Someday, I hope to be a writer full-time and get paid to speak my mind and help people feel happy and beautiful.  But for now, I need money!  So I have a job and I go to work five days a week, like most people.  Like most twenty-somethings in Boston, I cannot afford to live in the Seaport area, where my office is, so I commute about thirty to forty-five minutes every morning and evening.  And as a person who wants to be prepared for everything, this means I have to bring everything I could possibly need with me!  I’m currently on the hunt for the perfect work bag (comment below if you have any recommendations!), but for now, I thought I’d show you what I keep in my overstuffed, oversize purse.

MacBook Air – My work computer is a laptop, which means I have to bring it with me every day.  Luckily it’s very lightweight, unlike my personal 15-inch 2011 MacBook Pro, which could be used to bludgeon someone to death.

Plum Paper Designs Planner – I am the kind of person who remembers things better if I write them down, so I needed a planner that wasn’t an app on my phone.  I found this one on Etsy, and I love that I was able to customize the kind of page layout I wanted.  I recommend them to everyone!

Laura Mercier Invisible Pressed Setting Powder – My must for the summer.  My T-zone gets so shiny, so I have to pat this on every two hours or so.

Garnier SkinActive Purifying Oil-Free Cleansing Towelettes – These are my go-to wipes because they make my skin feel so refreshed, and the charcoal really boosts the cleaning.  Lately, I’ve been taking off my makeup in the car as soon as work is over because it is too hot to have anything on my face.  The more time you spend sweating in makeup, the worse it is for your skin!

Lipgloss/Lipstick/Lip Balm – Peek into one of the large zipper pockets and you’ll find between three and seven lip products.  I usually wear a nude or rosy lip to work, something very natural, but I like to have options, and I forget to take them out when I get home.  Right now I’ve got NYX Plump It Up Lip Plumper in ‘Kim,’ Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid in ‘Nude Flush,’ Glossier Rose Balm Dot Com, and Nars Audacious Lipstick in ‘Anita.’  I know, I have a problem.

My philosophy: work hard, look good doing it!  XX, Gabrielle