It’s 25% off Elemis through their website today. I like Elemis products a LOT and my two favourites are:
This cleansing balm – I had a little tester pot of this and scraped it clean. I love a cleansing balm anyway but there is something super luxurious and just right about this one.
This SOS Emergency cream is absolutely terrific. I don’t know why it isn’t more famous – it soothes most things from redness to angry patches of skin, dryness and general skin bumfuckery. It is £57 and worth every penny so doubly worth every penny if it is only £42.75. I get a new bottle every year and use sparingly, mixing a little in with my usual night cream if I need to.
NET A PORTER
Net a Porter are having this slightly confusing “Private sale”, which I had thought you needed to be an existing customer to be part of . This may have been the case at the beginning but it looks now like you just need to sign up and create an account (like with Selfridges) in order to take advantage of the 25% off, which is really quite generous.
I would be tempted to get this weird-looking AirPod thing for a make-up fanatic. I have never tried it but it must be fabulous.
Or this Lanolips set – I am a huge fan of Lanolips, it’s the most fantastic, hard-working gunk.
Or perhaps something wonderful from Aesop for the MiL?
One for Prince Harry fans. (Or When Harry met Sally perhaps.)
My top tip for everyone is make all your accessories are BRIGHT. A YELLOW purse, a NEON Oyster/bank card holder, a GOLD kindle cover, a PINK iPhone cover – so you can glance across the room/into your bag and immediately identify your essentials.
Anyway you get the idea. I’m sure you’ve been shopping before.
I have contacted Hush about their Black Friday plans and no reply yet. It’s not looking great, but stranger things have happened than Hush going into sale so stay tuned.
Coming up later today – a handbag guide. I get a lot of questions from readers about what handbag they should want (I ask myself the same question often, too) and so I thought I’d do a handy guide to the ones I think are best, to suit all budgets.
If you have a handbag you love, which is still available, please do leave a comment in the box to tell us about it, what you use it for and why you love it.
xx
Lanolips hmmm.. I did scrape clean my Purelan on my cracked hands.. and it worked a treat and then my husband starting using it too for his – medical gloves – foobared hands.. same thing at a fraction of the price.
what is purelan? and I’m sure it does the same thing – I use lansinoh the nipple cream but lanolips comes in a cute tube?
Hmm have a net a porter account but private sale invisible to me. I had intended to ignore it but now I want Aesop!!
oh no REALLY?!?!? fuck right I’m going to email them. fuckers.
Ditto – totally invisible to me too.
Have finally managed to penetrate n-a-p, but love you for fighting our corner Esther x
Hi, you have to log into your account, then start shopping, only stuff with” seasonal picks” is on sale, then go to check out, the discount will be added there. No code as such. Hope that is some help. xx
Morning Esther – do you know if Jo Malone is included in the 25% Net-a-porter discount?
doesn’t look like it 🙁
Oh brilliant! Elemis milk bath is the only thing that sorts by daughter’s eczema without my having to rub her in gunk like she’s swimming the channel all winter. Thank you!
REALLY?!?! Sam has bad eczema I will try this thank you xxx
Hope it helps- it made a huge difference for us. Also it’s pleasant to use, unlike most eczema stuff, so you don’t have to fight about it.
I just want to talk to people about investment handbags – Louis Vuitton particularly. Don’t assume that you’ll keep them for ever, be able to hand them down to daughters, granddaughters etc, that they’ll become heirlooms, so justifying the big spend…I had a couple where the lining inside – looks like leather but clearly isn’t – just disintegrates over time, so that everything gets covered in little bits of black crap.
They look nice on the outside, they just become unusable.
Who needs heirlooms anyway.
Catherine I’m so sorry to hear that, that’s awful. I don’t mean to be unhelpful, but with a very expensive handbag, you must always keep the receipt and the authenticity card and if something like this happens you take it STRAIGHT back and demand an exchange or a refund. Little bits of black crap are unacceptable in a handbag that costs £1k +
You’re absolutely right! These were gifts from a boyfriend who loved grand gestures…seems churlish to get in touch years and years later to ask for the receipt. I’ve met his wife (I dodged that bullet) who is lovely, gorgeous (obviously has the patience of a fucking saint) and has great handbags. Maybe I could ask her?
