[rag & bone] 'Crosby' Continental Wallet Review (One Month Review)

Hellooooooooooooo!!!

So as I mentioned in my last wallet review, I got another shortly after I got the Mulberry one...

Saw this while I was browsing the rag & bone page during Nordstrom anniversary sale (not a sale item by the way so if you're thinking about getting this you didn't miss out lol), and I just couldn't let it pass O_O!!


Seriously... totally defeats the purpose of me buying the Mulberry one =_= The whole reason why I spent all that $$$ on Mulberry is because I wanted a small wallet that fits in all my purses so I don't have to bother with changing wallets when I change purses =_=

Well, I guess I'll get used to it *face palms*

I haven't really been switching between purses lately, but I've been making an effort to rotate my wallets LOL. Oy.
 

This picture was taken AFTER using this wallet heavily lol. Got too excited and totally forgot to take pictures when both wallets were brand new... didn't think I was gonna write reviews O_O


When I first got it the leather of this wallet was very smooth and shiny. I actually was a bit taken aback at how shiny it was LOL. I don't know, I was expecting something that more worn looking?? haha.

As mentioned, I got it from Nordstrom. You can find it here.
 

Doesn't come with a warranty :/




First thing first, this wallet takes on scratches/marks EXTREMELY EASILY. It got a mark literally within a minute after tossing it into my handbag.



All them marks and scratches. It can pretty much get scratches from anything... finger nails... the "sharp" corner of makeup bag... any human handling?! LOL.








Zipper detail


Zipper is well made. Sturdy and smooth :)



It's not exactly slim either.


The reason why I just could not let this wallet pass-- not only I love the look of it, but look at all the slots!!!!!!!!!!



Next to the slots, there is a pocket on each side of the wallet. Which is awesome because I use one pocket for cash, and the other for my receipts ^_^ love that about this wallet!



After filling up the wallet

I feel like you can totally throw blotting sheets into this wallet if you want LOL.



This one doesn't get excessively "fat" :P

Another thing I love about this wallet is the security, being a zip-around wallet and all. You know the contents of your wallet are going nowhere :D


There's a side pocket. Haven't figured out what to do with it. I'm more iffy about utilizing this pocket though... cuz things can fall out.


While I don't mind the wallet acquiring that "worn" look, I do kind of wish it would do so more gracefully. Because as you can see in the pictures, some marks/scratches do look pretty deep. I guess I wish it's made of the kind of leather that will look worn over time, but not in an all scratched up/damaged sort of way?










Totally digging nude lips as of late ^_^ Well nude pink here ^.^




So between the two wallets... it's really hard to tell you which one I prefer over the other >.< I feel like choosing one is just mean LOL. From practicality standpoint (translation: size), the Mulberry one is probably a better choice. On the other hand... I totally love the compartmentalization of the rag & bone one and the fact it's a zip-around wallet. But I do feel like this rag & bone wallet is more me :D


That concludes my wallet review! I shall come back to both posts maybe in a year or two... ahaha.

<3 Frances

August 2015 Empties/Mini Reviews

Whaddup guys!

Trying to be good and not let things accumulate. Let's go =D

1. Paul & Joe Powder Compact Foundation

So I basically bought this from P&J cuz I REALLY wanted something from them, but at that time there wasn't any limited edition cute blushes or lipsticks... bascially I bought this because I didn't know what else to buy LOL. Bought it purely for the packaging. Now that I have used up the foundation... I kind of feel stupid for buying this for the packaging... er... should I keep it? -_- it's unlikely I will repurchase. Keeping it for now but it's highly likely that it's gonna end up in trash one day.


My shade is 103. It matches pretty good... but it has VERY STRONG YELLOW TONES.


To be honest I didn't use it all the way up... I was 95% done when the remaining power shattered on me. I just tossed out the shattered bits


There's still a bit left around the edges but I didn't bother... why try so hard  ╮(￣▽￣)╭  next powder foundation! LOL.



Since I did have a bit left, here's a swatch. Can you even see it? LOL


It's a good powder foundation. Pretty finely milled. Decent oil control. Good coverage. Overall a good powder foundation but didn't blow me away. I liked it (obviously, since I used it up) but it's like a lukewarm-like, haha. It has a very distinct scent though... not sure if that's the P&J signature scent. I think it's supposed to be floral but I don't like it haha. Jill Stuart has much better floral scents.


I've actually shown my face in this foundation on my blog multiple times over the last year but just never mentioned it. Pretty much if my face looks matte or not overly dewy/glowy... then I'm wearing this powder foundation (except for my Mulberry wallet review-- was wearing a different powder since I already ran out by that time).

Just to give an example of what this powder looks like...


