Kerry Washington Reveals What's In Her Bag

Unpacking her Miumiu bag for InStyle, actress Kerry Washington revealed a curated collection of essentials reflecting her focus on health, preparedness, and motherhood, demonstrating that even a busy celebrity makes a "valiant effort" toward wellness. Washington confesses she is "on my phone entirely too much," but has recently been attempting to leave it away from herself until her children are in bed. Her determination to avoid plastic bottles due to concerns over microplastics is evident, as she uses a green Labu bottle, a gift from a girlfriend, representing serenity. Washington usually has her preferred brand, Mountain Valley water, delivered to her house in a large glass canister, which she uses to refill her portable bottles for reuse. Her hydration ritual involves squeezing two lemons, adding a pinch of salt for natural electrolytes, sometimes cayenne, and Stevia drops (which she refers to as both Stevia and Stevia) into the water, shaking it up, and drinking it quickly. This specific regimen helps her manage her sweet tooth without causing blood sugar spikes, thereby stabilizing her mood and energy levels. For evening relaxation, she has "fallen in love with" Moon Brew, a natural hot chocolate that features nighttime superfoods, adaptogens including magnesium, and monk fruit, another great sweetener that does not spike her blood sugar, helping her to calm down.

Kerry Washington Reveals What's In Her Bag

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As a mother, Washington is always ready, carrying snacks, wipes, and, because she also parents a dog named Cinnamon (who has one blue eye and one brown eye), poop bags. Her favorite snacks are The New Primal protein sticks, a company she has invested in, which she finds reliable for keeping her sugar stable. She noted that she carries these protein sticks in snack-size baggies for events like the Golden Globes, where the food is "not guaranteed to be great". She carries Linda Farrow sunglasses and keeps her makeup in a versatile bag from Kana, a female-founded leather goods company she admires, swapping out colors and needs depending on the circumstances. For hygiene, she uses Touch land's Gentle Mist sanitizer, preferring its subtle scents and non-sticky texture. She uses 365 brand wipes, which she has researched and deems the most natural, non-toxic, and beneficial for both her skin and the planet.

Washington's daughters have influenced her beauty choices; she confesses that having them has increased her time spent at Sephora and Ulta, even recounting a special mother-daughter-grandmother beauty trip. Following their advice, she uses a Lanéige lip sleeping mask, even using it during the daytime, though she asked InStyle not to tell them. For eczema-prone hands, which have become drier due to increased washing since the pandemic, Dr. Barbara Sturm’s super anti-aging hand cream has been a "game changer," smoothing them out.

For health and travel, Washington is meticulously prepared. She uses cnf seasonal support, a Chinese herbal blend from Woodstock, preventatively for immunity or when she senses illness coming on, such as swollen lymph nodes or when fighting a virus. She also carries Turtle Moon Essential Protection, an aromatherapy blend of essential oils similar to thieves' oil, which she sprays in crowded places like airplanes for protection against germs; her children love its scent, which is "kind of smells like Christmas". Washington is a "big tea drinker," always carrying a thermos—the specific one she showed belongs to her mother, Val, and is from her company Simpson Street’s Webby award-winning YouTube series, Street You Grew Up On. She carries various Yogi teas (ginger, detox), and notably, a specific fennel tea she "fell in love with" while filming Knives Out in the UK. Because she cannot find an equivalent in the US, she orders this tea internationally.

For international travel, Washington addresses her severe, life-threatening food allergies by carrying translated cards in languages she doesn't speak. She displayed a card written in Cantonese for a trip to Hong Kong, which lists all her food allergies, even featuring pictures of seafood and nuts, and explicitly warns, "If I eat these things I will die". She credited these cards with helping her remain alive throughout her travels in Hong Kong. For technology, she keeps her Air Pods Pro with her phone. Finally, she expressed a preference for "a real book" over digital versions, currently reading Chimamanda Adichie’s Dream Count, a physical copy gifted by her husband for Mother's Day, which she uses her Mother’s Day card as a bookmark for.