the essentials

When I’m going somewhere right after work, I like to travel light. And you know I like to rock a daytime clutch. There’s only so much you can fit! So when my bag is small but my plans are not, these are my necessities:

As far as make up goes, I take just enough to touch up: mascara, my fave chapstick (Burt’s Bees with pomegranate, it has a lovely pink tint), and Laura Mercier’s mattifying serum. If you have room and want to go glam, I’d throw in some lipstick.

I am also in love with tiny rollerball perfumes. This one (the long red tube) I got when I was working at Victoria’s Secret, but a ton of perfumes come in their own tiny rollerball containers these days. So great for taking with you to freshen up, or for when you hit the gym in the morning before work, or for traveling, or for just cheaply trying all different kinds of perfume. Love.

I also pack a tiny moleskine and pen, for jotting notes, and my headphones, for awesome music, duh. My keys are attached to a zipper pouch, which is the best investment I could have ever made in this city. It holds my keys, gym pass, subway pass, work ID and in a pinch can hold your cash, credit cards and ID too. The other pouch you see is what I use for a wallet when I take a smaller bag and can’t fit a normal-sized one.

In a real pinch, and with a very tiny bag, I’d lose the notebook, consolidate my zipper pouches, and only bring the chapstick. You know, if you must.

Not pictured: my iPhone, which also doubles as my kindle when my bag is too small to fit them both.

Am I missing anything? What are your essentials?