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What’s In My Bag? The YSL (Saint Laurent) Monogram Chain Wallet Review

saint laurent wallet on chain bag

 

Hello You! It’s been a while since you guys took a peek at what’s inside my purse. Lately, I’ve been obsessing about this Saint Laurent (YSL) Monogram Quilted Leather Wallet on a Chain Bag in Black (1.1 lbs: $1,650). Without any intention, and for some reason, I realized that YSL is becoming my favorite bag brand and I am slowly morphing into a YSL girl. Last time I checked, I seem to own more Saint Laurent bags than any other brands out there. I guess I just really love their versatile and edgy style.

 

YSL (Saint Laurent) Monogram Chain Wallet

 

Since the YSL Wallet on Chain is my bag of choice this Winter, let’s take a look at the things I stuffed inside it and how this bag had held up so far for me. Take note that I’ve had this bag for barely a year but I’ve been using this a lot on a daily basis at most.

 

Size

 

what's inside my bag, YSL (Saint Laurent) Monogram Chain Wallet

 

Since this bag is more of a wallet as opposed to a real purse that can hold a considerable amount of stuff, expect to see this bag to be pretty small, or you could say that this is more like a large wallet with a nice luxurious chain strap. The shoulder drop of this bag is about 19 inches and the height is around 6 inches with a length of 9 inches. So this looks more like an envelope wallet purse with an expandable width of about 1 inch to a few inches more. I wouldn’t stuff this bag with a lot of things or else its look could get deformed.

 

Style

 

The style of this bag is very versatile. It’s perfect for just about any activity or occasion, and it just elevates any wardrobe. Depending on its color, like my black one here in this review, this bag can carry you from a daytime gathering to a nice and formal glam evening. The chain strap is on the heavy side so it helps to make the bag more stable on your shoulder, and if it’s in gold-tone like mine, then it makes the bag look even more elegant and dramatic. Further, this bag is easy to use with its snap button closure.

 

Functionality

 

saint laurent wallet on chain bag review

 

This bag is really light and pretty much easy to carry. The chain is on the heavy side which rolls around a lot and tends to have a life of its own (lol) but it makes the bag feel really well-made. I like the height of the shoulder drop of this bag which is not too long and not too short for my petite frame (5’3) and I could wear this as a shoulder bag or as a crossbody. Inside, this wallet on chain purse can fit twenty card slots and has one coin pocket with a zipper closure in the middle. I haven’t really placed any coins in the coin pocket so far, but I do place my very important cards, bills, and any documents in it that I wanted to be secured. When it comes to the card slots, I do think that this Saint Laurent Wallet on Chain bag is the perfect purse for storing just about any cards you may have, but you might be wondering why I’m still carrying a separate card case like the Gucci and the YSL one below? That’s because from time to time I may have to carry a large bag or a tote for some work-related activities and I need to easily transfer my personal belongings from one bag to another, also I’ve been traveling a lot recently and I didn’t carry this YSL bag with me. On top of that, card cases are much faster for me to use and grab instead of diving my fingers inside this purse that has a dark lining and tight slots, which require some breaking in period. Eventually, I would have to stuff all my cards into this wallet purse and then I might be able to add more stuff later on, like a small eyeshadow compact plus some other flat-shaped objects.

 

What Can Fit Inside?

 

For now, here’s a bunch of stuff I managed to fit inside this wallet in chain purse.

 

saint laurent chain wallet monogram leather review

 

