Hip Mom: It’s in the Bag
While the contents of the Hip Mom’s bag are more reminiscent of stock from a pharmacy, and considerably different from what they were 20 years ago, there is nothing frivolous and everything hip*.
Take a peek.
NARS Multiple. Hands down the best make-up product. Use on face, lips, body and eyes.
L’Oreal EverPure UV Protect spray. I found the travel size, which I use throughout the day and at the pool to keep my color protected and my hair soft.
Abas leather clutch wallet. By far the wallet I have owned and used the longest. This indestructible leather carryall holds my bread, vitamin and coffee reward cards plus receipts, stamps, and dozens of gift cards with a combined average $.83 balance.
Dried apples. The perfect snack — healthy, tasty and filling. Plus, my kids love them!
Sparkling water. My Diet Coke habit has been successfully curbed thanks to Pellegrino, Perrier and, my favorite, Whole Foods brand lime-flavored sparkling water. I never leave home without one.
Icebreakers sugar-free mints . Because the Hip Mom should never have bad breath.
Moleskine Volant notebook. Whether I am jotting down appointments, ideas or phone numbers, Moleskine notebooks are stylish and practical. Find them in many sizes, styles and colors.
Monocle magazine. I have never been in love with a magazine like I am with Monocle. (Well maybe US Weekly during a vacation.) Modern, stylish and fairly new to the market, Monocle is a briefing on “global affairs, business, culture and design.” I love the “City Survey” section in each issue. São Paulo, anyone?
Blackberry Bold Smartphone. While I may be the only Hip Mom not sporting an iPhone, my BlackBerry keeps me on time and connected, all while I can text, type and surf using actual raised buttons under my fingers. Do you have an app for that?
Stevia natural sweetener. Finally, a no-calorie natural sweetener that I can feel good about using. (Or at least not bad about- until the studies prove otherwise.) I prefer the taste of the liquid Whole Foods brand to the powder. And I get to play a chemist while sweetening my tea!
Lacura Lip Care. Sure, I am a lip balm aficionado. I have tried them all. And while Lacura still doesn’t beat my Neosporin overnight lip repair on my bedside table, it rivals Fresh’s Sugar lip treatment, which remains a favorite. The beauty of Lacura is that it’s a twentieth of the cost of Fresh. Buy them at Aldi- the small euro-looking discount grocery store. P.S. The same German businessman that owns Trader Joe’s owns Aldi.
Sunglasses. Currently, mine are Carmen Marc Valvo’s Harlow, which are my summery/flashy ones. And, for the price of the glasses at Target, I can find designer shades at sample sites like Hautelook, Ideeli or, my favorite, Gilt. Now I don’t feel bad when mine get scratched or broken.
The Bag. My only tenet for choosing a bag is that it must be large enough to hold all of these essentials. My current J.Crew canvas with leather trim tote goes with everything and, yes, is large enough for my gear.
*And while my bag is for a mom of 7-9 year olds, yours may need to be smaller or larger, depending on the number of items it holds. Surely there is an equation for determining this — something correlating your child’s age to the use of anti-bacterial hand sanitizer and Neo-to-go.
