September Little Black Bag

I had been doing so well resisting the temptation of Little Black Bag for the last two months but I saw a purse I liked and gave in. LBB had also teamed up with Benefit Cosmetics and there were bonus Benefit goodies to be had. Win Win. Over the course of my trading, I fell out of love with my purse and wound up trading it for a two item trade. I ended up with five items plus two Benefit samples.

• Spring Street - Snake Print Cosmetic Bag (Retail Value $25) This is a cute shiny snakeskin print makeup bag. I'm not exactly sure why I was drawn to it. Shiny? It's a good size but will still fit comfortably in purse. 
• 'ZAD - Cheveron Cut Out Cuff in Silver (Retail Value $26) If you've looked at my past LBB videos and posts, you know I love a good bracelet. This bracelet isn't really my usual style but the good thing about LBB is that it let's you try things you wouldn't normally try while minimizing the financial risk. I've actually worn this bracelet a few times since I got my bag and I love it!
• Kenneth Cole New York - Beaded Y Necklace (Retail Value $42)  This wound up being the most expensive single item in my bag and I wouldn't have paid $42 for it on it's own. I like that's not a symmetrical design. The beads are light and clear. I know if I decide that I don't love it my Mom will.
• Lydell NYC - 2 Row Chain & Circle Necklace (Retail Value $28) Oddly enough this is my favorite item from this bag. The necklace has a good length to it The simple circle design will go with just about any outfit. My only complaint was that it was a pretty big knot when I took it out of the box. 
• Kenneth Cole New York - Cherry Orbital Earrings (Retail $26) I'm not really amazed by the earrings. I kept trying to trade them and couldn't seem to shake them unless I went with something well under this value and I wasn't really willing to do that. Not to mention there hasn't been much on LBB lately that I've actually liked. These earrings are bad earrings. They just don't WOW me. Again, I can always gift these to my Mom.
• Benefit Cosmetics - They’re Real Mascara (Full Size Retail $23) If you've been reading my posts for awhile you are also aware that I've been on a mascara hunt. This was one of the mascaras that was recommended to me. Now I'm not going to spend $23 on a mascara unless I know I'm going to love it. So I jumped at the chance to get a sample in my bag. Preliminary testing is going well. I'm definitely impressed with the length and curl.
• Benefit Cosmetics - It's Potent! Eye Cream (Full Size Retail $32) Despite my best efforts, I still haven't found anything that really makes my dark circles go away. Sometimes they aren't as bad but they never go away completely. I haven't had a chance to try this yet but I'm always up for eye creams.

There was also a card with a sample of Benefit's Porefessional Primer. This is my absolute favorite primer so I'm excited to get a little extra. The retail value of my bag this month minus the samples is $122 which is pretty modest for LBB. I place more value on getting several items I really love.

What was in your LBB?

My First Little Black Bag

In the mail today, I received my first Little Black Bag! I'm so excited I had to open it and share it with you right away. I explain how this subscription service differs from all the others in my previous post about LBB. The short version is you choose one item to add to your bag and then they add two items to it. Then there is an interface on the website that allows you to trade items with other users before your bag ships. Trading is highly addictive!

The contents were well packaged. Everything was in individual bags, then wrapped in tissue paper, and then bubble wrapped. There was also a return shipping label included if you want to make any returns.

LBB packaging

The item I had to have in my bag was this Kenneth Jay Lane bracelet.  I believe they had it listed at $100 retail value. I could only find it for sale in one place for $88. Love this! It has a nice weight to it and brilliant sparkle. I love sparkle.

KJL Stretch Bracelet

The second item in my bag was this headband by Robert Rose. This is listed at a $30 retail value. It is a satin ribbon over a metal band.  The embellishment is rhinestone and feathers. I don't normally wear headbands but I thought I would give this one a try. At the least I could wear this for a belly dance performance.

Robert Rose Feather and Rhinestone Headband

The next item in my bag were a pair of silver textured earrings by Lydell NYC. I don't remember how this were priced. I think it was somewhere in the $20 range. These have a good weight to them but don't feel overly heavy. I don't think this will pull my earlobes too much.

Lydell NYC Rhodium Earrings

A convservative estimate for the contents of this bag would be $138. I think $49.95 for all of this is a good deal. I really like that you can skip months as well. I will definitely be taking advantage of that. I just don't see myself buying accessories every month.  I do want to snag a handbag one of these months though. Overall, I'm very pleased and very excited to see what they have to offer in the coming months.

Check out  Little Black Bag  for more information or to sign up and start trading!