Like most people, my handbag is basically an extension of my personality at this point. Every morning before leaving the house, particularly for work, I grab a tote bag so oversized it could probably qualify as hand luggage and fill it with enough supplies to survive several small emergencies.
And honestly, I would not have it any other way. There is something deeply comforting to me about feeling prepared for every possible scenario. Whether that is a headache, a dead phone battery, a makeup disaster, or suddenly needing to write down a life-changing idea while standing in Tesco. So today, I thought I would do a proper throwback-style post and share some of the essentials permanently living inside my handbag.
Wallet
This one feels fairly self-explanatory, but I genuinely cannot leave the house without my wallet, despite the fact Apple Pay has made physical cards almost unnecessary these days.
Over the years though, my wallet situation has definitely evolved. Gone are the gigantic purses stuffed with loyalty cards I never used. Nowadays, I carry a much smaller card holder that fits neatly into any handbag without weighing approximately the same as a brick. Minimal, practical, and far easier to rummage for dramatically at a checkout.
Medication Pouch
I absolutely love being “that” person in a crisis. Somebody has a headache? I have tablets. Feeling sick? I probably have something for that too. Random blister from uncomfortable shoes? Give me thirty seconds and I will produce plasters from somewhere deep within the tote.
I think there is something very comforting to me about being prepared and able to help people. Because of that, I carry an extremely overstocked medication pouch everywhere I go. Honestly, at this point, I am essentially operating as a small travelling pharmacy.
iPad Pro
I bought my iPad Pro a few years ago and if I am being honest, I massively underused it at first. But now? I genuinely do not know how I managed without it.
Between my full-time job, this site, freelance work, and writing novels, I constantly need somewhere to organise thoughts, make notes, and keep everything synced together. My iPad has basically become my portable brain. It is one of the most expensive things in my handbag, but also one of the most useful.
Makeup Bag
I love makeup. I always have and probably always will. It is less about impressing other people and more about the confidence boost it gives me when I walk into work looking and feeling put together.
That said, makeup rarely survives an entire day untouched, which is why I always carry a small makeup bag with a few essentials inside. Normally, it is a foundation stick, powder, lip products, and whatever current obsession I am carrying around at the time. Nothing excessive, just enough to make me feel human again after several hours in office lighting.
Face Wipes
Over the course of my office-working life, I have only had two genuine makeup meltdowns where emotions absolutely destroyed my face makeup beyond repair.
And let me tell you, sometimes there is no coming back from that situation gracefully. Because of this, I always carry a small packet of wipes in my bag. Mainly because there are moments in life where abandoning the makeup entirely and resetting is simply the better option.
Tech Bag
Because my life relies so heavily on technology, I also carry a separate little tech pouch filled with cables, chargers, plugs, power banks, wired earphones, and whatever other random adapters I may suddenly need.
It looks deeply unglamorous, but it saves me constantly. There is genuinely no better feeling than realising your phone is on 3% battery and remembering you packed a power bank like the overprepared woman you are.
Notepad and Pen
As much as I love technology, there is still something about physically writing things down that scratches a different part of my brain.
Especially creatively. When I first started writing my novels, I would surround myself with scattered papers covered in scribbles, ideas, timelines, and chaotic notes. Nowadays, things are slightly more organised, but I still carry a small notebook with me because inspiration tends to arrive at the most inconvenient times imaginable.
AirPods
Need to focus? AirPods in. Feeling socially overwhelmed? AirPods in. Trying to romanticise your walk through a supermarket? AirPods in.
Music has always been one of my biggest comforts, so having earphones with me constantly feels essential. I genuinely think silence in public spaces makes me more anxious at this point. Give me a good playlist and suddenly even replying to emails feels cinematic.
Perfume and Deodorant
I have an irrational fear of smelling bad. And I do mean irrational.
I think it stems from years of encountering people with questionable hygiene and immediately panicking that I could unknowingly become one of them. Because of this, I carry deodorant and perfume everywhere. Honestly, I would much rather accidentally overwhelm someone with fragrance than risk somebody privately thinking I smell questionable.
Reusable Cutlery
This is probably the strangest thing permanently living in my bag, but I stand by it completely.
As we all move towards reducing plastic waste, more places have started using wooden cutlery and unfortunately, I cannot cope with it. The texture genuinely makes me uncomfortable. So naturally, instead of simply suffering through it like a normal person, I bought myself a travel cutlery set that lives permanently inside my bag. Tiny, practical, slightly ridiculous, but incredibly useful.
Final Thoughts
None of these items are particularly groundbreaking, but together they create my version of comfort and preparedness. I like knowing I have everything I might need tucked away inside one giant handbag, even if carrying it sometimes feels like an upper body workout.
At this point, my tote bag feels less like an accessory and more like a survival kit curated by a mildly anxious woman with excellent organisation skills. And honestly? I think I am perfectly okay with that.
As always, I would love to know what essentials permanently live inside your handbag, and whether I am missing any life-changing additions for my ever-growing collection of chaos.
