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A woman's handbag is, of course, a very personal thing, but what is behind which bag any individual woman carries usually comes down to one of three different types of thinking on the part any one woman at any one time:

1. Is the emphasis on fashion or function, and does the woman change bags with shoes or does she tend to use the same bag most of the time (and change it only with the season or for formal occasions)?

2. Is the woman in a "travel light" mode? (in which case a smaller bag makes more sense)

3. Is she in a "be prepared for anything" mode? (in which case a large bag with lots of compartments is best)

For the woman who changes bags often it makes sense to travel light. Changing bags when in a "be prepared for anything" mode can be cumbersome. For whatever reason a woman prefers to travel light her bag may contain only a wallet, a comb, some keys and a lipstick.

I've gone through my "travel light" phases, though, and I've discovered that traveling light means discovering I don't have something I wish I had while out; so recently I've returned to my "be prepared for anything" phase, which, with the help of fabric cases I've added to the bag for organization, seems to be meeting my needs.

The trick to traveling heavy, though, is in not having the bag look like a big, disorganized, mess. Its too mind-boggling and inconvenient for the carrier of the bag, and it isn't very impressive looking to anyone who happens to get a glimpse of the inside of the bag when the woman opens it to reach for her wallet.

For women who are in the travel light mode the following items will be way too much to ever consider carrying in a handbag. For women who like to be prepared, though, the following items are what it takes to have a ready-for-anything handbag. I've spent a lot of time perfecting this list after learning from experience:

-Wallet with checkbook, credit cards and a little cash (including quarters for any machine that requires quarters) all in one.
-Keys and extra keys
-Make-up bag with most make-up items, although being without foundation can be ok since blush, eye-shadow, and lipstick can be enough for touch-ups. (I used to just bring a lipstick and blush but discovered that heavy rain or crying at movies can bring the need for eyeshadow.) Keep in mind - if you're tempted to bring foundation - that the cap can loosen, and it isn't pretty when that happens in your bag.
-Comb, back-up comb (in case you think you're returning your comb to the bag and instead miss the bag)
-Mini

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