalgia. I haven't posted a disposable camera round up for a while, but I'll make sure to post one at the end of the year at least. As part of my very lovely leaving gift, Jazmine included one for me to take with me, so I'll have at least one to develop when I come back!

Post written in collaboration with Argos

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I got all I need, so give me whisky measures.

Coat: £29.99, Zara. Blouse: £3.25, charity shop. Jumper: Next (old). Suede skirt: £8, charity shop. Bally chelsea boots: £8, charity shop. Bowler bag: £43, Marks and Spencer. Watch: Casio.

Life's been a little challenging recently, but sometimes all you need to cheer you up is to find a cute blouse in a charity shop, a chocolate and orange mocha from Costa, and time to re-read "The Wrongs of Woman". Being blown down the path by my house on the way to the shops was perhaps not the best time to decide to capture my outfit (and certainly not my hair!), but as the nights draw in and the perpetual rainclouds show no sign of moving we took advantage of what little light there was; perhaps not my finest photos, but you can't be completely perfect every time. I'm starting to get a little nervous about moving to Munich on Saturday and feel completely unprepared, but constantly telling myself that "everything will be alright" is going some way to calm my nerves. Last weekend's Hallowe'en festivities were certainly the perfect sendoff, if only a reminder of how much I'll miss everyone (fomo anyone? Although it's nothing on my friend jumping out of a moving taxi, but that's another story), but I'm sure there'll be plenty of new stories to tell by the time I come back - wish me luck!

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I've been infected with restless.

Leather jacket: The Kooples. Crochet trim blouse: £38, Topshop. Jacquard trousers: £22.50, Marks and Spencer (black version here). Leather bowler bag: £43, Marks and Spencer. Nude heels: £75, Christian Louboutin, via charity shop. Faux fur scarf: £1, charity shop. Casio watch: c/o The Watch Hut.

Okay, I'm really sorry but I cheated a little with this outfit. However much I love these shoes, I just don't think my feet were cut out for wearing them to Morrisons, and swapped them for a pair of heeled boots. But just join me in pretending that I was actually on my way to a series of very important meetings in Canary Wharf rather than deciding whether a "trick or treacle" themed tin of Lyle's black treacle would end up in the trolly (FYI, it obviously did). Every outfit I post here is something that I've worn all day (or all night, whatever), but I really thought that these shoes deserved another outing post-graduation, and these burgundy trousers seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Paired with a non-seasonally appropriate but completely wardrobe necessary blouse, I feel like I'm channelling someone slightly cooler. Perhaps. Maybe we need to keep pretending...

I haven't completely glossed over Hallowe'en, oh no. I've absolutely loved reading everyone's posts showing off their costumes, but mine only turned up yesterday so I didn't have time to take photos - curses, ebay! I'll be sure to instagram shots from tomorrow night and Saturday rather than create a "proper" post as mine will never be able to beat the ones I've read about so far (have you seen Megan's? Cobweb-induced jealousy!), and I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone I'm seeing either night. But, just in case you're interested, here's what I've worn for the past three years. I hope you all enjoy yourself, whether that means a night in with whatever scary film's on channel 4, or being a nightmare in town!

PS, don't forget to enter to win a £50 F&F voucher here!

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A little party never killed nobody.

A few weeks ago (it was hot, so it feels like a lifetime ago), I made the ill-advised decision to wear my leather jacket on the northern line. Going to Old Street wasn't purely for the lols (although there were a lot of them over the course of the day), but it was to meet up with Sarah, Annie, Sherin, and Caroline, put on some totteringly high heels and have a day of dressing up with F&F. It was lovely to finally meet some of the bloggers I'd been following on twitter for a while, and we got on like we'd known each other for years, only stopping our chat when having lipstick applied. I would never go so far as to say I'm a model (and wouldn't want to be), but it's still a weird feeling playing the part, particularly having someone else do your make up when you've had the same winged eyeliner look for about five years. I can't thank the lovely girls from Tesco, Hannah the stylist, and Lisa the hairstylist for their encouragement and make up brush magic, nothing like an attack of self-doubt halfway through the day, is there? I thought I'd upload a few of the behind the scenes photos I took on the day (not to mention some of the amazing canapés we had at Lounge Lover that evening), and below is one of the final photos from the many that were taken.

