Let’s talk beauty.

Actually, let’s talk beauty emergencies. There’s nothing worse than minor beauty mishaps occurring consistently throughout the day, particularly on a Monday morning. You know that feeling: It’s Monday. You’re tired and it shows. You attempted to style your hair this morning, but surprise! The weather had other plans. As you head out the door, you chip your freshly painted nails. To top it all off, the much-needed coffee spills on your white blouse.

What do you do?

That’s when a mini emergency beauty bag comes in handy. I’ve noticed that with these 12 products in my beauty bag, my day runs a little smoother.

1. Mirror
   An obvious one, but you’d be surprised how often you’ll need a quick touchup when you forget a compact mirror at home.  It’s much easier to carry one on standby than migrate to the nearest bathroom for something as minor as an eyelash in your eye.
2. Lotion
   More specifically, hand lotion. Often times, your hands can feel dry or rough after washing them with the soap provided in company bathrooms. An old trick of the trade is to carry hand lotion with you and apply it after washing your hands. It’ll
3. Hair Tie 
   I normally wear one around my wrist for easy access, but it’s always a good idea to carry backup in your bag. Sometimes you intend to wear your hair down, but the weather says otherwise. A hair tie can save what will turn into a bad hair day by switching the frizzy ‘do into a cute bun or slick ponytail.
4. Tweezers
   Am I the only one who thinks the car mirror has the ideal clarity for tweezing brows? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t tweeze my eyebrows in my car…BUT looking in that window is usually a clear indicator as to whether my brows are overdue for a grooming. It’s because of this discovery that I keep tweezers in my beauty bag for quick touchups.
5. Bobby Pins
   A bobby pin is another hair disaster prevention tool. The minimum I recommend keeping on hand is two, but four or five would be ideal.
6. Nail Clipper or Nail File
   This one is pretty obvious, but it’s a good idea to keep a nail file or clippers in your bag. I usually skip the file and opt for the nail clipper, because they take care of any hangnails or cuticle issues.
7. Eyeliner
   Some form of eyeliner is always in my beauty bag because you never know when you need to change the look from day to night, and eyeliner is the quickest way to add a little oomph to an otherwise neutral eye.
   
8. Oil Absorbing Sheets or Touch Up Powder
   Depending on your personal preference, you should keep either oil absorbing sheets or touch up powder in your bag. I’m not a fan of adding more face products throughout the day, but I love to use oil absorbing sheets. They get rid of the excess oil without wiping off makeup.
9. Nail Polish Remover Pads
   I absolutely love the concept of individual nail polish remover pads. 1 pad is saturated with enough remover to wipe off all ten fingernails, as well as toenail polish. It’s great to have on hand just in case your nail polish is beyond touchup mode and requires a fresh coat or full removal.
10. Tide to Go
    Tide to Go is a recent addition to my beauty bag, because I have a tendency to spill things. I don’t know when I became so clumsy, but that new trait mixed with my primarily ivory blouses I wear to work equals a disaster waiting to happen. Tide to Go saves the day when I spill coffee early in the morning and still have hours to go until I’m able to throw my top in the laundry.
11. Lip Product of the Day + Chapstick
    Always, always, always keep chapstick in your bag. I recommend adding any lip product you’re wearing that day to your bag as well, because we all know how difficult it is to keep a lip product on throughout a full workday. Chapstick is something I often misplace or accidentally wash, so I keep one at work, one in my bag, and usually one in my pocket. I would keep Chapstick in my car as well if it wouldn’t melt.
12. Nail Polish
    Last on the list is your nail polish of the day. We do all we can to keep nail polish from chipping, but things happen. If you’re only on day 2 or 3 of wearing your nail polish and it gets a minor chip, having the nail polish with you can keep your manicure looking fresh.

What other beauty essentials do you keep in your makeup bag?