Caring for Your Designer Handbag
Tips and Tricks for Storing Purses in Your Wardrobe
We live in an age where women fantasize over owning a Fendi Baguette or hanker after a Hermes Birkin bag, and are willing to join a waiting list of five years for the privilege. Such is our obsession with handbags that purses have replaced shoes are objects of lust. Whether it be a tote, shoulder bag or clutch purse, many women today are obsessed with arm candy.
However, if you are the kind of person who throws everything in the bottom of your closet, including your precious Prada purse, then think again. Storing your bags and purses carefully will prolong the lives of these necessary accessories, keeping them in pristine condition and making your money go further.
Storing your HandbagThe handbags you use regularly need to be easily accessible, so store them on the top or side shelf in your closet, standing upright in a line. You can organize them by size, type or color. Place your bags on wardrobe shelves rather than on the floor, unless you are storing them in boxes.One of the best ways to store handbags, just as with storing shoes, is to put them in plastic boxes or wicker storage baskets which allow air to circulate in the same way as a shoe box. This protects them from the elements, stops them being damaged, lets them breathe, and makes them easy to store/stack. Make sure the boxes are big enough so that you are not folding over the bag handles.Any purses you don't use so often can be wrapped in cotton pillow cases or cloth storage bags. Do not put them in enclosed plastic dry cleaning bags, or boxes without air flow - they must be able to breathe.If storing bags together make sure you cover any brass or mental chains, rings, studs and so on to stop them marking other bags. You can do this with a piece of tissue or cloth. Tuck chain handles inside the bag. This prevents the chain from scratching or marking the outside leather. Undo metal fastenings and buckles on straps so that they do not leave an impression.To keep bags in proper shape you can stuff them with tissue paper or any alternative acid-free filling, but do not use old newspapers. Bubble wrap is better than tissue paper for padding out or wrapping bags as it doesn't attract moths in the same way as tissue paper.Make space by clearing out your closet and deciding which pieces you are never likely to use again.
Caring for your Purse
If you are going to store purses for a long time then give them a thorough clean. "Empty every nook and cranny, vacuuming out the debris at the bottom," advises Cerentha Harris in her article "How to Sort Out Your Wardrobe", in Marie Claire,'s August 2007 Australian edition. Wipe the outside of your bag all over with a barely damp cloth and make sure that the bag is completely dry before you store it.For leather bags, you can use commercial leather cleaner to give them a thorough cleanse. In her October 2006 eBay guide, "Storing and Caring for your handbag ? plus tips and tricks", eBay member 403 Halsey says "I have found a product at Walmart in the automotive section for leather seats. It actually smells like leather and rubs on like lotion. As stated on the bottle - test an area first to make sure it is compatible with your bag. This product cleans, conditions, and protects it against UV and heat."Halsey also suggests that suede bags can be cleaned with a suede and nubuck cleaner available from shoe retailers or shoe sections of large stores. However, the article "How to care for your handbag," on the online shopping site SheFinds, advises against using any kind of treatment and just using a suede brush to reduce dust and grime.If using an air freshener to freshen the inside of your bags, then make sure to choose one that has a natural smell such as vanilla rather then an artificial floral fragrance. Also you don't want the fragrance to be too strong, so consider keeping it in its wrapping and make small slits for the fragrance to escape.A tip from Harris in her Marie Claire article is to place a saucer of baking powder on the floor at the back of your closet to absorb odors, should your storage space smell musty.
Enhance lips and eyes with retinol cream
The benefits of retinol in eye creams and lip treatment products.
Let's face it-laugh lines are not that funny. Sure, they may be a reminder of the smiles and good times we've shared with friends and loved ones over the years, but they're also a wake-up call that we're not getting any younger.
The good news is that innovative skin care products may help us hit the snooze bar on all those fine lines that are causing alarm. Amazing advances have been made in treating and preventing wrinkles, especially with products containing retinol. Retinol is a topical form of the antioxidant vitamin A, and it has proven to be one of the most effective ingredients to reduce the visible signs of aging.
How does retinol work? Retinol is one of few substances with a small enough molecular structure to penetrate into the lower layers of the skin. Once there, it repairs and stimulates collagen and elastin production to create firmer, smoother skin. Retinol also works to speed cell turnover and exfoliation by stimulating cell production. Sloughing off dead skin cells allows healthier cells to appear. The result is softer skin, smaller pores and diminishing signs of sun-damage like age spots and blotchiness.
Because of its promising results, cosmetic companies are now using retinol in all kinds of products, from face creams and hair serums to powder foundation and nail polish. But most of us see the first and most noticeable signs of aging around the eyes and lips. The skin around these areas is thinner, so it's more vulnerable to damage and the repeated effects of facial expressions like smiling or squinting. That's why many beauty experts advise making retinol eye creams and lip treatments part of your daily beauty routine.
Contrary to popular belief, eye creams and facial moisturizers are not one in the same. Facial moisturizers may contain active ingredients that are much too strong for the delicate eye area, causing stinging and burning. Eye creams, on the other hand, contain more moisturizing and emollient ingredients to specifically treat the thinner, drier skin around the eyes. While there are multitudes of eye creams on the market, retinol eye creams are powerful best bets to combat crow's feet, the fine lines and wrinkles that appear near the corners and under the eyes.
Retinol eye creams are available at drugstores, cosmetic retailers, upscale beauty counters and online skincare stores. They range in price from about $12 to $65 and up (just remember, a little eye cream goes a long way). Some retinol products to look for include: L'Oreal Dermo-Expertise RevitaLift Eye, RoC Retinol Actif Pure Eye Contour Cream, H20+ Line Defense Retinol Eye Complex, Lancome Re-Surface Eye, MD Forte Skin Rejuvenation Eye Cream and DDF Retinol Eye Renewal.
For more intensive treatment, look for Spa Sciences Collagen Retinol Eye Patch Therapy. These transdermal patches are placed under the eye for 30 to 40 minutes to deliver retinol in a high potency dose.
A number of products do double-duty by smoothing skin around the eyes and the lips. Estee Lauder's Diminish Anti-Wrinkle Retinol Treatment can be used as a spot treatment for crow's feet and laugh lines, as well as wrinkles and discolored spots anywhere on the face. Avon's Anew Line Eliminator Neo-Retinol Line Plumper SPF 15 comes in a convenient portable swivel stick that you can smooth around the mouth, under the eyes and other lined areas. It can be used before moisturizer in the morning and as a mid-day touch-up too.
In addition to preventing and smoothing lines, retinol's collagen boosting properties have also been used to create a number of lip-plumping products (think of the pout on Angelina Jolie). They're called lip enhancers, and they work to smooth and moisturize lips, as well as enhance their natural color and fullness. The most popular brands range in price from $20 to $45 (but you can't put a price on beauty). Favorites include Freeze 24-7 Plump Lips Lip Plumper, Physicians Complex Lip Enhancer and Poutrageous, a new sheer, shiny gloss from New York's trendy Bliss spa. All promise to give lips a fuller, more sensuous appearance in an instant.
For a more colorful mix of lip enhancers, look to Avon's Beyond Color cosmetics. This product line offers a Plumping Lip Conditioner, Plumping Lip Liner, Plumping Lipstick and Plumping Lip Gloss, all made with retinol. These anti-aging lip products boost fullness and resurface lips so color won't feather or settle into creases. They come in a variety of warm, cool and shimmering colors, and better yet, you can boost your beauty without breaking your budget-they cost about $7 to $8 each.
