Sophie The Giraffe Product Review

EDIT: Now my boys are older (8 months), they have shown a little more interest in Sophie. However, I would not recommend buying this toy below 6 months, and it may take some time for your little one to warm to it :)

If you're a mum and you haven't heard of Sophie the Giraffe, then where have you been hiding? Sophie the Giraffe seems to be in every babies household. She is described as the top teething toy for babies that has 'wowed over 50 million babies (and parents.)' 

If you're reading this review I guess you want to know whether I was one of those 50 million parents wowed by this product. Well, yes and no. Yes I was one of those parents that bought Sophie, and no neither I, nor my babies were 'wowed'.

I remember the first time I heard about Sophie the Giraffe I looked her up online and saw this hideous giraffe toy. The manufacturer proudly explains how they have not changed the design since the original Sophie's were made in 1961, but am I the only person out there who thinks they really should? On the looks basis alone I questioned buying her, the permanent creepy surprised face and big black eyes does nothing for me.

A few months passed and my newborns turned into little dribbling, teething, monster babies, and I again went back to question whether or not I should purchase this ugly Giraffe to keep my twins from gnawing their hands off. I saw that for a limited time Sophie was reduced to £9.99 on Amazon, and I decided to buy one as a trial for my boys.

When Sophie arrived I was quite excited and intrigued to see how amazing she was going to be. If you speak to other mothers, they've all got one, and rave about her helping their dribbling babies with their teeth. As a mother it is customary to take a picture of your baby and Sophie telling everyone how much your baby loves it, even if the photo of them with her is completely staged by you. Like this one, (yes I said Sophie was a hit literally seconds after my baby had her in his hands for the first time...I lied.)

I'm sure 90% of mothers who take a photo of their baby with a Sophie Giraffe have given it them in a particular way so that it looks like their baby loves her. In reality as soon as the photo is taken, Sophie has dropped and your baby is gnawing on their hand again.

To my boys, (and with twins I had two babies to trial this product), they weren't the least bit interested in this ugly giraffe. Amongst my mummy friends Sophie is known as 'the dog toy', partially because she squeaks like most dog toys do, but also because most of the mothers eventually just gave her to their dogs.

I'm not sure why Sophie is such a hit with parents, as you can see even celebrity mums carry her around with them, (please note that as a parent you will most likely end up carrying Sophie everywhere you go):

Jessica Alba, Baby and Sophie

Pink, Daddy, Baby and Sophie

Sandra Bullock, Baby and Sophie

Nicole Richie, Baby and Sophie

Maybe we end up finding this ugly giraffe cute and enjoy taking pictures of our babies with her. I'll be honest even I thought it was cute when I saw my little boy with a giraffe. Maybe we're all just following the hype and not wanting to expose our own babies as Sophie haters, when every other baby out there apparently 'loves it.' Or maybe I'm alone in my opinion and you and your babies all think this 'gorgeous' giraffe is a god send. 

Don't get me wrong, my boys (who are 8 months old now) have started smiling if I squeak Sophie, but they also smile when I pull a silly face at them, so I'm not blown away with getting a smile for £10. As a teething toy Sophie has done absolutely nothing to help aid my boys in their teething issues. One of my boys had his two bottom teeth through at once, and I can honestly say Sophie did not help with his teething pain at any point. She is also made of rubber, and if you give her a sniff (go on, you know you want to), you get a foul strong rubber smell, even after cleaning her. The taste isn't better either, no wonder my babies aren't blown away by smelly Sophie.

My advice to any of you mothers who have read other great reviews on Amazon etc about this amazing baby teether, don't believe them. Sophie the Giraffe is just an ugly overrated dog toy, that'll sit in your house unused. I imagine the positive reviews will end up swaying your judgement and you'll purchase her just to see for yourself the little interest your baby will have with her, it's just one of those things us mothers do, we have to see for ourselves. 
All I can say is your baby is going to struggle with teeth no matter what you do, and a giraffe isn't going to help. Sorry Sophie.

Let me know whether Sophie was a hit with your little one, or if you didn't bother believing the hype in the first place. I'd love to know.

Lots of love,
Samantha Dawn
xoxo

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YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick Le Orange #13 Review

Hey guys,

I bought this lipstick last summer and have put off reviewing it as I just wasn't sure if I liked it or not. I bought it after watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians, it's the episode where the family visit Bora Bora. On this holiday Kourtney Kardashian looked amazing, she had this gorgeous orange coloured lipstick on and all I could think about was that lipstick and that I wanted it so much. Sadly I do realise I'm the total opposite of Kourtney K in the looks department, and am as pale as anything, and blonde! But still, I wanted to try this lipstick so bad that I decided I just had to buy it.

I ended up buying the lipstick online as it was sold out in my local shops, so I didn't actually see the colour until it arrived and I opened it. For some reason I thought it would be more of an orange colour, I mean it is called 'Le Orange' after all. But it's actually quite a reddish colour with a hint of orange. Needless to say, I was rather disappointed with it, especially after paying £25 for a supposedly orange lipstick. I thought that anyone who suggested this was the shade of lipstick Kourtney wore had got it wrong and that I had just wasted quite a lot of money on a red lipstick I didn't want. I was so disappointed with it, I even put the lipstick away in my 'review later' pile and to be honest, I completely forgot I had it.

