What’s In Your Bag?

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Readers were having a great conversation this morning about which bags they like to carry and what proportion they should be to your body. I totally agree, but I also think a lot of it comes down to what you want to CARRY in your bag — I dislike super small bags because what are you even carrying in there? We haven't had a good “what's in your bag” discussion for a while, so let's talk about it today.

I've really (really) reduced my reliance on purses since the pandemic… part of that is my kids getting older so I have to carry less stuff, and part of that is working from home. When I do anything beyond my usual minimal makeup I tend to just stick whichever lipstick I'm going to use in my pocket… and I always have pockets. In the winter all of my coats have a lip gloss in the pocket as well as a few loose tissues because #fancy.

So my bag is really extremely limited right now. I have one makeup-sized pouch (I think it actually came with an old MZ Wallace bag) that I move from bag to bag.

• my slim wallet, which just fits 6 cards and folded cash and checks
• a lipgloss or two
• a tiny pill case (mine is ancient from the Container Store I think, but this one looks great if you're hunting for similar)
• a pen (ideally G2)
• a concealer (this elf one was such a great dupe for Touche L'Eclat but I think elf has stopped making it)
• ideally a hair elastic but those tend to go missing, ha… here it's wrapped around a really thin mirror that I got from an alumni event, and have to add to my purse because I'm more or less blind without my glasses

The bag itself is from Rothy's, from a few years ago (this looks similar) — I have a few of their nylon bags and they're super lightweight, durable, and washable. They don't have a ton of interior pockets, but because I keep most things in my little pouch that's fine. This one is on the smaller side, but it fits the few things I want it to so I'm happy with — I have something from them that is closer in size to Rothy's Daily crossbody also and it's got room for a lot more stuff in it.

Also in the bag right now I have one of the beautiful Ficcare clips (flatter and more durable than a claw clip!), a bunch of random old receipts and coupons we got at an allergy appointment, and I usually have at least a sample or two of things I've picked up at my dermatology appointments and then forgotten to empty. There's room for keys, sunglasses if I need to wear them, and my phone if I need to stash it somewhere other than a pocket. That's really all I want, and yet a lot of the bags I see right now are too small for that.

When we travel I do pull out one of my bigger bags — I still love my old MZ Wallace (really similar!) if we're going on a big trip because it's lightweight and has a zillion pockets. Then I'll pack more inane things for the kids (I have recently used a folding stainless steel straw we got when they were small!), a sunscreen stick for reapplications, a hat, bandaids, a Nalgene bottle, sometimes even folded rain ponchos or ear plugs or a few granola bars or other shelf-stable snacks.

Readers, what about you — what do you keep in your bag? Do you carry a purse AND a tote if you're heading to work, or do you have a pouch system similar to mine? What bag are you carrying today?