  1. Nars Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil in Walkyrie (0.086 oz: $27) – burnt coral red, one of my favorite lip shades this Winter. Love the texture and finish of this lip pencil.
  2. Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder in 960 Avant-Gardiste (0.3 oz: $30) – love this shade a lot and this is a long-lasting easy-to-use innovative lip powder. See the swatch HERE.
  3. Boscia Black Charcoal Blotting Linen (100 Sheets: $10) – this blotting sheet has black bamboo charcoal and it absorbs any excess oil from the face. See my favorite blotting sheets rounded up in this review HERE.
  4. Gucci GG Marmont Matelassรฉ Leather Card Case in Dusty Pink ($250) – love the soft leather feel of this card case so much and the color is just so pretty. This has a center slip pocket and four card slots.
  5. Benefit Cosmetics “Laughter is the Best Cosmetic” Small Flip Mirror – got this for free from my Sephora Rewards Points. I wanted a flat mirror to store inside this YSL wallet purse, so this Benefit small flip mirror fits the bill and it looks really cute.
  6. Saint Laurent Monogram Quilted Leather Card Case in Shocking Pink ($275) – a finely-pebbled calfskin leather with YSL-metal initials card case that looks chic and has an interior pocket with four card slots.
  7. L’occitane Mini Hand Cream (1 oz: $12) – this is a tiny classic L’occitane Shea Butter hand cream that can fit inside this bag. Love this cream for this winter since my hand gets dry easily. I wish I could fit my Chanel La Creme Main hand cream in this bag (reviewed HERE), but this classic staple from L’occitane is a good alternative.
  8. Beter Pocket Comb ($3.57) – got this in Spain years ago when I realized I forgot my 16-year old comb (yeah that ancient, lol) which was given to me by my best friend in High School. So I went into panic mode and walked to the nearest convenience store in Passeig de Gracia where I found this really flat and handy Beter comb. I’m not a fan of its narrow-spaced bristles as I prefer a wide-toothed one, but this comb is cheap, fits anywhere, great for teasing, perfect for keeping my side-part style, and it’s good enough to make me look human, LOL.

 

YSL (Saint Laurent) Monogram Chain Wallet

 

iPhone X – yes this bag can also fit an iPhone, even the larger ones, but definitely not an iPad or an iPad Mini. As you can see, I’m listening to Troye Sivan while taking photos for this review.

 

Other Things In My Bag

 

what can fit inside ysl wallet on chain bag

 

I’ve got a few weird stuff that is honestly inside my bag. Number one, a Bravo Gift Card given to me by one of my good friends because I love to eat at Bravo, LOL. Two, I also have a pink Parker pen – my pen of choice (brand and color). I always keep a pen inside my bag just in case I need to write something or if someone wants to borrow a pen (girl scout). I also love to collect Parker pens because they write so well, so I make sure that I always have a Parker pen in each of my bags. The last thing in my bag are these two fortunes from the last fortune cookies I ate, LOL. Yeah, I’m the type that reads every fortune after eating any fortune cookie, and I tend to keep some of them just for the fun part. So, if my fortune tells me right, I really need to find out who this acquaintance is. Hmmm…

 

Durability

 

Since I got the bag, I’ve been using it a lot almost non-stop. I haven’t really seen or noticed any scratches, not even at the edges. I have placed this bag anywhere and everywhere and it still looks good as new. However, it hasn’t been a year since I owned it, so I’ll take note of its wear and tear after a couple of years. But so far, I am impressed with this bag and its overall quality, and I think it really helps that it’s made of embossed grain leather.

 

Drawback

 

One thing’s for sure, you can’t stuff a lot of things inside this bag. This is really pretty much a straight-up wallet on chain type of bag where you can indeed store a ton of cards in it and a few necessities, but that’s about it. All your other important stuff has to be inside your pocket or in another larger bag. This is more of a made-for-quick/casual-gathering type of bag or for a formal evening bag. Can’t put my groceries in here, LOL.

 

saint laurent wallet on chain bag

 

Verdict

Why I love it? Even though this bag doesn’t hold much, not even my necessities like my house and car keys which I now put in my pocket, but this bag has taught me to carry only the very important stuff, just the things that I really need and this has made my life a bit easier and simpler.ย Since this bag is lightweight and can be worn crossbody or as a shoulder bag, this is so much easier to carry than my other bags and they keep my hands free.

 

Do you also own this bag? What do you like most about it? Are you a fan of YSL bags?

 

The YSL (Saint Laurent) Monogram Chain Wallet is currently available at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Selfridges, Harrods, andย Barneys New York

 

Other items seen in this review

 

*Hourglass Palette is the Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3, swatched HERE. Latest Volume 4 is still available HERE.

*Dior Addict Lip Tattoo, reviewed HERE

*Sunglasses from Balenciaga, found at Saks Off Fifth in-store

*Giorgio Armani Rouge Dโ€™ Armani Matte Lipstick, swatched HERE

 

 

Lady Dior Bag Review

 

Lady Dior Rose Poudre

 

It’s been a while since I’ve done a bag review here in the blog. Well, Summer’s almost over, but Fall is coming and it’s about time to change to a different bag that’s more suitable for this upcoming season. But before I do that, I’d like to talk about my most favorite bag this Summer – the Lady Dior. This iconic bag is named after one of the most famous woman in our history, Lady D, or Lady Diana. She used to carry this purse in several of her appearances, and years later, this bag though had been reimagined or reinterpreted several times, has remained to be as beautiful and as elegant as ever, just like the woman for whom it was named after.

