This may seem silly and not at all feminine, but for me it is quite useful.
I live in a tropical country, in a city where the heat is usually quite prominent every day of the year. This means only one thing to me: sweat. Everyone sweats in this city and it is very rare to see someone without this item: a handkerchief.
If there is one thing that can never, ever be missing in my bag, it's a handkerchief. I always have to have one on hand because it's always hot and it always creates layers of sweat on my face. This probably doesn't look very feminine, but it's one of the disadvantages of living in a city where the sun beats down every day. It rarely rains, unless we are passing through tropical storms, as it did last year. However, the rest of the year is usually quite hot.
I hardly ever apply makeup for that reason. I think it's a lot of work, to then have to sweat and have it ruined. I envy people who say they don't sweat, hahaha. I wish that would happen to me.
That's why a handkerchief should always be in my purse, and if I happen to forget it, I have a bad day because there's nothing worse than having a face like a fried empanada hahaha.
Imagine having to go out in this scorching sun, sweating too much and not having a handkerchief to wipe your sweat. It's pretty uncomfortable, plus we wouldn't look good at all. Or in the case of us girls, drying our face and ruining our makeup. Without a doubt, it is a huge disadvantage for us to live in such a hot place.
Another curious fact is that I usually lose my handkerchiefs without realizing it, that's why I always have several at home.