NYLON Team Picks: What We Actually Carry About In Our Bags

Your daily bag is a sacred space — we get that. You wouldn’t want a stranger or someone you just met looking in it, only your most trusted companions, and not because you’re afraid they’ll steal your phone. Nope. It’s because you don’t want anybody to know about the embarrassing receipts you hurriedly crushed and threw in, the strange cards or flyers or bit of chocolate wrapper, or the weird bits of unidentified tiny substances you mysteriously find at the bottom of your bag.
Today though, we’ll be nice and let you peek into ours — nah not the nightmare mess, just the holy grail of makeup items we religiously lug about every day because they’re that important. Here goes!

Amelia Tan, Associate Editor

I have a theme going on, yay! Plenty of millennial pink and white and bits of coral. As for why I carry them around, I feel like I can do a lot with just this set of items — a whole face of makeup really — while they’re versatile enough for touch-ups too. If I have zero time in the morning (or should I say “when”), I’ve got the Glossier Priming Moisturizer, Balm Dotcom and the Clarins sunscreen at hand to prime my skin and lips, followed by the Shiseido cushion compact as a base, especially handy since there’s already a sponge and a mirror for everything that comes later.
My Nudestix lip and cheek pencil gets really useful here; I apply three smooth strokes to wherever I want my blush that day (apples? more contoured?) and then blend lightly with my fingertips. After a touch of highlight from the Glossier Haloscope, there, a very natural look that’s healthy and presentable.
As for my lipsticks, I rotate them every few days or so, simply because I’m eager to try all the new ones that land on my desk, or whatever I have lying around at home. I can go up to 5 lipsticks at a time, but I always strive for natural shades alongside bright red or edgier colours. This week, it’s a nice coral matte and Elizabeth Arden’s latest lip gelato in a deep plum shade that’s slightly sheer for layering — I like the tingly cooling sensation as well.

1. Glossier Balm Dotcom, US$12
2. Glossier Haloscope in Quartz, US$22
3. Glossier Priming Moisturizer, US$22
4. Nudestix Lip/Cheek Pencil in Ripe, $37
5. Shiseido Synchro Skin White Cushion Compact, $55
6. Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Honey Mood, $25
7. Elizabeth Arden Plush Up Lip Gelato in Black Cherry
8. Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution, $74

Jade Yeo, Writer

My approach to beauty is incredibly bare-bones, so the items I carry in my bag pretty much reflect that. I never leave home without my trusty lip glaze to keep my lips moisturised with a flushed tint; a multipurpose balm to soothe any random rashes that might appear during the day (I get them way too often); and a handy perfume oil that was gifted to me by my other half – he knows I love earthy scents, so this one’s a lovely sandalwood-based fragrance to roll onto my pulse points whenever I need a quick pick-me-up.

1. Lanolips 101 Ointment, $20.50
2. Maison Louis Marie No.04 Bois de Balincourt Perfume Oil, US$57
3. 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Glaze in Daiquiri, $42.50

Patrene Mathieu, Designer

I’ve been learning new things about my beauty habits lately, especially after last week’s Team Picks where I actually calculated the total cost of my beauty regime and died a little at the total. This week, I learnt that I’m a bit of a failure as a female. With only three beauty items in my bag, I suddenly felt like I was missing something, especially after seeing that some of my colleagues actually carry an entire makeup pouch in their bag. I carry only what I deem as essentials — a lip balm, to hydrate my lips when I’m not looking for a bold colour; hand cream, for my horrendously dry hands; and of course, every woman’s essential – a lip colour. I used to carry a tiny bottle of perfume with me as well, but I never bothered to replace it once it was finished…

1. Soap & Glory Hand Food™ Hand Cream, £5.50
2. Kiehl’s Mango Lip Balm #1, $17
3. CLIO Virgin Kiss Tension Lip Oil Tint in Cinnamon Spice, $25.90

Eleni Kontorigas, Media Executive

Staying true to my minimalist lifestyle, my bag is much the same when it comes to the beauty items I carry. I use KORA Organics Tinted Day Cream to even my skin tone — good coverage for everyday. My brow brush comes in handy for a simple touch up and a quick spray of CHANCE Chance always helps to keep me smelling fresh.

1. Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Enchanting, $20.90
2. KORA Organics Tinted Day Cream, US$48
3. CHANEL Chance, $155 for 3 x 20ml
4. Revlon Volume + Length Magnified™ Mascara Waterproof, $19.90
5. Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm, $10

Nurasyiqin Sedik, Media Executive

I have to admit that I’ve been pretty lazy with my make-up game lately so I always have these products in my bag on standby just in case there’s that last-minute meeting (or date night) I have to prep my face for. Glossier’s Boy Brow is the latest addition to my essentials and I’m really loving how simple it is to use. I still haven’t mastered the art of shaping my eyebrows so the Boy Brow comes in really handy — all I have to do is just brush the product through my brows and they be looking good.
Other than that, my quick go-to routine just consists of concealing dark circles and redness, eyeliner and mascara to jazz up the eyes a little, powder foundation to even out my skin, lipstick to add colour to the face and a coat of balm on top for that glossy look. Really basic but still look put together. Also Biore sheets in my bag (love this product so much, been using it for almost 10 years now) just in case I didn’t feel like having make-up on my face anymore. 5 quick wipes and my face is free again heh!

1. Bourjois Healthy Balance Unifying Powder in 56, $16.50
2. Smith’s Rosebud Salve Balm, $18
3. Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets, $17.90
4. M.A.C Eyelash Curler, $22
5. Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita, $31
6. Maybelline Eyestudio Hypersharp Power Black Liner, $22.90
7. Glossier Boy Brow in Brown, US$16
8. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in Medium, $19.90
9. Bourjois Volume Reveal Waterproof Mascara, $18.50
10. Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes in Black Diamond, $27.80

Phyllis Guo, Editorial Assistant

I carry a lot of makeup with me (mostly lipsticks, duh? A girl gotta have options), so I always have my quirky-looking makeup pouch that I got from Korea in my bag at all times. There are definitely more items in it then just these few, but I decided to narrow it down to those I frequently reach out to.
The Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Pact is for when my face gets oily into the day. I use this at least two times a day because well, Singapore’s damned humid weather is relentless alright? My other two items are my daily staples as well. First, the lipstick of the day, which is currently the Yves Rocher Grand Rouge in 108 Satin, and the other my favourite lipstick that I have with me always no matter what — Estee Lauder’s Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Fig. It was originally my mum’s but she gave it to me and I find that it’s the perfect shade of red — a dark blood red colour that’s still bold enough to brighten up my face.
I do also have chapped lips once in awhile and this cute little tub of Vaseline’s lip therapy comes in handy whenever I need to moisturise dem puckers. The mascara’s for touching up and it’s always a good thing to bring along a compact mirror (y’know, to check for peppers stuck between teeth or to re-apply my lipstick…)

1. Estee Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Fig, US$28
2. Anna Sui Compact Mirror, US$28 
3. Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Pact, $17
4. Vaseline Lip Therapy, $4.90
5. Etude House Curl Fix Mascara, $24.90
6. Yves Rocher Grand Rouge in Satin, $18