Bvlgari x Ambush Bag in Neon Green / Budget Bag from AliExpress
Overall impression
I LOVE THIS BAG. On AE, you win some, you lose some, I consider this a total WIN. It was ~$50 USD and I’m not sure if it’s leather, but the color is beautiful, the texture is soft, and it is SO puffy and squishy. Since this was a limited edition collection I don’t think it’s terribly calloutable despite the few things I’ve mentioned below. (Yes, it did occur to me that by writing this review I might be writing the only QC guide out there for this bag, and making it easier for others to QC/call out my bag, but I care more about sharing the bag/link/review with you ladies!)
Disclosures
None. I told the seller after receiving the bag and when asking for the link to their new store that I’d be posting here. I did not receive any discount, incentive, or gift from the seller.
W2C: The original AE link and store are already down but I messaged the seller and they sent me this new link. Be sure to QC the factory photos if you are interested in the other colors/styles, some of the snake eye colors are inaccurate compared to the auth. (I really wanted this bag in white too, but the eyes are white on the white bag which just looks weird in my opinion in addition to being inaccurate.)
Photos! Taken indoors, next to a window on a cloudy day. Some of the pics show as warmer on my screen and others as cooler, I would say the color is really close to how the warmer pics are showing on my screen.
Measurements
- Bag: 22 cm long x 15 cm tall x 8 cm wide (8 cm is the exterior; given how puffy it is, the interior width is only about 4 cm)
- Shoulder strap: 125 cm on the shortest setting, 141 cm on the longest setting. Note the shoulder strap attaches at the back of the bag not the sides or the top of the bag.
- Waist strap: 83.5 cm on the shortest setting, 108 cm on the longest setting.
PSPs: None.
Factory Photos: I messaged the seller on AE and they emailed me these pictures. I was considering the blue and the green at the time, so some bonus blue factory pics included.
Price in USD: $46.85 bag + $6.32 shipping + $2.93 tax = $56.10
Payment: AliExpress
Shipping Cost and Carrier: $6.32 USD, unknown AE carrier (used USPS after arriving in the US)
Order Timeline:
- 5/21: Messaged seller asking for pictures. Received pictures. Placed order immediately.
- 5/24: Shipped.
- 6/9: Received! Really fast shipping considering how awful shipping is today. (I ordered a bag on DH Gate on 5/16 that shipped on 5/20 and according to tracking is STILL stuck in China today.)
Quality: 9/10
The seller said it was real leather but I’m skeptical, though I’m by no means a leather expert. It feels super soft though, and it’s SO puffy and SO squishy, and I’m happy with it for the price. There’s a small wrinkle in the front under the flap, which isn’t really visible since it’s covered by the flap most of the time (-0.1). The stitching on the flap doesn’t align perfectly with the stitching on the body, but the auth has that problem too if you look at the promotional pictures from Bvlgari so I won’t take off for that. The stitching is fairly even throughout. There’s some uneven puckering at the corners, though it took me a few days to even notice (-0.1). The biggest quality flaw is that the hole punctures in the shoulder strap are off center as you can see in the photos, though I’m not worried about anyone looking that closely at my shoulder (-0.5). There’s a mild fufu smell though you have to be pretty close to smell it, and it hasn’t bothered me enough for me to bother with any fufu smell remediation methods. The clasps that secure the shoulder strap onto the bag don’t turn, so I have to make sure to put the shoulder strap on the bag correctly (-0.1).
Accuracy: 8.9/10
I’m thrilled at how accurate this in broad strokes for the price. Granted, I have never seen or held the auth, and I don’t know what color the auth is in real life, but based on the pictures from the campaign I’m happy with the color of my bag. The biggest inaccuracy is the sides, which are supposed to be smooth but are an upside-down Y on my bag (-0.5). It honestly took me quite a bit of Googling to figure out what the side of the auth looks like though and I actually quite like the look of the side on mine, so I’m not bothered by this. The metal part of the shoulder strap isn’t quite the same pattern as the auth, the auth is more of a braided pattern whereas mine is more “sliced”, I don’t particularly care though and in fact I am delighted that when the metal moves it reminds me of how a snake wiggles (-0.1). Each of the snake’s eyes should curve in the middle instead of being symmetrical, but that is such a small detail that I don’t care too much either (-0.1). The bottom of the front flap should be a smidge more rounded and further down, but I don’t think it’s even really noticeable since everyone’s going to be seeing my bag from the top (-0.1). The bottom corners should be a smidge more rounded and the front flap should be just the slightest bit narrower towards the bottom, though you have to look really closely to tell (-0.1). No, the logo on the back isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty damn close for ~$50 and no one’s going to see the back (-0.1). I think the bottom is not supposed to have any stitching and mine has 2 rows of stitching, though it’s the bottom so I don’t really care (-0.1). I’ve never seen or held the auth but based on pictures I think the stitching is supposed to be a tiny bit less bright and a little closer to the color of the leather, but since I’m not sure I don’t think it’s fair for me to deduct for that. Also, some of my pictures make the stitching look the same color as the bag so it could just be a lighting issue.