Or maybe not.
why don’t I have a boyfriend who likes grand gestures
I have an Anya Hindmarch Maxi Satchel(now called the Vere I think) and I absolutely love it. It has loads of little labelled pockets on the front under the flap that closes it, chunky zip, cross body zip. However it is very spendy and the leather hasn’t worn well, the top coating (an okive green) has worn away in places. . When I contacted AH about the leather to see if anything can be done, they basically said ‘tough luck, leather wears, consider it patina’. But I still love it, and am trying to embrace the ‘patina’. I also love the Tom Ford Jennifer bag.
Just came on to recommend this bag as THE BEST and here you have done this for me. Seconded. I have it in black and it has aged v well. Mine is 5 years old and going strong. It has SO MANY POCKETS and sections and the labels are nifty. I love it.
Thanks for all the Cyber Week inside info Esther – it’s been great, as it has allowed me to bypass the huge amount of crap out there and just look at the things which are genuinely nice/useful!
Re: handbags, I have an earlier version of the Hexagon Studs Vere shopper from Anya Hindmarch (mine was called something different but is very similar in size/shape to this one).
I have had it for at least 10 years, it has remained almost perfect in condition (granted, I don’t take it on the weekly supermarket shop) and I just LOVE it.
Indeed, it’s the only pricey bag I own, I have just never needed/wanted another, it’s that good (I have a basic black leather cross body bag that I accompanies me on the school run, and one sparkly black clutch for evenings out, but no other bags). Would recommend wholeheartedly 👍❤️😊
You sound like you have such a healthy attitude to bags, I’m envious xx
Hi Esther. I don’t have Kurt Geiger leather Kensington X in black but looks like a fab budget number. Reduced already but I reckon it will come down again. Keeping my finger on refresh 👍🏻
My go-to weekend handbag is this number from Sophie Hulme: https://sophiehulme.com/product/black-albion-box-tote/
It’s handy, stylish, easy to wear, cross-body. As soon as my working week is over I transfer my keys, handcream, credit cards and other paraphernalia over to this and use it all weekend long. Perfect for when you’re wrestling with nappy bags and a pram and a toddler etc. I love it.
Handbag- I want a small over the shoulder one. Any tips?
cross body or not? budget?
Cross body. Up to £250. Could swing £300 if it was perfect.
Try Aurora London – they have some lovely styles and a really good range of colours- https://www.aurora-london.com/
I’ve got the Gigi in red and I LOVE it. You can have them monogrammed too. And there’s 15% off this weekend. Bargain!
Sezane … no discount. Lovely bags. x
Just bought the Jerome Dreyfuss felix in large. Perfect bag.
good call I like jerome dreyfuss. very bold too it’s all flipping expensive
£500 for black suede so not crazy expensive
Not designer but my Cambridge Satchel is still going strong after 6 years. Indestructible and just gets softer with age. Such a useful size. And mine is bright yellow which is so cheering
My two current fave bags are the APC half moon in black and the Tom Ford Jennifer (also black). Both crossbody and both v classic wirh no massive logos. The TF is quite ££ but might be included in the NAP private sale. They’re both worth the investment in my opinion as they won’t date horribly. Also good mum bags for when you need your hands free and want to jazz up a boring, practical outfit. Thinking about it, the APC might also be on NAP, I will check
Lots of APC at 30% off on the cobbles website today. They’re structured and the quality is fantastic.
I am having handbag despair so really looking forward to this. After five years of nappy bag I am finally retiring it now children are 2.5 and 5. Had a look around this week and am clueless. Best things I could find are 1k Mulberry I didn’t love or the exact same Coach bag I already have but which is now very tatty. It’s called the Edie and has a middle zip compartment which IS very useful when you are at the stage of not requiring the whole kit and caboodle but still need spare pants, leggings and small case of wipes. If I cannot find anything else I might defer spenny purchase until both children at school.
I LOVE my Gucci Soho Disco. Got it Duty Free 2 years ago. Use it almost everyday. Still looks perfect.
LOVE my Mulberry Bayswater Tote handbag. Really practical and roomy and has a handy inside clutch pocket which can be removed and used on its own.
