Beijing’s an urban jungle, and in any jungle, we need tools to survive and thrive. As urban jungle dwellers, we’ve managed to blend practicality with style, resulting in the modern bag. Here, form meets function, and what looks stylish and fashionable on the outside contains all our essential survival tools on the inside. Inspired by this, we ask expat parents each week, “What’s in your bag?” and get insights into which essentials they keep on hand when out and about in the capital city.
YB was born in Tokyo, Japan, where she studied culinary arts and became certified in Decoration Sushi, among other foods like baked goods. She lived and worked in Toronto, San Diego, Singapore, and Germany, before moving to Beijing with her family several years ago. She leads a very full life here in the capital, where she keeps her hands busy icing cookies, running decorative sushi classes, creating elegant jewelry pieces, and putting together an unbelievable table setting.
“I go through different phases with bags. Right now, I have been in the phase of using this Celine bag almost daily. This color is excellent for matching everything, and while the size may be a little on the smaller side, it still works for me with all the little pouches with my essentials that I carry inside.”
Compartmentalizing helps me stay organized. It’s also easy to transfer everything I need from one bag to another when necessary. I always carry a handkerchief with me for wiping my hands; maybe it’s a common habit among the Japanese.
I usually get these little pouches for free with a purchase, but they also sell them independently.
One of my latest creations is accessorizing cloth masks with pearl studs. I always carry an extra mask, plus a disposable one too.
In this pouch, my absolute must-carry items are the hand lotion and hand soap from Australian apothecary brand Appelles, which I got from a hotel in Sanya. I am so in love with the scent! The tiny bag of wet wipes is from Mini-So and so useful.
It might seem old-fashioned but I still carry a card case with all my credit cards in them, just in case.
Because I pack so many items with me, I like them to be compact. This Ipsa concealer is a handy size and available on TaoBao.
Want to share your Beijing survival tools with us? Shoot us an email at editor@beijing-kids.com, message our Official Jingkids WeChat account (ID: beijing-kids), or leave a comment below!
KEEP READING: What’s In Your Bag? With Tina Makuku, Mom, and Founder of Chariots Handmaydz
Images: Courtesy of YB
