I started being more cautious about the handbags I bought when I started purchasing original designer bags. I wanted to make sure I buy bags that I will use often and also for a long time.

As you know I love original designer bags. I'd rather have a second hand original than a brand new fake.

So if you are looking forward to purchasing some designer bags and you want to buy bags that will really be useful to you then here is a list of essential handbags you should invest in.

Essential Handbags You Should Invest In

Essential Designer Bags For Daytime Looks

1. The Simple Daytime Bag

The simple bag is great for occasions like visiting a friend, a picnic or a stroll which you would want to look good but not look too dressed up for.

This is the bag that matches one hundred per cent or at least 99% of your daytime outfits. LOL. Here, I recommend black designer bags because black is the most universal colour on earth. Also, a white bag will do but it may look too chic for a simple bag so it all depends.

If you want some colour for the daytime outings then go for a colour that you can match most of your outfits. I have a blue channel bag that I use during my daytime outings and it matches my outfits because I have mostly neutral colours in my wardrobe like beige, navy blue, black and white.

I also made sure to have big and small daytime bags and the first colour I buy is black so that I can use it more often.

2. The Classy Daytime Bag

This is a bag that you can use during the day but which is for your much more classy looks or outfits. Occasions such as weddings and other celebrations fit into this category. The classy bag is more of a lady's bag and here you can go for something more colourful or vibrant. If you still want to keep it simple but nice, you can go for a multicolour bag.

I have a three coloured Gucci bag which I use for such occasions. It's the perfect size because it isn't very small nor very big and the colours are not very bright - red, pink and most of it is grey. There is a long strap and short ones so I can switch how I hold the bag according to my look. See how I styled this bag here.

3. The Travel Bags

Travel bags are very important in a lady's life. Unexpected travel is bound to happen so you better be ready for it.

Travel handbags are very essential. If they are big enough to contain your basics and an outfit then they are good for short trips like spending a night, weekend or week over with your parents, your sister or with boo.

There are also the usual traveller's bags which are bigger and these are good for longer trips.

4. The Work/School Bag

If you are a student or worker and want a designer bag for work or school then go for bags that can contain all your work or daily school stuff.

Essential Designer Bags For Evening Looks

5. Dinners/Date night/Girls night out/Party bag

This can be a very glamourous bag because it's evening or nighttime, it's dark and the outfits are often more levelled up too.

Colours like gold and silver are good. Glittering materials are also recommended. But if you want to keep it simple at night then a cute gold bag that can serve as a purse will do.

This gold Yves St Laurent bag is my go-to evening bag. The gold strap is quite long and I can make it shorter or completely put it inside the bag and just carry it as a strapless purse.

It's been more than two weeks since I started using The Dove Gentle Exfoliating Soap and in this post, I'm going to be sharing my opinion about it.

Before using this soap, I was using the Rogé Cavaillès Soap and then I felt like changing my bathing soap. I have used Dove products in the past (while in secondary school) including this soap and I felt like using a Dove product again. So I visited my favourite local store in my neighbourhood (where I get most of my skincare products) and bought this beauty cream bar.

Is The Dove Gentle Exfoliating Cream Bar Really A Good Exfoliating Soap?

At the store, I had the choice between the Gentle exfoliating soap and the Morrocan oil soap and obviously, I chose the Gentle exfoliating soap for one major reason. I'll tell you why soon. After using it, here are my thoughts about the product.

The Product

The main action of The Dove Gentle Exfoliating Soap is to exfoliate dead skin cells to reveal softer and radiant skin. According to the Dove website, this soap is recommended by dermatologists and it doesn't dry skin but rather retains the skin's moisture.

It is used as a daily regular soap for the body and face. The main exfoliating ingredient used for this soap is silica derived from natural mineral sources such as quartz or sand.

That's what I got from Dove's site about the product. And now I'm ready to tell my own side of the story.

My thoughts

The things I like about the soap:

I love the creamy texture of the soap

It's milky and creamy as it foams on the skin and I love that texture. It gives me a feeling of bathing with milk. I really do love the creamy texture of the soap when rubbing it on my skin.

The soap smells so good.

The one thing that got me to take this soap was the smell. Did you take a guess? Yes, the nice and fresh smell is the major thing that made me take it.

And the smell stays on my body for a while after bathing. It also fills my bathroom which I absolutely love.

It really retains skin moisture

The soap moisturizes my skin. It's the dry season right now in Cameroon and the air is very dry (Harmattan). It's very easy to look ashy and dry. Sometimes it gets so hot that I don't oil my skin for days. But my skin doesn't feel dry. Apart from the other ways I use to avoid looking ashy, the Dove Gentle Exfoliating Soap retains skin moisture.

It's a good exfoliating soap

The hype about its ability to exfoliate the skin is true. It removes dead skin and softens the skin as well. It's a very gentle exfoliator indeed.

