Elizabeth Scarlett: The Perfect Present!

When it comes to buying gifts, I will be the first to admit that I am not the best. I have no real idea what I am going to buy whenever a Birthday or Christmas arises. I just head into town, wander along until inspiration strikes. It is not the most efficient present buying method, and at Christmas it can be a bit of a nightmare, but I usually get the job done. However, when my Mother asked for something specific for her Birthday, inspiration struck almost instantly.

My Mother is typically quite easy to buy for as often I go shopping with her but also she simply wants to be me so she likes pretty much everything I like. For the most part I find shopping for her rather easily but for some reason, this year I was really struggling. Instead of spending hours trawling town I decided to just ask her what she wanted and she came up with the goods. She had decided that she wanted a new travel toiletries bag because hers is the oldest thing I've ever seen in my life. She said she felt inadequate using it and wanted an update. When she told me this, one brand sprang to mind, Elizabeth Scarlett.

Are You Familiar With Elizabeth Scarlett?

I feel like you have to be in deep to have heard of Elizabeth Scarlett. It isn't the most widely available brand and I see limited promotion for it on Instagram. It is only since I started looking into the brand that I have begun to see the brand more. Thanks to the not so undercover detective work of Instagram and their spying ways I now get tons of ads for Elizabeth Scarlett.

Saying that Instagram must be how I first heard about the brand. I remember someone featured one of their pouches a long time ago because it had been part of a press launch and I instantly wanted to know if you could buy it because I loved the design. At the time some of the products were available on ASOS and seeing them made me want products from the brand but the price instantly put me off, £25 for a pouch?! I couldn't believe my eyes so I moved on with my life. However, when my Mum said about a toiletries bag, I started to look into the brand further.

According to the website, the brand started in 2015 by the eponymous designer when she began to create home products based on her love of travel. For me, it was the whimsical designs and the embroidery that really made me want a piece of the brand. In a way, the brand has the same feeling of fun as Sophia Webster which I absolutely adore. The products they create are chic, yet fun. The main reason I wanted to buy from the brand was the designs. They definitely have quite a limited amount of designs but they are all gorgeous.

Buying from Elizabeth Scarlett

I went on the website to see the full extent of their range. When I got onto the home page, there were images of the most gorgeous pouch I had seen. Elizabeth Scarlett has teamed up with The London Chatter to create the Watamu Turtle collection but I knew that wouldn't be right for my Mother. I moved on to look at their full range.

I didn't start out with a pouch in mind, ideally I wanted a large zip bag so that Mum could fit everything in it but in the end a pouch seemed to be the best for what I wanted. I measured the size of their products, as there is no way to see them in person. I forced one of my work colleagues to help me measure how big a pouch would be and they seemed relatively comparable to what my Mother already had. The Tote was another option as that seemed better for more toiletries but I vetoed that one when I realised I shouldn't be encouraging her to take more products away with her, so a pouch it was.

It was actually a good thing that I settled on a pouch because they came in the widest variety of designs. At the same time, it made my choice just that little bit more difficult, as I loved them all. In the end I decided the Jungle Leaf Pouch was going to be the one. Personally I loved the Palm Tree and Pineapple designs but they didn't seem like my Mum. The Jungle Leaf pattern is stunning yet understated and I knew she would love it. I looked into some of the other products they create because I wanted to get my Mum a travel set and luckily for me Elizabeth Scarlett came through, they had a matching Eye Mask! Last time my Mother went away she was complaining that she had to use her expensive eye mask on the plane so I decided to buy her another one so she had a travel friendly set that could be used on a plane. I couldn't wait to order these items for my Mother but I ended up waiting because I wanted something for myself.

I had never been able to justify the price of anything from Elizabeth Scarlett for myself. A gift is different and I was happy to spend on my Mother but it seemed extravagant for myself. However, when charity is involved, I can justify just about anything. The Turtle Pouch had been playing on my mind and I absolutely loved it. When I read that 100% of the proceeds goes to help Kenya's Local Ocean Conservation, I couldn't help but want to order it for myself. The problem was that this was not available and it was launching on the 7th which was dangerously close to my Mother's Birthday. Against my better judgement, I decided to wait so I could order it all together.

