Ten Essential Everyday Items in My Bag I Absolutely Cannot Live Without as a Woman

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Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a very resourceful person when it comes to stationery and sanitary products. Back in secondary school, I was the go-to person for well...almost every item under the sun (Yes, ask around 😌). I liked to have my own personal items because it spared me from the stress of having to borrow all the time. Well, thankfully, I have a big heart (at least from my own perspective) and was quite willing to share my items with others. So if you're like me and would rather just have your own personal items, then you've come to the right place! Now the question is: Which items are absolutely essential for you to have? If you cannot answer that question with 100% certainty then you better keep reading.

First things first, go get you are cute dainty bag, fanny pack or purse. What's the point of carefully selecting essential items just to have them scattered randomly all over the place? I'm personally a fan of fanny packs or just cute medium sized purses. To add some icing on the cake, I usually add an element to the wristlet or zip area of the purse like a mini teddy bear, monkey, or pom pom. Basically something pretty and soft. A good example of the kind of purse you need would be this $4 croc embossed purse with a wristlet from SHEIN.

 It comes in about four different colors but my personal favorite is the mint green one. You can also try out the $3 Cow Print Long Purse on SHEIN.

 My favourite purse is the £1.51 Basic Pink Letter Print Zipper Wallet on SOULMIA. 

If you're more of a fanny pack person, I got you babe. It would be a good idea to get your first one or add to your collection with this $4 minimalist fanny pack on SHEIN. 

There are a range of colors but my personal favorite is the Mauve Purple Shade. P.S: If you're a first timer on SHEIN, you get $3 off your order (if you use the given code)!

 Now, let's get this show on the road once and for all!

Drumroll for essential item number one, please...

1. Hand sanitizer

I absolutely cannot do without my hand sanitizer anywhere. Even before the pandemic broke out, hand sanitizer was (and still is) very essential to my everyday life. I'm a sucker for nice-smelling hand sanitizers that actually kill germs and are not over diluted with water 😖. Sanitizers with strong alcoholic scent are a no-no for me as the scent often leaves me with an intense headache. My favorite scents are citrus and Aloe Vera. I currently use Evora Labs hand sanitizer (with Aloe) and I'm loving every bit of it. 

2. Pocket Tissue

How does anyone live without pocket tissue? They are literally so handy and save the day more times than I can count. Whether you have a running nose, or you want to clean dust off a plastic chair, or you want to wipe your oily fingers, or you simply need it in the restroom, pocket tissue is there for you. You can even add some hand sanitizing gel on the tissue when you need to clean certain surfaces. Personally, there has never been a time where pocket tissue failed me so I can guarantee that it is absolutely essential. However, it's absolutely the most horrid idea ever to try to use tissue to clean suade surfaces 😖 or wet the tissue in an attempt to clean a stain off your clothes. Anyway, there are so many options to pick from out there but my favorite brands are Paloma (Classic Super Soft) and Rose.

3. Lip Balm

How do people even survive without having lip balm? I literally cannot concentrate when I have chapped lips, especially when I'm doing something important like writing an exam. I use both scented and unscented lip balm and sometimes combine lipstick with lip balm. Other times, I ditch the lip balm and use lip gloss, but lip balm is always a constant in my purse. My regular brand is Vaseline lip balm and my favorite thing about it is that it lasts for a reasonable amount of time before I have to reapply it. If you're reading this and you don't have lip balm, please show your lips some love and grab one from this NEWCHIC product showcase below, hon.

4. Hand cream/Body Lotion

Depending on the nature of one's skin and the season, hand cream is more essential for some people and at some points than others. I usually apply hand cream after washing my hands in the restroom. Not having hand cream during the Harmattan season would be a great disservice to myself (and dare I say, those that rely on me). I love scented lotions (who doesn't?) and I currently use April bath & shower and Bio Fresh's Rose of Bulgaria (with Natural Rose water). If you you have rough and/or dry skin (especially in dry seasons), show that skin some love and get hand lotion, girl. 

