What’s In My Bag(s)? Ming Lee Simmons Edition

Posed against the pristine white sands on a Jamaican beach, Ming Lee Simmons wears a bright green string bikini for her debut in Sports Illustrated’s iconic Swimsuit edition.

Shortly after her 25th birthday, Simmons found herself in the Caribbean shooting for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “It was very fast paced. The shoot started at 4:30 in the morning, which was 1:30 a.m. my time, and we shot all the way until 6 or 7 p.m.,” the Angeleno tells Elite Daily. “When I got home, I slept for 18 hours. My mom did a wellness check, and when I woke up, I thought it was all a dream.”

Daughter of fashion legend Kimora Lee Simmons (and Def Jam record exec Russell Simmons), the SI Swim Rookie grew up watching her mother build the Baby Phat empire from scratch. “It was really inspiring because she did it her way. She didn’t let anyone tell her what to do or how to do it,” Ming Lee says. “I still think fashion is the same as any other industry where young, Black, female, mixed-race women aren’t heard or even seen as much as anyone else.”

With this in mind, Ming Lee, who is launching her own beauty brand very soon, said it was important to have diversity at the core of her business’s values — even on social media. She recently asked her business partner to make sure that the people working behind the scenes on content reflect a range of skin colors so that everyone can be represented.

Ahead of her trip to New York for the Sports Illustrated Swim press tour, we caught up with Ming Lee to find out what she’s packing for the junket — and for everything else.

Inside Ming Lee’s Everyday Handbag

Ming Lee’s go-to bag is a vintage 1980s Hermès Kelly that her mom got her for her 25th birthday earlier this year. Hers is currently decorated with a pink Labubu keychain, as charms are a must for the Gen Zer’s bags.

Inside her vintage Hermès are a pair of sunglasses that cover her entire face. “I’m afraid of UV [rays],” she explains of the style choice. “Also, I just don’t want people to look at me.” Accompanying her shades are a portable charger, hand sanitizer, hand wipes, AirPods in a leopard-print case, and hair extensions tucked in a little eyelash bag. “I think I took these out of my head after a shoot one day and they just never left my bag.”

Ming Lee pulls out a red pouch from the depths of her purse. She unzips it and tilts it toward the camera to reveal a treasure trove of lip products: liners, glosses, and masks. Right now, she is loving a Tom Ford liner (she can’t remember the color because the writing on the pencil has long since been rubbed off) and a Fenty lip mask as a gloss on top. She says she also uses the Makeup Forever and Makeup by Mario lip pencils, in brown, of course.

She also revealed a cash wallet for any loose cash, a lollipop, a broken clicker for her gate, a loose makeup puff, and a wristband from a recent Cowboy Carter show: “It was my first Beyoncé concert in 10 years; I had such a good time.”

Inside Ming Lee’s Photo Shoot Bag

Before heading to a photo shoot, Ming Lee always packs basics that match her skin tone, which is especially important as a woman of color. “I feel like when anyone says nude, we think of that light color that would be classified as nude, but I don’t. I bring my SKIMS Sienna Bodysuit. It’s my body color, and no one ever has that.”

She also brings her own eyeliner and mascara: “I’m very specific; I like brown eyeliner and a lot of makeup artists don’t have it.”

Inside Ming Lee’s Beach Bag

Sun protection is a staple inside Ming Lee’s beach bag. You can find a facial sunscreen, a body sunscreen, and a glow body oil with sunscreen in it, along with a hat with UV protection. “I'm really, really big on sunscreen. You’ve got to put it on your face, your neck, your nose, your chest, your feet, your hands, and your lips,” she says. “No one ever thinks about that, but you need a lip SPF.”

Always prepared for any situation, Ming Lee keeps two pairs of sandals in her bag: an inexpensive rubber set and an Oran set from Hermès ($840). The same goes for beach coverups — she carries one specifically for the beach or pool, then another that you could wear to a casual dinner. “I always have both because what if you are caught off guard and you need to go [out]?”

Inside Ming Lee’s Date Night Bag

In addition to her staple of lip products and extra pairs of underwear, Ming Lee says she always brings a condom — just in case. “Why would you not have one?” she says, adding that she also packs a mini perfume that she pours into a refillable container, single-use makeup wipes, and extra contacts. “I just realized that kind of sounds like an ‘if I stay overnight,’ but you know, why are we not always prepared?”

For fragrances, Ming Lee currently has five she loves, but she’s a vanilla girl at heart — so much so that there’s a body mist in her soon-to-be-announced brand that’s called Vanilla Souffle. She says she loves to layer it over Tom Ford Vanilla Sex eau de parfum: “It’s the best combination on the planet.”

Inside Ming Lee’s “Gym” Bag

“Usually my gym is Pilates,” Ming Lee laughs. “I don’t go to the gym; I’m not a gym girl.” Even still, she always has her Simple Modern tumbler with the locking straw on hand, socks — both regular and Pilates-specific pairs — plus sunscreen and sunglasses for when she decides to go for a hike.

Just like in her photo shoot and date night bags, you can also find extra skivvies in her so-called gym bag: “They fold up to nothing and you might need it. What if something happens?” Her favorite undies of all time are from Negative Underwear.

Inside Ming Lee’s Travel Bag

“Literally every single thing that I just mentioned in any of those bags is in my travel bag as well. I'm not missing a single thing. I'm that friend,” Ming Lee laughs. “I will always have at least one of the things that you need.”

Standard single-use, over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and Advil can be game-changers when traveling, with hand warmers and a lap warmer to keep the chill away on the plane coming in clutch as well. She also carries Celsius packets in her carry-on in case she has an early morning call time for a photo shoot. “Those saved my life on set at SI,” she says. “Nobody had an energy drink. We need energy. That's very, very important.”