What’s in my bag? My top 10 ‘bear’ necessities.
![](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/bagstuff.jpg)
Wanna see what’s in my bag? What I absolutely cannot live without?
![Baglady- my life in a bag](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Baglady-my-life-in-a-bag-300x300.jpg)
Let’s start with the bag itself, my current favorite: a classic beauty from My7Ways by Astrid Beerkens, handmade in Portugal. Don’t you love the gorgeous Gucci-esque bamboo handles? According to M7W’s color system, orange stands for independence and adventure. Hear me roar! But without further ado, I now present to you my 10 handbag-essentials:
![Acqua di Parma Gelsomino (jasmine)](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/acqua-di-parma-300x300.jpg)
1. My signature scent –Gelsomino (jasmine) by Acqua di Parma- in a handmade calfskin flacon. Because I’m worth it, bitches.
![Sunnies by Porsche design, prescription glasses by Spijkers & Spijkers for Specsavers (don't tell anyone, but I have -2)](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/photo-300x300.jpg)
2. Sunnies by Porsche Design (the only ones that don’t don’t slide down my flat Thai nose), prescription glasses by Spijkers & Spijkers for Specsavers (don’t tell anyone, but my eyesight is -2, even after Lasik surgery)
![Organic ginger mints](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/image6-300x300.jpeg)
3. I’m a ginger-junkie. These organic ginger mints by Rapunzel satisfy my constant craving and at the same time freshen my roar.
![So fresh 'n so clean: Burt's Bees wet towels for face and hands, for mother and daughter](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/image7-300x300.jpeg)
4. I know. This screams obsessive-compulsive mother. But lemme tell you, these all natural wet towels from Burt’s Bees are not just great for tiny grimy fingers. I love using them to freshen up after a work-out or a long flight. And yes, to wipe my own grimy fingers occasionally.
![Gamila hand cream](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/image2-300x300.jpeg)
5. Like Gamila’s miraculous soap, this gorgeous citrussy smelling hand cream contains her ‘secret herbal formula’. Penetrates immediately, so no greasy finger prints on your iPhone.
![Emergen-C; life savers Emergen-C; life savers](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/image1-300x300.jpeg)
6. I swear: an Emergen-C a day keeps the doctor away. They say they are the perfect hangover-cure too but I wouldn’t know about that, of course.
![YEAU! No sugar, lotsa flavor](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/image4-300x300.jpeg)
7. Confession: I hate the taste of water. I’m not a soda drinker either, but you know what I love? Water with just a LITTLE extra flavor. Like a perfect citron pressé. (Oh, the French!) Since I don’t always carry a lemon, a knife and a bag of sugar with me, (or a French waiter for that matter) discovering YEAU! -no sugar, lotsa flavor, handbag friendly- was an absolute eureka moment for me. Two swirly squirts of the stuff transform a glass of water into a delicious drink. Which helps me reach my daily water quota in style. Which makes me feel quite French.
![Duivelsklauw door Felicita Vos](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/image-300x300.jpeg)
8. I feel naked without a good read. No Kindle for me please, I love the smell of paper! I usually carry a New Yorker with me, but right now I’m obsessed with Duivelsklauw (Devil’s claw) by Felicita Vos, a haunting family drama that provides a gripping insight into Roma culture.
![Happy lips with Burt's Bees balm and my favorite lip color ever by Revlon](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/image5-300x300.jpeg)
9. What do you mean, stuck in a rut? Just because I’ve been wearing the same lip color –Revlon’s Moondrops in Blasé Apricot– for at least 15 years? Burt’s Bees makes the best lip balm, I share mine with my 6-year old daughter Tigerlily. (although she claims it’s the other way around)
![Tiger balm, red version](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/tiger-balm-300x300.jpg)
10. The smell of Tiger Balm (I like the red version, with cinnamon) reminds me of my Thai grandmother, who always carried some in her snake skin handbag. I love how it relaxes my neck and upper back after a few hours at the computer and relieves the symptoms of a cold. All that, for the price of a cappuccino!
![Outfit: shirt Petit Bateau, shorts H&M, heels So Jaimie](https://www.beertjevanbeers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Outfit-shirt-Petit-Bateau-shorts-HM-heels-So-Jaimie-300x300.jpg)
Outfit for a bag lady: shirt Petit Bateau (I love the slogan of their latest campaign: For Never Old!), shorts H&M, heels So Jamie