Monday, November 19, 2012

Little Black Bag 7! (end of October/November)


This round was a regular bag with an extra item. :)  Was loving a few items so for once I opened twice in a month (still haven't officially opened for November though!).  Also, my trading time for this bag was GREATLY extended.  The site was having issues on two separate occasions so I ended up getting an extra 1.5 days of trading, which helped SO much since I've been really busy lately.


First up!  The Street Level two- way studded backpack!  This one was SUPER SUPER popular, since its a more unique item for LBB.  This bag has 5 places to hook the 2 straps it comes with, so you can wear it a bunch of different ways.  I will probably be going between the two variations pictured below:  as a hobo or as a backpack.


Street Level two-way studded backpack (as a hobo), retail $88
Check out those blingy studs!
Backpack style, from the back.
Backpack style, from the side.
 My guyfriend thinks this bag is hideous.  Therefore, I love it all the more.  The studs, the studded tassel-like zipper pull, and the stitching around the bottom makes it unique.  It also has a floral lining that I forgot to take a picture of.  Very well made and loving how its SO different from all the bags I usually get.


Next up is the Steve Madden quilted crossbody in cream/taupe!  This bag is so freakin' cute!  I really wanted something quilted for once...I love the look but for some reason never got on board.  Guess I really wanted a Chanel quilted, haha.  Since THAT is not happening anytime soon for me, I'll settle for an inexpensive fun quilted bag.

Steve Madden quilted crossbody, retail $58
Pretty lining. :)
This bag is that glossy, faux patent leather type material and the bag is pretty small, making it a nice going out bag.  I'll probably get some mileage out of it over the holidays....it looks so cute with my favorite plaid scarves.  I like the partial chain strap that keeps it from getting too heavy and it it IS long enough to wear as a crossbody (yay).


Jewelrytime!  The Kenneth Cole beaded bangles are super pretty!  The stones ARE slightly blue/grey tinged, which I like.  They are also...mushable since they are triple strands of jewelry wire, so they will fit anyone's wrist.  I have just under a 7 inch wrist and they fit very nicely (they ARE bangles, after all, so they shouldn't fit that closely).  Each of the bangles is different, too.  Really pretty and delicate. :)

Kenneth Cole beaded bangles, retail $45
Action shot!


These earrings I actually super love and aren't getting that much LBB love, so they should be easy to trade for!  Always love simple gold jewelry...not EVERYTHING needs to be an in-your-face statement piece, especially if you work in a more conservative work environment.  These earrings are substantial enough without being too heavy and the chains are good quality.  Tempted to get a second pair to gift. :)

Mata Traders chain loop earrings, retail $18
Quarter for size reference. :)


On to some beauty!  I am very disappointed by this next product so far, the Baroncasa Cali coffee soap bar thing (sorry, can't remember the actual name!).  Mostly because right out of the box, I'm not smelling coffee. :(  I was promised espresso and caffeine in the soap, so naturally I was expecting a stronger coffee smell but its pretty faint.  Its not too strong or girly though, so I'm sure it'll get used by the guyfriend.  And who knows, it might magically change when it gets wet! (doubt it, though.)  I certainly wouldn't spend $8 on this soap based on scent alone.

Not-really-sure-of-the-actual-name espresso soap, retail $8


LaVanila, you smell so yummy.  I like most of the LaVanila scents, so I was super stoked to get this Vanilla Passionfruit rollerball.  It would cost me $19 at Sephora, so LBB is a steal when I get it in a bag full of other goodies. :)  Smells just like I expected, very vanilla-y and warm with passionfruity notes.  May have to pick up some other LaVanila on LBB after I smell them at Sephora!  The candles and body washes are mighty tempting...

LaVanila vanilla passionfruit rollerball, retail $19


On to techie toys!  Soooo....I've gotten 2 (matching!) iPhone cases already from LBB, but I couldn't resist when I saw this stripey goody hit the site.  My whole family now has iPhone 4/4ses so I'll either gift my other (more durable) spare case or this one to someone in need of a prettier case. :)

iWave zebra iPhone 4/4s case, retail $25
This iWave zebra case does not wrap around the front, it just snaps onto the back so it would not be good for a constant phone-dropper.  Luckily, I am not one of those.  :)  Its a smooth plastic that snaps onto the phone tightly.  WHY do iPhone cases retail so high, anyway??  Thank goodness for LBB/Ross/Marshalls/TJ Maxx and their plethora of affordable options.


