Between families and careers, many women rely on their handbags to survive the surprises each day brings. We met with three professional women and took a peek inside their purses.
Catherine Haynes Bauer
Coordinator for the LeadershipPlenty Institute for the Waco Foundation
WACOAN: What items do you never leave the house without?
Bauer: I have all my makeup with me all the time. I almost never put it on at home. I also carry static spray and hand sanitizer, along with activities for my kids, including markers, notebooks and games.
WACOAN: Do you carry multiple bags?
Bauer: I do. I have a briefcase or another bag where I keep my laptop and other things I need for the office.
WACOAN: Any tips on how to keep your bag organized?
Bauer: No! [Laughs.] I just try to make an effort to clean it out every once in a while. It gets overloaded with receipts and random things from the kids.
WACOAN: Do you keep an organizer with you?
Bauer: Yes, my planner is a written record of everything I have entered in my iPhone. I have to have a backup just in case.
WACOAN: Do you have your eye on a new handbag?
Bauer: I always have my eye on a new handbag. I love handbags. I am really enjoying this bag right now because it is big and has a lot of pockets, which lets me stash things in different places.
WACOAN: What beauty product do you always keep in your bag?
Bauer: I always have lip gloss and an AmorePacific compact.
WACOAN: What is the weirdest thing we could find in your bag?
Bauer: Random toys, hair bows for my daughter, shin guards. It’s kind of a catchall for everything.
LaVeda Brown
President and CEO of the Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerce
WACOAN: How does your bag accommodate your busy schedule?
Brown: Being a professional woman, you have to have a little bit of everything, including the kitchen sink! It varies. Women need to be prepared for a bad hair day, a bad makeup day.
WACOAN: Any tips on how to keep your bag organized?
Brown: I would be lying if I told you I kept my bag organized. You keep it organized by having everything you need in it. I try to always carry a purse with pockets.
WACOAN: What beauty product do you always keep in your bag?
Brown: My mother, from the time I was 16, would have a fit if I left house without lipstick. I keep lipstick, powder and mascara for touch-ups.
WACOAN: What is the weirdest thing we could find in your bag?
Brown: Candy for my grandchildren. It’s a required item in my purse. They expect Nana to have candy.
WACOAN: What can someone always find at the bottom of your bag?
Brown: Peppermints. If you’re out in the public and you get a tickle in your throat, or if you’re sick from a cough, it can soothe your throat. If you’re hungry, it can suppress your appetite. It truly has a lot of benefits.
Nikki Rhea
Marketing director for Alan Rhea Insurance
Board member for the Advocacy Center
WACOAN: What is one emergency item in your purse?
Rhea: I’m really into homeopathic remedies. I keep Emergen-C packets in my bag, as well as my rescue remedy for stress relief.
WACOAN: What do you always have in your bag?
Rhea: Extra earrings. I can go out of the house not wearing makeup, but if I don’t have earrings, I feel like something is missing.
WACOAN: How many bags do you carry besides your purse?
Rhea: I have three other bags besides my purse. I have my computer bag, gym bag and diaper bag.
WACOAN: Any tips on how to keep your bag organized?
Rhea: I carry a medium to small purse because this bag gets thrown into multiple other bags. I like bags that are self-organizing with pockets. I just try to keep the trash out.
WACOAN: Do you have your eye on a new handbag?
Rhea: I don’t in this season of my life. My bag accommodates my life and is so easy to move around from one bag to another.
WACOAN: What beauty product do you keep in your bag?
Rhea: I always have two different kinds of lipstick because I like to mix things up.
WACOAN: What can we always find at the bottom of your bag?
Rhea: A pacifier and coins.
