My First Chanel | The Chanel Cambon Pouchette

Today I’m revisiting my handbag collection series to share with you my first purchase from Chanel, the quilted Chanel Cambon Pouchette. I’d like to tell you that angels sung when I made this purchase of what is a rather lovely bag and my first Chanel at thay but it was a little bit disappointing. Until its purchase sometime in the early 2000’s I had of course lusted after the classic Chanel bags which at the time (and more so now for that matter!) were out of my price range.

During a shopping trip to Harrods I spotted this cute little bag for the 'bargain price' of £550, well that seemed achievable. And whilst I look back now, and the reason for my regret was why I didn't just think let's save a little bit more money and buy the bag I really wanted. Clarly the impatient gal I am got the better for me and buying 'any Chanel' seemed like a great idea and I can’t deny that the bag has treated me well. I had this in my possession at a time when I was out all night partying and I wouldn't treat it particularly kindly.

In fact it actually ended up with the zip pull breaking and the lining all torn in the inside which was actually a blessing as I lost it one night in my local nightspot. When I called the next morning to enquire whether it had been handed in they confirmed it had but my camera had been taken. Note the camera was decidedly cheaper than the bag. Obviously this was not a time when everyone had a designer label hanging off their arm whether it was Michael Kors or YSL so it would seem that whoever stumbled across the discarded bag was ignorant to the beauty of Chanel and even if they were decided that this was clearly a fake and not worth their time.

As bag for nights out this bag was very handy. It was the more 'sophisticated' version of my Louis Vuitton Accessories Pouch and being black would 'go with anything'. It's a fair size that would hold my camera, the larger mobile phones of it's time, sufficient cigarettes to take me through a night out and some make up for touch ups.  

As life changed and different bags and my occasions for a night out differed I cannot tell you the last time I used this bag which is a shame. Today I prefer a crossbody bag for nights out or perhaps a clutch and there's something about the strap which isn't long enough to sit too comfortable under the arm, in fact the bag will literally sit in my armpit and it's feel quite bulky. For whatever reason I don't find myself reaching for it very often although as I type this post I think I need to change that, especially as it's not a style that Chanel make any longer and you'll only be able to find a preloved one now if it's something you wanted.

I mentioned earlier in this post how I didn't treat the bag too kindly and as I've watched the recent YouTube videos of peoples handbag collections and how well they treat their bags I decided to show my Chanel Cambon Pouchette some love. I took myself to the Bond Street Chanel Store and sought out having it repaired. 

That is the beauty of spending an obscene amount of money on a bag that repairs will be done, and often free of charge. The lining in my bag was replaced, not with the exact same bright pink lining but a different one which makes this bag 'an original' of sorts. They replaced the broken zipper and it is 'good as new'. Another pro for making an expense purchase is that this bag has lasted without a spot of damage other than what I mentioned and now it's had it's make up it is really as good as new.

If there is any lesson to be learned if there is a bag you desire, save up for it. The price of designer handbags is rapidly rising so I'd argue the longer you put off buying the bag you want the more expensive it'll become. I am lucky enough to own two additional Chanel bags, the Classic I so lusted after which I will share with you in another post but I can tell you it was purchased for not much more than the Chanel Wallet on a Chain I brought earlier this year. If I were looking into it's purchase now I really don't think I would be able to justify it's purchase.

Are you a Chanel handbag fan?

Currently Loving | June 2016

There are a lot of products and 'things' I've enjoyed using this month that a monthly favourites post would be too long. Instead you'll have today's currently loving and I also have a holiday favourites post coming up as long as some more detailed reviews.

Days before I flew out to Menorca for a week with friends I had a handbag panic. My dad would have said are you kidding me but there wasn't a bag in my collection that would compliment all my outfits and with an Easyjet luggage allowance I need to be strict with my packing.

