Monday 7 September 2015

University Haul


So I, like many others, am heading off university in the very near future. And also like many others, I have opted for university accommodation to be my new home for the year.
Now I'm rather lucky, as the university of my choice is only a 20 minute drive away... which means 
1) I don't have far to take my dirty washing (Thank you mum!).
And 2) if I feel homesick, its really not very far at all to go home.

I know for a lot of people this isn't the case and some of you are even travelling not only across the country, but across the world too (I really admire you.. you're a lot braver than i am!). But no matter where you're going, this is a daunting time in every-ones lives. I mean, do you know how an iron works? I for one, certainly do not! i really probably should know by now, considering there's less than a week before i move in, but hey, i cant be the only one! (right?)

I'm a creature of habit, I really don't like change. So to help calm my nerves and set my mind at ease, my mum and I took on a mission. A mission to make my new room absolutely perfect. So i have my own tranquil little space containing little things that are special to me. We've not quite finished yet, but we sure are on the right tracks! 

The first step was to chose a theme. I opted for a sparkly gold, black, and white theme for my bathroom (the bathrooms white already so I'm kind of stuck with that!), and a metallic theme for my bedroom... which is great as I can go as copper, gold, and rose gold crazy as I like!

I'm going to start this haul with bits and pieces for my bathroom (click the image to link to where you can buy them):



Let's start as we mean to go on... a little bit OTT (do people even use that anymore?) 
Now i know that a toilet seat is already provided, but who doesn't want to feel like a princess whilst they're peeing... its certainly not me!
This toilet seat was £20 from Asda and i'm in LOVE!


These gold little beauties are also from Asda, George home are really excelling! it was actually the soap dispenser that started my raging love for a gold glitter themed bathroom... i bought the dispenser first, and of course everything had to match! The toothbrush holders were £5, the toilet brush holder was £9 and the soap dispenser was £8.



These soaps smell amazing! (even better in my gold dispenser) 
I've decided that i want a fresh and fruity fragrance for my room for the warmer months, and then for winter i'll swap to the more floral scents. Both of these are deliciously scented, the pink soap smells like Fanta fruit twist and the yellow soap smells really fresh, and almost fruity too. They were both £3.99 from Homesense, they're in TK Maxx too for the same price.


This was also from Homesense, it was £6.99 and worth every penny! I think i'm going to use this for my hair bobbles and grips, i've not decided yet,i bought it purely because it was gold... Buy first, ask questions later, that's the motto


Yet again another Homesense steal. This towel rail was £12.99 and it looks so good when the light catches it. If there's one thing to know about me, i'm a magpie for all things sparkly (as if that wasn't obvious by now...) so i saw this and had to have it!


  Black and sparkly bath mat. I don't actually have a bath in my bathroom, but this will still look lovely on the floor in my tiny little bathroom! this was £10 from next.


I know i've gone overboard here, but who wants a normal shower curtain when you could have a black sparkly one? With that ever needed anti fungal finish... does yours have an anti fungal finish? does it? no, i didn't think so.
This was £30 from Next, it's quite pricey considering im provided with one, but i really liked it and i think it will change the whole feel of my bathroom into a more classy affair. (sorry fungus, you're not welcome)





These 2 boxes fit perfectly with my theme and look ever so stylish with their mirrored exterior, velvet interior, and gold glittery stripes (no anti fungal finish though... i'll have to complain). I bought the 2 as i didn't know which size would be best and they were the last 2 so i felt compelled to get them both (my mum got the last silver one too.. woops). These will be perfect for storing all my little bits and bobs, and whichever one i don't use in the bathroom can be used in my bedroom. 
The bigger box was £24.99 and the smaller £16.99



These soap dispensers were on sale in asda for £1.25 each reduced from their normal price of £5, so i bought 2 with no real reasoning... Until i realised that i could turn them into cute little shampoo and conditioner dispensers. I just added the S and the C with some gold permanent marker and filled them with shampoo and conditioner. 
I really like this idea as it means everything is going to look a lot more organised and maybe even fool people into thinking that i have my life together 
"look, she even has dispensers for her hair products" 
"wow" 
"how does she do it" 
(okay thats not going to happen in real life, but that's what i envisage) 



We got my towels and face cloths from BHS in their 40% off sale. I got 2 Bath sheets (huge bath towels) at £16.80 each, 3 hand towels at £6 each, and 4 Face cloths at £1.80 each. They're all luxuriously soft and very good quality, i'm excited to use them!



These washing bags are absolutely essential for me, as i'm going to be lugging my washing back home every week for my mum (thanks again!).

This large bag was £15 from Next. It's absolutely huge. So huge, I can fit into it (i'm really quite big). It's probably too big for weekly trips back and forth so i'll probably save it for holidays.



This smaller bag is a lot more manageable in size. It was £10 from Next. I cant seem to find it on their website so keep your eyes out in store.


Now onto the rest of my haul, this is mainly bedroom things, with a few kitchen pieces slipping in towards the end:


Keeping with the gold theme, i picked up this gold desk fan from tesco for £15. I have 2 temperature settings, too hot or too cold, so a fan is essential... along with a heated blanket.


There's a little bit of a story behind why i had to have this little canvas. It's caught my eye everytime i've seen it in store... but could i remember what store!? I was adamant it was in next, we had all the staff pondering over this canvas, searching old catalogues, looking at old display pictures and ringing countless other stores... only to find out it was actually from tesco (£6)  
My sincere apologies to all of the Next employees...  


Another absolute essential for feeling cosy is, in my opinion, fairy lights. They make any room feel just that little bit more homely. I've been searching for affordable fairy lights for a while now, the only ones i could find were battery powered, which i didn't want. Then i found these, £3.99 from home bargains. They plug into the wall and have a 5m long wire, i was so impressed i had to buy 2.


