Moisturizing A Balenciaga Wallet + How To Use Balenciaga's Nourishing Cream

I know we all have ways and products to maintain our bags and in this case, Balenciagas, so I thought of sharing mine. :)

For starters, most Balenciagas today are made from Agneau leather or lambskin, Balenciaga's signature material for their bags and leather goods. There's also Chevre or Goatskin, a type of leather used in their previous collections, although I don't know if some bags/leather goods in production today are still made from Chevre.

My Balenciaga Classic City wallet is made with Agneau leather. Agneau is a super soft, exquisite, and delicate type of leather that can't be cleaned by just any type of leather conditioner/cleaner. It needs a special or a more nourishing and gentle conditioner/cleaner to retain its texture and vibrance for a longer period of time and to delay aging, or the prominence of the veining on the leather. Even on a new Balenciaga, the veins are present and they get deeper and more pronounced overtime-this is what makes every Balenciaga item beautiful, but if you use the wrong cleansing/maintenance product, aging can be accelerated, the leather could stiffen and much worse, it may develop scaly, uneven coloring--what you get is a decaying bag. Que horror!

A sample of the Balenciaga Nourishing Cream

Balenciaga has a cleaner/moisturizer intended for their bags and it's called the Balenciaga Nourishing Cream. Smells really putrid, and texture is just like wax. I wanted to use my Coach leather moisturizer since it's easier to work with, but read somewhere that this leather moisturizer brand has destroyed some Balenciaga leathers. Of course I don't want that to happen so I didn't experiment.

So let's start cleaning! Click READ MORE! :)

Using the Balenciaga Nourishing Cream and a microfiber cloth, I apply very sheer layers of the cream on the surface of the leather. (Apply sparingly-this is imperative!) The cream is quite hard to spread, but I find that rubbing it on using a very gentle, circular motion softens the cream and spreads it out effectively. The wax is very sticky so I clean the wallet in a well- ventilated area so it may dry up quickly.

TIP: Microfiber cloth/towel is the most ideal thing to use when cleaning delicate leather items such as Balenciaga. It's softer than traditional cotton towels with a semi- rough surface. Balenciaga's leather is very prone to scratches so it's wise to opt for a plush and smooth cleaning tool.

For tassels and corners, I do spot moisturizing with a Q-Tip to prevent applying cream on the hardware, or the metal portions. Mine has Regular Hardware or RHW, by the way. :)

After applying cream all over the wallet, I let it dry up completely-The cream will eventually become matte and smooth. And for the final touch, I use the dry portion of the microfiber towel to buff the whole thing. Buffing adds shine to the leather and removes the excess cream, but please take note that buffing should happen only when the wax is COMPLETELY DRY. 

Even though it needs extra caution and smells horrible, the positive thing about the nourishing cream is it leaves my wallet smelling like the first time I got it and it smells divine! I have this odd affinity for the smell of leather, and maybe this is why I am into bags. :p

Voila! Now I've got a shiny, happy wallet. Well, the shine isn't that mind-blowing, but I'm just happy to know that it didn't damage my wallet! In case somebody's going to ask, I clean my wallet twice a month only since it's fairly new and it's protected most of the time because it's always inside the bag. For older Balenciagas, I think thrice a month should be good, especially if you use it daily and when the leather becomes really dry.

RECAP ON THE USAGE OF BALENCIAGA'S NOURISHING CREAM: This cream is pretty tough to work with and if you don't use it as instructed, it may end up lightening up the dye of the leather! Remember-I repeat-remember to use it very sparingly and let it dry up completely before buffing.

TIP FOR THE BALENCIAGA NOURISHING CREAM: This is a cool tip I got from The Purse Forum: Old Balenciagas inevitably get scuffs on the corners, which are characterized by a fading, crinkly appearance. Dab a very sheer layer of the cream on the scuffs, allow it to dry up completely, then buff. Repeat process until the scuffs become less and less obvious. Works well for scratches too. For scratches, repeat the process for the scuffs.

Any other cleanser/moisturizer you can recommend other than Balenciaga's Nourishing Cream?

- The Balenciaga mavens at Purse Forum (my favorite online forum) said that they use Lubriderm Fragrance-Free lotion, a product intended for the skin, while others swear by Apple Leather Conditioner (this has mixed reviews though) and Lovin' my Bags' Beauty & Shine Moisturizer. Haven't tried any of the three yet so I would not recommend anything.

I hope you've found this useful! :)