FINALLY!  MY iWave purpley goodness headphones arrived!  After the mix-up from my last bag (got the wrong color) I was getting antsy for these.  They are BEEEEEAUTIFUL!  Love the purple cord and the fact that the earpieces are black (they'll look newer longer).  They are perfect for tuning out people at work, haha.  Or to wear around my neck as localized speakers so I can hear people sneaking up behind me.

iWave purple chevron headphones, retail $25

I'm a sucker for a good candle, and this vanilla candle is HUGE!  And it smells yummy.  Guess its pretty hard to mess up vanilla though, right? :)  I like that its a double wick and that the cap is metal.  I may gift this for the holidays.
Goose Creek Candle Co. vanilla candle, retail $18


Finally, some candies for me and my guy.  :)  He wanted sours, I wanted chocolate.

Sugarfina bonus candies!  Sours, chocolate marshmallow eggs, and pearls.


I gifted the rest of the items for next time.  My next bag is already being processed by LBB, so stay tuned!  Any thoughts or questions, let me know. :)

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Little Black Bag 6.2 (still October)

So here's the things I shipped from opening my gift from LBB 6.1 and trading!  Sorry it took so long to blog, but here are the pics!


Here is the Steve Madden Tassel crossbody in Cognac and I am really really happy with this bag.  It is a smaller crossbody but perfect for every day.  Has a large front pocket, a smaller zip pocket (cell phone perfect!) and is long enough to wear as a crossbody.  Hate it when the long strap is too short!  Luckily, when worn crossbody this bag rests on my hip (I'm 5'4").

SM Tassel Crossbody, retail $78

Pretty tassel and stud details!

Hooray!  Love me a back zip pocket for my cell phone. :)

Surprise!  There's TWO compartments, something you couldn't see on LBB.


Pretty lining too.  Love light linings to find the things in my purse more easily.


 I. LOVE. SCARFSES!  So this one is a great addition to my collection of around 100 scarves...its square and it goes with my red Swanky O+J bag perfectly!

Collection 18 red floral scarf, retail $28


Jewelries!  So I loved these two pieces so much, I wanted seconds.  The beaded necklace is perfect (gave the first to my mom) but the crystal drops....not so perfect.  One of the earrings came broken, the dangly stone came apart from the stud.  Soooo....

All The Rage beaded necklace, retail $26
Spring Street crystal drops, retail $30
I pulled out my trusty jewelry tools and turned them into studs!  I just used wire cutters to snip off the loops flush to the fittings to make the crystal studs.  LOVE them as solitaires, I wear them more than the original double stone pair!  And the dangly bottom stone that wasn't ruined i turned into a pendant by just adding a jump ring.  The broken bottom stone I may mount to a ring blank to make a ring.  That means I would have 3 jewelry pieces from the 1 broken pair of earrings, hooray!

Some jewelry frankensteining leads to studs and a pendant!!


I wanted this Briannefaye bracelet the first time it came around and didn't get it.  This time, I made so many offers, I ended up with both pairs that were in the gallery, lol.  I found a home for one with a fellow LBBer and shipped this baby to me.

Briannefaye geometric bracelet, retail $18
 I have just under a 7 inch wrist, so it is by no means tiny.  BUT!  This guy is pretty big.  On the smallest clasp setting its just right for me, w lots of extra chain that I will probably just take off w my pliers.  Its a great simple bracelet.

SUPER roomy.  But much better than too small!


So this next one is a LBB booboo. :(  I was supposed to get the purple pair of headphones and found these in my box instead!  Luckily, LBB customer service is so awesome, they put a purple pair in my already open bag.  So happy they weren't sold out!

Zig zag headphones, retail $25


And finally, my fish babies!  I originally wanted a whole school of fish shakers for my book case, but my guyfriend put his foot down. :P  What a party pooper.  Instead, I have my bookshelf kissing fish!  So glad they made it to me safe and sound.  They are very very cute.

Fish shakers, retail $14

::MUAH!!::

The rest of my items I regifted...so that means everything here cost me only $5 to ship.  Yay.  Gifting will be going away soon, but it is a nice no pressure way for me to trade when I'm really busy.

Already have my next LBB, as soon as I get a chance I'll post it. :)  Thanks for being patient!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Little Black Bag FAQ

**EDITED ON 12/28/12!**
LBB has changed so much, this may not be 100% accurate at this time.  I will be trying out the new changes on the site and updating accordingly in the near future!

