A letter from a reader
I'm 68, and a bag with a cat on it has brought me more compliments than anything I've worn in years
The bag I now reach for before my coat.
I have never written anything like this before, and I very nearly didn't. But I've told the story to so many friends now that it seemed simpler to write it down once.
For years my handbag situation was, frankly, a bit sad. A sensible black bag that went with everything and said nothing at all. And at the bottom of it, a makeup pouch so tired and faded that I'd stopped letting anyone see it. I'd rummage for my lipstick with the bag half-closed, like I was hiding something.
You don't stop wanting nice things at our age. You just stop expecting to find them. Everything in the shops seems to be either for twenty-year-olds or quietly designed to make you disappear.
Then my neighbour turned up with hers
Pauline from two doors down came to our book group with a quilted bag I couldn't stop looking at. Deep indigo, a cat sitting beneath a crescent moon, little golden stars scattered all around it. It looked like something from a proper craft fair, not the high street.
I've had cats all my life. I'm on my third — a very opinionated tabby called Biscuit — and this bag looked exactly like the way a cat watches you from the windowsill when it knows something you don't.
She told me it was the Mystic Cat, from a small shop called Rosalind's Sewing Room. And then she opened it and took out a matching makeup bag. Tall cats in black, ginger and grey on golden swirls. That was the moment I went home and ordered both.
The pair, the morning they arrived.
What happened at the garden centre
The first time I took it out, the lady at the till at the garden centre asked me where it was from before she'd even rung up my bulbs. Then a woman in the café queue asked. Then my daughter, who has never once in her life commented on anything I carry, picked it up and said, "Mum, that's actually lovely."
I've decided to take that as a compliment.
It hasn't left my side since. To the shops, to the library, on the train to see my grandchildren. And every time I open it, the little cat makeup bag is sitting right there on top instead of lost at the bottom.
No more rummaging.
Three things I've learned since
One. The quilting keeps its shape. It's a padded cotton and polyester blend with a lovely wave stitch, so it doesn't slump into a sad heap when you put it down. It stands up and looks like you meant it.
Two. The zip changes everything. A proper silver metal zip runs right along the top. Nothing falls out on the bus, nobody can peer in, and I don't worry about my purse. The two short padded handles sit nicely in the hand or over the arm.
Three. The matching makeup bag is the clever bit. The tote is one big open space inside with a plain lining — no fiddly pockets. So the little Cat Spirit bag becomes my pocket: lipstick, glasses cloth, tablets, keys. I lift it out, and everything I need is in one place. And it goes in the washing machine at 30°, which after years of a grubby pouch felt like a small miracle.
The silver zip and the wave stitching, up close.
About the price
I'll be honest, the price made me suspicious more than anything. Bought separately, the Mystic Cat tote is £24.95 and the Cat Spirit makeup bag is £34.95 — £59.90 together. But as a matching set, they're £49.95. My first thought was that there had to be a catch.
There isn't one that I've found. It's a small shop selling directly, and the saving only applies when you buy the two together. Delivery was free with Royal Mail, with tracking, and they give you 30 days to send it back if you don't love it.
I read the reviews first, like you're probably doing now
There were over 9,650 of them for the shop, sitting at 4.7 out of 5. The same things kept coming up. These were the ones that decided it for me:
★★★★★
The cat print is spectacular. The fabric is soft and it has not lost its shape after several washes. If you have a cat at home, or simply love them, it is a treat that is well worth it.Sophie M.
★★★★★
Absolutely love this little cat makeup bag! The colours are even nicer in person and the stitching is beautiful. It holds all my everyday makeup without being bulky.Hannah B.
★★★★★
I pop it straight into my tote with my purse and keys, and it keeps everything nicely together.Kayla M.
★★★★★
I took it to a get-together and two friends ordered one that same day from their phones.Dorothy H.
★★★★★
I bought it for my mother; she saw it and loved it. It suits her really well, the size is perfect and you can tell the quality straight away.James T.
What I'd tell you if we were friends
If we were having a cup of tea and you asked me, this is what I'd say.
If your bag says nothing about you, and your makeup pouch is something you'd rather nobody saw, it's worth ten minutes of your evening to have a look. Not because a bag changes your life. It doesn't. But being stopped in a queue and asked where you got something — at our age — is a small pleasure I'd stopped expecting. I'd rather you didn't stop expecting it either.
And if you have a cat lover in your life, it's the easiest birthday or Christmas present I've ever bought. I've already ordered a second set for my sister.
I haven't carried my old black bag since. I don't think I will again.
Jean
The Mystic Cat Set — Quilted Tote Bag + Matching Makeup Bag
£59.90£49.95SAVE £9.95
- Mystic Cat quilted tote, Medium: 38 × 35 cm, 14 cm deep
- Cat Spirit quilted makeup bag, Medium: 21 × 9 × 11 cm
- Padded cotton and polyester blend with a wave-stitch pattern
- Silver metal zip along the top of the tote; zipped makeup bag
- Two short padded handles, for the hand or the arm
- Plain lining — the makeup bag keeps your small things together
- Makeup bag is machine washable at 30°C on a gentle cycle
- Free UK delivery with Royal Mail, tracked · 30-day returns
Free UK delivery · 30-day returns · Secure checkout
Jean Hartley is 68 and lives in Harrogate with a tabby called Biscuit. She is not a fashion writer.
Rosalind's Sewing Room · Free UK delivery · 30-day returns
This page is an advertisement for Rosalind's Sewing Room.