Everlane Petra Market Tote | Review & Photos

Clearly I am a repeat shopper at Everlane as I have previously reviewed their weekender bag, U neck and V neck t-shirts, and short-sleeved sweatshirts. Today I bring you my review of the leather Everlane Petra Market Tote in black.

I was back and forth about purchasing the Petra tote for well over a year -- mostly due to the $365 price tag for a simple leather tote. I first became interested when they introduced the beautiful cognac color; unfortunately, that seasonal color was no longer being sold when I finally committed to purchasing the Petra Market.

I ultimately decided on the black Petra Market tote since it's a timeless color that pairs easily with the majority of outfits. Everlane has since released 'coming soon' photos of new Petra fall colors that will be available on Oct 15. If I hadn't already purchase the black tote, I would totally go for this beautiful camel brown below.

Now before I get into the actual review of the bag, I have to share my experience with receiving a defective bag and what a wonderful job Everlane's customer service did to rectify the situation. 

So the tote comes in a drawstring dust bag and has clear protective layers covering the chrome hardware on the straps. To my disappointment, when unboxing my new bag I noticed an odd tarnish to the hardware as I peeled away the protective plastic covering for the first time.

At first I thought I could wipe off the weird tarnish (or whatever it was) since it looked like a fingerprint -- but nope, the stains would not budge at all. It almost seemed like whoever handled the hardware had some kind of chemical on their hands since the photo above clearly looks like a fingerprint.

I emailed Everlane's customer service with photos of the hardware but didn't expect a quick reply since it was Saturday morning. But wow, they responded within 15 minutes! The customer service rep informed me the defective hardware is definitely not normal and immediately ordered a replacement bag to be shipped. He also sent me a prepaid shipping label so I could send back the defective bag for their team to look at. Now that's what you call superb customer service.

I received my replacement Petra Market tote in a few days, and it was in perfect condition.

Now, on to the actual review!

Pros:

• High quality, durable Italian leather
•  soft, smooth, fine pebble grain
• High quality stitching
• stitches are tight, straight, even, and well-secured
• Gorgeous timeless color choices available (more colors being released soon) 
• no color transfer to light color clothing
• Clean, sleek, logoless design
•  I'm personally not a huge fan of bags with extremely visible logos, but this is strictly personal preference.
• The "Everlane" logo is nicely hidden on one of the inside pockets
• Size: holds a whole lot
• Dimensions: 21.4" top, 15" bottom, 13.75" height
• The Petra Market is a bit large for my personal daily use since I don't carry much, but this size is great if you're carrying notebooks, a laptop, flats/commuter shoes, etc.
• Adjustable 9 inch drop handle straps
• 3 notches (adjustable by 2 inches) 
• At 5'4'' I can hold the tote by the handles at my side without it touching the ground
• Durable ultrasuede interior
• the ultrasuede is very soft yet doesn't scratch easily
• Two functional interior canvas pockets
• Both interior pockets are large and have a snap closure

Cons: 

• Price: $365
• I think the price tag is fair for how much quality leather is used to construct this well-made tote. But it's definitely enough $$$ where I felt the need to really take time to contemplate the purchase.
• Small feet rivets
• small chrome rivets at the bottom of the bag are too small to be functional
• sides of the bag will slouch and touch the ground when placed down
• No zipper or clasp closure
• I know most totes are open at the top and I personally rarely zipper up my purses that do have a zipper, but I do use and prefer magnetic clasp closures. 
• This Everlane tote is completely open at the top. This isn't a huge issue as I carry it on my shoulder so it's safely tucked under my arm and close to my body.
• Quality control
• Considering the first Petra tote I ordered had defective hardware, I think Everlane can work on their quality control a bit.

Photos:

The Petra Market shipped to me in this uniquely shaped box

Includes a nice drawstring dust bag

Upon unboxing: handles are nicely protected

I love the slight upside down trapezoid shape
rather than a rectangular silhouette

Close up of the fine pebble grain texture of the leather

The leather is a perfect thickness: sturdy yet not too stiff

Straight and even stitching

Sleek chrome hardware

Adjustable shoulder straps (3 notch options)

What the strap looks like when set on the middle notch

The extremely tiny foot rivets on the bottom of the bag

 

The "Everlane" logo is nicely hidden on the interior of the tote

Interior canvas pocket with snap closure

The two interior canvas pockets are very large/deep

Size of the Petra Market on my 5'4'' frame

I can fit my 13" macbook pro, notebook, wallet, keys with plenty of space to spare

This bag has the potential to hold so much!

