Most evening bags hold almost nothing, so what goes in should be decided by real problems rather than by what you would like to bring. The list below comes from the situations that arise most often.
The seven worth carrying
- Blotting papers — fix shine without adding more powder
- Your lip colour, which certainly needs reapplying after eating
- A few bobby pins, useful for hair and for a strap that will not stay put
- Clear blister plasters for shoes
- A small safety pin, which solves both a showing bra strap and a failed seam
- A cotton bud for tidying liner and mascara smudges
- A single dose of painkiller
If the bag is genuinely tiny, take three: blotting papers, your lip, and a safety pin. Those cover the most frequent problems on their own.
Common problems and their fixes
Lipstick on your teeth
After applying, put your index finger in your mouth, close your lips around it, and pull it out slowly. The excess that would have transferred to your teeth comes away on your finger instead. Once after application is enough.
Mascara under the eyes
Do not wipe it while wet — you will only spread it. Wait until it dries completely, then flick it away with a dry cotton bud. Dried mascara lifts off in flakes without disturbing the base underneath.
A visible bra strap
Pin the strap to the inside shoulder seam of the dress with a small safety pin. Always work from the inside so nothing shows, and never pierce the outer fabric of a rented dress.
A zip that slides down
Hook a small keyring or a bobby pin through the zip pull and loop it over the hook or button at the top. That holds the zip in place for the rest of the event.
Shoes rubbing
Apply plasters before it hurts, not after. If you know where a particular pair rubs, cover it before you leave home — once the skin is broken, a plaster helps far less.
Marks on the dress
This needs particular care with a rented piece. The critical rule is do not rub: rubbing drives the mark deeper into the fibres and roughens the fabric. Blot with a dry cloth, working from the outside of the mark inwards.
- Oil or food: blot as much as possible and leave it — do not add water
- Red wine: blot, then cover with salt if any is available, which draws the liquid out
- Cosmetics: never use water, which spreads it into a much wider ring
- In every case: tell the shop when you return it rather than treating it yourself
Pack the night before
Always pack the night before. Packing in a rush in the morning is how the smallest and most important items get left behind. It is also worth doing one full try-on with shoes beforehand, which tells you what else you need to bring.