7 beauty essentials you should always have floating around the bottom of your bag

There’s one universal truth for all beauty devotees: we come with a well-stocked handbag. Whether it be the tiniest Jacquemus or our oversized work tote, there will always be a few beauty essentials we don’t leave the house without.   

And let's be clear, for the sake of sanitariness, these beauty essentials might be floating around the bottom of our bag, but they’re ‘floating’ in their own chic dedicated beauty bag.   

Ready to meet our non-negotiables? Here are the beauty essentials we always have on hand...  

Hand sanitiser   

This one absolutely speaks for itself; between public transport and general existence, we always want to be able to keep our hands free from germs. Especially considering we’re constantly topping up our lip combos and somehow seem to regularly find ourselves touching our faces while staring at our laptops.  

Hair bits   

Need a hair tie? Ask us, we’ve got four ready in our little ‘for emergencies’ kit. The same goes for bobby pins, and if you catch us on a good day, we might even have a slick stick floating around in there. Midday hairdo change? It’s always on the cards.   

Pimple patches   

There is literally nothing worse than feeling a pimple brewing under the skin. You know the feeling we’re talking about. It used to feel like there was nothing we could do to help it. That was, of course, before we started carrying a sleeve of Dermal Therapy Acne Control Clear Patches ($14.99 from Adore Beauty) with us.   

The ultra-thin hydrocolloid technology provides a discreet barrier to prevent any rogue bacteria or accidental touching (we’re all guilty of squeezing a blemish from time to time). Aside from forming a protective layer (once we’ve cleared our skin of makeup and dirt, of course), the patches are all about working to absorb, control, calm and clear breakouts.   

Powered by a blend of hydrocolloid technology, Sebaclear and a triple AHA complex, the unclogging, oil-absorbing patches are a total 'bottom of the bag' beauty essential.  

Fragrance 

Our dedication to smelling good knows no bounds, from the several scents that live on our desk, to the mini 'top up on the run' perfumes we carry while we're out. But the signature scent efforts don’t stop there; we also carry a travel-friendly Salt and Stone deodorant stick for when we need a little freshness top-up. 

Concealer  

Need to quickly touch up under your eyes before heading out after work? Done. Applying a base for a little eyeshadow? Easy. Some may say a good stick of concealer is the most versatile beauty product out there, and so it’s more than deserving of a spot in your 'essentials' pouch. 

Lip combo  

The perfect lip combo takes work. It’s the kind of full-time job that we’re absolutely committed to, which also means that we’ve got at least one lip liner floating around the bottom of our bags. And realistically, that combo calls for more than one liner, a gloss or tint — such as Dermal Therapy’s new mocha brown lip tint ($9.99 from Chemist Warehouse) — and probably a lipstick in the mix.   

Basically, we’re a fully stocked lip counter at all times.   

Makeup wipes   

That blemish you felt brewing? Well, you’re not going to apply a pimple patch directly to your makeup-covered skin. So naturally, having a small pack of makeup wipes on hand is the obvious choice to be able to quickly cleanse a patch of skin. Not to mention, they're great for refreshing your lip combo. 

Main Image Credit: @hoskelsa