November Little Black Bag Review

Oops, this is definitely a late post, but here's what I got in my November Little Black Bag.  I had made an unboxing video but I didn't like how it came out and I had already eaten my candies and burned the candle (it'll make sense if you keep reading), so I didn't film another one.

This was my best bag yet in terms of items received.  I don't even remember what I picked for my first item, maybe that Melie Bianco tan bow bag?  Yeah, I think that was it.  I wasn't attached to it at all, but I wanted to get a bag I knew I could get good multi-item trades for.  I swapped bags quite a bit and ended up settling on an Olivia + Joy bag, which I was hesitant about because my last bag was from them and it was terrible quality.  But first, here's a list of what I got:

• benefit Cabana Glama Makeup Kit - $36, but you can find them for cheaper
• BRIANNEFAYE Cascade Necklace - $33
• LAVANILA Healthy Candle Vanilla Grapefruit - LBB said $16, but it's $12 on Lavanila's site
• Olivia + Joy Lavish Lady Belted Satchel - $92
• sugarfina Pocket Posies - LBB said $5, but it's actually $4.50
• sugarfina Heavenly Sours - $4.50
• Total value: $183

My last experience with an Olivia + Joy bag didn't go so well, so I was apprehensive about closing my bag with another one.  I really liked how this bag looked, though, and I found pictures of it on other sites for comparison and I wanted to give it a chance.  I figured that this time I wouldn't remove the tags before a thorough inspection, and if it wasn't up to par I would just send it back.  Luckily it ended up being gorgeous and I am completely in love with it!  It's the perfect size and shape and I love black bags in general.

I wasn't going to open a bag for November, but then LBB released the benefit kits into the gallery and I had to have one!  I was bummed that I missed out on the September Pop Sugar Must Have Bag because they had these kits in it (along with some other great stuff), so I was really intent on trading for it.  They were trading crazy-high when they were first introduced; my offer was worth over $70 (a Nila Anthony clutch and something else, I don't remember).  I was getting offers of the same value in the beginning, but as trading went on the value of items offered dwindled.  If you weren't able to get one but wanted one, they're on sale for $18.99 at benefit's website right now!

Not everyone is a fan of the candles in the LBB gallery, but I am a candle hoarder and I really wanted to try one of these Lavanila ones.  I got my first choice of scent, Vanilla Grapefruit, and it smells so nice.  I considered returning it because when I got it the outer tin was dirty (more pictures of that after the cut) and the wax inside was broken into pieces, but I kept it because after paying shipping to send it back the refund amount wouldn't have been worth it.  It doesn't have as strong of a scent as I would like, but I still enjoy it and it's a great scent for wintertime.

I looooove this BRIANNEFAYE necklace!  I had been eyeing it for a while and I was finally able to trade for it.  I would have preferred silver, but the gold is still very pretty.  I had found an identical design on etsy once, but it was being sold for $100.  I think I definitely got a good deal on this!

These sugarfina candies were quite possibly my favorite items, haha!  LBB had originally introduced them as bonus items during the end of October for Halloween, but I had already bought a bag that month and I didn't want to open another one just for some candies.  I was really glad that some of them were still around, though, and I was able to snag my top choices.  The Pocket Posies had a great flavor but were really hard to chew (I expected them to be much softer), but the Heavenly Sours were amazing--great taste and nice and soft, too.  I will definitely be ordering candies from sugarfina again in the future.

Bottom Line: I loved my November bag.  Every item was one I really wanted, and they all turned out to be pretty great.  It was discouraging at first to receive a dirty candle, but it wasn't damaged inside so it wasn't worth the hassle of returning it.  I did cancel my recurring monthly subscription to LBB for now (so I don't have to go in and skip a bag each month), but maybe in a few months I'll open up a bag again.

More photos behind the cut.

Satchel price tag, these were on sale at ideeli for $50 recently so I still got a great deal!

I love the interior lining of this bag, and it has nice pockets for my phone, too

Some icky smudges on my candle

And other dust and scratches (the dust is mainly from the sugarfina candies!)

*Disclaimer: I purchased this bag with my own money.  I was not compensated in any way for this post and the honest opinions here are entirely my own.