Powder foundation is pretty much my go-to. Especially in the summer because it's just too hot/heavy to wear anything else. And it's quick. As much as I love liquid foundations, if I have to live with one foundation for the rest of my life... I'd totally go for a powder xD


2. Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion

Cheap and cheerful, have repurchased :D sometimes I use it alone and most of the time I use it as a medium to dilute my heavier creams. But I do want to say at one point I was kind of missing my Skin MD for a lighter feel... but since autumn is upon us, I didn't go for it. Haha


3. THREE Balancing Cleansing Oil sample



I forgot I had this, but when I did remember, I was BEYOND excited to try it! Every Taiwanese blog I read all said it has the most amazing, luxurious, comforting, relaxing citrus scent (ooh all the words they used to describe it XD)  Um O_O I guess my expectations were different lol. I was expecting more of a fragrant citrus scent, if you know what I mean? This one actually smells very aromatherapy. So I can definitely see the appeal. Maybe I'm just not there yet so while I appreciated it, I didn't love it. I did read that since this oil is essential oils, once it's oxidized the smell changes with time. Don't know about that but just want to throw it out there. I did notice when I massaged my face with this oil whilst taking my makeup off, it heats up. Quite unlike any other cleansing oils I've had. Actually felt really good. Other than that, it's pretty effective in makeup removal as well-- no problem with my waterproof eyeliner/mascara!


4. Origins Dr. Andrew Weil Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Soothing Face Cream




If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know I'm a big fan of the Mega Mushroom line since it calms my skin during my bouts of eczema/atopic dermatitis/allergic flares. Actually I haven't had a single flare during the entire time I was using this O_O haven't had another episode since I finished this either (knock on wood!). Maybe it did strengthen my skin?! You guys know I won't always have this on hand, but I for sure will repurchase the Mega Mushroom line here and there in the future :) I still have the cleansers and since the moisturizer is very pricey, I'm gonna stick with the face wash for now. By the way I highly encourage you guys to wait for the discounts at beauty.com or Sephora since this is expensive.


5. Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey Cologne samples

I blew through these like within a week xD I have the full size ^.^ my current perfume obsession hahaha. I wear it during the day, I wear it before I go to bed... I wear it whenever I feel like it lol. Does anyone else do that? Put perfume on before going to bed? Puts me in a really good mood :D it takes forever to finish a bottle of perfume anyway lol (so far... never finished a single bottle).

I will say though, this particular scent is NOT long-lasting at all :(  in fact, it disappears super fast. The only time it stays is when some get into my hair when I spray the perfume behind my ears. Where do you guys spray your perfume??


6. Kose Sekksui White Washing Cream

Pretty sure this is Japanese 7-11 exclusive. I adore the formula but the smell is meh. I enjoyed it while it lasted but I'm not crying about it after it ran out haha.


7. CONI Infinity Hydra Super Moisturizing Overnight Mask

Ehh... didn't use it on my face, cuz I'm not a fan of overnight masks. Plus the scent is so... detergent-y -_- I used it as a body moisturizer. It's a free gift with purchase anyway hehe. To be fair though I love it as a body moisturizer. But the smell omg. ICK. CONI is a Taiwanese brand.


8. Aveda Invati Scalp Revitalizer Spray

Sad that I'm done with this small bottle. To be honest, between the shampoo and the spray, I think the spray works better. Kind of wish I bought the spray system instead of a 1L shampoo. Oh well. That said, don't expect a ton of volume from it-- it works, but only to a certain extent. I do notice my hair falls out a lot less when I use this though. Volume boost-wise, there was a noticeable difference but nothing too impressive. BUT!! I didn't follow the instructions-- didn't use it twice a day and I didn't use 16 sprays (this is the travel size by the way). I can only imagine if I use it as directed I'd get even better results. Although it does have a distinct scent O_O not sure how I'm gonna like that if I were to use it in the morning.


9.

Y'all already know what it is.




Okay, bed time for Frances ^_^ Hope you all have a nice day <3



<3 Frances

[Mulberry] Tree French Purse Review (Small/Classic) (One Month Review)

Ayyyy y'all!

So I thought I might do something different today. I shall be reviewing a wallet xD Why not lol.




So, I was actually on a lookout for a new wallet for a while. My old one was SUPER battered.


Let me just start out by saying... I'm pretty careless when it comes to my possessions. I'm not the type of person who takes good care of my stuff (eg., "dry clean only"? ... Well I'm gonna stuff you in the washer/dryer anyway and hope for the best  ← yep that's me. Working on it -_-)


Meet my old wallet. I believe I've had it for maybe 3 or 4 years??? The hard evidence of how I don't take care of my stuff... XD Well I didn't do anything to it. Just threw it in my purse/backpack like everyone else O_O

I remember I got it when pastels, bright colors and color-blocking were all the rage xD


Look how sad it is lol




I loved it though because it has so many slots!! Which is like one of the most important things I look for when choosing a wallet.


I wonder why this happened?? Was it just poorly crafted, or is it because it was glued together instead of sewed?


Duuuude... even the slots were falling apart LMAO.

