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Whether it’s that makeup emergency or a wardrobe malfunction, your handbag can save the day (or night). But that’s only if you’ve remembered to pack the right stuff in. AFP Photo

By Yatan Ahluwalia

A hermes birkin kelly bag can be a lifesaver. Whether it’s that makeup emergency or a wardrobe malfunction, your handbag can save the day (or night). But that’s only if you’ve remembered to pack the right stuff in. It’s not the ‘LV’ tag on it that matters, it’s what’s in it.

Here’s a handy girls’ guide on the essentials to carry in your handbag:

Makeup

India’s leading celebrity makeup artist and hairstylist, Jojo says, “Don’t carry the dressing table with you.” And for good reason — you will never get the time to use all your favourite cosmetics when you are on the move. Always stock your handbag only with what you need for a quick two-minute touch up. This is what you really shouldn’t leave home without:

Mascara: To accentuate, define and highlight the eyes. Most of you use your eyes to draw attention, express yourself or make a point. A quick mid-day reapplication or a couple of ‘fully loaded’ outward mascara strokes a few hours later will ensure your eyes continue to do the talking.

Tip: If you have short or thin strands of hair on your lashes, use volumising black mascara to make them look fuller and longer. If your lashes are naturally long, then you can do with using clear or transparent mascara.

Blush: “Use blush to add just a hint of colour to your cheeks and never to make a strong colour statement,” adds Jojo. Blush instantly adds a healthy colour pigment to even the dullest and palest of cheeks. A stroke of blush, if it’s in powder form or a dab if its cream-based, will brighten up a lot more than your mood.

Tip: Based on what you are wearing and your skin tone — stain your cheeks with either pink or peach (for pale and fair skin) and coral or brown (if you are wheatish, dusky or dark).

A handbag can be a lifesaver. Getty Images

Lip colour or lip-gloss: The lips are the other attention seeker on the face (after the eyes) and need to be defined with a lip pencil (at home) then filled with the colour of choice. The colour will need to be touched up once, twice or even thrice during the day – especially after the coffee or lunch break, and most certainly if you are lucky to get a quick moment to get cosy with him. Coat some gloss on top of your lip colour if you need to go out for a party immediately after a hectic day at work or head to a nightclub straight from the long day you spent shopping at the mall or indulging yourself at the spa.

Tip: Choose lighter and neutral colours (skin, browns and light pastels) for the day and brighter ones (pink, red and orange) or dark ones (burgundy, chocolate brown and shades of purple) for the evening.

Nail polish: If you are obsessive about your nails, or have been using a dark or bright colour to coat them, then carry a mini bottle of nail colour with you. This will allow you to cover, repair and fix any unwanted chips when you are out of the comfort zone of your home or dressing table.

Tip: If you want to make an impact and make heads turn, paint your finger and toe nails red!

The wardrobe malfunction kit:

Every (good) girl needs an all-purpose sewing kit with a needle (or multiple needles), multi-coloured threads, safety pins and other elements to alter, mend and fix the unwanted and unforeseen rip or tear.

If you normally wear Indian clothes, like saris, then a spare hook for your blouse can be life saving. If you tend to wear more of shirts, jackets and trousers, you will never regret having a few spare (neutral) buttons on standby.

Hair Accessories:

Based on your hair length, texture and style you must carry a rubber band, a couple of bob pins, ‘u’ pins, invisible pins and a (clean) hairbrush or comb on you. Your back-up will come to your rescue and prove useful, whether you are having a good or bad hair day.

Moreover, if you are obsessive about how neat your hair looks, and like to keep it that way through the day or night, then keep a small tube of gel or hairspray handy. A hand held mirror can be carried by those of you who cannot fix the hair without looking at it. The mirror will obviously also help with the makeup touch-ups as well.

Avoid materials and labels that are or look obviously fake. AFP Photo

Handbag Basic: The rules for your shoulder or clutch bag

1. However new or old, it should look as clean and as well maintained as possible. Cloth bags can be dry-cleaned and leather can always be wiped, buffed and polished.

2. Broken or fraying handles and straps are just not acceptable. Neither are zippers that don’t fasten and buckles that don’t hold.