After weeks of answering pretttty much the same questions every day, several times a day, via chat, I thought it would be a good idea to make an unofficial FAQ for LBB. :)  Hopefully you already read this entry...this one will be to answer all those darn questions that always pop up.

So let's begin!!

Q: When are new items released on the site?

A: There are new items put out frequently!  The first of the month at 10am PST is the biggest release of new items, and it is when the most people open their bag, since monthly subscribers are eligible to pick their bag for the month.  (NOTE: you can pick your bag BEFORE the month starts as well and have it count for that month so long as it ships on or after the first!)

There are also new products on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays of each week at 10am PST.  They releases have a preview on Facebook on the LBB page the day before at 6pm PST.



Q: I want to open a bag.  What do I pick??

A: There are several ways to approach picking your first item, and it really comes down to your comfort and experience level with LBB.  Essentially, it breaks down to these two ideas:

1. Pick something you love and stick with it.
This is for the inexperienced, or if there is just something you can't live without and there aren't that many available.  If you're new and you love a handbag, just make that bag your first pick and play around with the extra items.  This way, you are sure to end up with something you love and a LBB that's worth the $50+ you paid for it!

2. Pick something everyone ELSE loves and trade it for multiple items/awesomeness.
Hopefully, by this point you have been watching the news feed for awhile (or in my case, for several days).  You can tell what trades well, what people really like, and if you jumped on chat, you can find out what people are on the hunt for.  What is important here is to make sure you trade WHILE THE ITEM IS HOT.  A recent example is the $58 gold Koret shimmer bag...when it first came out a few weeks ago, it was trading as high as 4 items or $80+ handbags.  A week later, you could get it for a decent 2 item or even something around the same value.  Sure, some things go up in value, but most things drop because people are wanting the newest and hottest things.  Strike while the iron is hot!

There are also a few extra factors that determine what I pick and when I pick.  Once you make something your pick, you can refresh the screen to get a rough idea of what else they are putting in your bag.  This changes depending on what is available in the gallery, so if you don't like what they are putting in there, keep trying throughout the day to see if starting bags improve.  BUT.  If there is only one of that must-have hot item, don't let someone beat you to it!  Pay attention to the countdown of how many items are left. :)

Q: Okay, my bag is open!  Now what??

A: Now its time to check out and make offers!
Checking offers:  At this point, I only take really good offers.  You should be able to tell by now what is considered "good" if you have been diligently following the news feed.  If someone offers you a multi item trade and it seems like a good one, take it.  (A multi being where someone offers you more than one item for your one item.)  Always better to have multiple items moving up than sitting and waiting for the ONE good item you want.  You can always trade those 2 items for what you really want later anyway.

Making offers:  When you first open, do not make multi item offers!!  I don't put multiple item offers on anything until at least day 4, since I would rather build up my bag to more items first, then get what I want.  Of course, if there is only one of something you like, it may be better to get it quick just in case the person who has it is shipping soon...but if there are plenty of what I like, then I try to wait.


Q: What is the "buy" option? (Add to my bag for $xx)

A:  Its exactly what it sounds like, you can buy items for usually half the retail value to add to your bag.  Usually, people buy these items to add to their bag when the items are very difficult to trade for or if the item is not plentiful in the trading gallery.  Sometimes though, they have a sale that heavily discounts the older stock and then sometimes those are worth adding to your bag to help you trade for things you want!  The sale items do go quickly, though, so if you see something you want on sale snatch it up. :)  I saw $50 items going for $10 in real-life money (which is, of course, very different from LBB money).



Q: HOW do you have so many items?!

A: Easy - I started with either return credit or referral credit.  The blind items added to your bag when you start with credit change drastically depending on stock, btw, so definitely refresh your bag frequently.  Or I may have gifted to myself (see Gifting Q:).  Then its just a matter of taking multi-trades until I have a lot to work with.

Please note: at the beginning of the month, trading dynamics are somewhat predictable, where people who open want to get good multis....so sometimes opening right on the first is NOT the best way to go.  I like to open before to build up my bag so I can make offers on the new things I like.  But to each their own!

Q: Should I take this offer??

A:  LBB is a lot of instinct.  If it seems like a good thing and you know the approximate trading value of an item (vs it retail value, which can be very different), then by all means, take the trade.  Asking on the chat usually means you will miss the offer if its a good one!  Offers are sniped allll the time.  I try not to think about it too much, honestly.   I believe in trading fearlessly!  Everything can trade if you put the offers out there.  Everything.  So even if the trade isn't quite as good as I thought, at least I learned something.  The more items that come through your bag, the better a picture you have on how well something trades.