The Best Customer Service I Have Received

I placed my order as soon as the Watanu Turtle Pouch became available and paid £7 for next day delivery. I was already cutting it fine and I wanted to leave time for any mistakes. Well, a mistake happened and my parcel did not arrive the next day. I immediately went into panic mode as soon as I saw the term 'refused' on my DPD tracking. What the hell was I going to do if my parcel was being sent back? I immediately emailed DPD, they weren't getting back to me so I contacted Elizabeth Scarlett to see what could be done.

At that point I had missed Next Day Delivery and the big day was in two days time but there was a weekend involved. Hence my panic. I couldn't got to my Mother empty handed, she would give me the look of disappointment and no one wants that. Eventually both companies got back to me and it was all sorted but I have to commend Elizabeth Scarlett on their customer service. I received the most incredible email from them with suggestions of how they would get the items to me on time and they were so incredibly helpful. I can't thank them enough. I may have sorted it with DPD in the end but Elizabeth Scarlett smashed it when it came to customer service.

What Did I Think When They Arrived

When my parcel arrived I immediately opened it to check the presents over and to look at my Turtle Pouch. When I opened the bag I was really surprised to see every single item had it's own individual dust bag. This level of care was really good to see and also helped to protect the embroidery. The external bag will not come in useful for me as I will use the pouch daily as a makeup bag but for someone like my mother who will only use the pouch for travelling it will keep it tidy. Even the eye mask came in a little dust bag, even though it has its own travel bag anyway.

When I took each item out of their bags, I was shocked by the level of detailing in the embroidery. Honestly the stitching is gorgeous. I thought it would be patches stuck on but the actual fabric is embroidered. On the Jungle Leaf Print pouch, the embroidery is backed by a canvas material which actually made it perfect for my Mother. My Mum is bloody messy so the fact that it is canvas backed means it can be washed in the washing machine. Online it does say that the velvet pouches can also be washed in the washing machine which is handy for me as the turtle pouch is velvet but I don't know how much I want to test it. The only product that is hand wash only is the eye mask and that is due to the contents of the eye mask.

Sounds odd but the eye mask is filled with Lavender. Quite a few brands do this as it helps with sleep and it certainly smells of Lavender. When I opened my parcel, I could smell a floral scent but it didn't even connect in my brain that it would be the eye mask. I have to say the eye mask was the biggest shock of all the products. I expected the pouches to be nice but I bought the mask as a little add on and it is outstandingly beautiful! I wasn't entirely sure about the mask being canvas but really that did not need to be a concern. The front of the mask is canvas but the back (the part that touches your face,) is velvet. Sumptuous velvet at that! The mask is thick due to this layering, and the Lavender, so it is great if you want a black out mask, the velvet is soft and it looks cute. What more could you want from something as simple as an eye mask?

Not only are the items completely stunning but even the little details have been considered. My Mother was particularly taken by the zip which has the Elizabeth Scarlett emblem on it. She said you could tell it is quality by the zip alone. There is a label on the inside stating the brand name and the eye mask came in its own travel pouch. It is these details that show the care and thought of the brand.

It also makes it seem better for the money. The pouches vary in price but typically they are between £22.50-£27.50 so they aren't cheap but they are honestly gorgeous pouches which are so well made. The eye masks are £20 which is also rather expensive but I think it is worth it because the likelihood is you will not be buying it for yourself, it will be a gift. Elizabeth Scarlett products make the most gorgeous gift because it is unexpected, versatile and something you wouldn't buy yourself. If you have enough time, you can even get the pouches monogrammed which is such a lovely touch, it costs an extra £10 but it would make such an incredible gift.

I do not have enough nice things to say about the brand. I realise it is a complete luxury but I feel like every beauty addict needs a beautiful makeup bag and an Elizabeth Scarlett pouch should be it. If I were to recommend you pick anything up, I would recommend the Watamu Turtle pouch as 100% of the proceeds go to helping the Turtles in Kenya and look at it, it is super cute and I can confirm, well made. Elizabeth Scarlett is a brand that should be on your radar and if you haven't heard of them before, check them out.