new in: fossil preston handbag review + what's in my bag!

I recently splashed out on a new handbag - and it makes me very happy. I find nothing better than finding 'the perfect black bag' and I think I've found it in this lovely little number from Fossil. 

Fossil are one of those brands that I never really think to look at, for handbags, or anything like that, but I was in John Lewis in Southampton a few weeks ago, and I saw this little number and fell in love with it. It's got a long strap (a must, for me), a thousand little pockets for my bits and bobs (not a must-have, but very useful for all my accoutrements), comes in a beautiful soft black leather, and just generally looks pretty great. It was pricey, as bags go, but then not at expensive, at the same time, and seems quite reasonable for a good quality handbag.
I love all the gold hardware detailing, it's not normally something that I would opt for, normally I'd pick a silver tone over gold, but I really like this. I'm not one for handbags you can't throw over your body, or can only hold in the crook of your arm, because I get annoyed with bags like that! For every day, I need the ease of one I can wear cross-body when I've got my hands full. 

For whats in my bag, keep reading..

I am trying desperately not to carry too much crap around with my these days, but obviously, it will never be as tidy as it is right now!

• Purse: The black behemoth that is my wallet takes up a lot of space in my bag, but I love it for it's size, meaning I can shove my phone and other things bits and bobs in there and go out with just that.
• Diary: I'm also trying desperately to get ~organised~ this year, so I've taken to carrying my diary about in my handbag, in the hope it will keep me a bit more up-to-date. I'm so awful at making plans, then forgetting that I've arranged to meet so-and-so on Friday night, etc!
• Phone: because I'm a millennial, I have my phone glued to my hand... I've got an iPhone 5s with a beautiful case from Papio Press!
• Camera: I use a DSLR for most of my blog photos, but a Canon S110 for travelling. 
• Glasses + Sunglasses: It goes without saying that I carry my glasses about with me, and when it's sunny out (as it was on the day I took these!) I carry my Ray Bans, too. I love this bag because the lining is really soft that I can zip them in one of the pockets and not worry about them getting scratched, whereas my old handbag had like a raw leather lining, and things would get scratched.
• Essentials: Pen, nail file, headphones, etc. Not pictured: ibuprofen, tampons, hair grips, plasters, mints etc, all those things you need to SURVIVE, am I right?, but look ugly in beautifully curated pictures on my blog. Sorrynotsorry.
• Lip balm + colour: I am one of those people that will end up with about ten lipsticks and three lip balms at the bottom of my bag by the end of a fortnight, but I'm currently loving this pomegranate Burt's Bees lip balm I got for Christmas, and I think this lipstick was either Blankety (a gorgeous brown-toned pinky nude) or Chili (a lovely terracotta red), because they're apparently the only colours I reach for these days. 
• Mirror: I adore this little mirror, not only because my grandmother gave it to me shortly before she passed away, but because it's the perfect size, and has a lovely little engraving of a cathedral on the back. It just makes me really happy.
• Keys: This sort of goes without saying, but there we go, with all my stupid little key-fobs that really irritate me, but hey, gotta get that free Waitrose coffee.

Now have a few gratuitous pictures of my bag, because I took them, I'm in love with this bag, and you guys need to see all the details. At first I thought there were too many zips - the whole flap of the bag unzips and I use it for all that essential crap, that I need to carry about but don't want floating about in the bottom of my purse. It also has a really great zip around the bottom of the bag, which you can unzip to make the bag bigger. It also has a zip-up pocket at the back, which I use for things like my phone and travel pass, for quick access.
Anyway, I'll shut up about this bag now, but if you're in the market for one, I highly recommend checking out Fossil, they're a brand I never really thought to look at, but now I really want a bigger handbag by them, and a matching wallet...