One of the main reasons I kept going back and forth about purchasing this bag was because I never saw it in person and couldn't find any videos online that showed the details of the bag, the quality/texture of the leather, etc. I told myself if I buy this bag, I will post a video on YouTube. 

I hope this helps someone with their decision!

Comparison to some other leather totes on the market:
Plain leather totes are sold by a plethora of brands with prices ranging from affordable to slightly outrageous. Some other brands with similar style totes include: Mansur Gavriel, Madewell, Cuyana, Tory Burch, Kate Spade, and many more.


I seriously considered the Cuyana classic leather tote since it's only $150 and available in various beautiful colors, but it's slightly smaller and I personally didn't like how pebbled the leather looked. I also prefer the slightly trapezoidal shape of the Everlane Petra over the more rectangular boxy shape of the Cuyana tote. Sidenote: if you're looking for a leather tote with a zipper, Cuyana has them for $195.

The Mansur Gavriel large tote comes with a small detachable pouch/wallet but is slightly smaller than the Everlane Petra Market, doesn't have adjustable shoulder straps, and has a higher price tag of $595.

Madewell has a standard leather tote for only $168 which is a great price! Again, this tote is smaller than the Petra Market and has a more rectangular/boxy silhouette. The stitching on the Madewell tote just doesn't look as sleek as the Everlane totes.
    Tory Burch has a smaller leather tote for $395, Kate Spade's leather tote runs around $298, Ted Baker's version of a leather tote goes for $289, a Nina Ricci shopper tote is $990, and a Mark Cross pebbled leather tote is $1,295.  These are all lovely totes but they are generally smaller and have more hardware and/or the logos plastered on the exterior for the bag. I just love how simple, sleek and chic the Everlane Market looks.

   

If you're not looking to shell out too much for a simple tote, there are often similar faux leather options available at H&M and other retailers that often go for less than $50.

The Everlane site states the "traditional retail" for a tote like the Petra Market would be $1300, and they break down the transparent pricing of their tote to explain how they derived their retail price of $365.While $365 is not cheap, I still feel it is a reasonable price tag for the quality of bag. What I'd like to see is some improvement on the chrome finishes as I have doubts it will withstand the test of time considering I initially received a tote with "faulty" hardware. Only time will tell.

I still need to give my Everlane tote more wear and tear before I can come back and do an update on how it holds up.  

Let me know what leather totes you've owned and how they have fared with daily use!

iPhone Wallpaper Backgrounds | Free Download

Apple announced the features of the new iPhone 6S and 6S plus just a few days ago! I'm perfectly content with my wonderful iPhone 6, so I have no intention on upgrading at this time; however, what a great time to create another post with some iPhone wallpapers to share. These backgrounds are great options that will work for your home screen or lock screen wallpaper.


To save for use: left click on the image > right click > save image :) and there you go! Ready to use.


Quotes & Typography Wallpaper Backgrounds:

 

Watercolor, Vectors, and Geometric Patterns:

 

 

 

 

 

 

White Marble Background:

 

Knowing others is wisdom; knowing yourself is enlightenment:

       

Nature & Cityscape Themed Wallpaper Backgrounds:

 

 

Autumn/Fall Themed Wallpaper:

 

 

Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil | Review & Photo Swatches

The bold brow trend is still going strong and I'm back with yet another eyebrow product review. Visit my post here for a quick overview of other brow pencils I've tried so far to match my black hair. The Sephora retractable brow pencil in soft charcoal ranks pretty high on my list for brow pencils, so let's jump into this review.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Money saving tip: Ebates cashback program is offering 8% cash back for Sephora (cash back rates vary; the most I've seen for Sephora is 10%!). Ebates has soo many online sites they offer cash back for. Definitely look for cashback bonuses before you make any online purchase!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Let's first look at some general pros vs cons of the product itself, then talk about the color match of the two shades I have tried: 05 neutral gray brown and 06 soft charcoal.


Pros:

• retractable and requires no sharpening
• ultra-fine tip allows for precision
• relatively affordable at $13 for 0.003 oz (ABH Brow Wiz is $21 for 0.003 oz)
• slim and sleek packaging
• 7 different shades currently available
• water-resistant (not really waterproof)

Cons:

• not smudge-proof (it will smudge/fade if you scratch your brow)
• wingtip comb side would be more useful if it were replaced by a spoolie brush
• texture varies between shades (see details below)

I've tried 2 of the 7 available shades: 05 neutral gray brown and 06 soft charcoal. The neutral brown color was not a great match for my Asian black hair, but the soft charcoal works very well for defining the tail end of my brow.

