We live out of our bags. Between meetings and desk-to-dinner detours, they carry the fixes that keep us moving: sunglasses, lip balm that survives back-to-back meetings, a Kindle for the in-betweens. Some of us pack light; others plan for the what-ifs. Either way, the aim is the same – pull out exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. These are the things we actually use, on repeat.

Kirsty Thatcher

Digital Editor

Bag of choice: In a dream world, it’s a Bottega Veneta Andiamo.

10 essentials:

1. Sunglasses, always. Love these Saint Laurent ones.
2. My MAC Lip Liner has been in my bag for as long as I can remember. Whirl is the only shade I wear.
3. You never know when a bad hair day is going to strike, so I like to have a mini Maison Pearson on me.
4. Similarly, this Ouai pomade has saved my hair more times than I can say. Perfect for a quick slick-back.
5. My AirPods, for obvious reasons.
6. My friends got me a Kindle for my birthday, and I’m obsessed. She comes with me everywhere.
7. Summer Fridays lip balm is a non-negotiable.
8. You can pretty much guarantee I will have a pair of earrings (or five) floating around my bag. These Love Isabelle ones are my current favourites.
9. I am addicted to Fundays. The Strawberry and Cream flavour is elite.
10. If you have thick eyebrows, you get it. I always have this Brow Freeze (and a spare spoolie) on hand.

Stacey Gaskin

Consumer Revenue Manager

Bag of choice: Prada large Bonnie tote bag

10 (11) essentials:

I have more than 10 items in my bag at all times but here are some of the non-negotiables.

1. Can’t go anywhere without my LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask
2. 10ml English Pear & Freesia Cologne - a long time go-to.
3. MERIT Flush Balm in Stockholm - lip and cheek colour on the go. A great colour for my very fair skin.
4. Cardholder - very chic and just as necessary.
5. Sunglasses.
6. Hair pin - this one has character and has great grip (I have long fine hair).
7. iPod Classic - just because. With wired headphones - I use a hair tie to keep them untangled. And if it’s not my iPod it’s what I’m currently reading.
8. Kine wipes - plastic-free cloth and certified flushable.
9. memobottle - love how this doesn’t overcrowd my bag.
10. Aesop Eleos Aromatique Hand Balm
11. tic tacs - I had to include.

Cassandra Dimitroff

Features and Production Editor

Bag of choice: My dream bag at the moment is the TOTEME Bucket in this Brown Croc Leather. She’s unreal.

10 essentials:

1. CHANEL Hydra Beaty Micro Serum Levres – the bougiest thing you’ll find in my bag.
2. I don’t subscribe to Labubus, but I do subscribe to these TANCHEN Pet Nat Pet bottle openers / key chains. I have the ROE one.
3. Merit’s Flush Balm in Fox is pretty much the only on-the-go makeup I bother with.
4. Sunglasses are never optional – these DMY Studios Margot sunnies are the current faves.
5. Aesop’s Rinse-Free Hand Sanitiser spray is a permanent fixture – great for sharing with friends before a meal.
6. Apple Airpods (mine are much crustier and dustier than these pictured).
7. I am that person who always carts a book around for moments in-between. Currently starting in on Nova Scotia House by Charlie Porter.
8. I am well and truly a spokesperson for this fragrance now. Sage’s Rose by TSU LANGE YOR is 11/10. I usually carry the 10ml with me.
9. I am also always raiding hotel rooms and airport lounges for sachets of tea. T2 tea bags are obviously the pinnacle of this treasure hunt.
10. Not pictured – but my vintage brown leather wallet. It’s dilapidated and a hand-me-down from decades ago, but I’ll probably carry it around till it’s hanging by a thread.

Mia Steiber

Digital Strategy Director & Associate Publisher

Bag of choice: I’m still dreaming of the Miu Miu Aventure bag.

As for my 10 handbag essentials, these are the bits that are always within arm’s reach:

1. Sephora’s Size Up Mascara is always with me. This is my go-to mascara for reapplications as it holds and doesn’t flake.
2. Flavedo’s chinotto liner is technically an eyeliner but it makes the perfect lipliner – and blush in a pinch.
3. Dr Lara Devgan lip plumper, she’s spicy, but she’s the best.
4. The does-anything-and-everything concealer, YSL Beauty Touche Eclat.
5. Of course I can’t leave home without my iPhone 17 Pro.
6. My Kindle Colorsoft is also a handbag mainstay, self explanatory really.
7. I must always have a claw clip. I like these ones.
8. Airpods, again self explanatory.
9. I have a little Vestirsi pouch that is always full of antihistamine, nurofen, ventolin and travelcalm. It comes with me everywhere.
10. And, my stainless steel water bottle.

