Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn into Living Lights. It's a beautiful candle store with a…read moregorgeous assortment of different colours and designs. There are a few things I LOVE about Living Lights. Firstly it's all Kiwi owned and manufactured. There are no 'made in china' stickers to be seen. All the candles are designed and created in Golden Bay. Secondly, the smell! It really is divine. When I mentioned this to the lady in the store she told me that their 'Soy' candle held onto aroma more than usual wax, hence the glorious scents. These candles are big and bright. The bulb shape ones are my favourite and would make a funky centre piece for the table or mantel. For around $40 they also make an excellent gift. Living Lights is really a gorgeous store and I think has given a whole new life to the humble candle.

Arazzo is Mum & I's go to for gifts. They stock a beautiful range of candles, gorgeous body…read morelotions, silk scarves, jewellery, cookbooks and more. But the best thing about this small shop is that they turn over their stock at lightning speed, which means for a regular like me there's always something new to fawn over. It's obviously as popular with the other Milford locs as it is with our family. The other fabulous thing about Arazzo is that, compared to many other independent home decor stores, it's affordable. I love candles and so they have become somewhat of a price indicator for me and at $40 (they have quite a range), Arazzo's are an absolute steal! Try their beautiful handmade ones from Devonport. I forget the brand name but they come in a stylish black and white box and are stunning. They also currently have some fabulous christmas decorations, which the owner tell me are flying out the door. Cute wee reindeer and fairy lights galore - it certainly put me in a festive mood!

Retreat is a fantastic little store located within the Rialto mall that is wall to wall candles,…read moreincense and oils. Retreat also have their own brand of soy candles that smell amazing, there are 15 scents of which you can buy in jars, tins, votives and tealights. I love the caramel, vanilla and coconut, French pear and fig and melon the most, there is nothing better than having spaces in your house that smell like dessert. One a service note, you are able to get your candle jars refilled by Retreat. They don't even have to be their jars either. The equivalent of a large Ecoya metro jar is $30 to buy and if you want a refill it is only $15, so any jar of yours around that size would be the same which is fantastic. They also have a candle personalisation service which are popular for weddings and dinner parties, they make nice guest gifts. The service here is always friendly too.

Mmmm this place smells sooooo good. I always like to stop in here and have a wee browse even if I'm…read morewell stocked with candles at home. I went there recently to buy some candles and walked away with the Coconut Lime soy candles (this was their fragrance of the week and it was a special price) and their French Pear candles. Both just make our place smell divine. The Coconut Lime one reminds me of a pina colada and the French Pear smells almost like a freshly baked apple pie. I bought their pack of 6 tea light candles and the cool thing about them is instead of the holder being metal like normal tea light candles, it's made out of a special polystyrene that doesn't melt under heat. This is very cool because when the soy wax melts the candle becomes transparent and in the dark the whole candle lights up, not just the flame at the top. I love this place, go there, give it a go!

This florist is amazing! I ordered flowers off their website from Florida, and they were…read moredelivered, fresh and beautiful, literally 2 hours later. I highly recommend!

I ordered a large bouquet of flowers from the U.S. for my aunt who lives in Auckland. The flowers…read morearrived in a timely fashion, were very fresh, and most importantly, she loved them! When I called to place the order, the assistant made placing the order very easy. I highly recommend them!

I visited Mecca in Ponsonby a few weeks ago and had GREAT customer service from a lovely worker…read morecalled Karla. She helped me find exactly what I needed and left me very satisfied with my purchase.

Visited Mecca in Ponsonby again last Saturday 9th March 2024 and the lovely girls on the counter…read morerecommended I try the new Rose Inc Serum/ Skin Tint currently only available at Mecca Queen St as far as I know. It's an amazing product in skin care/ makeup if you care about what you're putting on your skin. So, I grabbed a tester during the week and will definitely be back for this product. It's luxurious on skin and blends in so well just by using fingertips plus makes your skin feel so good! Big THANKS again to the girls at Mecca Ponsonby, it's always a pleasure!

