The glow of the nightclub lights. The boom of the music. Your friends' ambitious dance moves. Clubbing is so magical, but sometimes, without proper preparation, you can be focusing more on smelly breath or dry lips than on having a good time. That's why I have a night out bag with me at all times, that has everything I could ever need in it. The bag itself is a Nike crossbody bag which was £28 from JD Sports.
In the front compartment is where I keep my essentials. Firstly, a packet of chewing gum. Have you ever talked to someone with bad breath and you have to back up a bit? Or has someone ever had to back up from you? Invest in chewing gum! Also in the front is lip balm, in my opinion, it’s a night out essential because me and chapped lips isn’t a good combo. Lastly, there is my hand sanitiser; it's common for clubs to not have hot water, soap, or hand dryers, so knowing I can always have clean hands is great for my quality of life.
Now, in the main compartment, I keep everything else. Firstly, a pack of tissues, whether it's wiping away my tears when the DJ rejects my song request, clearing my nose of bogies or wrapping up that aforementioned chewing gum, my tissues have me sorted. I also have a fancy pair of (prescription) sunglasses, whether it's needing to look cool, the lights being overstimulating, or I'm feeling a little awkward and need to avoid eye contact with people, sunglasses are a spectacular tool for a night out. I also use regular glasses, so I carry a carrying pouch for whatever pair I'm not wearing. I also have a cleaning cloth so I can clean my glasses whenever I need to.
"... a good night out is basically a full cardio workout..."
I carry hand cream because having rough hands and then shaking or clasping hands with someone for a dance move just doesn’t feel right. I have a bottle of aftershave in my bag, a good night out is basically a full cardio workout, which can mean getting sweaty and smelly. Except if you carry aftershave (or perfume), you won’t be smelly! I'm also a sufferer of dry eye, which ironically makes your eyes water, so I carry a bottle of Hycosan Extra Eyedrops.
Once upon a time in Luthers, a middle-aged gentleman said to me, “Yeah, who spends time in a toilet writing messages on the wall?”, to which I added, “Yeah, what weirdo even carries a sharpie on them?” Well, me apparently! I used a blue Sharpie once on a ‘white lie’ social, and it's just stayed in my night out bag ever since.
Normally, I have cargo trousers with zips for my IDs, keys and phone. A perk of being a boy with large pockets, otherwise those would be in my night out bag too. I hope I have inspired you to add something to your night out bag!