Sophia Serafin

Implementation Manager

Bag of choice: The Attico Large La Passeggiata Tote Bag in Brown Suede

10 essentials:

1. I still carry physical cards and a distinctive card-holder helps me find them quickly in the chaos of my bag.
2. I picked up this lip balm from a French Pharmacy and it truly lives up to the soft-lip hype.
3. Always keeping sunglasses on-hand, the bigger the better to channel your inner Charli XCX
4. AirPods to block out my surroundings when I want to focus or wind-down.
5. I was anti-Kindle at first, but since receiving it as a gift I don’t go anywhere without it.
6. There’s always a pair of swimmers tucked in my bag. You never know when you’ll end up at the beach.
7. A pocket sized hairbrush from Maison Pearson is a tiny luxury that just makes sense.
8. The Kevyn Aucoin Tubing Mascara is perfect for quick touch-ups - it never smudges, and comes off clean. An essential.
9. I carry a Saint Valentine velvet Jewellery box in case I want to swap out pieces or take something off.
10. I’m always chewing gum, Extra White Peppermint only.

Jaime Carmody

Digital Marketing Specialist

Bag of your choice: A girl can dream… Prada Medium Bonnie Tote bag

10 essentials:

1. I’m not joking when I say my Maison Louis Marie Perfume Oil in No.4, Bois De Balincourt is with me at ALL times, by far the hardest working product in my bag.
2. Next up is my KIT urban hand slave cream - the name says it all. Packed with restorative oils and superfoods, it keeps my hands nourished and revived on the go.
3. I always seem to end up with about 40 different lip products in my bag. At the moment I’ve been gravitating to this MAC lipstick.
4. Another hard working product in my bag is my Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm. It's super nourishing and fresh without feeling too sticky.
5. My Charlotte TIlburry lip liner in pillowtalk is my secret weapon. It defines, shapes and keeps my lips looking polished without feeling overdone.
6. With the weather warming up my Jurlique face mist is a lifesaver.
7. When stress hits, I roll on Aesop’s Ginger Flight Therapy. This little bottle of zen blends ginger, lavender and geranium to help calm my nerves.
8. I always carry my Frank Green ceramic reusable cup. Not only does my coffee taste better, but my local cafe rewards me for bringing it in.
9. I always have my Le Specs sunglasses in my bag, perfect for hiding tired eyes.
10. I always keep Clinique’s cleansing balm in my bag because you never know when you’ll need a quick makeup wipe off.

Elyssa Kostopoulos

Content Director & Watch Editor

Bag of choice: Great hardware on a bag will get me every time. I’m still obsessed with the Loewe Squeeze… 

10x essentials:

1. Like the traditionalist I am, I still write everything down and carry my Aspinal of London notebook everywhere I go. It is both chic and supremely practical and every time it’s out on the table at my local coffee shop, I receive major complements.
2. I recommend the Hermès Le Beige The lip pencil every chance I get. It is the perfect nude for everyday wear and it’s always, always, in my handbag.
3. Soy sauce. I won’t be elaborating any further.
4. I have started using a cuticle oil religiously after my nail lady begged me to and it has actually changed the shape of my nail bed. I can’t link the exact one because my nail lady gives it to me in a little pen, but I’ve heard great things about the the manucurist Huile Verte Cuticle Oil. Great for applying during your daily commute.
5. I always rotate my sunglasses, but right now, I can’t stop wearing the Devon 01 from Gentle Monster. They always make me look put together even when I’m not.
6. Perfume and deodorant. Right now I’m loving the who is elijah HIS|HER in the travel size, and I’m trialing the Uni deodorant and it fits so neatly tucked into my cosmetics pouch.
7. Speaking of cosmetic bags, I have a beauty case from Oroton that comes with me everywhere. Stuffed with all the essentials – from makeup touch-ups to Nurofen – it’s the ultimate safety net. I can’t find my exact one online, but I love the new Oroton Fife Medium Beauty Case too.
8. Never leave the house without my AirPods. The more noise cancelling, the better.
9. I am the unofficial ambassador for Melbourne hair accessories brand, Vesitia. You will always find one of their signature claw clips and Maison comb’s in my bag.
10. Protein bars or individually packaged popcorn. Shoutout to all my motion sickness girlies out there.