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Kristen Bryant-Things I Keep In My Purse Flat Lay
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What’s in My Purse? 7 Staples to Have in Your Purse at All Times

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.

When I graduated from high school, I got my first purse as a gift. I didn’t really ask for it and wasn’t too sure about how I felt about carrying around a purse, but as time went on I started to love my purse. It is so practical and it can really add to an outfit. Now, my purse goes everywhere with me. So, I have learned how important and convenient it is to have a few things to always keep stocked in there. Here are a few things that you will always see if you look in my purse.

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Dimi Boutselis / Her Campus
Tampons

I know, I know, this is a boring one and somewhat a no-brainer because it is pretty much a necessity. But, I figured it would be best to get the boring stuff out of the way first. Personally, I like to keep a little emergency pouch of tampons, pads, and panty liners. We have all been there when we had to shamelessly walk around and ask anyone if they had an extra tampon, this just saves us from that.

chapstick/lipgloss

I don’t usually wear a lot of makeup, and if I am wearing makeup it is usually because I am going to do something fun. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t look in the mirror sometimes and realize I want a little something just to look a little more alive. So, my go-to is always to throw on a little bit of lip gloss. Side note — my favorite lip gloss right now is the Naturium lip balm. Similarly, I always need a good chapstick. I’m an avid chapstick user and there is nothing worse than having chapped lips and no chapstick.

Hair ties

This one is so important. SO important, at least for me. I have very long and thick hair so most of the time it’s in a claw clip or it is in a messy bun. But because of my thick hair, I am prone to having hair ties snap on me. Or even sometimes I’ll wear my hair down and it will just get in my way and at that point, I just need to get it out of my face. So having a backup hair tie is always a good idea.

mini Deodorant

We have all been in situations where you are running late, you are rushing out the door, you finally get to where you needed to be and you completely forgot to put on deodorant. Then you are nervous, you are self-conscious, it’s all you can think about. Having a mini deodorant for times like this is a lifesaver and it doesn’t take up that much room in your purse.

GUm

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Sometimes a piece of gum or a mint is just absolutely necessary. Especially if you are like me who loves a good Caesar salad.

Advil

As a college student, this is especially necessary. Let’s be real, most of us don’t get enough sleep, we don’t eat enough, we don’t drink enough water, or maybe we had a little too much fun the night before. Whatever the reason, Advil is your best friend. So I always keep a traveled size bottle in my purse.

Pepper Spray

Safety first always. It is so important to keep some sort of defense tool in your purse for all those times we walk to our cars alone, leave a place somewhere alone, or just feel slightly unsafe. This could be truly so helpful and I believe it is the most important thing to keep in your purse.

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Dimi Boutselis / Her Campus

Purses can be very convenient, but you also have to put the right items into your purse to make it beneficial to carry around.

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Jolie Leavitt

U Mass Amherst '25

Jolie is a Sophomore at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, majoring in Legal Studies with a Business minor. Some things she loves is reading, travel, female empowerment, music, and anything Harry Styles or One direction.