Forget the lipsticks and mascaras, there are things that will actually be important to carry in your purse and can be a major life-saver, both literally and figuratively. Besides the basics: a wallet with cash/ cards, your phone, ID, house keys, a notebook and pen and your medication or glasses, here are a list of everyday essentials that you must carry wherever you go.
1- Safety Pins
No one’s immune for wardrobe malfunctions. If you pop a button, fear not, if you have a safety pin – you’re unstoppable.
2- Band Aids
Not only useful for unexpected injuries and paper cuts, band aids can help make painful heels bearable AND hide chipped nails. Fake it till you make it ;).
3- A USB Drive
For the ladies who work at different locations, or are in university or school, having a USB drive to move documents from one place to the next, especially when the internet is down, can be a major life-saver.
4- Battery case or portable charger
I don’t know about you, but I’m addicted to my phone. Even if I’m not using it, having it with me and making sure it’s functioning gives me this false sense of security. You might not always have access to a wall plug, so portable chargers will save your butt.
5- Bobby Pins
Bad hair days are the worst. Bobby pins can help you tie your hair up if it betrays you throughout the day or if it gets too hot and you wanna tie it up. Throw in a hairband while you’re at it. You’ll thank me later.
6- Hand Sanitizer
You never know when you’ll have to touch something, let’s say, not so sanitary. Hand sanitizer is small; you can attach it to your bag in the cutest ways and get rid of those pesky germs.
7- Breath Freshener
With Listerine’s new breath strips that are as tiny as an SD card, there’s no excuse for bad breath.
8- Tissues
If you’re as clumsy as me, spilling coffee is a daily occurrence and you’ll need to pat it down somehow. Not only that, but if you need to go to a public bathroom, you can never have too many tissues handy.
9- Pepper Spray
This is actually an unfortunate essential. The sad truth is that we often don’t feel safe from sexual harassment on the street. Carrying pepper spray, even if we don’t use it, will give us the long yearned for sense of safety.
10- A Nail File
Not only is it great for when your nails chip, but this is another safety measure too. If you’re in a situation where you need some sort of weapon, a nail file can serve as a substitute to pepper spray!
11- Pads or Tampons
No matter how regular and organized your menses are, you can never be too careful. Carrying a tampon or pad with you will help eliminate any accidents. Even if you don’t need it, you may be able to help a sister out.
12- Deodorant
Thankfully, many brands make travel sized versions of their deodorants. Especially with the heat of the summer, you need to take all measures necessary to prevent body odour.
13- Earphones
Especially those of you who commute to your schools or workplaces, being able to listen to music on your phone will make your trip that much more bearable.
14- Hand Lotion
A small sized hand-lotion will always save you the embarrassment of super dry hands in the winter, or help you remove smudged eyeliner.
I know it’s not easy to carry all of these purse essentials, and this is definitely not practical for the little party clutch you’ll go clubbing with – but the more you’re able to carry with you, the safer.