Head over to the inspiration page to see more photos and what the other girls wore, or watch this short video and see me, um, flick my hair a lot.

Giveaway

After the shoot, I've found myself browsing through F&F's website and finding quite a few things that fit perfectly into my wardrobe (and I've received a fair few compliments on my hat from this post!). If you'd fancy winning a £50 voucher and getting some of this stuff for yourself, all you have to do is:

• Follow this blog via GFC or Bloglovin'
• Chose your favourite F&F Partywear item, and tell me how you'd style it in a comment below (don't forget to leave your email so I can contact the winner!)

The competition closes on 7th November at midnight, so I have enough time to pick a winner before I head off to Munich - good luck!

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I don't know what they're telling you but I know we can turn this around.

Jumper: £21.50, French Connection. Joni jeans: £32.40, Topshop. Trench coat: Laura Ashley. Cossack hat: £10, F+F. Bowler bag: £43, Marks and Spencer. Wedges: c/o Shoe Zone. Necklace: Grace Face Boutique. Lipstick: MAC Ravishing. Nails: Nails Inc "The Thames".

I don't know why I was so excited to take these photos; they're the most cliché autumnal images you can find on the internet (yep, spot the classic "hold a leaf in front of your face" shot), but we keep going back to them for a reason! The park in town, only a few yards away from here, was the most obvious place for my mum and I to head to take them, and not just because it's only a stone's throw from M&S. The place I normally associate with picnics and school lunchtimes (which once included sitting on a bench and consuming an entire tub of Ben and Jerry's with a friend. In October.), is currently home to rust-coloured leafy avenues. It's not quite freezing point yet, so I wore a surprisingly non-itchy jumper over skinny jeans, with a trench coat, comfy wedge-heels and a hat that's far, far too big for my head - but it's fluffy, which makes it okay.

In the course of writing this, I think I've received four Paul Hollywood-based snapchats after last night and made my way through three mugs of tea. So it's time to stop procrastinating and putting off important things and get down to serious phone calls and emails - moving country is hard. I'm also planning to head to the AX Paris party tomorrow night, so let me know if you'll be there, and I won't be that weirdo sitting in the corner on her own!

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The system might fail you, but don't fail yourself.

Verity velvet smock dress: c/o Boohoo. Leather jacket: The Kooples. Leather bowling bag: £43, Marks and Spencer. Anna boots: Topshop (old). Watch: gift, Rotary. Necklace: vintage. Polkadot tights: free, American Apparel. Lipstick: Topshop "Really Ruby". Nails: Deborah Lipmann "Razzle Dazzle" on Natural Collection "Black Cherry".

I am forever moaning about my lack of goth phase. I tried to convince myself that I was a scene kid in year ten, but realistically I went as far as neon eyeshadow and that was it (fortunately). Recently however I find myself being drawn to black clothing, and it doesn't look like this chapter is ending any time soon, particularly when Hallowe'en is only a couple of weeks away. That, or I'm spending too much time reading Camilla's blog, you pick. Last August I went along to boohoo's christmas preview and I've somehow only just got around to spending the voucher that I was kindly treated to on the day. I'm not the world's biggest fan of online shopping as I rarely know what I want specifically and find the pages of stock overwhelming (give me a rail to sift through any day!), so I narrowed things down to a much more manageable "black velvet" selection and came up trumps with this bad boy. Add a leather jacket, my new day bag (which my camera fits in, can I get a hell yeah?), and a slick of red lipstick on an abnormally good make-up day and I was ready to face the world, even if it were a only a trip to town with Danielle for wetherspoons burgers and window shopping - it's the small things.

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Tonight make it magnificent.

