What’s in my handbag? Travel edition

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How to cite: Wong M. What’s in my handbag? Travel edition. Lab Muffin Beauty Science. March 13, 2014. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://labmuffin.com/whats-in-my-handbag-travel-edition/

I’m hoping it’s not just me and I’m not outing myself as an irredeemable weirdo – I LOVE looking at what beauty products other people use. I love going through other girls’ handbag stashes, and when I’m in someone’s bathroom I can’t resist taking a peek at what products they’ve got in there.

(I can feel everyone revoking their dinner invites already.)

Anyway, in the spirit of mutual pleasuring, I’m posting what’s in my handbag. There are a few other Aussie ladies doing this right now too, and I’ll post some links soon so you can have a gawk at the products we have! (and whether they spin anticlockwise.)

I keep everything in a Lust Have It! makeup bag, from when they were still putting those out. I’ve found so many uses for them, unlike the flip-top boxes which are gathering dust in a corner of my room. Disappointingly, I don’t have any new European products in here, except for a repurchase of something I left at home.

I’ve mentioned quite a few of these products before – some are just perennial favourites, while others have snuck in there recently.

– Essence Fix and Matte Loose Translucent powder
– Ecotools powder brush
– Paula’s Choice Oil Blotting Paper

I’m an oily bitch so I need these throughout the day to keep me from becoming a beacon in the light. The brush is a nice stumpy travel-friendly size, and so pretty!

This is the order I apply my lip products in:
Nivea Repair and Protect balm
Revlon Kissable Lip Balm stains in Honey and Rendezvous
Face of Australia Glossy Lip Crayon in Pecan Pie*

I frequently leave my lips to do in the car or train – it’s the easiest to do on the go, and I have to carry the products around with me for touch-ups anyway. I’ve always been annoyed that Honey is too plain on me while Rendezvous is too bright, but it didn’t dawn on me that I could combine the two to get the best from both worlds til recently! Now my daily lip is a full layer of Honey, followed by a light layer of Rendezvous. I use Nivea lip balm underneath to soften my lips, and if it still feels dry afterwards, I add the Glossy Lip Crayon on top.

– Girlee Cosmetics black eyeliner pencil
– Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium*
– Ultraflesh Shinebox Secret Shimmer in Nude*

I’m an eye-rubber, so I need an eyeliner with me at all times in case. Gimme Brow is great for quick touchups on the go. The illuminator stick is in there for when I discover I look tired in the middle of the day – a few waterline highlights and I’m fake perky again.

Uriage Thermal Water spray

I have a few bottles of this at home but I picked this up as a free gift with a Uriage sunscreen in France. I’ve had some dehydrated skin issues here in the European winter – this spray is brilliant for adding moisture to the skin without disturbing makeup. It’s the only thermal water I’ve tried so far though, so I can’t comment on how well it measures up. I’m still not 100% sure I understand the concept of thermal water to be honest!

– Acorelle perfume sample

I usually keep a perfume sample in my handbag just in case I forgot to spray, and for after pole. For a while it was a chain of Daisys by Marc Jacobs, but I think the beauty boxes have finally run out of samples, which is a pity because it’s a lovely scent.

Mirror

I picked this up at a Hong Kong market a while ago, but I’m keen for a replacement – it’s too scratched and banged up for me to see myself clearly!

Tissues
Antihistamines (Zyrtec/cetirizine)

In addition to being an oily bitch, I’m also a sneezy bitch. Zyrtec is my favourite at the moment because of the lack of side effects, but it’s a bit weak and I sometimes have to OD on them if I don’t have anything else on hand.

Swiss Army Knife (Deluxe Tinker)

Yes, I was a girl guide, so I am always prepared! If you’re looking for a utility tool for everyday use, I can’t recommend something with scissors enough – the scissors see more action than anything else on this. I’ve used them for cutting loose threads, artistically hacking singlets for pole, opening packets, trimming eyebrows, snipping off split ends… infinite uses! The tweezers are pretty darn handy too. Come to think of it, I should’ve just bought scissors with tweezers attached.

What’s in your handbag? Did we have any overlaps? Let me know in the comments below! 🙂

Other handbags for your rubbernecking pleasure:
Lazy Lacquerista

Products marked * were provided for editorial consideration, which did not affect my opinion. For more information, see Disclosure Policy.


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19 thoughts on “What’s in my handbag? Travel edition”

  1. You’re not a weirdo, I think everyone likes this sort of things. Kind of like when I’m at someone’s house I like to see what products are in their bathroom. Maybe I’m a weirdo. 🙂

    Reply
    • I went on a weekend trip and forgot to bring blush – that FOA lip crayon worked surprisingly well! 😀

      There’s nothing worse than wandering out of the house on a lovely Spring day and realising you forgot to take an antihistamine. It’s the ultimate unexpected emotional rollercoaster.

      Reply
  2. I’ve got about 2123478432982 lip products in my bag, from liquid glosses to lip balm sticks to lipsticks to lip crayons. 5 of the revlon balm stains (3 regular, 1 matte, 1 lacquer), 1 Milani lipstick (oh boy do I get what people say about the fake melon smell now!), 4 NYX lipsticks, a NYC lipstick, a Revlon lipstick, 2 MAC lipsticks, 5 Revlon lip butters, a Mary Kay lipstick, a WnW lipstick… and at least twenty different glosses from shaded to clear.

    *clears throat* Hi, I’m K, and I’m a lip product junkie.

    I also have my wallet, tissues, cellphone, pens, nail clippers, swiss army knife, eyedrops, dry mouth spray, inhaler, blood glucose test kit, notepad, glasses cases, mints, gum, tic tacs, headphones, USB cable for my phone, USB thumb drives, pressed powder compact (mostly for the mirror), tweezers, cold sore med, and sometimes cough lozenges. (Yes, my bag is heavy…)

    Reply
    • My bag is heavy too. I have a pouch of lip stuff, a pouch of nail stuff, and one for mascaras and other sundries. Another pouch has gift cards. There are a couple more, I don’t even remember what’s in them! So yeah that is like six! And my wallet, checkbook, cell phone, keys, sunglasses….. I bought this giant purse and thought it would be great, but it’s sooooo heavy…. 😀

      Reply
    • kenora – I don’t think I’ve had that many lip products in my bag before, but there’s usually about 10 in there – pretty sure the reason I only have 4 is that I only brought 4 with me…

      Arathael – I have the same issue with buying large handbags then filling it to the brim!

      Reply
  3. I love seeing other gals handbags, nothing weird here 😉 I always forget to clean out mine, so I usually carry tons of “unnecessary” stuff with me.

    Reply
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