Q: I placed an offer I don't want to make by mistake!  Help!/ How many of an item are there?

A: These two questions can be answered together.  On your "My Bag" page, if you click the item you are offering and scroll down, you can see all the offers you have made with that item.  There, you can cancel your offer, as well as see how many items there are available for trade.  You can also see how many people have passed on your offer.  Sometimes, it is a good idea to cancel offers (that are decent!) and resend the offer.  You never know if someone passed on it accidentally.  Doing this at least once a day is recommended...once every 10 minutes, not so much.

Q: Why don't people pass on my offers!!?  It drives me crazy, I don't know if they like it or not.

A:  There is a VERY good reason why some people won't pass on your offer.  If you cancel out alllll the offers on something you are absolutely sure you are going to keep, and then you get a SECOND of that same item, you won't be able to see any of the offers you had already passed on.  This happens all the time to me, I almost always have 2 of the same item in my LBB.  Therefore, I only cancel offers that I would never accept...anything reasonable stays. :)

Q: Oh no! I have 2 of the same item.  Does that mean I'll lose both if I try to trade it?

A: Short answer: no.  You can not accidentally trade both away when you make offers.  If you make offers with an item you have 2 of, the offers DO show up for each item, but when one of the items trades, the offers you put out disappear.  This way, you only trade one.  This is great if you want to keep one, but not so great if you want to trade them both, since this means you have to put out all new offers again, haha.

Q: Does anyone know how big/red/shiny/well-made this is IRL? (in real life)

A: You can always check the makeuptalk LBB discussions under the Picture thread to see if someone has any IRL pics, or try to google the item.  If its a bag try to find a picture of someone carrying it.  LBB is notorious now for having pictures that are not quite representative of the actual item's color or size, so some extra side research is never remiss.  The other thing I do is I keep a ruler next to my computer to give myself a rough idea of how large or long something might be. :)

Q: What is this gifting I keep hearing about?

A: I just tried this out for the first time myself, but basically gifting is getting an additional week of trading for $5.  It was originally put in place so that you could send an item or two to a friend to have them try out the site for just the $5 fee, but people used it to extend their trading time.  It is especially useful if you have so many items (in my case, 25 items) that you can't manage to trade them all for things you love, or there just aren't enough things you love on the site.  I ended up shipping just 6 things to me and then gifting the other 19 items to myself so that I can for another week at a later time of my own choosing.  LBB actually gives you about 18 months (!!) to open your gift, so there's no rush.

**Gifting may be unavailable soon, LBB may instead implement a fee to extend trading!!  Gifts that have already send will still be openable within the 18 month expiration**

Q: But how do I gift myself?

A: Easy peasy.  You click the "gift my items" button on your "my bag" page (near the ship your bag button) and then select the items you want to gift.  Then you fill out the name and the email of the account you want it sent to.  You can send it to the current account you're trading with if you want.  Once you gift, you will be charged for your bag plus the additional $5 for your gift.  This $5 pays for shipping for your gift.  That means if you choose to open your gift on its own later, it will be free.  You already paid the $5.

You can also add the gift to an open bag.  What you want to do HERE is make sure the bag you want to add it to is open FIRST.  That means picking your first item and opening the bag.  Then you can click the email that contains your gift and redeem your gift to add it to the open bag.  You CAN NOT add a LBB to a gift.  You can only add a gift to a LBB.  Hopefully that makes sense!  It can get extra complicated if you have multiple accounts, I really think sticking with one account at a time is the way to go so that you don't accidentally gift to the wrong account!

Q: The chat drives me crazy sometimes.  How can I make the most of it?

A: First off, pop the chat out of the item page!!  In the top-right corner there is a small white icon (almost invisible on the light grey, right?)  Click that and the chat becomes its own window.  When you go to log in, if you choose to be a guest, you can change your user name.  Click the "guest ##" and type in whatever you want to be called.  Much nicer to be called your name than Guest 519.

A big thing people use the chat for is to show their profile so that others can see what you have to trade.  To do that, you want to hover your cursor over "Connect" and click "My Profile" from the drop down.  Once that window is open, copy and paste your link, which should look something like this:  http://www.littleblackbag.com/user/profile/138494 (this is my profile).

When you have an item and you would like something specific or a multi-item trade, it helps to not be TOO specific in your request.  Saying you have bag A and you would ONLY accept bag B + item C can discourage other people from putting offers on your item...which may be even better than what you're asking for!  ONLY holding out for specific items means you could be waiting a very long time for someone to meet your request.  That is time you could be spending trading a decent multi into the item you want.  You never know what the person who has the item you want may want....some people want a bag for a bag, some people want to split their bag into several smaller items.

