Hey everyone! I wanted to do a little post about what I carry in my handbag today.

I say little because I don’t carry much. In the past year and a half or so I’ve tried to make an extra effort to carry as little as possible in my handbag. I used to be one of those people that would carry her whole life in her bag, but I’ve started buying smaller bags and so it’s harder to fit more in. It works great!

So this is what I’ve been carrying all winter, and making small adjustments into spring. I’m likely going to do another handbag post, once it’s properly spring and I switch handbags again. Handbags are my favorite accessory, so I have tons and love to switch them out!

Here we go!

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My handbag is a Stella & Max bag. To be honest I don’t know anything about that brand. I just saw this bag at a Ross in Chicago before going to see Hamilton and I loved it!

I have neglected to find a wallet that will go with this bag so I just have my usual rose gold Michael Kors wallet.

Of course I have my sunglasses. They are a pair of large black sunglasses from Loft. These are my second pair of these sunglasses actually! My first pair broke and I loved them so much I replaced them.

I keep a few random things as well. I keep an extra pair of contacts in case anything happens with the ones I’m wearing, as I have really bad vision without corrective lenses. My vision is extremely near sighted, to the point that if I don’t have my glasses and contacts I wouldn’t be able to drive or really do much at all. (If you’re wondering my prescription is -7.00 in each eye.) I wear contacts a lot more often though, and wear my glasses mostly at home.

Additionally I keep a pack of tissues, blotting paper from ELF, and my Seabands (anti motion sickness bracelets) in my bag. I always keep my Seabands in my bag so I don’t forget them when I actually need them. I don’t really take any long car rides but it helps knowing they’re there.

One thing I can’t leave home without is my earbuds. I went through a time about two years ago where I have having daily panic attacks. I haven’t had one in a year and I think it’s because I always have them on me. When trying to figure out what helped me calm down I realized that focusing on music really helped. At the time I had a Windows phone that had a radio app (the app literally used the earbuds as antennas to pick up the radio airwaves) and now that I have an iPhone I have the Pandora app that I might switch out for Spotify on my phone soon, as well as a ton of podcasts for when boredom hits. It really has proven to be such a great safety net for me. Like I said, I haven’t had a panic attack in a year or so but I think it is because I know what helps and I know I’m prepared for it!

Of course, I have two lipsticks in my bag. I have the Bare Minerals Chase Your Dreams and the Lorac Alter Ego CEO in my bag.

And you’ve seen these before and will again in another post soon but my two planners and set of pens! The pens are a no brainer for me. I always make sure to have a pen or two, just in case. This mostly stems from my school years and the time I’ve spent traveling, where you always need a pen. I never leave home without one! I use the two planners for different things, one for my blog and the other for my daily life.

The one on the left that just says “2017” is a daily planner that I use to plan out my life. I don’t use it for everything. For example, at work I use my work email calendar, so I don’t have anything like that in there. I mostly use it for scheduling my hobbies. This year I got a subscription for Broadway in Chicago, so I paid in advance for 5 musicals taking place July-November of this year. I also have a few other musicals planned both in Chicago and in Milwaukee so I have written them in so I don’t accidentally schedule something else on those days.

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And that’s what I have in my handbag. Occasionally I’ll throw a book in there as well, but currently I don’t have one as I am in a bit of a reading slump. I also usually have female sanitary items for when I’m on my period so that reminds me that I have to replenish my stash. Oh and I don’t know where my gloves are since I usually have a pair in there as well… Oh dear. I seem to have misplaced a few items!

Let me know what you never leave the house without! I’d love to know.

Thanks for reading!