Satisfaction: 10/10
For ~$50, I could not be happier. The biggest and most noticeable details are all correct, the bag feels super soft and puffy and squishy, and I couldn’t really ask for more for the price.
Service and Communication: 10/10
The seller has been quick to respond to my messages and shipped the bag quickly. Although I’m still skeptical about the bag being leather, the factory pics were accurate to what I received. I don’t expect much more from an AE seller of a ~$50 bag.
Comments
Oh. My. Goodness.
It’s like a little alien snake squishy gem and I might need it. Minus the might.
(yes, this is from the same person who in the OOTD thread said she didn’t need any more small bags. But I don’t have one in neon green, mum!!!)
You my friend have fabulous taste and my bank account doesn’t thank you, but I do :D ⏤ by TeeJayCee16
├─ Ahh yes you’ve pinpointed exactly why I was so drawn to it! It’s a little alien and a little snake at the same time and also squishy!!! Sometimes I just sit around watching tv and squishing my bag LOL ⏤ by marvelousmiamason
├── The seller you linked to wouldn’t ship to Australia, but I’ve found another one who does and seems to do the same colours. Adding to cart! Thank you so much for the review! ⏤ by TeeJayCee16
that 👏🏻 COLOR! 💚 ⏤ by friendwithpools
Oh. No. I love it. 💚 ⏤ by ditchbankflowers
This is AWESOME!!!! A pop of green is so in and I love seeing something so unique and fabulous! Thanks for writing this review! Am strongly considering! 🐍💚 ⏤ by Honey__Pot77
Could you possibly get pictures from the seller for the pink one please! I want to see if it’s a bad stock photo on AE ⏤ by JuicyGirl7
├─ I’ve just been messaging the seller through the AE messaging app, they’re really responsive on AE! ⏤ by marvelousmiamason
Ok don’t usually like neon but so cute 🥺 ⏤ by [deleted]
It’s so cute!!! 🐛🐛🐛 ⏤ by szeplassanfiuk
Omg that bag is so cute! 😍 i wish i can pull off such style but damn ⏤ by fatsalmon
Are you crafty? I feel like it would be pretty simple to paint the eyes black on that white bag with some acrylic paint. ⏤ by giclee
├─ I had the same thought, unfortunately I am not crafty in the least and worry I would end up painting the rest of the snake and not just the eyes! I’m also not sure if the plastic (?) surface of the eyes would take paint? Would I need a primer? A top coat? Or is it trial and error when you don’t know what exactly the eyes are made of? ⏤ by marvelousmiamason
├── I’m not completely sure but a paint pen would give you more control, and if the label says it works for plastic, ceramic, and glass you should be fine. ⏤ by giclee
├─── Thank you so much for the tip, I might have to try it! Could I also ask, might acrylic melt off if I get caught in the rain? Or did you suggest acrylic because it’s waterproof? ⏤ by marvelousmiamason
├──── It’s definitely waterproof once dry. ⏤ by giclee
├───── Thanks so much for the tips and info!!! ⏤ by marvelousmiamason
├────── I’m interested to hear if/when you try it! Feel free to PM me if you think of any other questions. :) ⏤ by giclee
├─────── I’ll definitely let you know if I decide to pull the trigger! You’re so sweet for patiently answering my questions, thank you :) ⏤ by marvelousmiamason
this looks great ⏤ by Important-Context-79
Honestly, this is really cute! I’d 100% wear it to visit Roswell XD
No cap, I think the color is flattering which amazes me because I’m not usually into neons! ⏤ by MaslowsHierarchyBees
Holy crap. Is this me buying a neon green bag? Love this so much! ⏤ by Aprilume
Omg this bag reminds me of Area 51 from Vegas <3_<3 must get!! ⏤ by crazycoolpool525
I love the color and how squishy it looks! I can’t decide on the green you got or the darker green the seller also has, too stinking cute. ⏤ by drasticxactions
├─ I had the same dilemma! I ultimately went with the neon since it’s more unique; there are plenty of other bags in the darker green color but not as many in neon green! ⏤ by marvelousmiamason