Hi queens! In this blog post I’m going to be sharing with y’all my pageant must have essentials! In my 15 years of being involved in pageantry these are items that I always go back to and items that make my pageant experience more enjoyable, organized, and stress-free. If I could create a pageant girl starter kit these are the items that I would include, so let me tell you about them.
Steamer
No one likes wrinkled pageant wardrobe! You need a steamer! You can always find a great deal on a handheld steamer, or if you are competing in a bigger pageant, let’s say at the national level, you can get one of the bigger standing ones to keep in your hotel room or share with your best sister queens backstage. Steamers are great because they are fast and steam pretty much works on any fabric, unlike an iron. Polished wardrobe is so important in pageantry. So whether you are hitting the stage or going on an appearance, wrinkle free attire is a stepping stone to putting your best foot forward.
Makeup organizer
A good makeup organizer is a must! Pageant girls have more makeup than the average girl, so it’s important that our makeup is organized and accessible as we do our touch-ups backstage and prepare our looks for the overall competition. Having my makeup organized, knowing exactly what I have, and being able to have it organized in a portable way gives me a great sense of calm during pageant week. You can shop around for a makeup organizer that best fits your needs, but if you want a recommendation my absolute favorite are the makeup bags designed by Allie Glines. Check out her website here, https://allieglines.com/collections/allie-glines-bag-collection.
Garment bags
If you are a pageant girl who is throwing her wardrobe in suitcases, you need to stop and you need to get garment bags. If you are buying wardrobe from a pageant store you will get a garment bag with your purchase, but you can always find affordable ones online too. I think that your pageant wardrobe should always be in a garment bag, never folded or bunched up without protection. Whether you are carrying your wardrobe yourself or putting them in a garment bag and then putting them in a suitcase, you can never go wrong with the extra layer of protection for such valuable and important pieces. Garment bags help to protect your pageant wardrobe and they can help keep you organized. You can use garment bags to organize your pageant wardrobe by day, category, and even store shoes and jewelry in them too.
Train case
When I first started competing in pageants I was using suitcases and duffel bags to store all of my things. Then I got a train case and it completely changed the portability of pageant week and made carrying all of my things to and from the car, to and from backstage, to and from the venue so much easier! What I love most about train cases is that the storage of them is vertical and stackable, whereas duffle bags and suitcases are horizontal and have no layering features. I’m able to fit my jewelry, swimsuits, shoes, makeup, hair tools, and miscellaneous items like butt glue and bobby pins all in my train case while carrying my wardrobe in a garment bag. Like suitcases, train cases also come on wheels and have a push handle. If I were you, I would check out Amazon and grab this essential ASAP.
Nude/clear heels
I have said it a million times and I will continue to say it, nude heels make everything better and easier for a pageant girl. Not only do they go with everything, but having a few universal pairs of nude and/or clear heels frees your mind and space for more important things. There are plenty of heels on the market, so start shopping and find your essential pair.
If you don’t already have all of these essentials I hope this blog post was helpful in revealing their importance! If you would like to watch the corresponding YouTube video to this blog post click the link below!