5. Sanitary Pads and Panty Liner

These are essential items I carry around even when I'm not on my period (just in case someone else needs them). I usually carry two each at a time or two sanitary pads and a panty liner depending on what phase of my period I'm in. I use Always, Kotex, Molped and Pretty Intimate (just for my panty liners) but I have to say my favorite is Molped. It was literally love-at-first-feel for me! While some people prefer to use wingless pads, it's a no-no for me😬. 

Although this is not something I can put in my bag, my period tracker is another absolute essential tool in my life. I currently use My Calendar and it's very easy to use. It's password protected and you can use it to track menstruation, ovulation and/or pregnancy. You can also set reminders for period, ovulation, medicine etc. Additionally, you can input your symptoms and moods and send a report to your doctor from the app. Like I mentioned in a previous post, What Girls Want, not all women and girls have access to sanitary products. Order an item from the UFL online store today and help others have access to free sanitary products!

6. Small-Sized Mirror

Call it vanity or whatever you will, but a mirror is an essential item for me. I may not always feel like taking a trip to the bathroom just to check a zit on my forehead or check if my hair is tidy. It's as simple as that. Back in secondary I had two small sized mirrors–one of which was gifted to me by my grandma–but unfortunately, they both got lost in transit (one of the downsides of lending out your items to people😔). You can get MINISO'S Square Compact–Pocket Mirror (Mermaid Series) before it sells out! Conversely, you can choose SHEIN'S $4 portable round make up mirror.

7. Small-sized bottle of perfume

This was an item I never realized I had need of till my grandma gifted me a small bottle of BVLGARI perfume. I usually use it after using the restroom and dab the perfume on key points like my neck and elbow area. The best thing about this perfume (apart from its scent, of course) is the fact that I can just keep refilling the bottle even when the original perfume has long finished (a girl has to do what she has to do 😭). An alternative is to simply pour the content of a bigger perfume bottle into an originally empty small spray bottle.

8. Small-sized bottle of hand wash

So the truth is, I've actually never seen a small sized bottle of hand wash being readily sold, so here's my trick: I fill up empty bottles of hand sanitizers with hand wash. Since I use hand sanitizers so much, I have a couple of empty small sized sanitizer bottles. My mini sized hand wash saves the day when there is no hand wash in the community or public bathroom or when I just don't feel like touching the hand wash bottle or bar soap that everyone else uses. I also use hand wash after eating oily food or eating a meal that requires using my hand (like a burger). Hand wash generally just comes in handy when you need more than just water or tissue to be clean. Not to worry, if you don't have empty bottles of hand sanitizer lying around like I do. You can order SHEIN'S £0.99 random spray color bottles and pour in some hand wash.

9. Mini/ Pocket Size Wipes

These are the absolute cutest. I had a mini wipes pack from MINISO that had the We Bare Bears characters from Cartoon Network and I never got tired of seeing them (the Bare Bears) whenever I needed to get some wipes to clean my desk, table, locker or any other cleanable surface. I usually use them with hand sanitizing gel to feel even more comfortable that most of the germs are gone (and no, I am not diagnosed with OCD as there is more to OCD than enjoying breathing in a clean environment).

And finally...

10. Hair Accessories

What I mean by hair accessories here, is essentially just a small to medium sized (afro) comb and some rubber bands or scrunchies. A comb is more useful when you are wearing your natural hair (and please, please, please, do not comb your hair around food😖). If you are wearing hair that needs to be packed, rubber bands and at least a spare scrunchie, are quite essential items to have on standby. You can try SHEIN'S £0.99 ditsy floral print scrunchies or grab one or two from the ZAFUL.com product showcase below.

SHEIN UK'S DITSY FLORAL PRINT SCRUNCHIES

And so ends my list! If there's a new item this post made you realise you need or if  you think that there is any other essential item that I did not add, please feel free comment below! Don't forget to order a product from the UFL online store to contribute to Une Femme Libre's Project to provide free sanitary products for women and girls around Dudu's local area.

XO,
Dudu.