Home Essentials Ooh la la (All products in collection) Review

Welcome to my world or rather my bathroom, actually the ladies room.  I am all about fancy-schmancy, glitz and glamour, and the prissy stuff.  I had no plans to redecorate my master bath until I was browsing in the bed and bath at K-Mart and came upon the Ooh la la collection by Home Essentials.  The design just totally fascinated.  I swore I just had to have it.  My best friend Lori also wanted to do a smaller scale in one of her 4 bathrooms.  The question was who was going to do it first and guess what?  I did but only by luck of the draw.

The Ooh la la collection is a beautiful black and pink pattern with all the little things that make a girl's life glamorous (stilettos, handbags, hats, perfume bottles, etc.)

I was given a $100 gift card from an employee at K-Mart.  Since this was unexpected "money" I knew exactly what I was going to do.  I went to the bath collection and picked out all but the wastebasket, bath mat, cotton ball jar, and the toothbrush holder.  I couldn't afford to pay $20 for a wastebasket and the other accessories I mentioned above weren't available in my store.  So, I called Linda and asked her to check for them at the store in her area.  She wrote the list down and said she would get on it.  Later that evening she called to tell me she had gotten all my missing items and she wanted to know if I had the wastebasket.  I told her no and why.  So she offered to pick that up for me.  She even bought me a complete set of the embellished towels (bath, hand and washcloth).

The reason the wastebasket cost so much is that it is 2-pieces.  You have a beautiful black-wired basket with frosted pink heart medallions hanging from the wire.  And then you have a frosted pink trashcan that sits inside the wire bin.  The shower hooks are perfume bottles, stiletto heels, hats, and handbags.  Click on the pictures to get a better view of each product. 

 This is an elegant design for K-Mart.  It's like walking into the adult world of a princess storybook.  Everything about this pattern shouts out: Classy, sassy, chic, and elegance.  You don't feel as if you are going into a bathroom.  You feel as if you have stepped into a powder room.  A place where the lady primps and makes ready for that special evening or someone.  I think the stiletto heels and the chic little handbag portrays the sexy side of the lady.  I love my bathroom and love it when people see it.

The only problem is it is very difficult to coordinate linens.  The pink isn't a distinct pink; the longer you look at the more you think it has peach in it.  The embellished towels that go with the collection are too slick for drying off with.  The patterns sort of just cling to your wet skin and they don't appear to be that great for absorbency.  I returned all but one set of towels; which are now the display set.

Remember when I won the Simple Thanks award?  Well, I used the e-gift card to replace the bath rug that I messed up with hair color (that is also a review).  I have every item in the collection except for the bath mat.  I don't like bath mats-they get slimy underneath and I can't slide around while taking a bubble bath.  Maybe as I get older and more concerned about my safety in the tub I will start using bath mats.

The following is a list of the items that I have in my collection and the prices.  This collection is still being offered at K-Mart so go out and pamper yourself.  I gave Lori a few of the accessories and a hand towel for her downstairs half bath.

• Bath towel                         $9.99
• Hand towel                        $7.99
• Washcloth                         $5.99
• Shower Curtain                 $19.99
• Shower hooks                   $9.99
• Wastebasket                     $19.99
• Toilet seat                         $16.99
• Bath rug                            $16.99
• Soap dish                          $9.99
• Tumbler                             $9.99
• Cotton ball holder with lid   $12.99
• Lotion pump                       $12.99
• Toothbrush holder             $9.99
• I don't have the bath mat but it is priced at $9.99

Another disadvantage to this collection is that they do not offer coordinating switch plate covers.  However, we were able to find an outlet plate cover with a black stiletto heel from a kitchen and bath website for $25.  For the switch plate I am probably going to have to settle for a solid khaki.  If anyone sees anything that would compliment this pattern please send the information my way!