If you ask about how something is doing, it is nice to thank the person who helps you.  Niceties go a very long way.  It is also nice to return the favor and help people who are wondering about how an item is trading or how many are left or what is offered on it.  Looking out for your fellow chat members can be very beneficial, they will help you find items you want and give you advice on your trades.  Make friends!

Finally, people have a tendency to act...less appropriately than they would in real life.  Be polite on the chat to other traders.  There are community mods who can block you, and if people associate your poor chat behavior with your bag, they will be less willing to accept your trades.  In general, pushy trading behavior is not appreciated.  The more you push your item onto the others, the more people will resist, especially if its trading value is already questionable.  Pressuring people makes them want to say no, don't get too used carsalesman-y in the chat. :)

Q: My bag is GREAT!  I have everything I want...but I still have 4 days left.  Should I ship?

A: My answer will always be no.  Always.  You never know what will be released between the time you open and the time you close.  A full week of trading means you will see all 3 releases (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday).  I'd rather wait and see what comes out instead of having to open a whole new bag.

Q: I received my LBB and I don't like an item/it is damaged. :(  What can I do?

A: If you don't like an item and you would like to return it, you can ship it back to LBB and get a return credit for it.  Fill out the back side of the packing slip and affix the return label on your box/envelope.  YOU are responsible for any return postage for items you don't like.  I have only returned small jewelry pieces via USPS to LBB for credit, which works out to less than $2 plus the cost of a bubble envelope.  So not bad at all!  I use my Paypal multi-order shipping to print my shipping labels, and a small scale to weigh it.

If the item is damaged, be sure to take pictures of the damage and then email them to LBB with information about your shipment (order number, or just use the email associated with your account).  I have had very good customer service experiences with their team and they will offer you credit or a coupon code for your next bag, depending on the severity of the damage.

Minor damage is sometimes fixable, as well!  I love "frankensteining" my jewelry and it comes in handy if I'm missing a jump ring or something is a little bent.  Also, sometimes your bag may have small black smudges on it....most of the time, it is glue from the assembly and you can very gently remove it with a kneaded eraser.  I just lightly rub/lift the smudges off and the bag will look much better.


To be successful on LBB, be patient and have good luck and timing!  I hope this FAQ was helpful and would love any feedback/additional comments you may have to add. :)  Good luck trading!  Also, please consider using my referral link if you're new to LBB!  And share this FAQ. :)

Friday, October 12, 2012

Little Black Bag 6.1 (October)

It's that time again!  I labeled this one LBB 6.1 because I didn't ship the entire bag to myself this time, I decided to try out gifting.

What is gifting?  Gifting is when you select some of your items and send them to someone (or yourself) for $5.  Essentially, its another week of trading for $5.  So for this bag, I built it up and up and up, got 6 items I loved, and then sent the rest (19 items!) to myself.  I started out with 7 items and ended up with 25. o_O

Here are the 6 that made the cut!

My first pick was the red Olivia + Joy swanky tote, and I refused all offers on it...so I guess I made 6 items 24 items!  Wow.  Quadrupled.  :)

Red Olivia + Joy Swanky Tote, retail $88
Yes, its a true red.  Hooray.
Some inside action.

 This. Bag. Is. Amazeballs.  It is a great size for work and a wonderful pop of color for fall.  I actually don't own any red bags yet so this is great.  The side pockets are useful for my keys and phone and I like that it will keep its shape, I'm really into more structured bags for fall.  I know CheapSW saw tons of these in black at Burlington Coat Factory for $40, if anyone is interested!


Zayas!  Who doesn't love these?  They were crazy hot since they were only retail $25, but I managed to snag a black and a taupe MMS Zaya.  They are wallet sized with 12 credit card slots (6 inside, 6 outside) and a gold chain.  I love the gold studding detail around the edges and the pleating, it looks way more expensive than $25!  I think I have a thing for wallet clutches with chains, these are my 3rd and 4th from LBB.  Haha.  I am probably going to Christmas gift at least one of these, though.

MMS Zaya clutch, retail $25 each

Definitely more wallet than clutch, just a little over 2 credit cards wide.
Extra zipper at the base of the flap and lots of storage for cards and change.


On to jewelry. :)  I got two pieces I've been wanting for awhile, yay.  First up is...

