Things you remember from your mum's handbag?

[TitaniasAss]

From when you were little?

I remember her purse, she always had the same leather purse since I could remember til when she died (when I was in early 40s)

Sweets in case anyone needed a wee treat

A tissue with lipstick on it where she'd blotted her lipstick

Half a million pens

Her lucky charm

SO many receipts

Loads of other random nonsense.

A lipstick 💄 She always had a bright red or pink lipstick.

Mascara in a block with a brush that you had to wet first. People used to use spit!

This thread reminds me of the Ruth Fainlight poem.

Chequebook
Cigarettes
Lighter
Lancome lipstick

A Stanley knife.

Boring though, worked in a factory and used it to open boxes quickly. I told her I didn’t think it should be in her handbag though 🙈

Cotton Hanky, Lipstick, Purse with a clasp at the top and it always smelt of Yardley Bond Street perfume.

My mum's handbag had everything. For her, the whole family and anyone passing who needed anything. As well as the usual purse, lipstick, house keys etc, other random items included:

• small screwdriver
• tape measure
• sewing kit
• box of matches
• plasters
• Savlon
• notebook

-secateurs

• everybody's passports and tickets when we went abroad

It weighed a ton.

@Scarby9

My mum's handbag had everything. For her, the whole family and anyone passing who needed anything. As well as the usual purse, lipstick, house keys etc, other random items included:

• small screwdriver
• tape measure
• sewing kit
• box of matches
• plasters
• Savlon
• notebook

-secateurs

• everybody's passports and tickets when we went abroad

It weighed a ton.

Your post made me smile so much. That's more or less exactly what my mum lugs around to the present day. One thing not on your list though is what my mum affectionately calls her 'brain'. It's a notebook full of curtain measurements and othersuch mumstuff that she wouldn't possibly be able to remember so has to write it down

Oh yes, @Squiff70!
Not called the brain in our case, but various backs of Christmas cards with useful info on eg.

• the name of their every day crockery (out of production) with a list of what needed replacing, in case there was any in a second hand shop
• dimensions of alcoves in case a great bit of furniture appeared in a sale room
• possible present ideas for friends and relations

Bright pink Lipstick, hankie, extra strong mints !

Pan drops . Atrixo handcream . In love perfume. Can smell them all now.

Heated rollers and their pins. She was always running late - left her heated rollers in when driving and took them out just before she arrived at work / night out - put them in her bag.

She always kept a broach in her purse. It was of a kiwi bird made out of paua. I've now got that in my jewellery box.
Also her fags and many lighters

Those tubs of Avon scented cream. Moonwind and Tempest and a blue comb.

I can remember the smell of it more than what was in it, it smelled of make up if that makes sense, particularly a foundation she used to use. Slightly reminiscent of roses and if I ever catch a whiff of that type of smell it takes me right back.

Dentene chewing gum. Ex-lax laxatives, explained as sweets only for grown ups. How I wanted those sweets!

Powder compact with mirror and lipstick.

Bingo Dabbers

Cyclax lipsticks
Hair pins
Cotton hanky
Kid gloves

My mum has a small flat hard plastic case with a sliding lid that has individual compartments for nine paracetamol in a 3 x 3 formation. It is at least 45 years old, probably more.

Probably not needed now as paracetamol comes in blister packs, but it would have been really useful to carry some around when they only came in bottles.

Plastic rain hood in a bag.

Fags or baccy, lighters, rolling tin

Purse

Cheque book and cashing-in book

Pen

Wet wipes and tissues

Her bag was massive and always full but no idea what else filled it

As a child I used to imagine my adult handbag and the stuff I'd put in it.

Max Factor compact - still smells the same and transports me back!

Smelling salts (what even were smelling salts?)

Bright red lipstick. She never wore any make up other than lipstick, which absolutely had to be worn if going out.

Handkerchiefs.

Book of telephone numbers and a pocket diary. Change for the phone (phone boxes).

My mum was a teacher from the early 80s on, and always had bits of chalk in her handbag, and polo's.