OK, before and after, using the Woly shoe cream in neutral. I applied the product quite liberally, using a soft cloth. I let the bag dry overnight, stuffed and hanging, then gave it a good buffing this morning (Note: the bag will still feel a bit tacky even when dry, that goes away the more you buff). The colour has darkened but seems to have gone much closer to the original. Barely a trace of a scent, so subtle that it's not really worth mentioning. The leather is still squishy and pillowy but does have a slightly different feel, as if there's a bit of a protective coat on it, but it doesn't at all take away from the leather feel. (Remember, this was a pretty dry bag, this might be closer to the original leather feel).
I will note that the neutral does not cover up any fingernail scratches, little scrapes where the leather is lighter in colour. I think the coloured cream probably would do that. The areas of the bag that were highly distressed (where the weight of the bag's contents stretched the leather itself, near the strap on each side, see pic #4 & 5) are much nicer to look at, but I may do a second coat on those couple of areas. It's evident in the photos that the colour is now much more even, the lighter faded spots have blended in significantly.
First photo is the bag when I purchased it. Second is after last night's treatment. Third is a comparison of the interior tag (untreated) and the treated exterior. Fourth and fifth are the very distressed areas of the bag after treatment.
As usual, I had a hell of a time trying to capture the true colour. Is the bag perfect? No, but I don't think I'm going to use the coloured cream at this point, as the leather looks nourished and the imperfections give it character.The bag does look much better, so all in all I'm pretty pleased. I'll post photos again a couple of weeks down the line to let everyone know if the colour lightens up or stays rich).
I will note that the neutral does not cover up any fingernail scratches, little scrapes where the leather is lighter in colour. I think the coloured cream probably would do that. The areas of the bag that were highly distressed (where the weight of the bag's contents stretched the leather itself, near the strap on each side, see pic #4 & 5) are much nicer to look at, but I may do a second coat on those couple of areas. It's evident in the photos that the colour is now much more even, the lighter faded spots have blended in significantly.
First photo is the bag when I purchased it. Second is after last night's treatment. Third is a comparison of the interior tag (untreated) and the treated exterior. Fourth and fifth are the very distressed areas of the bag after treatment.
As usual, I had a hell of a time trying to capture the true colour. Is the bag perfect? No, but I don't think I'm going to use the coloured cream at this point, as the leather looks nourished and the imperfections give it character.The bag does look much better, so all in all I'm pretty pleased. I'll post photos again a couple of weeks down the line to let everyone know if the colour lightens up or stays rich).