We just got back from a week's stay in Baguio. This is our third time there in the last 6 months. It was both work and vacation for me and my family. A few days before going there, I looked for a crossbody bag to bring. When we went there in March, I had a hard time bringing all our stuff. It was just my son and I with my mom and sis. My son can't do a lot of heavy lifting yet. On our first trip, I bought my big tan Charles and Keith bag thinking that I can use it as both my personal bag and shopping bag. I was wrong. I ended up with sore shoulders because the bag itself is already too heavy.
On our second trip, I used my burgundy Charles and Keith bag but that too proved to be a failure. I needed free hands and free shoulders because of my backpack and other things that I needed to hang there like totes and stuff. A bulky shoulder bag is not the way to go.
So, on our third trip, I was determined to find a crossbody bag that was light, small enough not to interfere with the other luggages I'm carrying but still big enough to fit my essentials.
The first bag I found was this pink Adidas:
Strap: It's thin and narrow enough to not be annoying but wide enough to not dig into my shoulder when it gets heavy. Adjustable, too.
The bag itself is surprisingly roomy. I thought with the crescent shape that not a lot of things will fit but I was able to fit a lot of my essentials including my wallet, a pouch, and my fat card case. Plus some Kleenex and wet wipes, and candies. There are pockets inside too for my keys and other small items. My lipstick and lipbalm in a pouch also fit in there. But my phone can't always fit. I use a flip phone so I have to be strategic when stuffing the bag.
My only con about this bag is it picks up stains easily. Like that lipstick stain on the right corner. There's also a black dot at the back. I don't know where I got that from. I tried to remove the lipstick stain with makeup removing wipes but I only got half out. I think I need to wash the whole bag properly to get rid of the stains.
My rating: 5/5 Stars
Versatile enough for that sporty vibe and casual vibes for when you're wearing a skirt, which I do a lot.
Next bag is this black crescent shoulder bag from Mango
I know we're talking about crossbody bags, but hear me out. I bought this bag because I thought it was thin and small enough to carry on my shoulder. My toe is injured and I have to walk around with a quad cane. I figured I'd use this on short trips to SM Baguio, but, definitely not when I'm lugging around huge bags and carrying multiple totes.
I'm not a fan of black bags. But I just couldn't take my eyes off this one on the display table. It was on sale, so I got it.
The thing that I don't like about this bag is that I can hardly fit anything in it. I didn't think about that part when I got this because it was late already in the mall and my son and I were tired. So, I put it over my shoulder, looked at the mirror, paid for it, and went home. I didn't even bother testing it at home. I only found out that it hardly houses anything on the day when I would use it in Baguio.
Since I didn't want it to go to waste, I adapted. I removed my money from my wallet (not even a thin pouch can fit because of the awkward crescent shape), and just dumped it in there. Removed my IDs and cards from their cases and dumped them in there, too. Got my lipstick and lipbalm from their case, and yeah, dumped them in there too. Then smushed my tissue, wet wipes, and phone in there. IT was a bit bulky, but I needed all my stuff in there.
My rating: 3/5 for travel if you have a lot of stuff like me. 5/5 for parties and short trips where you don't need to bring a lot.
The last bag is from Parfois. This isn't new. I've had this for over a year. I rarely use it because it doesn't fit everything I need when I go out. This was my Plan B bag if I won't be able to find a bag in time for our trip. I brought this bag with me, too, in case one of the bags didn't work out.
This bag fits a lot. I put my essentials in the bigger compartment and my tissue and wet wipes in the front pocket. I can fit my wallet, but had to remove some cards from the card case, and leave my ID pouch. Since the strap is both thick and narrow, it digs into my shoulder when it gets heavy. That's why I don't use this often.
Another thing I don't like about Parfois bags is this:
The leather chips off easily. This is what happened to all my Parfois bags. This is the reason why I stopped buying them. They last about 6 months, and they end up like that.
My rating: 4/5 for short trips, and if the bag is brand new. Otherwise, buy something that doesn't chip easily.
I wrote a post about my travel must-haves for this Baguio trip. If you want to check that out, hop on over to my lifestyle blog.
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