I have had my eye on Cuyana’s Leather Travel Case Set for more than a year. After reading multiple reviews, I decided to take the plunge as an early Christmas gift to myself. Though I haven’t had the set long enough to do a full review, I thought it might be helpful for some who are interested in this set to give my first impressions.

Cuyana has an array of colors to choose from, but I finally decided on their Ecru color. I like it’s soft off-white color, which just seemed like it would match well with any other small bags I travel with or look beautiful on it’s own.

QUALITY

I was not surprised in regards to the quality of this set. I previously purchased their 3-in-1 Mini Bag and found the leather to be very solid quality, especially for the price.

The Leather Travel Set has thick and structured pebbled leather with a sturdy gold toned zipper and pull. The inside is lined with microsuede to make keeping the interior clean a breeze, as spills simply wipe off. I like the simplistic design and that the bottom of the cases are flat so they stand up on their own. A nice feature is that the zippers zip fully from one end to the other. This makes it incredibly easy to pack and also to find everything.

I will mention I didn’t like that the microsuede interior of the small case is not pulled tight to the leather. This just may be a fluke, but I thought it worth mentioning.

MONOGRAMMING

This is a fun option available to both cases for $20 or just the large case for $15. I decided to go ahead and get the monogramming, as I don’t see myself getting rid of these cases. Its nice to have that extra personal touch. I chose to go with the mini letters so they weren’t so prominent.

PRICING

The Travel Set retails for $120, but I was able to snag a small discount from a sale they were having. They rarely have sales, so I highly recommend signing up for their email list to get notified when this happens. Overall I think the price is fair for two leather cases. You might find similar brands charge the same price for just one case. The saying “you get what you pay for” applies to this travel set as you are paying for the higher quality leather and zipper.

SIZE

SMALL CASE

Personally, I find the smaller case to be the perfect size for the makeup I typically take while traveling. But for those who tend to pack on the heavier side, you may want to use the larger case. The small case is also great to use when you aren’t traveling as a catch-all for those small items that float in the bottom of your purse. I do wish the smaller case had the side pocket like the larger case.

LARGE CASE

I like that the large case can hold my essential toiletries without feeling like I’m lugging around a huge bag. It can hold quite a bit, like my travel-size hair products, multiple full-size cream jars, my travel perfume, and a few small full-size products like eye cream and face oils.

I will say that this case will take a chunk of space in your carry-on luggage, as its not collapsable with its structured bottom.

SLIM LEATHER POUCH

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Because the smaller case didn’t have the pocket, I also purchased their Slim Leather Pouch in caramel for $40. This houses my mini makeup brushes, hair pins and small bits like nail clippers and tweezers. I didn’t want those items floating around with my makeup. They fit snuggly in the pouch, which then fits nicely in the side pocket of the large case.

The quality is good for the price, but I did notice there were a few sloppy stitches and the inside is not lined. It can also do double duty as a card holder when I’m not traveling.

These cases are well made and versatile, making them great everyday or travel bags that can be literally used for anything. They have been a big upgrade in the random bags I have previously used. I love that my items are housed in such beautiful bags, which makes me feel more put together when I pack them for traveling.

Just a final note that I have seen this travel set multiple times on secondhand websites. If you are looking for a way to save money this may be the way to go, but the majority have been monogrammed. I do notice that most look brand new, a testament I think to the quality and how it holds up over time. So for me, it was worth buying them directly from Cuyana to get exactly what I wanted.