A delight
Short review: a sweet and convenient way to store or transport a handful of polishes from virtually all brands/sizes. The bag is not especially padded but is quite soft, of good quality, and the zippers work well. Good purchase!! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Long-winded review: With no disrespect to those who prefer brevity and may not be as persnickety as I am, on the day of my purchase there were several reviews yet only the scantest of details. I avoid buying things that aren’t thoroughly vetted or without user pics; regardless of how inexpensive something may be, I hate doing returns—especially ones that are the result of optimism alone. My mom actually bought this first; after she happily guinea pigged it, I was then able to purchase this without fear of a trip to UPS. Informed consumer rant over!! Here’s the skinny: HOW WE USE IT My mother and I frequently swap polishes, shuffling them back and forth between our homes. We knew we didn’t need a bulky carrier for just a few miles of travel. We just wanted something a bit protective, fun and stylish vs tossing polishes loose in a shopping bag or digging for them at the bottom of our purses. DIMENSIONS/WHAT FITS The seller’s listed overall dimensions (for a soft sided product) are fairly accurate, please refer to those. My bag is just a touch larger in both length and height than what is posted, BUT the depth is definitely *not* any more generous than the listed 2-1/2”. I’d prefer this to be about 1/2” wider. But fully loaded with 10 beefy 18ml bottles of ORLY, this still zipped up; it’s tight but I don’t have to wrestle it shut. But it is most optimal for the more standard 15ml bottles, to have a bit more wiggle room. As for each individual polish pocket, when 'flattened' down to measure them, these are approx 2-1/2” across/wide; when stretched out, they're about 1-1/3” deep. My pics show several different (non gel) brands. I haven’t used a bottle yet that didn’t fit! Slimmer or narrow bottles like SH Xtreme, Expressie and Jinsoon are a tad undersized for the pockets— they can possibly slip out if not bolstered by neighboring bigger bottles. Taller brands, like old stock Revlon and FingerPaints all fit. What does NOT comfortably fit are polishes in their display boxes (many indie brands seem to include these). But the fit here is very accommodating and shouldn’t be a deal breaker unless you have some truly out of the ordinary sized polishes. Smith & Cult maybe wouldn't work? INSIDE & EXTERNAL COMPARTMENTS Depending on how loaded up you have this, you aren’t going to be able to fit much inside--neither just loose *or* within the little plastic zipper pocket (it’s about 5-1/2” long ). That’s why it would be cool if this was a slightly wider bag. A file or some slimmer tools can be slipped into the 6” external pocket but this is primarily a bag for polishes, not your full mani kit. If only half full, then you can fit quite a bit inside. When unzipped, the bag lays completely flat— placing your items in is painless. TRAVEL/PROTECTION Assuming you are not tossing this up and down and hopping all around, this bag provides light cushioning for every day use but there is no hardcore security here against a bad drop. It’s lightly quilted, but doesn’t have bona fide padding. This probably isn’t the best choice if you’re paranoid about shattering, I cannot vouch for air travel as I’ve never flown with it; checked bags can go through such a violent ordeal and as already mentioned, there is not a guarantee your polish couldn’t slip out of the pocket or conversely rub too closely against a polish on the opposite wall. But nestling this bag into a larger suitcase/cosmetic bag? You’re likely gonna be A-OK even if the baggage handlers go a bit berserk. FABRIC/ZIPPERS/COLORS With my eyes closed, not sure I could tell the difference between how this bag feels vs a Vera Bradley or other name brand quilted bag. I like that it’s quite soft, this is the ‘good’ kind of polyester. Looks wise: it’s plain, no nonsense. The stitching is sewn straight and it didn’t arrive with annoying loose and dangling threads like so many other inexpensive fabric goods so often do. Mom ordered in the Teal (more blue than green) so I got the “Pale Rose” (which is far more beige than pink). The zippers work smoothly along their tracks; two bags between us is not a huge sample set, but I don’t think we just got lucky in the zipper department. Lastly, this doesn’t have that horrid chemical stench that plagues many imported goods. Yay! VERDICT: Other than wishing there was a 1/2 inch wider version, I love this bag. A must buy for anyone wanting to transport (or just store) 10 or fewer polishes. The price point is so reasonable... especially since I can’t locate a single soft sided case that has this particular configuration. I haven’t ruled out buying one more because a backup is always nice to have and this isn’t something I can go out and find locally. Filled up with some brand new polishes, this would make a cute presentation for gifting a mani-obsessed friend or family member. Read more