The 06 soft charcoal color is a decent match for my natural black Asian hair as it has a cool undertone, but it's not quite as ashy as the "granite" Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz which is a great match for my black hair. I found the Sephora soft charcoal shade has a very soft and creamy texture; thus, I have to use a light hand application or else my brows look unnaturally harsh. I personally find this pencil shade too harsh for use alone or all over my brows since I have some patchy bald spots. It has worked perfectly to define the tail end of my brow and I often use it in combination with my "grey" Forever 21 retractable brow pencil.

The 05 neutral gray brown is a true grey with no warm/red undertones to it at all. Strangely, it has a very unnatural sheen to it (see photo below). I also found this formula to be very different from the soft charcoal shade.  The neutral gray brown pencil had a very hard formula that did not apply as smoothly as the soft charcoal one. I will not be repurchasing the neutral gray brown shade.

right: neutral gray brown // left: soft charcoal

More Photos:

Find them at Sephora sealed with clear plastic wrapping like this:

What the pencil looks like uncapped:

Brand new pencil with all the product twisted up:

The wingtip comb helps blend out the product and tame the brows into place,
but I'd much prefer a spoolie brush:

05 Neutral Gray Brown vs 06 Soft Charcoal:

ABH Brow Wiz Dupe? Almost, but not quite!

I still have to take a photo swatch of it applied on my brows; stay tuned! I'll update this post once I get to it :)

Overall this Sephora brow pencil is a great alternative to the ABH Brow Wiz for a fraction of the price, but it's not an exact dupe. You get the same amount of product and the packaging is similar; however, the lasting power of the Sephora pencil is not as impressive.

I still prefer the "granite" ABH Brow Wiz shade (see my review here) over any of the Sephora pencils. But if you're able to find the perfect shade match for your hair/brow color, then this budget-friendly Sephora retractable brow pencil may be a staple item for your makeup collection.

For more eyebrow product reviews, check out my post here:

I'd love to know what your favorite brow products are! Let me know in the comments :)

Everlane Short Sleeve and Tunic Sweatshirt | Review & Photos

This Everlane sweatshirts review post is long overdue as the temperatures outside are quickly rising and it's almost time to welcome the first day of summer! I ordered these short sleeved sweatshirts over 3 months ago and have worn/washed them multiple times. I'm very happy to report that these sweatshirts hold up extremely well in the washer and dryer!  Let's take a closer look at each style separately, shall we?


The Short Sleeve Sweatshirt
Simply put: I am absolutely in love with this sweatshirt!

The excellent quality of the neoprene-inspired french terry fabric surpasses my expectations for a $30 sweatshirt. The material is structured enough that it doesn't require ironing, yet soft enough to provide some stretch for optimal comfort. I've never owned a sweatshirt that looked brand new even after multiple washes; it doesn't pill, wrinkle, or lose it's shape after washing/drying.

The XS size is a great fit for my 5'4'' 110 lb body. My shoulders are slightly broad in proportion to the rest of my body, so the raglan sleeve style is a more flattering fit as it smoothly drapes off my shoulders as opposed to having a seam cut off right at my shoulder blades.

The sleeves can be worn cuffed or uncuffed. The length of the short sleeves are perfect for me when worn cuffed. It cuts off about 1.5 inches above my elbow so it covers the largest part of my bicep. The sleeve opening was also a great fit for me--not constricting yet not awkwardly wide.

I find the heather grey to be a lovely versatile color that pairs well with a wide variety of my other wardrobe pieces. This sweatshirt is definitely my favorite piece from Everlane so far.


The Tunic Sweatshirt
I've been really loving the marled style lately, so I could not pass up this tunic sweatshirt.

The tunic sweatshirt has a different fit and feel than the short sleeve sweatshirt. The material is 100% cotton french terry, so it is not as dense/structured as the short sleeve sweatshirt; it feels a bit softer and has more drape. I love how the marled style gives the sweatshirt depth and texture while still being super comfortable.

This sweatshirt has a longer length since it is a tunic style sweatshirt. I personally feel like it kind of makes me look shorter. I'm not really sure why I ordered a size small as I think an XS would have been more flattering for my height (5'4''). I think it's definitely still wearable so I kept it.

So the verdict is: I am 100% in love with the short sleeve sweatshirt but probably wouldn't repurchase the tunic sweatshirt.

There is no question that all the Everlane pieces I've purchased have been great quality for the price; the challenging part is always determining appropriate sizing to avoid making a return/exchange. Well, that's what blog posts and reviews are for, right?

I also reviewed their U-neck and V-neck tees as well as their weekender bag. Check out those posts for more info about Everlane.

Let me know which Everlane pieces you own and love! I'm always up for adding timeless basics to my closet ;)