Summer in NYC: My Handbag Beauty Essentials

Most of my life, summer was always the season I looked forward to - I mean, what's not to love, summer holidays, sunshine, abundance of fruit, bright colors... But ever since we moved to New York City nearly three years ago now, summer has become the season I absolutely dread. The stifling heat and humidity just make it so hard to enjoy my usual summer pasttimes, and maybe because of the added challenge of pregnancy this year, I'm doing all I can to make it through the next two months. However, I'm not alone in the struggle - I've taken to toting a few beauty essentials around with me that make my summer life in the city a lot easier. Let's have a look.

The bag I'm carrying currently is a simple tote from Ralph Laurent I got a few years ago at TJMaxx; I quite like the structured style and I can organize everything inside really well thanks to numerous pockets. I usually keep my beauty essentials corraled into a small make-up bag like the one in the photo, although more frequently used things end up thrown into the large zippered pocket.

If you've ever ridden on the New York subway, you know exactly how important it is to carry a good hand sanitizer with you. Now, I'm not a germophobe by any stretch of the imagination, but something about those turnstiles and poles makes me feel really dirty. I've been using plenty of Neal's Yard Remedies Organic Defence Hand Spray* ($10.50 for 1.69 fl. oz, available at us.nyrorganic.com here) to combat the inner cringe and I love the refreshing scent of its essential oil blend. I've never used a spray hand sanitizer before but I find it easier and more economical than a typical gel. Big thumbs up. After hand washing, I always follow up with a bit of hand cream to make my dry hands feel more comfortable; I'm currently using this deluxe sample of Bliss Grapefruit + Aloe Body Butter ($29 for full size 6.7 oz).

Even with an effective primer and setting powder, my T-zone can get a little oily after a few hours - more often than not, it's a combination of oil and sweat to be perfectly honest. I generally don't carry a mattifying powder with me (because I don't like faffing around with brushes or puffs, plus piling more powder onto oily skin seems wrong somehow) but I do reach for blotting tissues - these Palladio Oil Absorbing Rice Paper Tissues with Rice Powder ($3.99 for 40ct) are nice and large but I would prefer something without powder once I'm done with this packet.

Once I'm done getting rid of the oily shine, I sometimes like to freshen up with a face mist; I've used Eau Thermale Avene Spring Water ($9 for 1.76 oz/ 50g) in the past but I'm currently enjoying another NYR product, the White Tea Facial Mist* ($19 for 1.52 fl. oz, currently on sale for $14.25 here). I was a bit skeptical of this product because aside from some lovely ingredients like antioxidant white tea, aloe vera, glycerin and marigold flower extract, it also contains a lot of alcohol denat., and I try to avoid that ingredient in my skincare. However, I've found that in a facial spray used over my make-up, I don't actually mind it in the least - and if you look at ingredients lists for most setting sprays, alcohol is usually very prominent. The mist on the Neal's Yard product is delicate and even, and I'm a big fan of the lavender & geranium scent; I definitely prefer it to the cult Caudalie Beauty Elixir, which I reviewed here. The White Tea Facial Mist leaves my face feeling soothed, fresh and more luminous.

I also always have a few lip products floating around in my bag; I've been more into neutral mauve lips recently and you are probably tired of me waxing lyrical about these Buxom Full-On Lip Creams ($19 for 0.14 oz, reviewed here and here), but what can I say? I really love this lip gloss formula. Dolly is a great My Lips But Better shade and its minty tingle feels nice and cool on the lips in the summer heat. Maybelline Color Elixir in Caramel Infused ($6.99-8.99 for 0.17 fl oz, here) is another great option that feels balmy and nourishing on, and the shade is just a bit deeper and warmer than Buxom's Dolly.

Other non-beauty things I like to carry around with me include my Klean Kanteen insulated bottle filled with water, as well as some nuts; I like the convenience of a small packet of these Orchard Valley ones I received in my June Degustabox* (shown here), but I usually buy larger bags - I've been munching on these Now Foods Roasted Sea Salt Cashews a lot. If I'm out and about for longer, I also like to take some seasonal fruit with me; lately it's either some peaches or cherries. I find fresh fruit + nuts to be my ideal snack in between meals, and packing those to go helps me avoid unhealthy impulse buys when hunger strikes unexpectedly.

That's about it - as you can see, I don't actually carry around a lot of beauty products; to be honest, I'm just not one for frequent touch-ups. And you know, that helps to carve out more space in my bag for snacks, or a good book :) I hope you enjoyed this peek into my purse and let me know what your summer handbag essentials are - I'd love to know what you like to always have on hand!

Disclaimer: Products marked with an asterix (*) were press samples I received from the brands' PR for review consideration. I purchased all other products myself. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured were purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!