The Perfect City Girl Purse

What’s in your handbag? Sharing my on-the-go essentials and the perfect city girl purse to hold it all in.

I’m in Vancouver for just over a week, and I 100% overpacked my big suitcase. This is what happens when you’re not sure what you’ll have going on, AND have an ergonomic office setup to replicate. But while I packed five pairs of shoes—of which I’ve worn all but one pair so far, thank you very much—I only brought one purse.

Can I tell you, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect purse since I was about 18. And I finally found it in the last year: the Orb Laurel. You’ve likely seen my grey Laurel tote and it’s accompanying cross-body on the blog and on my IG feed a lot—and that’s because it’s an amazing bag. It’s also a really great price point at $110 CAD.

I take transit and I walk a lot. And I’m often doing the day-to-night thing where I don’t have time to get home first. So for me, a purse needs to have the following qualities:

Holds a lot—think Mary Poppins or Hermione Granger
Versatile
Thick straps
Water repellant
Simple
Stylish, but classic
Have appropriate pockets

Not that I’m picky or anything… But my Laurel is up to the task, and has a clever pocket front and back for easy access to my phone or keys. It’s also vegan leather. Past experience with other vegan leather products from other brands has made me a bit of a snob about this, but the Laurel has changed my mind. I’ve had the bag for just over a year, and it has held up through travels, all weather conditions and all the stuff I have to carry. And it still looks brand new.

Bonus: The cross-body purse snaps in and out of the bigger bag. Overall, it’s made for a great commuting and travel purse that can hold everything I need.

On-the-go purse essentials

Aside from my phone and wallet, these are my purse essentials:

Makeup bag – I need a new one of these, but I always carry the following:

Lip balm
SPF lip balm
Compact mirror
Lip gloss
Concealer
Bandaids
Pack of tissues
Hand sanitizer – a must!

Notebook and pens – Because I always need to write things down, and people always ask for a pen!

Card case – I’ve had my card case for a long time. It’s from a museum shop in Taipei. And I finally got some blog/yoga business cards printed to put in it for when I go to networking events.

Change purse – To hold my card case, headphones and keys.

Portable battery pack – Everyone who works in digital anything or takes a lot of photos on their phone (uses a lot of juice!) should have one of these. The Brit bought me this one for Christmas a couple years ago, and it’s been a lifesaver.

Headphones/earbuds – So I can listen to a podcast, audiobook or some fun music while I’m en route.

Book – As much as I love my e-reader, having a physical book to read while I’m on the bus or ferry is so much nicer. I spend enough time in front of a screen.

Sunglasses case – To hold the obvious. My glasses came with a very roomy case that fits both my sunnies and the prescriptives. Glasses cases are also excellent for holding miscellaneous things like cords and headphones.

What’s in your handbag?

P.S. The Laurel would make an excellent Christmas gift for yourself or a fun female in your life. (And yes, it’s time to start thinking about gift shopping.) Use my code YASMINE20 for a discount at check out!

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“Not only do women hold up half the sky; we do it while carrying a 500-pound purse.”
Gina Barreca

This post was created in partnership with Orb Clothing. As always, opinions are my own.