Lipstick -- the age-old purse filler! Most purses will contact at least 2 or 3 of various colors, but for the purposes of your date, just take the one that you used when you did your face as part of your date preparation! If possible try to find a color you like in a cosmetic line that has a mirror as part of the lipstick packaging. If it doesn't, then the next item will be useful!
Compact mirror -- at one time these were bulky and obvious, but these days you can buy one that won't look out of place in a glitzy restaurant! Consider buying one that's small but stylish. Pay a little extra and purchase a compact mirror that's small enough to fit into whatever purse you decide to take out, but is still large enough for you to be able to fix your make-up if there's no other mirror available.
Tissues -- whether you need them for your nose or for dabbing at a drink that's been spilled over the table (or your clothes), a small packet of tissues is no weight, and takes up little space, and may seem pointless right up until the second you find you need them!
Cell phone -- you're on a date, so have the good manners to turn it off, or at least put it on vibrate only while you're with your date, but make sure you take it with you because you don't know when you might need to use it. With uses that range from finding a taxi, to going to bathroom and texting a friend to ring your cell phone and allow you to make an early exit from a disastrous date, a cell phone is an essential part of a modern girl's dating purse equipment!
Small notebook and pen -- you can get some tiny notebooks and real pretty pens that fit well into a small purse and which will be useful if you need to make a note of something, such as your date's telephone number, or writing yours down for your date (who probably won't have pen and paper with him!). On the back of the notebook you should write your name and contact telephone number of someone close to you in case they are needed to be contacted in case of an accident etc.
Money -- even if your date is planning to pay for the evening, you should have enough money with you to cover at least your share of it. You should also have a couple of coins loose in your purse in case you need these for emergencies (anyone with a cell phone knows that an emergency is the time the battery decides to quit, or there's no connection to the provider's network in the area they're in!).
Driving license -- even if you're way past the age of being 'carded' it's always a good idea to carry picture ID.
None of the above items are heavy and each of them earns its place in your purse by being there to use on the date, or in case of something happening during your date that requires you needing assistance, so before you leave home with just your jacket, think carefully about the evening ahead, and pop the above things in a purse and take it with you!
