The wear and tear of a Mulberry Clifton Bag (6 weeks - 8 months on)

Howdy,

I purchased this amazing bag on 19th March 2017 and apart from preparing it to be used, here is a link to a blog post on how I prepared it for continual use. I have been using this bag everyday so far, today is 5th May and I just love it.

The bag looks just as good as it did when I first bought it, the suede has a slightly more brushed effect to it from me using the bag but it does in no way look dirty or take away the lovely effect of the bag.  There are no marks/ scratches on this bag at all. I have treated the bag a couple of times since having it and it just absorbs the cream and to me it brings back a little of the colour and a little shine. Just in the same way when you polish a pair of shoes, they still look the same when dirty but but cleaning them just improves their overall look.

I have worn it on one shoulder, cross body and just under my arm when in a hurry. I have also been caught out in a few spots of rain (nothing too heavy) and the bag again looks no different. By using the water resistant spray it really does help prolong the life of the bag. I have owned Mulberry bags before but they have been SLG's (small leather goods) or smaller bags, I have always wondered are the larger more expensive bags really worth it? You really are spending such a lot of money on one item and although I think some people will disagree with me, I do think they really are. The stitching, the leathers used and just how it wears is incredible and unlike any other brand I have owned. Each bag is individually hand made and you can see why they last so well with the amount of time and effort took to make each item. I know it won't be anytime soon but I really would take the plunge again and buy another piece. If you really love and take care of the item there is no reason why it should not last you years and years. You do see a few online that look like they have been dragged along a tarmac road by a car, these people are mad! I myself am crazy picky and maybe its partly me being super fussy or partly being an only child but I really do love and look after my items.

So after around 6 weeks of use it really is a massive thumbs up from me, I am extremely happy with it. I did lots of research into what kind of bag I wanted, what bag did I like look of and what can the bag offer me in terms of everyday use. No good buying a mini Lily with the intention of it being your everyday bag! Also another good tip is to go to the shop and see, touch and try on the bags. I recommend going to New Bond Street, they have the best selection and the staff have always been so friendly, helpful and never pushy. I had 2-3 bags in my mind I wanted to try on with the intention of buying one of them and guess what non of them were the the on purchased in the end (the Clifton). It just goes to show how important it is to go and see them in person, online I didn't like the look of it, in person it turns into a leather organisational dream.

Right before I bore the socks off you, I will leave this post here and come back to it in a few months, Wow summer will be over by then, lets hope we get one and fit many BBQ's in. Bye for now, I'm off to enjoy my bag some more.....

Hey I am back and it is now December, I went away in Sept and put my bag away just before I went. I did use the bag for 6 months straight and it does still look the same, the suede has its lovely brushed effect but the leather is still as good as new and even now still has a lovely smell about it. This bag has been fantastic, I have loved using it so much. I have never got this much joy from using a bag before haha, I have also had quite a few compliments on its too, a person who loves Mulberry will always spot a bag from afar. They also know what the bag is called and its colour.

Here are some pictures of the bag before I used it, this is what it looks like now!

Before being used

The 1st and 3rd picture of this bag were taken straight after I received it in the post. Obviously the lighting is different to the pictures I have taken recently but then the seasons have changed and it is so much darker this time of year.
The bag in this picture is fully stuffed with its tissue paper to hold its shape.

After 7-8 months of use

 This picture is 8 months on and the bag is completely empty, it has worn so well and when filled with my things fills out just the same as the picture above. The gold hard wear shows no sign on use or scratches in any way, the same as the leather, not a single blemish to be seen anywhere.
I found this bag very easy to clean and keep clean. Here is a link to a previous blog post telling you what products I use and how I keep my bags looking their best for longer.

Before use

 The inside of the bag including all 3 compartments are all made of suede and I was a little hesitant as to how well this would last and if I could keep it clean as suede is such a delicate leather to look after.

Over time the leather has also softened and is not quite as stiff as when the bag was first purchased. The stitching is still perfect and the piping round the bag looks no different to the day I pusrchased it.

7-8 months on

As you can see by this picture the suede still looks fantastic, it has more a brushed effect to it from my always touching it when going in and out of the bag. This does not in anyway detract from how pretty this bag is and it does not look worn in. I think it just addds to the bag.








