The transition from hopping off the plane straight to Vietnam to a boardroom meeting took a while, but even Wendy Darling eventually grew up.
Business tripping is definitely not glam. Even with hundreds of thousands of miles under my belt, it still took me a while to figure out how to look sharp straight off the plane. The most crucial part: learning to create a separate purse kit for business trips and meetings.
The concept is similar to the emergency toiletry bag I always keep stocked for the road. Transferring contents between two bags is just an invitation to lose track of something vital and forget where it is. Having a rotation of travel-sized products from my back in backpacking days helped me refine this process.
Though it's tempting to dump the entire contents of a makeup bag into a purse, it's also the quickest way to make the black hole even bigger, and that's the last thing you want to deal with when you're pulling out a presentation.
Here are the purse essentials that I keep in my bag:
- Foldable ballet flats: Because running around Hong Kong or New York all day long in heels isn't pleasant.
- Hairbrush: Pocket brushes are awesome.
- Toothbrush: Because those pearly whites need to be sparkling for those meetings. (These are also great for traveling.)
- Toothpaste: Something to cover the fact you've been drinking four cups of coffee a day.
- Highlighter: The devil is in the details, and that extends to the cheekbones and brow arches. Thank God for that travel-sized Watt's Up.
- Eye curler: For quick touch ups.
- Mascara: See the above.
- Lipstick/balm: Reapplication is often needed before/after a meal.
- Stud earrings: In case you lose one.
What are your must-haves, ladies, that you need on hand when traveling on a business trip?