 

Lady Dior Bag Review

 

I got this Lady Dior bag when I was in Spain. I’ve been eyeing this bag for a long time, but I didn’t really expect to seriously get it. I’ve looked and tried this bag at different Dior stores but was kind of undecided as to what color to get since most of the shades available were just so beautiful, and that had left me undecided. I sorta had my mind on the smaller Mini Lady Dior with Chain in Lotus Pearly Cannage Lambskin, but that was too small for me and though I love the color, I decided to skip it. Since then, I’ve been thinking about the Lady Dior bag for more than a year, and for some reason, I had the feeling that I may never get this bag after all. However, a year later, I popped into a Dior store in Barcelona and I saw this beautiful Lady Dior in Rose Eclair and I immediately fell in love with it. The size was perfect for me, and I love the light pink color. I chose the patent leather since the color is bright and light, and I didn’t want it to get stained so easily. I’m a fan of patent leathers, and I’ve had good experiences with patent leather bags before, especially the Vernis leather of Louis Vuitton, and I thought the same is true with this Patent Lady Dior Bag.

 

Lady Dior Review

 

This bag’s dimension is 9.5 x 4.5 x 8 inches. This size is considered a standard medium like the original Lady Dior. This comes with a narrow removable and adjustable should strap and with a drop of approximately 23 inches. A signature D.I.O.R metallic letters serve as charms attached to the bag, and the bag itself is sporting its signature Cannage topstitching. There is a zipper closure that secures your things, however, the bag’s opening can be quite narrow, which makes it hard to see what’s inside it. It’s also kinda hard to put your hand inside it since the leather is kinda stiff, but it does get better as soon as the leather softens a little bit. Still, you kinda have to rely on your hands and try to feel the items in this bag if you need something. The bag’s handles are rounded, slim, and flat, which is nice because my arm fits through them so easily. The overall size of this bag is perfect for carrying basic necessities and there’s still room for more. Also, its weight is not too heavy and it’s not too light.

 

The whole look of the Lady Dior bag is just absolutely stunning and a definite head-turner. The design is gorgeous, sleek, and minimal but beautiful. A kind of bag that is very versatile and can withstand the test of time. The stitching is well done and the bag overall looks well-made. You can wear it as a shoulder bag, a handbag or as a crossbody.

 

Price-wise, this bag is expensive, but you’re paying for the name and the timeless yet classic elegant style. For the color, I’ve always wanted my own Lady Dior bag to be something bright since I envisioned myself to be carrying this bag for most of the Summer, and the Rose Eclair shade is just perfect for that. However, in the future, I would also like to have this bag in black which is so perfect for Fall and Winter. Oh, how I wish. Anyway, there are different colors and sizes for this bag. There’s one called “Les Larges” which obviously is a larger version of the bag in this review, another one called “Mini Lady Dior” which has a chain for a shoulder strap, and the other one is “My Lady Dior” which you can customize with badges. For me, the best size is this medium standard Lady Dior, which is not too big and not too small, and it can fit several things without looking overstuffed or feeling too heavy.

 

 

Here are the things I could fit inside this bag, also, these are the items I’ve been carrying throughout this Summer.

Lady Dior Bag review and contents

  1. Louis Vuitton Key Pouch in Damier Azur Canvas – this where I put my coins and some other little stuff I hoard (LOL), so they won’t scatter inside my bag.
  2. Marc Jacobs Enamored Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick in Candy Bling (swatched HERE)
  3. Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lip Color in Nubile (seen HERE)
  4. Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight – my go-to stick highlighter of the moment, love this for the soft fine shimmers
  5. Nest Citrine Rollerball – one of my favorite scents this Summer (reviewed HERE)
  6. Tom Ford Liquid Matte Lip Lacquer in Pussycat (swatched HERE)
  7. Parker Pen – you’ll never know when you need to sign or write something or when somebody needs a pen, oh, and this pen writes smoothly (once a girl scout, always a girl scout, LOL)
  8. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Macadamia
  9. Aesop Rind Concentrate Body Balm – favorite hand and body moisturizer, mostly use this for my hands, and can’t get enough of the scent (Aesop products reviewed HERE)
  10. Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm (reviewed HERE)
  11. Atelier Cologne Iris Rebelle Perfume Travel Spray – love the lightness of this scent
  12. Supergoop! Super Power Sunscreen Mousse Broad Spectrum SPF 50 – an easy to apply Spf that is super lightweight and non-greasy (more details HERE)
  13. Purell Hand Sanitizer
  14. Louis Vuitton 6 Key Holder
  15. Shiseido Oil-Control Blotting Paper – one of the best blotting papers I’ve ever tried (more on favorite blotting sheets HERE)
  16. Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist – to refresh my skin during the day

