Customers are always surprised when I tell them how much I love something and then pull it out of my purse right in front of them. I am not generally a fan of the “what’s in my purse” articles because I always think they’re staged. They always have some great novel spilling out of their bag. If I dumped my purse, half of the photo would probably be Sweetgreen and Misha’s receipts. That doesn’t make for a great photo, but I thought I’d dump my purse and take an honest photo of what’s in it and share it with you. I realized some interesting things in the process.

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1) Sunglasses

I bought these Krewe sunglasses from The Shoe Hive last year and I get so many compliments on them. The lenses are flush with the frame and are really sleek looking. 

2) Playbill

Inevitably there is a child-related item of one sort or another in my handbag. Today it was a playbill. Tomorrow it could be a hockey schedule. 

3) Headphones

I honestly never use these, so I don’t know why I keep them except that whenever I’d fly I would inevitably wish I had them. So now I tote them around everyday so that twice a year on a flight I am not left wishing I had them. Silly? [Editor's note: same.] 

4) A Nice Pen

I always carry a nice pen with me. It seems that we use our phones for everything these days, but there are always occasions when I need to jot something down on paper. I like knowing that I have a pen in my purse. If it’s a nice one, I’ll make sure I always put it back. When I carried cheaper pens, I was constantly leaving them in the car or on a counter somewhere. 

5) Truffle Bag and Lip Products

I didn’t even realize how many lip products I had in my purse until I took the photo. I keep clear glosses and lip balms like Lip Service from Patchology and Fresh Caramel Lip Balm, as well as colored lip products, Fresh and Coola colored balms with sunscreen for daytime sun protection, and a bold lip color for heading out at night. I love that the clear Truffle bag lets me see exactly what I need without digging around for it. 

6) Asthmatic Inhaler

Rarely need it, but when I do…I really do. It’s apparently empty so I need to refill it. 

7) Perfume Oils

I like to have fragrance options with me, but I don’t want to run the risk of a spray spilling in my purse. These little fragrance oils like Kai Rose give me that flexibility. I think I’m going to be adding more of these to our selection at Bellacara after seeing how many are in my bag. 

8) Portable Phone Charger

It never fails that just when you have no access to an outlet is when your phone hits three percent. This can give you just enough time to make it through until you can make it to a wall charger again. 

9) Wet Ones

Because the little bottle of hand sanitizer opened in my purse last time I had it in there. 

10) Wet Brush

I own a pocket size Mason Pearson, but my boys kept absconding with it so now I keep this brush in my purse. I have one in my car, one in my gym bag, and about twelve around the house. When you have kids, you have to closely guard your nice hairbrushes. 

11) Hollywood Fashion Tape

You never know when you’re going to loose a button or drop a hem. I always keep a tin in my purse just in case. 

12) Mineral Dust-on Sunscreen

I know I need to reapply sunscreen throughout the day, but I don’t want to mess up my makeup so I keep a mineral brush on sunscreen in my bag. I have tons of them lying around. 

13) Hair Tie

This is another one of those “you never have it when you need it” scenarios.  I keep it in there just for that reason. 

My Phone (not shown)

It isn’t in the photo because I used it to take the photo. 

Full disclosure

I tossed out the crumpled parking, Sweetgreen, Lowe’s, and Harris Teeter receipts that fell out when I dumped my purse. I know I should be folding them and putting them in a wallet or pouch rather than shoving them into the cavernous darkness of my purse. I am working on that.