Luckily for me my friend and travel companion Lewis Yates owns a shop and after a quick look around his website I had this Michael Kors beauty in Grapefruit on hold for me.  This was my first Michael Kors handbag purchase as despite eyeing up their bags before and with a price point that is 'affordable' compared to other higher end brands it was only now I was tempted to part with my cash.

Pouch, clutch, wristlet call it what you will but aside from the gorgeous colour this was a fantastic purchase and one I loved using on my holiday. When I use a clutch bag I want it to hold money, keys, lipstick, my iPhone and a pack of cigarettes - aside from health reasons I need to give up the bad habit as it limits my clutch bag sizes! The Michael Kors wristlet was perfect. Flying out I was able to put my passport and other travel documents here and then pop that in my larger bag, pulling out when I needed and/or popping on my wrist when I literally needed it to hand. I didn't need a purse as there are card slots and a small pocket for any loose change and it's fair to say this bag was hanging off my wrist morning and night. I could pop it in my beach bag and when we'd head out for lunch I'd just grab this rather than needing to take the larger bag filled with suncreams and books. We also travelled with two small children so having this bag on the wrist made having hands free for carrying duties. The only problem now is I want to buy them in every different colour and pick up the matching sandals.

Since dyeing my hair I've been able to enjoy the luxury of second day hair, something that was unheard of before (unless I wanted to look a greasy mess). Bastiste Dry Shampoo in Marrakech* and Palmers Manuka Flower Honey Leave-In Conditioner* have been the duo that have helped me achieve this. Firstly I'll spray some Batiste dry shampoo in my roots and brush my hair out and then I reach for the Palmers Conditioner and spray over my hair which is often a little wild from being tied up. Once my hair has been dampened I'm able to pick up the hairdryer, brush and style the unruly waves so that I am presentable. I've used a slightly different duo whilst on holiday which I'll be telling you about in another post but back home this was what I was using on a regular basis.

As a flamingo lover I happily jumped on the inflatable bandwagon and treated myself to the Flamingo Drinks Holder for my recent trip. I really wanted the larger inflatable but luggage allowance woes stopped me. Now I'm home and two months away from my next trip I'm thinking about picking up the Pineapple Inflatable as I'll be spending the week around my friends villa and as we'll in Italy I'm going to treat them to the Pizza one. Whilst I loved Florence the Flamingo (of course we named her) I was always a little too nervous about putting a drink in there although it was pretty sturdy.

*this post contains press samples and affiliate links

My Handbag Collection Louis Vuitton Eclipse

Apologies in advance for what will appear to be my jumping on the current trend for bloggers sharing their designer handbag collections and unboxing of new purchases but I've had in mind to share my collection for some time and there are some long term readers who have been requesting this for some time. Yes Candypop I'm looking at you!

It seems the done thing is to offer disclaimers and various justification for such expensive purchases but I hope you don't mind I'm not going to do that and instead assume you all know me well enough by now to know this isn't designed to show off. I also hope the stories behind how they came to be in my collection will be somewhat interesting for you as I'm afraid rarely much thought is given to their purchase other than for aesthetic reasons!

Moving on. The first bag that came into my collection is the now discontinued Louis Vuitton Eclipse but before I discuss the bag itself I must take you back to explain why a Louis Vuitton bag was so coveted. As a child I had a friend whose mum owned a shop in our local high street. This was not just any shop, it was of course the 80s, Dynasty era and the shop she owned was a treasure trove of costume jewelry that sparkled. Who remembers those diamante spider brooches? Yes these were stocked in abundance.

For a young impressionable girl this mum was rather unique in both having her own business and also a rather special handbag I admired. It was a Dior print such as this and somewhere I'd aligned it with Louis Vuitton and so that became the brand I lusted for. The bag I wanted was the Alma which is rather a mature bag for a young girl to desire and I can even remember receiving a plain black version from Marks and Spencer for my birthday as it was the closest I could get to owning such a thing. I remember very clearly walking along holding the M&S 'dupe' as we could call it now and pretending it was the Louis Vuitton Alma. It was almost like I was practicing for the day it would be mine.