On a similar vein…I’ve had my Mulberry Bayswater for years and it’s still my best ever bag. Maybe not the most exciting contribution but it’s a classic. It also helps that I live not far from Shepton Mallet….
I also have one and I love it but my only gripe is that it weighs a ton!
I have two bags from Florian London which are beautiful and didn’t break the bank. I’m eyeing their Alexa for Christmas. Their stuff is pretty structured, which I like, but not great if you require something less rigid to carry a tonne of stuff.
Hi Esther, We exchanged emails last year about a bag to buy as a treat to celebrate a) turning 40 and b) finally not needing a nappy bag, but still having to chase after small children.
The JLP xbody bag you posted about recently is probably exactly what I was after, but at the tine it didn’t exist .
In the end I went for this back pack from All Saints, which is practical, but also makes me feel like a grown up again.
https://www.allsaints.com/women/handbags/allsaints-kita-sm-backpack/?colour=4135&category=21607
I like that in the navy.
Oh a handbag guide? Well, I mean I might take a look, if I’m not doing anything else (high pitched laugh, hand tremor)
Many thanks for all your tips Esther. Ive been madly obsessed with Black Friday/Cyber Monday week whatever its called (a sale?) which is most unlike me as usually I ignore and delete everything to do with it. I have now moved on and am bored stiff of it all having spent far too much money. My entire salary has gone to John Lewis. Im bored of waiting for Hush have changed and reviewed my basket 1000 times. I am also sadly waiting for Brandy Melville who again are not forthcoming as sadly my teenage daughters are obsessed with it even though I know about all the eating disorder stuff X
As a handbag brand Which doesn’t break the bank, you can’t beat Marc by Marc Jacobs, they are brilliant quality- I’ve got a few of their bags and they live on the floor of the pub, the tube and in the footwell is the car, and generally survive being abused/ not properly looked after. There are loads of sizes so work for people who carry their lives round in their bags, or if you’re after smaller more elegant type bags. Also they don’t show wear & tear, have loads of pockets and generally the bigger bags have shoulder straps and handles. I basically love them! Most department stores stock them & they are covered by Selfridges Black Friday 20% off deal.
Current favourite bag is a Harriet Sanders Classic bag, she’s a small designer, handmade and ridiculously fantastic prices.
Came on to point Esther to her work. Brilliant bags made in gorgeous leather and no mark up because it’s a ‘name’. They’re my go to bags now.
👋 I have this https://www.smythson.com/black-panama-folded-crossbody-bag-1022351.html from Smythson in Navy blue. Used as a cross body bag and also as clutch (tuck strap into bag). Loved it so much I got it in pink in the sale too. Of all (!) the handbags I have my husband loves this one as it has a fold down flap which means that when I inevitably forget to zip it up things don’t fall out.
I love a Mulberry. But the problem is that I love the Mulberry bags from about ten years ago when their leather was much better quality and a Bayswater would set you back £600 and not the £1k they seem to be these days. As an every day crossbody bag I love my Anthony. I few years back I decided to only buy BRIGHT purses so that I could always locate my purse in the depths of all the receipts, pens, lip balms, tissues, etc etc.
Hi Esther
I treated myself to a Liberty Malborough tote for my 50th birthday a few weeks ago. It is beautiful and big – perfect for carrying the detritus that comes with my young twins.
I’ve been on a lifelong search for the ‘perfect bag’ and have concluded that it doesn’t exist, so the quest continues, and I now have different bags for various functions. I rate my Longchamp Neo which is light and has a strap that can be worn across the body (for when I need two hands with my boys) and is a good ‘city’ bag as it can be zipped. For work I love my Bayswater.
I can’t wait to read your round up, and thanks for all your work on the Black Friday sales. I’m feeling a little frustrated that I can’t get my hands on some of the bargains here in Australia, but as I’m a committed browser and cart dumper, I’m still having some fun. xx
cart dumper!!! this is totally a thing isn’t it
I have used my Aurora London bag so much. They only do 3 styles (but lots of colours), they are leather and such good quality. They are totally reasonable and even have an extra 15% off at the moment -I went for a Mustard GiGi and paid extra for monogramming. Used almost daily.
