What Does a Multi-Million Dollar Business Owner Carry in Her Handbag?

Erin Deering is seriously stylish. She co-founded Triangl, the swimwear brand you probably saw all over Instagram 10 years ago. You know those fluro bikinis with black trim made out of neoprene? That was them. She wrote about the experience of co-founding it in her memoir Hanging By A Thread (fascinating read!). The point is: Deering is the person you’d ask for style recommendations — beauty tips included.

So when Deering recommended a roll-on fragrance she called “incredible” and vouched for the fact it lasts all day, I listened. The scent was in Deering’s handbag she was giving me a peek into this week at the launch of her new eponymous fashion label. Deering features jackets, womenswear, menswear and sunnies in muted colours — tans, greys and navy — along with baby blue and a pop of red.

@popsugarau we need that lipstick, comb and essential oil 💄 #whatsinmybag #whatsinmyhandbag #deering ♬ MILLION DOLLAR BABY (VHS) – Tommy Richman

“The Row oil in rose,” Deering said. “When I was in the store in LA, they were telling me the woman who makes these sits in a treehouse for like two months and just concocts all these oils. It’s incredible. I wish you could smell this one. And it stays on you all day.”

The fragrance oil, one of three stocked at The Row, is available in-store only. It retails for an eye-watering $490USD, which is around $717AUD. It’s handmade and has notes of sandalwood, tobacco and rose. Deering admits it’s not cheap.

“She is worth it if you want to splurge on a beautiful fragrance oil,” she says.

So what else did Deering have in her handbag? The bag, by the way, was The Row’s Park Tote ($2,460), a piece she calls “one of the easiest investment bags you’ll ever have”, adding that it’s “slouchy and perfect and fits a ton of stuff”.

Fisherman’s Friend

A must in Deering’s bag — “in every bag, pocket, drawer” — is mint packet Fisherman’s Friend Peppermint ($2.25).  

“It’s the strong mint ones that blow your head off,” she says. “They’re an absolute necessity. I don’t chew gum. I find gum — ugh. It’s just gross. It’s in your mouth and then it loses its taste in like two minutes.”

DoTERRA Melissa Pure Essential Oil

Something that stays in Deering’s bag is DoTERRA Melissa Pure Essential Oils ($194.67), made with a rare and expensive oil called melissa officinalis.

“This is me showing that I’m a little bit of a weirdo,” says Deering. “In fact I should be wearing it today. I don’t think it smells very good but they say in the essential oil world that if it doesn’t smell good, that means you need it. And today this kind of smells like dirt and that tells me that I need whatever goodness this is bringing me.”

Kevin Murphy Texture Comb

Deering calls this Kevin Murphy Texture Comb ($19.95) her absolute go-to at the moment. It works to tame flyaways and control frizz, giving hair a super-smooth look.

“It brushes your hair without really going through and changing it,” she says. “It’s like my little styling hack. You know those things you have in your bag that if you don’t bring with you, you get anxiety? This is one of those things. If it gets left at home, I’m like ‘Oh my god’. It’s like an emotional support comb.”

Vida Glow Pro Collagen+

Deering also keeps sachets of Vida Glow Pro Collagen+ ($99 for 30) in her bag. “Their new one, I have that once a day.”

Glossier Ultralip High Shine Lipstick

For her lips, Deering uses Glossier Ultralip High Shine Lipstick with Hyaluronic Acid ($37), a product that’s equal parts balm, tint and gloss and comes in nine shades.  

“This is their tinted one, which is actually really good,” says Deering. “I’m constantly hunting for a hydrating balm with a colour. I’m not a huge lipstick fan but I love a balm.”

RMS beauty Tinted Daily Lip Balm

Another lip product Deering says she loves is RMS beauty Tinted Daily Lip Balm ($42). The balm has jojoba oil, cocoa seed butter and candelilla wax.

“It’s clear, it’s my every day,” she says. “I’m a lip person if you can’t tell.”

MAC Lustreglass Lipstick

A new addition to Deering’s arsenal of lip products is MAC Lustreglass Lipstick ($44). The lipstick promises eight hours of colour, six hours of shine and to condition lips over time.

“You know Gabriette the model?,” she says. “She’s like the coolest woman in the world. She did a collaboration with MAC and she did a liner called Storm and this is called Sellout. It’s the perfect peachy nude. I just layer them. I haven’t really found my holy grail which is why I have like 20 of them. And the same with liners.”

Le Base The Bag

Deering stores all her lip liners, lipsticks and lip balms in a tan version of Le Base The Bag ($30).

“My friend Serena Wyllie who’s an incredible makeup artist — she did my makeup for today,” says Deering. “She has this beautiful serum that she just launched and I bought the bag that comes with it. When she was doing my makeup this morning, she was like ‘Oh my god, you’ve got my bag’. It’s such a good size to fit crap you don’t need in.”

Prada Denim Cosmetic Bag

Deering also uses a Prada Denim Cosmetic Bag to store her makeup. The bag isn’t sold online but eBay has it second-hand.

“I swear to God this gets something spilling in it at least once a week and it has had that many soakings and drying outs on a heater and it’s still holding strong,” says Deering. “Denim is a really good design for a little cosmetic bag because it looks still pristine.”

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