 So the big question is would I buy an expensive Mulberry bag again? and the answer is I already have (covers face with hands) If you are interested in why I purchased another bag so soon then click here and you will find out more and it also may help you to find a bargain too. I do have to wait till Christmas to receive this bag though, as my husband kindly bought it for me for Christmas. (Can't wait to use it, Thanks Chippy xxx)
Like I have said before I really REALLY enjoy using this bag, I have always loved and looked after my bags but the quality of the leather, how well it has been hand made and stitched together makes me love it even more. As with a lot of things in life you do get what you pay for and lets face it I could be spending my money on something far worse.

Have you made any big handbag purchases lately? Is there a bag out there calling your name? I'd love to know, come and find me on Instagram @Kara1818 and lets chat bags.

Thanks for reading
Kara xx

Face Moisturisers, it Cosmetics, First Aid Beauty & Dr. Jart. Part 2

Howdy,

This is part 2 of my trial of face moisturisers, I am going to review 3 more moisturisers that I bought in mini form from Sephora and give you my opinion on each. I will leave a link here to my last post if you wish to check out some other creams I tried. These sets are a great way to try out different creams without having to break the bank on one product and risk not liking it. Especially as our returns policy in England is MUCH different to the US, here if you don't like it, its tough haha. So you really want to be sure when spending your money on a product.

 

 1. it cosmetics - confidence in a cream

This cream is amazing, I enjoyed everything about it, the smell, the consistency, how it is not greasy and most of all my skin loved it and looked great from using it. If I did not have other creams to use up I would have repurchased this already. This will for sure be on my wish list for the future. I can see why it cosmetics have been all the rage over the last couple of years, their products are very good, especially for the price.

  

This cream is available online and in store from Selfridges for a 60ml tub it is £38

My rating 9/10

Recommend/ worth the money full price? Yes, the tub is quite large so I am sure you would get a good few months' use out of this.

 2. First Aid Beauty - Ultra Repair Cream

 

This cream is available from Feelunique, a 56.7g (2oz) tube for just £10, this is by far the cheapest cream of the 6 I have reviewed and from this website you quite often get free shipping, free gifts and also you can get 10% off your first order. Click the link above and check them out for yourself. Now this cream is also one I have enjoyed using, a little goes a long way and does give your skin a good amount of moisturisation. It is not a moisturiser you could put on in the morning and then apply a face full of make up. It is too thick and takes too long to soak it, so I have been using it mainly at bed time or if I plan on going out make up free. For £10 you will get a lot of product and it really is very good value for money. Although I wouldn't run out to purchase this, if it came in a set I would happily use it all up.

My rating 7/10

Recommend/ worth the money full price? Yes I recommend, that is greatly helped by the price. It's just a great all round cream.

3.  Dr. Jart+ - Water Drop Hydrating Moisturizer

 

Now this cream is odd, but not in a bad way, it comes out the tube as a cream and as soon as you rub it in, it turns to water. It literally looks like you have splashed your face with water. It is very hydrating and my skin looked great from using it, my only complaint is my skin was left feeling a little tacky. I just used this cream for evening time or if I had planned to not wear face make up.

This cream can be purchased in the UK for a ridiculously high price on Amazon, I am not linking that. If you are really interested if not check out good old Sephora. You can purchase a 3.3oz (100ml) tube for $36

My rating 6.5/10

Recommend/ worth the money full price? I think I would recommend this as my skin looked great from using it, its just the tacky feeling left on my skin that has made me think twice as to if I would purchase another tube.

I hope you found these blogposts interesting and helpful? I have enjoyed trying out these brands so much, skincare to me is everything. With good skin you appear younger and have fewer lines and wrinkles on your face. Well hydrated skin is also what you want when applying make up. Make up does not sit well on dry cracked skin. If I could only purchase one of these six creams it would have to be it cosmetics, confidence in a cream. It has obviously been a while since I started writing this blog post so I may have ordered a full size tub of this in the Sephora VIB sale, it worked out cheaper and came with eye cream and a cleanser too! hehe.

Let me know if you know of any moisturisers that you love, I would love to look them up and maybe try them too.