Cropped pale blue jumper: £10, Primark. Blouse: £13.50, Miss Selfridge (old). Joni jeans: £30, Topshop. Anna boots: £76.50, Topshop. Socks: Primark (part of pack). Holiday bag: gift, Cath Kidston. Lipstick: MAC Ravishing.

This time last week I was on a train (the novelty of that mode of transport wore of a long, long time ago) heading northwards to visit Claire, Gem, Maria, Sarah and Emma in Birmingham. I can't say I've explored the city too much in my many times visiting as I somehow always end up in Selfridges and the Mailbox, but what I have seen makes me want to find out more about the rest of it. The above photos were taken by Claire just outside the grounds of the cathedral, and I added the typical touristy photo of the town hall - you can't complain about its architecture at all! As I knew we'd be doing a fair amount of wandering around the city, I thought I'd wear a sensible outfit (for once), donning my trusted Topshop anna boots, joni jeans (which I'm actually less than impressed with regarding wear, has anyone else had issues with them once they've been washed?), a cheaper and purposefully less fluffy version of that Topshop jumper, and my "bag that everything fits in" which I've been using since I got it for my birthday nearly two years ago, perfect for carrying pyjamas, playsuits and, um, vodka.

We spent the day wandering round the town centre, before calling into GBK for burgers (come on, we are bloggers) and a catch up. Sadly Emma and Sarah had to leave us after the meal to do important grown-up things like sleep, but the rest of us returned to Snobs for a night of dancing on broken glass and requesting Blondie. Leaving the next morning (read: afternoon) was made substantially better with nachos and orange juice, and I didn't even have any annoying passengers on my train home! This weekend is being spent a little closer to home, as I've just spent the morning making triangular sandwiches ready for a DIY afternoon tea. Thug life, right?

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Home is where the heart is, and I gave it to you in a paper bag.

Penny Lane sign: c/o Out There Interiors. Two-tone playsuit: £39, Miss Selfridge.

As long time readers of my blog are well aware, I left my university city just over four months ago. The time since (minus the graduation ceremony, of course!) has been spent mainly in Essex, with trips to Paris, the Lake District, Birmingham, and Oxford taking up a fair amount of my time, not to mention the heinous amount of money I've spent getting to London and back. Although it all looks like a lark, the photos I upload don't quite reflect the time I've spent adjusting to life back at home and the inevitable job hunt that undergraduates think is never going to happen, but sneaks up on you before you get your rent deposit back. My main group of university friends are all off doing various things, which I love getting updates on via facebook; one's still in Liverpool (jealous!), one has a placement at a school, one has just started her MA, and the other is working hard in preparation for starting hers next year. I hit them with a bit of a bombshell last week (it means I've had to cancel my trip up there next month!), and it's about time I wrote a blog post about it, as it will have a real impact on how often I'll post, and the location of everything when I do: I'm moving to Germany.

I signed a contract saying that I'll be working with STYLIGHT for sixth months from early November, so I'll be relocating to their Munich offices next month. I've got a lot to sort out before I book my flights, which is more than a little daunting, but I'm sure it'll be worth the stress. If any of you have any tips for moving abroad, particularly München/Germany, then I would be really happy to hear them, but I've been chatting a lot to my friend who lived in Stuttgart on his year abroad and to Kavita who's currently out there and both have been the most reassuring sources of comfort I could hope for. I hope there won't be much of an impact on my blog, but it'll certainly be a change from Essex's fields, and Liverpool's brick walls! I'm more than a little bit excited, if nervous, but I'm sure I'll be back before you know it. Now all I need to do is find somewhere to live...

PS, I picked the above two pieces to highlight "home": my first year accommodation in Liverpool was a five minute walk from Penny Lane of Beatles fame (I picked this sign, kindly sent to me by Out There Interiors who sell everything from amazing lamps like Caroline's to stuff for your garden. I, of course, went for something wholly impractical), and the playsuit has become my go-to night out piece (I'm wearing it tonight!), which is something Essex is pretty well-known for.

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