 

what's inside my Lady Dior bag

 

  1. Saint Laurent Monogram Card Case in Grain de Poudre Embossed Leather in Shocking Pink – love this card case so much, it’s very sturdy and it looks so pretty with the interlacing golden YSL initials on it. The leather is a bit stiff at first but it’s scratch-resistant because it’s grained.
  2. Tom Ford Illuminating Powder in 01 Translucent– my current on the go blotting powder to illuminate my dark undereyes and reduce shine off my face. Been testing this for a few weeks now and will review this thoroughly soon.
  3. Gucci GG Marmont card case in Dusty Pink Matelassรฉ leather – a very cute card case with a soft cushy leather. Love this color, very matchy-matchy with my Lady Dior bag, LOL.
  4. Pop up Folding Pocket Hair Brush with Mirror – I cannot emphasize how convenient and important this is and it’s very easy to toss inside your purse, also, this doesn’t occupy much space.ย 
  5. Compeed – used to hoard packs of this when it was only available in Europe, thank goodness this is now available here in the USA. This is literally the best blister cushion/plaster in the market. Love this because this is a lot thicker than most blister plasters I’ve ever tried, and guess what, I still hoard several packs of this even to this day because this is so useful.

 

Lady Dior

 

I really love this Lady Dior bag and it’s one of the most beautiful bags I’ve ever owned, however, this beauty requires extreme care; First, I find the patent leather to be too delicate, compared to LV’s Vernis leather. This seems prone to color transfer especially when it gets wet or when it comes in contact with darker colors. Since this bag is in light patent leather, I have to be careful not to put this close to any dark clothing, especially dark jackets, sweaters, jeans, or coats. But it can be easy to clean with a damp cloth if the color transfer hasn’t saturated that much on the leather. Second, the patent leather can get easily scratched, so you have to be really careful when carrying this bag. For those reasons, I almost decided to sell the bag since I was doubting myself whether I could really take care of such delicate purse. I contemplated for a while, but the bag is just too beautiful to get away, so I talked to some S.A.s at Dior and followed their advice to buy a Dior Mitzah with my initials and wrap it around one of the bag’s handles in order to protect it from wear and tear, as well as from the color or moisture transfer from either my clothing or from my hand. Also, I just really have to be extra careful when handling this bag. Speaking of Mitzahs, the first Dior Mitzah I bought with my initial “L” on it has an animal print of white and green with purple and blue trees. I love it and it reminds me of Hermes Twilly only with a letter written on the end. Later on, I decided to buy another Dior Mitzah with the same ABCDior style. I was told that they now have some new designs of the Dior Mitzahs ABCDior which are inspired by the work of the French Poet and Surrealist Artist Jean Cocteau. I bought one, and though I’m not a fan of the scarf’s shade which is a little too neutral for me and too close to my bag’s color, I fell in love with its message and its very symbolic and very touching illustration, which is a woman crying inside a cage (literally the scarf has a word “Cage” on it) but then was freed and had found freedom and happiness. As of the moment, Dior also carries different colors of Mitzahs without initials, and they only carry the updated ABCDior Mitzah designs online, which are inspired by Jean Cocteau’s work. You might still be able to find the older Mitzah designs/colors in select Dior Stores.

 

dior scarf

 

Overall, this beautiful iconic bag is one of the easiest purses for me to carry. It’s versatile and comfortable, and it’s not too heavy and not too light. You can carry this purse in several different ways, and it matches with any outfit. This is definitely the perfect bag for a petite frame and will also look good in just about any body type, size, or height. This bag not only elevates one’s look but can also make one appear elegant and polished. A true classic that won’t go out of style.

 

Lady Dior

 

The Lady Dior Bag, as well as the Dior Mitzahs, are currently available at Dior Boutiques or in-store at select department stores.

 

Are you also a Dior lover?