Have ordered a Susannah Hunter bag as a present from me to me! Aside from the gorgeous illustrations They are made in london which is very important to me.
The one I use all the time at the moment is a small black camera bag from Fossil, that looks like a more expensive one from Coach. It looks very small but can squeeze quite a lot in. It could do with being a shade bigger for when I have to carry something for someone else, but then what would I do with myself once the quest for the perfect bag was over?!
I have two bags from Mimi Berry, super plain, practical, timeless. Got both direct from her workshop/shop in Hackney but know John Lewis did at one point sell her stuff. I crave Chloe/Chanel and recently Sezane bags but for everyday use these are fab.
Thank you Esther (and other posters). I have been after a new handbag for over a year but making a decision has eluded me.Until today! My requirements are a hand strap so I feel like I’m carrying a briefcase rather than a handbag into meetings (yes, weird) and a cross body strap so that the minute I’m out of there I don’t need to carry it any more. Also light and an internal pocket big enough for tampons (why do they not think of this?!). I am at the lower end of the budget spectrum and settled on the Madewell Small Transport Crossbody (they have 25% off everything today). £99 with the discount including shipping. I’m so thrilled, thanks again for the inspiration.
Something a bit different, totally unique and beautifully hand made: http://www.jinnywessel.co.uk/
I have THE BEST BAG. It’s made by an amazing independent designer @hopefullondon – the one I have is called the lexi (moss- coloured). It’s velvet, super stylish but also a tardis! I never need a 10p bag at the supermarket. It fits everything. In fact it’s the perfect bag o’ Shite. Should have thought of that before. They have others that are equally gorgeous. One is called the Kennedy, I think. Also do stunning evening bags.
Bags, I think you may have already mentioned this or something similar from John Lewis but this is great quality for the price. Big enough to fit kindle, phone, small wallet, lots of other bits and bobs and nice that it doesn’t have a Brand Name on it:
https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-hana-leather-camera-cross-body-bag/black/p3647506
My dream shoulder bag is the APC Demi lune bag. Scored the black from the coggles website for 30% off yeasterday. The tan one last year also from Coggles at a discount.
https://www.sophiaandmatt.co.uk/ – great handbags, backpacks, wash bags and small wallets for all sorts of bits and bobs … last forever, great prints and wipe clean to boot so perfect for anyone who hangs around little people with sticky fingers 👌🏼!
i have a lovely every day cross body bag from Mimi Berry. It is exactly the right size for keys wallet phone lippy plus occasional kindle. It doesn’t have a clasp, the strap loops through (quite firmly, it is sufficiently secure). It has aged beautifully. My mum gave me some money for a cross body handbag when my eldest was 6 months and shoulder bags became laughably useless. I have used it every single day for the last 7 years.
Also she’s a small, London based designer using mostly British craftspeople. Would be without it
https://www.mimiberry.co.uk/collections/women-bags/products/leo-tan
PS I also have an Anya Hindmarch 1970s vibe bucket bag bought for myself for my 30th. I love it, but empty it still weighs around 6kg :-/
For my 40th next year I’m buying myself a leather jacket. Spike inspired 🙂
I can second the vote for mimi berry, my black Peggy bag has lasted me years.
I love Matt and Nat for affordable, stylish, vegan options!
They are amazing quality 🙂
HI Esther
Having seen your story this am it made me think exactly about why I started to design bags! HOPEFUL LONDON . Ours bags hold everything , sticks and twine , model clay, jumpers, water bottles, book bags and some ………
The Lexi and the Kennedy are particularly great and look stylish even when full ! They are also light weight which is what our customer seem to love .Some bags today are heavy before you actaully put anything in them.The perfect bags for shite !!!!
Hi Esther I recently splurged £750 on a max Mara handbag in a sort of light tan beige. I bought it in Rome and it’s featured on their website. I love it! It’s a grab bag but has shoulder strap too for convenience. Chic Italian lady who sold it was excellent said it goes with everything especially camel, Have been looking for a new handbag and at this price (treat for me) for years!!
