As Seen on the Internet: The Lumiliu Bag

I don’t really carry bags all that much, and I’m not an over-the-top merchandise person, but every so often I see an item that catches my interest. More often than not, it’s because it’s shiny.

The item that caught my eye earlier this summer is the Lumiliu purse. Specifically this one.

Does the pattern remind you of anything?

In the grand scheme of things, the product wasn’t that expensive, so I ordered it. And waited. And waited. And waited. This particular item ships from China, and so it took about 3 weeks to arrive. Would it look as radiant as the photos online?

In the information about these items, the company mentions that the amount of reflectivity will vary depending on lighting conditions. If it is not in direct light, the color will be very muted. In sunlight, the color will be medium, and if hit by direct light, the item will glow as shown. There’s also warnings not to expose it to high heat, and to be careful cleaning it as the surface can scratch.

When my purse arrived, I put it to the test of photos with different lighting. First, indoors — the “muted color”.

Next, out on the porch but not in direct sunlight–this is the effect that you will see most of the time with the purse if you’re outdoors.

And finally, full direct sun/photo with a flash–where this item really pops.

The colored panels feel almost like a vinyl tile, and they are sewn on a black fabric (the lines and dots for the pattern are just the fabric peeking through). The top is zippered and has a magnetic snap (for those times when you want your purse open but not fully “everything will fall out” open. I bought the large version, and it worked for my trip to hold a regular-size iPad, two iPad minis, two iPhone X devices, a pad of paper, wallet, and pens, and still didn’t feel over-stuffed. I did manage to get it a bit muddy , but the tiles wiped off easily with a damp paper towel.

The one gripe I have is that you do have to stand a bit away from the item in order to get the effect of its radiant colors. In other words, wearing the purse it looks muted to me, while everyone around me is all oohs and aahs about how it is shining. Would I buy it again, though? Absolutely–who doesn’t love walking around with a Nighttime at Spaceship Earth-themed purse?

What do you think? Would this be an item that you’d buy? Have you ever bought anything off the internet and been pleasantly surprised like this? Let us know in the comments.