My TV for my uni room is a 29" LG smart TV. It's going to be perfect for watching netflix whilst working and catching up on all of my youtube videos and TV shows. 
My mum got it from Currys but im not sure on how much she paid as it was a birthday present but its £199 at the moment.


This bag was £16 from tesco. I think it'll be perfect for packing my things in when i come home for the weekends. It's a really good size and i love the pattern.



This little box might just be my favourite. I can imagine it open on my shelves with either a blanket in it, or a pile of books/magazines. It's covered in cute little sayings and has such a sophisticated vintage vibe. It was £9.99 from Homesense.


I think i bought this again for the sole purpose of making people believe i have my life together. i don't know how many letters i expect to be getting, but i suppose it could be a nice place to pile all of my scrap paper i can't be bothered to put in the bin! 
It was also £9.99 from Homesense.


These pen holders were on sale at £1.25 in Dunelm, so again i had to get 2 (are you sensing a pattern?).


My cushion was half price at £8 from BHS. I'm not normally one for synthetic fillings in cushions, i prefer either duck or goose feathers, but this cushion is exceptionally soft. I only got one of these, but i may get another (even if they are supposed to be for a sofa).

I don't have a picture of this blanket as it's under lock and key so i don't get it dirty before i go (white dogs and dark blankets are a fatal combination).I saw it on the display bed in Debenhams and LOVED it. We couldn't find it on the shelves so we asked someone who worked there, and she said it was their only one and we could have it for 20% off. Originally it was £120 (ouch), but we got it for £96, which is still mega pricey for a blanket, but it's so gorgeously soft.   


Every student room needs a kettle, mine just so happens to be copper and i love it. We got this for £15 from Asda. Perfect for midnight pot noodles!

Tesco have a pot noodle sale by the way..


This tissue holder was £3.99 from Home Bargains; It's really nice because it disguises those ugly tissue boxes and Black goes with anything so it'll always have a home with me!
I can't find it online, so keep your eyes out in store.



My bedding is absolutely stunning. The bottom picture is it on display in next, i think this will pair perfectly with my blanket and make for an extra lovely room.
I got a kingsize cover even though we only have 3/4 beds purely down to the fact that i have the best duvet at the moment on my kingsize bed and i can't bare to part with it... so it's coming with me.
The duvet cover was £60, however we got it for £40 with an online discount code.


This next little gem is also from Next (i promise this isn't sponsored by next!)
I think this is going to come in so useful for either flat parties or just to keep in my room for if i can't be bothered to go to the kitchen to get a drink.
It was £12 and from the summer collection so it's no longer available on the website.


This basket is brilliant, so brilliant i bought 6. They're 2 for £16 in Next. They'll look lovely on my shelves with lush products in,a few books, or anything that needs a home!
They're supposedly brass, but i think they're more of a rose gold/copper. They're still absolutely gorgeous.


This vase was 75p from tesco. It's not much, but i do love a bargain!


Now onto the kitchen things! This hand whisk is going to come in so useful for baking at uni as i'm not going to be carting my kitchen aid back and forth! They're retailing at £16.


These chopping boards are a lot like the Joseph & Joseph ones, but these are less than half the price. at £10 from Wilkinsons, you'd be mad not to buy them! They're separated into 4 chopping boards, one for raw meat, cooked meat, fish, and fruit and veg. I think this will also give the impression that i have my life together... hopefully!


These coasters were £3, also from wilkinsons. These will probably stay in my room as i just love them so much! they have the little rubber things (you know what i mean) on the bottom so they don't scratch anything which is also good seeing as our accommodation is quite strict on marks left in the room.


When it came to pans, i know i needed non-stick as i really hate using any fat in my cooking (which is probably a weird concept considering i bake all the time which is the fattiest thing ever), so this pan is brilliant for me. We have these at home and they're really amazing and NOTHING ever sticks. They're so easy to clean too which is a bonus as i'm really not going to want to be spending all my time scrubbing beans off of a pan (yes i cook my beans in a frying pan). 
This was £24.99 from Dunelm. They're also on sale in any JML retailer at the same price.


Now please excuse my pyjamas, i promise i'm glamorous... pinky promise..
These utensils were found in Dunelm for £2.99 each. I had to have these, as the ends are soft silicone which means they wont scratch my pans. However with most soft silicon utentils, they're quite flexible. These on the other hand are quite rigid which is exactly what i was looking for.



I love this cheese grater! It's so handy as the container to grate into stores nicely underneath the greater. The container also has a lid to prevent wastage. I'm really impressed with it at £4.99 from Dunelm.




This little colander is so cute. In a pastel pink shade and not too big, it's perfect for uni. 
It was  £3.99 from Homesense,


My Grandma bought me these tea towels for my birthday. They're super soft and i love the colours. I don't think i'm going to be drying my dishes, i'm opting more towards the drip dry method because 1) its easier and 2) i think tea towels are a little unhygienic with people drying their hands on them and they can fall on the floor and all of that business.
Even still, they'll be really good for drying my hands. They're £9.50 from M&S.




Plastic cutlery and paper plates are an amazing idea for university. Can't be bothered to wash up? that's okay! just recycle them. I'm a very lazy person, so this will save me a lot of effort! they're only cheap and you can get them from anywhere, i really think it's worth getting a few if you too are uni bound.


So! there you have it, a run down of all the things i've bought for university so far!

I still have quite a bit to get, such as stationery and paper, but i think i'm well on my way to making my room feel as homely and welcoming as possible. 

As always, thankyou for reading and i'll be back soon!

Lia 
xoxoxox

P.s. let me know what your room essentials are in the comments, i'd be really interested to know.