My Robert Rose bars necklace.  I wanted this as soon as I saw it, I really like edgy, luxe looking bold necklaces.  There were only 2 available so snagging it early was important to me.  I was thinking it would be a heavier metal, but the sunburst pieces look to be a lighter painted plastic or something.  Doesn't really detract from the look, but makes it lighter than I expected, which is nice.  Its actually pretty long, with the shortest resting below my collarbone and the longest on my chest.  Makes it pretty versatile for different types of shirts. :)

Robert Rose gold bars necklace, retail $28
My iPhone 4s takes pretty decent pics. :)


Here's my FAVORITE jewelry item from LBB so far, my Spring Street crystal drops earrings!  The detail on the sides of these is amazing and the crystals are cut in such a way that they are crazyyyyyyyyy shiny.  Love times a million.  They are also surprisingly dainty, which I'm very glad about, makes them appropriate for anytime!  I think these would make a fantastic gift for Christmas, too, since they look so much more expensive than the $30 they retail for.  Definitely looking to pick up another pair in my next LBB.

Spring Street crystal drops earrings, retail $30
Pretty, right?!!?  You can kind of make out the wall of necklaces behind me, lol.

And finally (drumroll, please...) my duck speaker!  Only 6 of these were on the site when I was trading so once I got it early I refused to let it go...he was definitely going for more than double the cost!  Best part about this guy (other than being ridiculously cute) is that he is rechargeable via USB, so I don't have to worry about dealing with batteries.  Super plus!  He is also pretty loud.  I will keep him in the bathroom to play music while I shower/get ready.  He fits in perfectly there.

Kikkerland duck speaker, retail $20
Why hello there.  Call me Marvin. :)
Sorry about the (relatively) small bag this time around.  I'm currently trading my stupidly large gift bag, so another post to come in the near future.  Providing the Newgistics shipping can get it to me in one piece on the burro they use for transportation....cuz' that sucker takes foreverrrrrrrrr.  Hopefully I can get more things I love in this gift bag, if not, I'll be gifting yet again!  Totally worth the $5 if you have a lot to deal with, in my opinion. :)

As always, here's my referral link if you want to join in on the LBB fun.  Thanks for reading!


Friday, September 21, 2012

Little Black Bag 5: part II (September)


LOOK: PART II!!!  Here is the rest of my bag (jewelry and a lippie).


Hopefully you've already read (and enjoyed!) the first part of my September LBB.  This is the rest of the bag, all the little things that I decided to get.  I've been trying not to get too much jewelry, but this month had a depressingly small selection of home and accessories that I really liked, and anything I did like I would have to trade really high to get, so it wasn't that worth it to me.

And here we go!

Cargo lipgloss in Halifax.  Retail $24
Carol Duplaise hammered drop Earrings.  Retail $20
Kenneth Cole chip hoop Earrings.  Retail $28
The Cargo lip gloss is really pretty, its a nice peachy pink with very slight shimmer.  It is minty, which I wasn't expecting...never tried this gloss before, although I've used 7 of the Cargo blushes (thanks, LBB!).  Nice way to try it on the cheap.

The Carol Duplaise earrings are larger than I expected, and while pretty, I'm trying to decide if I like the posts or if I want to switch out to gold hooks.

Which looks better?
I kind of like that the hook makes them more simple and showcases the stone (which is a gorgeous smoky color) but I don't know.  The gold is very shiny for the giant post, it just might be too much for me I guess.

The Kenneth Cole chip hoop earrings are nice and dainty at around 1" around...the little hex nut looking beads can actually be taken off, and the largest middle one has two tiny crystal chips set in them.  A nice little extra touch.  I really like these, they will mesh well with my style and my other jewelry.


Now, I love me a good necklace, and I have gotten a few from LBB.  Before I got that Nila Anthony bag, I actually had several more necklaces, but luckily I cut back.  I have a LOT of jewelry as it is, and this site does not help with that addiction!  I'll have to do a post in future about my jewelry storage, because it is extensive.

Robert Rose mesh and chain necklace.  Retail $30
All the Rage assorted bead necklace.  Retail $26
Robert Rose waved snake metal collar.  Retail $34
The long gold mesh and chain necklace is really really pretty, I've been looking for a simple multi-chain gold necklace that is heavy enough to hang well.  Having a larger chest means lighter long necklaces can hang weirdly, but this has a good weight and the "mesh" section keeps it straight.  It hangs to a few inches above my navel.

The bead necklace looked pretty on the LBB site and is even prettier in person!

