Car essentials any woman should have - especially if you commute to college. Besides the obvious items you should keep in your car (ice scraper, umbrella, jumper cables, etc.), here are some items you maybe didn’t think about, but absolutely need.

When commuting to college or just being in your car most days, it becomes a second home to you. But if you’re running late or completely forgot about a meeting you had that day and have no time to run back home, you need a car survival kit. So in order to be properly prepared with whatever life throws your way, here are some tips for what to keep in your car.

Always make sure to have deodorant! To be caught with a smelly armpit at any time during the day can bring down your confidence- no matter how cute your outfit is or how much you are feeling yourself. Always keep a spare stick within your car so you’ll never be caught with that horrible insecure feeling. Plus it’s also nice to just have a little pick-me up when the weather is disgusting.

Not to get confused with having deodorant, perfume is my go-to item whenever I want to smell nice or clean. You can get a small perfume spray bottle at any drugstore, and a little spritz every now and then can be very helpful, in cases like going straight from the gym to class, or going to an interview to leave a good impression. Just make sure to apply sparingly- you want to walk into the room first, not your perfume.

With this bipolar weather deciding to snow heavily one minute and be 60 degrees, sunny, and humid the next, carrying bobby pins, hair ties, and a hairbrush can save the day. This is particularly important when the one hair tie that is always on your wrist decides to commit a vanishing act exactly when you need it the most. Putting your hair up can definitely be a lifesaver when you decided to wear that cute sweater thinking that it was going to finally snow when the weather decided to be warm and sunny. Keeping your hair off the back of your neck for a huge cooling sensation will come in handy too after getting hit by a heat wave at noon and being a long way away until you can get home and change.

Lip balm, ChapStick, or whatever you call it is a must-have, no matter what season it is. The winter can be very harsh on skin in general, but it can be extremely damaging to the lips. Even in the summer, lips can get sunburn- I know, weird right? It’s important to keep those kissers silky smooth, and let’s be honest here, no one wants to get chapped lips. Chapped lips can crack and bleed, which takes time to heal. So to avoid it all, just use a ChapStick… your lips will thank you later.

Don’t you just hate it when you get to your destination and look in the mirror to find that your mascara has flaked onto the under eye area? To fix this problem and avoid other disgusting ones from arising, simply keep tissues in your car! Whether you feel a sneeze coming on, need to fit up some makeup, or need to give one to the passenger with an un-welcomed cold; it never hurts to be prepared!

Keeping some drugstore makeup products such as cover-up, mascara, and eyeliner in your car kit can be clutch when you have that horrible experience of having a new pimple pop up that you didn’t see this morning. Not only can this boost your self-esteem, but also you never know when you might need it! For example, hide that crazy college student we all are when you’re going from school to job interviews because remember, first impressions are very important!

Since you rely on your car almost every day, taking care of it is incredibly vital. Life just loves to throw us a curveball every now and then, and one item that I personally keep in my car at all times is a product called Fix A Flat. Although it’s not a permanent solution to fixing your flat tire, it does help you get wherever you have to in order to fix it (assuming the air isn’t completely out of it). This can be useful if you need to get to a less busy street, don’t feel safe getting out and changing it where you are, or are just traveling a short distance away. Again, this is not a permanent fix, but it does give me a sense of security whenever I’m driving!

The final item in your car kit should be a given - a killer playlist of course!!! Not only does it make the commute easier and more enjoyable, but also helps you avoid listening to songs you aren’t in love with that can be a total buzz kill. Having your favorite songs in one place makes the commute enjoyable- and even makes traffic jams bearable since you can pretend you’re attending a private concert in your car!

Well, those are my tips and tricks to making a commute a little easier and being prepared for anything in case you don’t have time to go back home. Feel free to comment below if you have any other must-have items that I didn’t list!