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I like to be prepared. For anything. I am often referred to as the “mom” out of my friends, always having a mint or hand sanitizer on hand. The reason I’m so prepared is because it eliminates the worry of being stuck in a situation in which I need something (i.e., if it’s hot out, a hair tie) and not having it. Here, I have the ultimate guide for making sure you have everything that you need, at all times.
- Tic Tacs & Breath Strips
No one likes bad breath, period. You don’t want it, you don’t want your friends to have it, etc. Of course, traditional oral care (brushing your teeth, flossing, etc.) is necessary to maintain a healthy mouth, but if you’re in a pinch Tic Tacs or Listerine breath strips are great. After you eat, pop one of these in your mouth and thank me later.
- Tooth Picks
Speaking of having food throughout the day, if you can’t go back to your dorm or your apartment to floss, having toothpicks (not the wooden ones—more like these) on hand is life changing. Food sitting on your teeth for hours is not the move.
- Pressed Powder
As someone who likes to stay busy 100% of the time, I run around campus trying to get everywhere quickly. This causes me to break a sweat, so having a pressed powder to blot my face during the day has been helpful with maintaining a fresh look.
- Lip Balm & Lip Gloss
This has to be the most important item I have in my kit (and that is saying a lot). If I don’t have lip balm or gloss in my bag, I would risk being late for class (if you know me, you know I can’t stand being late, especially to class) to run back to my room and grab something. I absolutely love the Burt’s Bees Ultra Conditioning Lip Balm and the clear lip gloss by Essence for super moisturized and plump looking lips, respectively.
- Mini Hair Brush
With curly hair comes frizzy, tangled, and at times unruly hair. I wear my hair up 99% of the time, and re-do my ponytails or buns throughout the day. I can’t get a smooth look with just my hands, so I love my mini Revlon brush.
- Hair Ties
Like I said, I wear my hair up a lot, so having backup hair ties is a must. With my thick hair, they tend to snap and I never want to be caught empty handed. Also, I always feel like a hero when someone asks me for a hair tie and I have one. It’s the little things.
- Eyebrow Spoolie
I’ll (hopefully) never be caught with my brow hairs going in all different directions. Keeping them maintained is super important to me, so I carry around a spoolie. (It’s actually an empty brow pencil with a spoolie attached to it).
- Band Aids and Bacitracin
Whether it’s broken skin around my cuticles or a papercut, treating a cut the minute it happens is important. Also, if a friend needs a band-aid, you’ll have them covered.
- Feminine Products
I am not sure how much of an explanation this needs, but ladies, let’s never be in a pinch in this situation, ok?
- Hand Sanitizer
Pandemic or not, always have something to clean your hands with. It’s inevitable that our hands aren’t always the cleanest, and we might not always be near a place to wash our hands, so hand sanitizer is critical.
- Throat Drops
When my throat is dry or if I have a tickle, I like to pop a Ricola throat drop in my mouth.
- Mini Mirror
Want to check your hair? Your face? Your teeth? A mini compact mirror allows you to accomplish just that.
Is there something in your own emergency kit that I missed?