Pretty beads!
This one is about the same length as the gold one, a few inches above my navel, and its a great mix of intricate and weighty.  I am either going to give this to my mom, or I am going to keep it.  But someone who will appreciate this lovely will be wearing it, for sure.

The wavy snake necklace is beautiful up close, very shiny gold and looks great lying against my collarbone.  I try to pick jewelry pieces that look unique and more expensive, and this one certainly fits the bill.  Got the last one in the gallery and I'm glad I did, I was eyeing it for awhile.  Got some really good offers on it too, so I'm happy its just as nice as I was hoping it would be.


Finally, my skull collection!!

Mocha skull earrings (2 pairs).  Retail $15 each
Mocha skull bracelets (turquoise and coral).  Retail $20 each
ZAD white skull bracelet.  Retail $14 

So I have two sisters, both who like skull jewelry.  I was hoping to get some to save for Christmas gifts, and was successful.  However, I have a few issues:

The Mocha skull earrings are beautiful and detailed...but crazy heavy.  And with them being 2-3 inches long, they swing around a lot.  They looked tiny and delicate on the site, when in actuality the skulls are the same ones used for the bracelets and are 3/4 inch tall.

HOWEVER, I will be keeping them.  I'm going to shorten one pair so its just the sparkly ball and skull on hooks so it doesn't pendulum and pull the earlobe quite so much, and the other pair will either be used to make bracelets or pendants.

And by bracelets, I mean ones like the Mocha skull bracelets I received.  I am returning these both because:
1. I can make bracelets prettier than these using the one pair of earrings I will frankenstein.
2. The beads used for the bracelets just aren't as pretty as I thought they would be.  They ended up looking cheaper than I liked.
So, basically, I'd rather have the credit.  Awesomesauce.

Finally, the white skull bracelet is exactly how I expected it to be and will be perfect for one of my sisters.  Yay.

Hopefully this LOOK was both entertaining and educational.  Or at least one of the two.  If you feel compelled to open a LBB of your own, here's my referral link!  And I would love some comments if you have a minute to spare. :)

Images: 1-6 my own

Little Black Bag 5: part I (September)

WARNING: This is a long and picture-heavy post.  Be prepared to drool over pretty things.

Since I want to be a bit more detailed about my LBB and this one was pretty big, I'm splitting it into 2 parts: part I will be bonuses and bags, part II will be everything else. :)

My 5th Little Black Bag just came in and its the biggest one so far, thanks to 11 Benefit bonuses!  Living so close to where they ship out, it only took 2-3 days to receive my bag once it closed, which was super awesome.  Let's take a LOOK. :)

So this time around, I wasn't super in love with any one item and I was starting out with 5 jewelry credits, so I played around with opening with different items to see what they would offer me.  I ended up choosing a Benefit They're Real! mascara bonus as my first item, haha, because the exchange items they were offering me were much better when I did that.  Plus I really like that mascara, so I made it my goal to get as many as I could this bag.

So let's start out with the bonuses, shall we?

9 They're Real!, 1 Watt's Up!, 1 Porefessional, and a Porefessional card sample
that comes with the comic.
 So like I had mentioned, They're Real! was my first pick, so I was able to start with 2 bonuses.  During the week I only traded away 3 bonuses and started hoarding the ones I really liked (obviously mostly mascara). When I finally shipped, I took 9 of the available 49 They're Real! with me. (!!)

The reason I wanted so many is that this mascara is a full size at Sephora of this mascara is $23 for .3oz.  This sample is .1 oz, and I got 9 of them, equaling 3 full size mascaras.  BUT the bonuses will last longer because they will stay fresh.  It is a great mascara....it stays on, it coats evenly, and the wand has pointy bristles at the top that is great for detailing my teeny asian lashes.

One gripe I do have with them is that on the LBB site they are shown as being the larger .14oz size.  Now, that may not be a HUGE deal to some people, but its the difference between being a half size and a 1/3 size.  So its a the difference of like 1.5 full tubes for me.  Sad times.  Both the specs and the pictures were wrong on the LBB site, so there was no reason to doubt what they were showing me.  Since they are bonuses, I won't pout too much, but its just another example of how there can be inconsistencies on the LBB site.

For your info, the Porefessional sample is .1oz (1/3 of the full size) and the Watt's Up! is .08oz (full size is .33oz).

On to the bags!