I love my scaramanga saddle bag. It’s 100% leather, deceptively large, £68 (bargain!) and gets more beautiful with age. Also hands free = winning! https://www.scaramangashop.co.uk/womens-leather-saddle-bag-12-inch.html
I had a Scaramanga once they are lovely. I had to reluctantly give it up as it was too heavy for me.
I love a handbag and have a fair few. All leather and some are deisgner!!! But this one has become my favourite https://www.carolinegardner.com/bags-and-accessories/bags/cross-body-bags/hoxton-black-leather-cross-body-bag
I wanted an every day cross body bag. I got fed up swopping bags at the weekend. Now I don’t bother. I have all my essentials in it and its perfect. I have never seen anyone else with it which is a winner for me. As I have aged I prefer less mainstream brands and like to be a big different.
Monnier Frères have 25% off purchases over £300 with the code BLACKFRIDAY. They have a good selection of APC bags. I have the Demi Lune in black which was a little bit stiff to begin with but now nicely soft around the zip after several months of use.
Also second the Mimi Berry comment – she is offering 20% off with BLACKFRIDAY code. I have several of her bags and they never disappoint. Super lovely leather and they seem to age really well. My favourite is my Hebe in Tan which is big enough for purse, phone and paperback.
Thank you for specifying it can fit a paperback. It’s the thing I spend most time wondering about when looking at smaller sized bags.
I am very excited to say my husband has bought me a Balenciaga Classic City S for my 40th birthday next month. I know, I know, many people think they are naff or dated but this has been a 15 year longing made reality. How can a piece of stitched leather bring us so much pleasure?
I’ve had mine for a couple of years and it is still my favourite, Ruth. Saved up to buy it then husband stepped in (💘). Light when empty, unlike some designer bags – and not plastered with logos. Fits a ton of stuff, too – and a useful shoulder strap. Love when I spot another one ‘in the wild’. Classics don’t date. Enjoy yours!
Hi I had a Chloe Paraty bag as a present nearly 10 years ago now and it’s the only bag I ever really use, it just gets better with age. The leather is super soft matched with the striking gold accents. They don’t make it anymore booooo but they have something similar in the Marcie bag. It was a very generous gift and they are expensive but I reckon it’s now down to pennies in cost per use for me – a real life investment piece.
Another vote for Aurora London. Great quality and a lovely range of colours. I’ve got the red Gigi and it’s a perfect size for daily use. They’ve got 15% off this weekend too and you can have them monogrammed to make them extra special. I’ve asked for the Willow for Christmas. Fingers crossed Santa thinks I’ve been good!
https://www.aurora-london.com/
Hi Esther, I got a Wandler tote last year for work. It’s logo free and very plain but beautifully finished with an extendable shoulder strap- it was about £500 from Matches. The prices seem to have gone up slightly since but the brand quality is really great. There’s no internal pocket which is irritating but it also prevents me from carrying round a load of crap that I can’t be arsed to take out . Also agree with poster above on Marc by Marc Jacobs bags – they’re ubiquitous now but that’s because the leather seems to be immortal.
Aurora Gigi bags are fabulous good quality bags. Small but not too small, cross body and come in the most fabulous colours see
https://www.aurora-london.com/new-the-gigi-bag?___store=gbp&nosto=frontpage-nosto-custom-fallback-nosto-1 and all for £115….get one in each colour!
Saint Laurent shopping tote, practical, roomy, classic and comes in some divine colors and not that $$ for a high end bag
Perhaps slightly off topic but would love any recommendations for chic weekend bags. I keep seeing Senreve plastered all over Instagram which has become the gold standard in my mind for a gorgeous roomy bag, but even with birthday and Christmas is December budget is more like £500 than $1000. I made the mistake of looking at the olive green and now it’s haunting my thoughts.
Re handbags – my everyday bag this year has been the Skagen Mikkeline satchel – currently on sale for £139, lots of colours, hard wearing suede type and still looks good after 6 months of use. Was a Times recommendation.
All Saints KITA bag 👌
Very simple: a Beck Sondergaard handbag, only fits wallet, phone and keys. Ideal.
I just bought a Yuzefi Delila mini bag from NAP (£395) and I ruddy love it. It is mini, but comfortably accommodates phone, keys, make-up (including major items such as foundation) and credit cards/drivers licence (for all the times you’ll be ID-ed).