Thanks for reading
Kara xx

First impressions of a younique starter kit

Howdy,

Younique is a brand of skincare and make up that is completely new to me, I had never seen or tried any of their products until now. Here are a few pictures of what to expect from a starter kit if you were to order one for yourself, you can even do just single orders if there is just one or two things you would like to try

Everything I have ever received from Younique has been shipped very quickly and always come very well packaged and protected, which I love. I love good packaging, it's part of the fun of enjoying a product. I know you are able to see all of these products from looking online on Younique's website but I thought I would take a few of my own pictures as these show the true products using only daylight. No filters or fancy lights used here.

This box arrives inside of another cardboard box, so all of your items are protected and safe. If you lift up the lid of this box it reveals....

This lovely metallic purple bag, not only does this bag contain all of your products but it is reusable and has many pockets to store your make up items safely and even has slots for your make up brushes. It is slightly padded so would withstand a bump or to during travel. It comes with handles for easy use and could be wiped down with a damp cloth to keep clean (we all spill a little make up from time to time)

The products are placed throughout the bag and have been kept in place by bubble wrap and Younique's own tissue paper. If this bag were to have been tossed around in transit all the products would have remained safe. Not a single item arrived damaged.

Once the bubble wrap and tissue paper is removed you can see all the products below. Don't be fooled by thinking there are only a few items at the bottom of this bag, I was pleasantly surprised with everything I kept pulling out. This is a very deep bag and would hold a lot of products, again perfect for when you want to travel and reuse this bag.

Information leaflets come in the bag and samples of foundation which I think is awesome, perfect way to work out your own shade. You can do it in the comfort of your own home and using natural daylight to get the perfect match. No need to struggle under false lighting like you do when trying to be colour matched at a make up counter. Two brushes are also included, these are perfect to apply the eye make up.

Face masks, I just love a good face mask. Make up applies so much better over a clean, well hydrated face. Some face masks are actually quite relaxing and you feel the benefit almost straight away.

Here are all the make up products for your eyes and face, you are able to make so many different looks with all these colours you receive. Perfect for natural day looks or something more dramatic for night time.

You won't just recieve one black mascara, you also get to try a 3D fiber lashes mascara and a lash serum which will help your lashes grow, if used everyday.










Here are all the products to put on your lips, to exfoliate in order to get them prepped for lip products, from a balm, pencil, stain and liquid lipstick. There are many different types of lip products to try out, you can really get a feel for which product best suits you, that way if liquid lipstick is your favourite, you are then able to go online and order more colours.

So is this starter kit worth the £69 price tag? I shall let you know in my up and coming blogposts, as you can see from the pictures you do get a lot of products for that price. Especially as there are palettes of just a few eye shadows out there on the market that cost more than this whole entire set. Here is a list for you to read over of what is included in this set.

• Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes+
• Moodstruck Epic Mascara
• Moodstruck Esteem Lash Serum
• Moodstruck Addiction Shadow Palette 4
• Splurge Cream Shadow - Tenacious
• Moodstruck Pressed Shadow - Shrewd & Agile
• Moodstruck Eye Primer
• Moodstruck Precision Pencil Eyeliner - Perfect
• Moodstruck Splash Liquid Lipstick - Stubborn
• Moodstruck Minerals Lucrative Lip Gloss - Lovesick
• Moodstruck Precision Pencil Lip Liner - Popular
• Touch à la mode Cream to Powder Luminizer - Benevolent
• Younique Royalty Pore Purifying Cleanser
• Younique Royalty Rose Water Toning Spritz
• Blending Brush
• Angled Shadow/Sponge Brush
• Mask Samples: Younique Royalty Detoxifying Mask (2), Younique Royalty Exfoliating Mask (2), Younique Royalty Oil Control Mask (2)
• White Status Charm
• Saving Lashes, Changing Lives Charm
• Welcome Card
• The Younique Foundation Card
• Product Card
• Business/Opportunity Card
• Fast Start Card
• Lash Trio Card
• ZenPrint Promotional Card
• September 2017 Catalog
• Younique-branded, purple faux leather makeup ba

If anything has caught your eye already and you think you might like to make a purchase feel free to contact Danielle, she will help you with all your buying needs and she is a lovely lady fully clued up on all the products Younique has to offer.

I have more pictures of these products and how they look on me up on my Instagram page Kara1818, take a peek and see how good they look. 

Thanks for reading 

Kara xx