Well summer is back and I delved into my makeup box this morning to end up finding this lipstick again, and I have to say, I love it! It's in a beautiful gold packaging, with the usual YSL logo on the lipstick itself, it just oozes luxury. 

It's one of those lipsticks that's creamy in texture and once applied stays on for hours, which is perfect in this summer heat. I think because I thought it wasn't what I wanted previously I wrote it off without really trying it out, but I'm so glad I've found it again. 

At the moment I'm still rather pale thanks to the British weather being pretty awful, but as the sun is shining today I had to apply this lipstick and it even suits pale skin. Yes it is more of a reddish colour, but the tones of orange are there and the colour in itself is really beautiful. It's probably the closest I will ever get to a red lipstick that I actually like, and one that suits me too.

I can't wait to get a tan and wear it again as it really does compliment that darker skin colour well, and Kourtney Kardashian looks gorgeous wearing this lipstick. I think this is definitely a  regular Kardashian make up item, as I've since seen Khloe and Kylie wearing this shade.

I'd say the only downside to this lipstick is the price, which is obviously going to be more as a designer brand. I did really hesitate before I bought it as I just didn't know if I could convince myself that a lipstick was worth £25. But I have to say this will definitely be worn each Summer, the reddish/orange colour just doesn't go out of fashion, and I think it is money well spent for a lipstick you can continuously wear. The other reason why I love this lipstick so much more than your regular high street brand, is because it only needs one application to last you all day. 

I would definitely say to give this lipstick a go if you've got the cash to splash, and there's various other gorgeous shades in the Rouge Pur Couture range that you may prefer.

Let me know if you have any YSL Lipstick recommendations, or if you've got this lipstick yourself, I'd love to know what you think of it.

Until next time, 

Samantha Dawn 

x

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DermaH20 Water Wipes Review

If you're a mum-to-be or a new parent you've probably heard of WaterWipes. WaterWipes are made with 99.9% water and 0.1% fruit extract, and are suitable from birth. They are free from chemical preservatives, allergy friendly and help avoid nappy rash. The company who produce them, Derma H20, emphasise the fact that WaterWipes are all natural wipes, and don't contain any harmful chemicals found in other baby wipes. These chemicals can be found even in those produced by leading brands such as Pampers, Huggies etc. I'll be the first one to admit that, prior to hearing of WaterWipes I was quite happily going to use standard wet wipes without any question as to the chemical ingredients. Surely we can trust baby brands not to add ingredients that are harmful to babies skin? Maybe not.

Prior to buying my first pack of WaterWipes, I did question whether it was worth spending money on something that is essentially just water; however the guilt of being a new parent and potentially harming my baby with 'chemical wipes' took over me and I gave in. I did hesitate before placing my order online, at Amazon you can buy 12 packs for £25, which again seems a lot for a water based product you use once and throw away. I placed four orders of £25 whilst my babies were newborns, looking back that was £100 on some baby wipes that are just made of water!!!
Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that they contain no chemicals, and my twins didn't get any nappy rash whilst using the products, (although we no longer use WaterWipes and they still don't have nappy rash so that could have just been coincidence). 

In hindsight, what was wrong with a bit of cotton wool and some water? It would have saved me a lot of money in the long run. 

I'm not saying don't buy WaterWipes. They are a lazy alternative to cotton wool and water, and in the newborn months you certainly need to have some quick easy alternatives. It is a lot easier to open a packet of wipes and clean your babies tushy rather than go and get some water, get the cotton wool out and clean them up. Having said that, I think DermaH20 have certainly played on the dangers of other baby wipes, focusing on them being harmful which obviously makes new parents stop using anything but, yes you guessed it, WaterWipes. Well I can't knock them for that as it certainly worked with me and other mums I know.

Will I continue to use WaterWipes now my babies are 7 months old? No. I switched to ordinary fragrance free baby wipes to use when I'm out and about (for ease) and cotton wool and water when I'm at home. I stopped buying them when my babies were around 4 months old as I think they are a good buy for newborn babies, but now my babies are getting a little bigger and I've had a little more sleep, I think I can manage to clean them the old fashioned way, with water from my tap. 

WaterWipes retail at just over £2 a pack, which is higher than your standard pack of baby wipes. I have to say the price itself is a little baffling, I mean they can't cost that much to make, can they?!

I suppose you're wondering would I recommend these for your little one? Well, I do for those early newborn months, if only to save you the trouble of using cotton wool and water. Other than that, there are cheaper alternatives that do the job just as well, if not better, so I'd save your money.

Have you used WaterWipes? What did you think of them? I'd love to hear about your experience and if you like them or not.

Don't forget to follow me for more baby related product reviews and general mummy chat.

Lots of love,

Samantha Dawn

xoxo

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