Fast forward a few more years and my love for Louis Vuitton had not changed but things were rather different then in that designer handbags, certainly not in the circles I mixed in, were not things girls in their early twenties were using or justified buying, so it seemed. Of course you'd spot older girls in clubs and bars using Louis Vuitton make up bags as clutches that were obviously all they could afford or had been pinched from their mums but it wasn't like today when I sit on a train and see all manner of designer labels of varying price ranges, adorning women of all ages.

One night my friends and I were in our local nightspot and discussing our love of Louis Vuitton I said I would marry any man that brought me a handbag from there. A gentleman in our group brazenly responded he would buy one. And many months later he did. Did I marry him? Sadly not although we were engaged for a brief time but the romance with my Louis Vuitton bag lasted longer so don't feel sorry for me.

I'm unsure why I picked the Louis Vuitton Eclipse over the once favoured Alma but I would suspect it was that it was similar in style, even today I usual lean towards top handled bags, but with a difference. And boy did I love that bag although I haven't used it for years. The photos for today's post were taken when visiting my brother and his family and my mum, who now has 'custody' of the bag, was accompanied by it.

The biggest downside for this bag is it's so structured and round that it doesn't allow for filling with all the daily essentials, particularly those of us that like to carry a book or similar size/shaped items which is why I have others in my collection which take preference. As a regular user of London Underground I tend to like a bag that I can zip for safety reasons. The other issue I often contend with, and why I like Louis Vuitton for it's repeated pattern is that I'm left handed meaning that to have the zip 'my side' often the design of the bag would be hidden or I'm exposing the zip to wandering hands I can't see behind me.

At the time this bag was about £300, oh to be able to find Louis Vuitton for that price now and it has since been discontinued which does make me enjoy it a little more. Perhaps it's time to remove it from my mum's clutches and give it another whirl.

Bicester Village Shopping Haul #2

Last week during a day off of work my mum and I took a trip to Bicester Village shopping outlet to once again snap up some bargains for ourselves.

I don't think it's any surprise to any of my regular readers that I love a handbag so when I saw the Michael Kors bag for 34% discount I couldn't resist treating myself to a new Christmas bag. Red is my favourite colour and the size and style of the bag will be perfect for the festive season. One of the chain straps can be worn long on the shoulder, across the body or both for a shorter handheld style. 

I can actually remember admiring this bag in the Michael Kors store on Regent Street on a shopping trip with my mum some time ago so it was great to pick it up for a bargain price and was certainly cheaper than the Mulberry bags I spent some time swooning over.

I always have an idea of the sort of things I'd like to find at Bicester Village. Of course as a shopping outlet it's not something you can rely on but I try to think positively and send some good vibes out to the shopping fairies and on this occasion they were smiling down on me. 

I wanted a thinner, lighter Swarovski pen to use in my filofax (original post here) as the one I already owned (original post here) is quite heavy to use but I love writing with it. I really hit gold on this occasion as there was a gift set, original intended as a wedding gift available for the same price as buying one pen direct from a Swarovski store - a whopping 40% discount - bargain.

And the final treat for myself was a hand cream from Cowshed. For only £5 compared to the usual £8 and as a lover of hand cream how could I resist?

You can find my first Bicester Village shopping haul here

An Easter Egg from Prada

Easter Monday I took myself on a trip to Selfridges and treated myself to a new bag from Prada. I have lusted after this bag for some time as it's likely to be the closest I'll ever get to the coveted style of Birkin from Hermes. Finally the time (and money!) presented itself to allow me to add this bag to my collection.

The bag had the seal of approval from my niece at the weekend.

I've had a few requests to see my bag collection before so I plan to do a series and will give you a more in depth review of each of the styles of bag I have which I hope you'll look forward to seeing and pop back to read.