It brought out my new skin all over my body especially in areas like my neck where I have an uneven skin tone because of so much sweating.

My last thoughts about this product

If you are looking for an exfoliating soap to use, The Dove Gentle Exfoliating Soap is a good choice. I recommend it for gentle exfoliation and to soften your skin.

On a bad nail day, use nail polish. That sounds so simple. Lol.

Today I'm reviewing the Yves Rocher Laque Gel nail polish.

Let's talk about the product.

The Yves Rocher Laque Effet Gel Nail Polish is a gel effect nail polish. Gel-effect nail polish is a nail polish that is semi-permanent. Meaning that it stays for long on your nails (for at least two weeks according to this article from The Cosmopolitan) without flaking. The nail polish stays impeccable till your nails begin to grow then you can change the polish. The nail polish is shiny and is less harmful to your nails.

Gel manicures are done in beauty institutes by professionals under UV light. But the Yves Rocher Laque Effet Gel Nail Polish enables you to do your gel manicure at home by yourself. And you know it's cheaper to do your nails by yourself at home.

Things I love while applying this nail polish

I love the colour. This is the softest pink or beige I have seen.

Another thing is that the smell of the nail polish isn't strong and indeed it is a good thing.

The nail polish is quite light so I could apply it once or twice if I wanted it very light or many more times if I wanted it thicker. I applied it three times to obtain these results seen in the pictures.

How long does the Yves Rocher Laque Effet Gel Nail Polish stay on your nails?

To tell you the truth, on the sixth day after applying it, the nail polish on my fingernails started to crack and flake off. But those on my toenails were still perfect and shiny as they were on the first day of application for up to two weeks.

In my opinion, the nail polish on my fingernails started going off as a result of daily house chores which required me to dip my hands into water often. I cooked, cleaned, scrubbed and hand washed clothes as usual. I tried to be careful but I couldn't be that careful while doing the dishes or cooking or just doing my daily stuff with my hands.

So yes the Yves Rocher Effet Gel nail polish can stay on perfectly for as long as two weeks. But it will require that you stay away from serious house chores that will damage your nail polish.

If you can't stay away from house chores like me, it will stay impeccable for six days or let's say a week.

I also think that the nail polish cracked off because I applied the polish thicker on my fingernails than on my toenails.

It's almost two weeks and my toenail polish is still as good as new. They are still shiny and nice to look at. I haven't worn any cover-toe shoes with them though.

My last thoughts about this nail polish...

I love this nail polish. I must say it's the best nail polish I've used for far. Most of the things I read about it are true. It stays shiny and stays on intact for a long.

I love the colour of the one I used. It's a nude colour. It's visible yet very cool. And that makes a whole difference on the nails.

My tips on using this nail polish

I advise that you apply it lightly - just one or two times so that it stays longer on your nails. It also looks better in the long run when applied lightly.

That's it for the Yves Rocher Laque Effer Gel nail polish review. I hope this was quite informative and useful to you.

I love stewed beans for their flavour and spiciness. In Cameroon, we love spicy food and we add a variety of ingredients to beans not only to make them smell good but also to taste good.

Today, I'm sharing with you one of the methods we use to stew beans in Cameroon (trust me there are many others). But this recipe won't only make your beans come out tasting so good, it will also have a very good flavour.

Honestly, I was amazed by the aroma from these beans when I cooked it and everyone kept commenting on the flavour the minute I open the pot to serve the beans. So how do we cook this kind of fine-smelling beans? Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

You'll need:

- Beans

- Tomatoes

- Onions

- Pepper (optional)

- Garlic

- Ginger

Leeks

- African nutmeg (or Deux cotés as called in Cameroon or Ehuru as called in Nigeria)

- Cutmanjo (I used dry cutmanjo leaves. You can use the fresh ones as well.)

- Seasoning cubes

- Salt

Cooking

- Wash and soak dry beans until it's well soaked and ready for cooking. Put the beans in a pot with enough water and cook.

- Start preparing ingredients when the beans are almost done. Slice tomatoes, onions and leeks. Grind garlic, ginger, pepper, African nutmeg and cutmanjo leaves. Do not mix ingredients while grinding. Grind each ingredient separately.

- When beans are well cooked and soft, drain them and rinse well with much water.

- Put some oil in a clean dry pot and heat. Add some salt to the oil. Fry the onions, and leeks till it's a little bit brown before adding the tomatoes. Fry the mixture well, add the seasoning cubes and then the beans to the fried mixture.

- Add some water and let it boil before adding the rest of the ingredients to the beans. Let it boil for a few more minutes before you switch off the fire.

- Serve your beans with rice or any tuber of your choice. I had mine with rice and it was superb.

Please leave your thoughts in a comment below or tell me if you would try this recipe or if you love spicy food.

Don't forget to share the recipe with your friends to help them try something new and nice.