I. Love. My. Pilar.  The Pilar was released on Tuesday mere HOURS after I opened.  Obviously, this really pissed me off, haha.  Luckily, the lovely Kelly opened with the bag to trade with me, since I had a few things she liked.  Definitely an instance where the chat has helped me out instead of being somewhat useless, like it can definitely tend to be. o_O

My black Vieta Pilar satchel.  Gorgeous!  Retail $83

My attempt to show a little more detail...hopefully you can see the faux
leather and the hardware better.

A peekie at the inside.  The lining is of good quality, too.


This bag is gorgeous and veryyyyy well made.  The synthetic leather is some of the best I've seen from LBB, its smooth, thick, and has a nice texture.  It would be big enough for a small laptop or an iPad, but anything larger probably wouldn't fit.  I've been looking for an inexpensive black satchel for fall, so getting this crosses something off my checklist!

Bag features: it has a top handle and a long crossbody strap that is adjustable with a belt-style buckle.  The back of the bag has a magnetic slip pocket, which is where my iPhone shall live (love having at least one accessible pocket on a bag for my phone!).  Inside is the standard 2 pocket/1 zip pocket style.


Onto the black Nila Anthony tote with studded handles.  This is my first Nila Anthony bag and I was a bit apprehensive to get it since they are notorious for being a bit smelly and having minor quality issues.  This bag as a last minute trade for me...as in, I traded for it in my last 20 minutes of trading for some jewelry I didn't really want.  While a teeny bit smelly (kind of like a tire?  A little bit?) it will air out in a few days and be just fine.  I'm already using it, so it doesn't stink that much!

Simple with spiky details.  What's not to love?  Retail $74
Love that the lining is a pop of color.
 This bag is SUPER simple, but is a great "don't want to match my bag to my style/outfit today" bag for me.  The short handles are just long enough to get on my shoulder, but I will most likely use them for carrying or elbow-crooking.  The crossbody strap is long enough to use as a crossbody (so many bags have short straps!) and has the same spiky studded detailing as the front of the short handles.  The material is a really soft pleather.  I was worried it was going to be stiff, so I'm really glad its not....I wanted the handles to fold or flop over nicely if I wore it as a crossbody, and I wanted a casual style bag so this is just what I need.

The lining is the typical Nila Anthony lining (from what I can tell by other people's product photos) which I really like...I am not a fan of dark lining, I can never find what I need in my bag as it is!  Also, the hardware on this bag is a kind of in between gold/silver, which will be great for mixing and matching with whatever jewelry I am wearing.  I still have a slight mental block on clashing my bag hardware with my jewelry....but I'm working on it!


My super-random love from this bag is the Fydelity Ice G Stereo Bag in yellow/lime green.  I had randomly gotten this while trading and couldn't let it go...and am super glad I didn't!  It was the only Fydelity speaker bag that wasn't animal print or checked, and I've been curious about it for awhile.  If I let it go, I wasn't going to get it back, so I'm glad it exceeded my expectations.

Why hello, my love!  Fydelity speaker bag!  Retail $50

Cute zipper pulls.  You can see the strap is almost a limey yellow here.
This bag will be PERFECT for taking to the beach, the park, or camping!  I like that if its damp or it gets dirty I can just wipe it clean.  It uses 4 AA batteries to power the surprisingly loud and clear speakers.  I really like the transparent yellow color, I have pretty wallets and pouches and you can never see them in my bag.  The bag only has one little pocket to hold the controls/battery pack, but since its transparent PVC I'd rather keep my things in pouches in the bag anyway.


Finally, the Street Level Envelope Clutch Wallet in pink.  Crazy bright pink.  After unwrapping this and the Fydelity bag, my guyfriend asked me if it was the 80s. :P

Pretty, pretty pink. Retail $52
Pretty lining and lots of pockets. Has 8 credit card slots.
Isn't it gorgeous!?  I saw the blue and the green on someone's blog and was worried the pink wasn't going to be bright enough, but no worries!  It is as close to neon as it can be without glowing in the dark.  It has wayyyy more compartments than I thought.  There's a slip pocket in the back, the 2 compartments with the credit card slots and a pocket in the divider (which you can see the lining of behind the divider set of credit card slots in the pic above), and then the 2 side snaps that you can see in the first picture actually open up another 2 pockets.  Lose count yet?  I just hope I can remember where I put everything in here.  And of course it also has a long chain strap so you can use can wear it hands free.  Loving this on my wallets lately!

So there, part I is complete.  Part II to come!  If you would like to open a new LBB account, please consider using my referral code!  Thanks! :)

Images: 1-10 my own

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