The other day, I stumbled upon a handy list of 12 Items a Lady Should Keep in Her Purse, by St Louis based blog Motor City Moxie. We all love a list, and we’d all like to think we’re ladies, so why not check this out and see if you have them in your bag?
12 Items a Lady Should Keep in Her Purse
Several years ago, I enjoyed purse shopping. I stayed with the fashionable handbags, purses, pocket-books or whatever you like to call them. As of late, purses have become burdensome. Oftentimes, they hurt my shoulder, and they turn into big hole for me to get lost in. Though a purse is meant to add some element of organization to my life, it’s usually the opposite. The burden of a purse is true especially when looking for my apartment keys while holding six grocery bags after trekking three flights of stairs.
I do carry pursues. They are typically smaller, yet efficient. To maximize efficiency, below is a list of 12 items a lady should keep in her purse. I’m still working to get them all.
- Baby wipes-These come in handy not only after a tinkle, but also to do a quick wipe down in the ladies room.
- Perfume-Not the entire bottle, just an aspirator will do. It’s good to keep the “smell good” on deck because I never know when I’ll need it. Plus, it’s just a good follow up after using the baby wipes. Perfume leaves an impression.
- Kleenex- One day while in high school, my crush walked me home. On the way there, he looked at me and said, “I have something to tell you.” At that point, I trembled with excitement because I thought he was going to profess his undying love for me. Instead, he lean over and whispered, “You have a bugger in your nose.” Omg…I was done. I knew that I needed both a mirror and tissue on me at all times. By the way, despite the horror and embarrassment, we still went to prom together ::wink.
- Breath freshener- Just like the aforementioned situation, bad breath is an instant turn-off. Prevention is better than cure; so, I keep gum or mints handy.
- Nail file- My nails often chip or break because the corner of the nail snags on my clothes. Having a proper nail file handy is the best way to prevent this and ingrown nails. After breaking my nails and asking my classmates incessantly for a nail file, I realized it’s best to have my own.
- Lip gloss/ or Aquaphor- I do not need to say much about lip gloss. Lip gloss is all about the look. Aquaphor, on the other hand, is moisturizing. So, sometimes, I use it in lieu of lip gloss, but it also serves as my hand moisturize
- Fully charged phone- Keeping the phone charged is necessary in case of an emergency. But, the phone itself can also serve as a flashlight. Luckily, my phone is equipped with a flashlight feature, I don’t have to carry a separate one.
- Writing utensil- I know that hand writing may become obsolete, but it’s just good measure to keep a pen handy.
- Tampon/ pads- Even if I’m not on, it’s nice to be able to help someone else in need.
- CASH- at least $30. Credit cards are good, but cash is better. I never know when I’ll come across the $5 shea butter from a street vendor.
- A box of matches- What?! You didn’t know?! Matches clear bathroom odor. Simply light the match, blow it out, and allow the sulfur dioxide of flame to mask the odor.
- Mini sewing/ repair kit- I remembering being in the park, I bent over, and then all of a sudden…woooop, the crotch of my pants ripped. Luckily, I wasn’t commando…hehe. I guess I was too lazy practice the good ole’ bend and snap method.
So, who’s a Lady?
Naturally, after reading the checklist I couldn’t help but check out the insides of my bag to see if I were, in fact, a lady or not.
So I hooked the little ones into the iPad, dumped the contents of my purse on my bed, and tried to arrange them somewhat artfully – before they were photo bombed by a pair of size 8 little boy’s feet.
Turns out – according to Motor City Moxie – I’m only 50% lady. Yikes!”
My current ‘lady-like’ contents includes tissues, Tic Tacs, phone (and mobile charger) lip gloss and balm, a tampon, and a clutch of automatic pencils. But there’s a whole lot more going on in there.
Other things I found in my bag:
- A well-worn wallet crammed full of credit cards, coffee shop loyalty cards, receipts and Wiggles bandaids, but alas, right now, very little cash. Note to self: visit ATM to ensure I have money for coffee in said coffee shop.
- Hand sanitiser – nearly empty.
- Sunglasses. I’ve been over-tired since mid-September 2005 when my first child was born, and these cover my under-eye bags. Plus, it’s usually pretty sunny in Sydney, so I actually need them to be less squinty.
- YSL Touche Eclat for the exact same reason as the sunnies (except the squinty part). I call it my ‘magic stick’ such is its power for hiding those dark circles.
- Water goes everywhere with me. I get cranky if I’m dehydrated. I get cranky if I don’t get enough coffee too – hence the plethora of coffee shop loyalty cards mentioned above.
- Camera – in case I spot a mum out and about rockin’ the suburbs and want to catch a shot for the site. I’m a bit like Quick Draw McGraw these days.
- Business cards, especially handy to prove to afore-mentioned mums that I’m not some crazy stalker.
- Specs, so I can see when I drive and where the boys run off to in the playground.
- A smiley face stamp. Good for random bribery and rewards for the boys. But I usually forget I have this and resort to the Tic Tacs instead.
- Diary. Yup it’s paper, I’m old-school like that.
- A comb I never use – gets stuck in the rollers
- Lipsticks – usually only one: a great nude Revlon shade I picked up at the chemist, and also a bright red. See ‘Sunglasses’ for why (except the squinty part). A bright lip detracts from my tired eyes.
- Random receipts and paperwork, I try to throw as I go, but these are still in there from two weeks ago.
- The little feet – they’re often tucked, curled, tip toeing, scuffing, jumping or kicking somewhere near me, and are often found in the middle of the night magically poking me in the back after they creep into our bed.
- Rescue Remedy, because I never know when those feet will turn up!
A Lady? Not so much. I’m just muddling my way though
How about you? What’s in your handbag? Anyone else game to share the contents of their bag right now? Share in the comments section below, on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram #InMyBag@FoxinFlats
And are your a bona fide ‘lady’ according to Motor City Moxie’s fun, tongue-in-cheek list? And if not, how many of the 12 items are you carrying?