Gosh, I can't believe I just dedicated 6 photos to my old wallet X'D


To be honest, I really didn't care about carrying around a shit-looking wallet. As long as it's functional, I'll use it. Well that and the mere fact I just never came across anything I liked and I was too lazy to actually take the time to really look into it. But then the time came when my old wallet just could not hold on to my cards anymore.... X(


Remember that episode where Carrie fell in the Dior store and her stuff went flying?


Yep. My cards went flying spectacularly in all directions on 3 different occasions. After much public squatting and scooping around (and not to mention the major freak out trying to make sure I still had all my credit cards), I decided enough was enough and a new wallet was mandatory LOL.


So the reason why it was so hard for me to find exactly what I wanted was because I was looking for a small wallet.

Reason being I bought this stupid small but stupid cute purse when I was in Taiwan last winter LOL. Seriously... I don't know why I bought it (well it is adorable)... it's so un-functional (I feel like using the word "dysfunctional" makes it sound like my purse has some sort of congenital defect.. hahah). This small purse holds next to nothing X( pretty much all I can fit in there are my phone and wallet and keys (my old wallet does NOT fit by the way lol). I guess bare minimum is good... spare my shoulder/back from the weight of all the crap I'm constantly carrying with me haha. Anyway I wanted a small wallet that will fit in all my purses so I won't have to mess with changing wallets when I change purses.


Was at the mall and came across this store called Mulberry-- I believe it's a British brand. They do have the wallets in the size that I was looking for... with a decent number of slots!!! But at that time I didn't get one because the price was just out of my budget. A couple of months later I randomly popped into the store again (I usually avoid it because going in there makes me sad knowing I can't buy it LOL) and they had additional 30% off in the sale section! And this greige/taupe one was the very last one in the display window. So even though it wasn't the color that I like, I decided to get it because I was desperate HAHAHA. Ended up getting it at almost 50% off muahaha!!



This is the color that I want (link here). Because I think this color flatters my skin tone better O_O does anyone else do that? Like you would hold up the wallet and see how it looks "on" you? LOL. But this color wasn't discounted sob sob. Oh well.  Thought the greige one looks pretty sensible anyway.


They gift wrapped it so nicely O_O

That card contains the receipt/warranty. I think it's good for a year?? Can't remember.








Close up on the Mulberry logo




It's small... but it's quite fat... I mean, thick.






I was kind of worried that the button is gonna get loose over time. So far that hasn't been an issue... but we'll see. I'll come back to update in a couple of years XD






It can hold 8 cards in total. Here you can fit 5. Behind the card slots are two pockets.


The other side of the wallet. You can put 3 additional cards in here.


The coin holder has two compartments in it. By the way you can tell by the way this wallet is holding up it's very soft (as opposed to a "stiff" wallet can just hold its own shape... what's the word for it???? sorry my Engurish iz tres limited xD)




And of course you got your cash pocket on the side.





Now let's fill in this wallet...




I guess the biggest downfall of this wallet is that it can become very fat very quickly/easily. Especially if I just jam in all my receipts in there. Must clean out the receipts frequently.


With just cash-- much better!






Like to put in some frequently used stuff here for easy access... like punch/point cards lol.



There's also another pocket in front of the coin holder. Haven't figured out what to do with it so it's holding business cards for now lol.


Okay -_- here's the problem. I told you I have A LOT of cards -_- and worse than that, I like to have ALL of them with me -_____-  so I put the rest of the less important cards in one of the coin holder pockets, and my change in the other.




So this is why my wallet looks so fat. From all the extra cards XD I need to sort my shit out.


My wallet looks like it has a full belly or something LOL.


It looks like it's about to pop open but the button actually does a very good job holding the wallet closed! Even when the wallet is in my bags it doesn't pop open either. Props to that little button!


Ha, ha. ha






LOL.


So like I said before... I like to see how the wallet looks "on" me before buying. So this is what it looks like~

In a brighter lighting






So I took these pics after about a month of using it. As you can see, it pretty much looks brand new. Granted I didn't show any "before" pics... but you can see the material of this wallet fairs extremely well (aka survives my abuse without a sign of damage). It has not taken on any marks or scratches. Awesome ^_^ the sales associate did tell me this particular leather is very durable. So far I'm impressed! And the reason why I said I'm impressed because I did get another wallet shortly after I bought the Mulberry one O_O That other wallet definitely isn't scratch resistant haha. The review for that one in the works.

Overall I do love this wallet... despite it being on the fatter side. If I could reduce the number of my cards by just half then it would look completely "normal" LMAO. That shall be my project. Been too lazy to go through my cards puahaha.




Hmmm hope someone out there found this review helpful???  At least I hope you guys found this wallet review entertaining... sort of?  O____O  If not... well I already took the pictures for my next wallet so I'm writing about it anyway LOL.

Hope you guys have a great weekend ^__^



<3 Frances