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It’s been six months now since I forsook my car to become a full time rail commuter. I’m pleased to say it has paid some benefits on the weight front and also in toning up the legs, both of which are important considerations now that the onset of menopause is on the horizon.
You may recall, some weeks back I blogged about my search for the perfect Commuter Handbag. Well, I’m glad to say I now own three. I’ve also mastered, partially at least, the art of applying makeup on the train. I can skedaddle down the hill to the train station in less than 10 minutes and I have acquired the perfect commuter rain coat which means I don’t need to struggle with umbrellas on my daily jaunts.
But it is not all good news. No, indeed. I am learning the hard way that certain hazards are more difficult to overcome.
Forewarned is forearmed so, if you are sitting comfortably, here goes with my list of the top five commuting mistakes to avoid
- Eye contact with the wild, the drunk, and the obviously deranged – especially if they are seated close to you. This always leads to bother and fellow commuters will do nothing to assist should you find yourself in difficulty.
- Seats that slope towards the floor – these can find you slipping onto the lap of a fellow passenger. Such intimacy is not always desirable or indeed welcome.
- Tweeting without due regard to whether the passenger seated next to you can read your screen. This is especially important if you have multiple identities.
- Taking auto-announcements seriously. ‘Change here’ is not necessarily an invitation to release your inner transgender god(dess).
- Sleeping. But if you must, make you sure your sleepwear is modest.
And there you have it. I hope these tips may keep you from going off the rails. If I’ve missed anything, let me know!
It’s been a while since I blogged about the commuter handbag and I’m pleased to say I’ve settled into a comfortable pattern of rushing for the train in the morning and slowly climbing the hill back home in the evening. What I haven’t managed quite so well is getting out of bed in time to apply the warpaint before heading into the corporate jungle so I’ve had to adapt to moisturising and making up on the train.
I’m lucky because I’m at the end of the line so I get a seat in the morning and, quite often, I don’t have anyone beside me. The moisturizer technique has been perfected. Pump of Origins White Tea Skin Guardian on the back of the hand and then gently applied to the face, followed by Decleor’s Hydra floral. Really the moisturiser is too light for me on these winter mornings but it smells so wonderful and the texture is so beautiful that I can’t bring myself to abandon it in favour of the more effective and equally pleasant to use Liz Earle Superskin Moisturiser.
Next comes the make up and that is the tricky bit. Please, please, please Bare Escentuals come up with an on the go applicator. So far the versions that I have tried have been hopeless – like the one in the little black purse. They’re just too messy. Preloaded retractor brushes also don’t work because I forget to preload them. There’s got to be a better model. If it weren’t for the fact that the makeup is so good, I’d have given up by now.
Models Prefer for the mascara. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat for the dark circles under the eyes. Bare Escentuals again for the lips – the buxom babes range.
That’s it. Good to go. 15 minutes all told. Sure who wouldn’t take the extra few minutes in bed in the morning?
Handbags matter a lot when you travel on public transport. Drivers can sling a handbag on the passenger seat and not worry too much if the contents spill out but when you travel by bus or train a good handbag is essential. For a start, you need a safe place to keep your ticket. You don’t want a handbag that is going to weigh you down. You don’t want a handbag that is easily snatched or that an opportunistic thief could reach into. You probably want a handbag that is stylish and waterproof. You also want a bag that won’t get in your way if you have to run to catch a bus. It’s not easy to find a good commuter handbag.
Any day now I will be leaving the car at home and taking the train to work in the city centre. The walk will be good – particularly with menopause and the associated middle-aged spread on the horizon. More importantly, though, it means I need a new ‘commuter’ handbag.
Basic Commuter Handbag Requirements
- Handbag must be waterproof since it rains a lot in Ireland
- Handbag must have 2 separate pockets on the outside, one for train ticket, one for iphone
- Outer pockets must not have magnets since magnets wipe the barcode on the railpass
- Pockets must be side by side, not one over the other, since iphone wipes barcode on railpass
- Inside, handbag must be big enough to accommodate a book, a big wallet, water, and makeup bag
- Strap must be long enough to get on shoulder when wearing winter coat
- Strap must be short enough to allow handbag to rest securely under arm
- Strap must be sturdy enough to tolerate increasing weight of bag
- Strap must be flat enough to sit on shoulder not roll down arm
- Strap must have 2 straps to faciliate rummaging in handbag while one strap stays on shoulder
- Zippers must be easy to open, robust but not so strong they break nails or scratch hands
- Bag must fasten securely at the top to discourage potential wallet pinchers
- Nice lining is highly desirable
- Multiple inner pockets are highly desirable
- Girly keyring attachment is highly desirable
- Handbag must be made of leather or some other durable material and must not look tacky
- Handbag must have some desirable hardware that suggests rock chick but in a corporate way
- Handbag must cost less than 100 euro
- Handbag must be black or purple – no matter how nice a red bag it is
Handbags that caught my eye but didn’t quite make it include one by Island Real Leather. It’s a nice soft leather bag and roomy inside. It comes with a separate longer shoulder strap which you can switch. But it falls down on the commuter front because it lacks outside pockets. On the plus side, it’s good quality and a decent price. I bought it for my niece, who teaches primary level. She’ll have lots of room in here for the accoutrements she needs to carry around on school days.
 Another one that caught my eye is this multi-coloured little number by Kathy Van Zeeland. Isn’t this cute? It’s all in the design. The materials aren’t a patch on the leather bag but this one just looks so damn pretty. I bought it too – this time as a gift for a student niece who spends a lot of time socialising with friend. This is big enough to fit your makeup, wallet and keys – maybe even a book too – but it’s not an everyday bag for a real working woman. I hope she’s going to like it. So, at the end of my third separate shopping trip in search of the commuter handbag, I’m two bags up but still no bag to get me through the winter. It’s a little like the elusive ‘sleep bra’ I blogged about on another occasion. There may be market opportunities out there for those with an interest in something other than alternative HRT products aimed at the menopausal market.
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