I adore 101 Howick, and perhaps my one regret in life is that I left it too late to snap up one of…read morethe incredibly stylish and New-York-loft-esque stools that were basically one huge thread with a seat on top, and you could hand-screw to adjust in height. Okay maybe that's not the best description... Point being, they have tasteful, unusual, and beautiful homeware and gifts. There's a little bit of everything really, and if you like Redcurrent, you'll love 101 Howick. It's like Redcurrent with more cushions, and fewer candles. With more stylish pieces of occasional furniture, and fewer Olga Berg bags (not that I'm knocking them). Visit for a present you'd never have dreamed of, or a decent spoil for yourself.

For a special occasion why not choose a personalized candle. This specialized business can create…read moreyour individualized candle whether it's for a baptism, naming ceremony, wedding, Diwali, Christmas, or any occasion. A Kiwi owned and operated company, the quality and attention to detail is absolutely stunning, we have ordered a few special occasion candles from here and they always exceed our expectation. They can even take a photograph or replicate a crest and embellish the candle with this. You'll deal with Brigitte personally and she'll take care of every little detail for you and ensure it is just perfect.

I had a disappointing experience with this store…read more I received my order and immediately noticed that the clothes had a very strong fragrance smell. Given that I ordered premium organic children's clothing, this was quite concerning and contrary to what many parents expect - minimal processing and no added scents. They also sell diffusers and candles, which may explain the scent contamination. I emailed the same day I received the package to request a return and refund. It then took a full week to receive a response, which simply instructed me to return the items to a warehouse address, with no clear process. I replied the same day asking reasonable questions -such as the warehouse opening hours, whether I could drop the items off in person. It has now been another week with no response. This was also confusing because their company policy states that online orders can be returned to any of their retail stores. This would have been far more convenient, as they have multiple locations with set opening hours and staff available, so you know you can actually speak to someone and have the return handled properly. Overall, the lack of communication, slow response times, and inconsistency with their stated return policy have been very frustrating. For a brand positioning itself as premium, I expected much better customer service and handling of returns. I would also caution other parents who prefer unscented, minimally treated baby clothing to keep this in mind when ordering.

Father Rabbit is the absolute best. It seriously turns me into a gushing 16 year old. They've got…read morebeautiful, beautiful homewares, candles, children's clothing and there's a small amount of adult clothing too. This store is larger than their Ponsonby one and is located inside Bloc, which is dangerous in itself. But back to F.R, the brands they stock are all seriously stunning - lots of whites, neutrals and soft pastels.... it's my dream to make my house look like this one day... Not surprisingly, Father Rabbit has become my go-to for gifts. It isn't outrageously expensive and they've got a wide range of products, something for everyone. Check it out next time you're in Mt Eden....the ultimate one stop shop.

You always feel good about buying stuff from here. You know that by doing so you help support…read morevillages of people in third world countries whose standard of living is improved by you being a Trade Aid customer. The prices are very reasonable too. They sell a wide range of items from woven baskets and kids toys to bedding and food, the dried mango and papaya is seriously good! The soaps which come from India are really good, many scents and one of the few places to find neem soap which is really good for your skin which is what I come here for all the time. The staff here are very friendly too.

Love love love Trade Aid stores. It is a business / organisation that helps those which provide the…read moregoods. It is an ideal shopping scenario, not only can you purchase amazing and non-expensive items, but a massive chunk of the proceeds go to the people who helped make them, and others. Trade Aid deals with several products, from candles, chocolates and teas, to blankets, jewellery and pillows. You can also purchase stationary and musical instruments, it really is an all out there kind of store. And everything is absolutely authentic, which is wonderful. This particular Trade Aid store is quite on the smaller side of things, but they still offer a lot of great things for purchase, I particularly like their collection of candles and scarves here. The staff are also very friendly here, and are always up for a chat, especially when you ask them about the organisations they help, and the places they've traveled to, to find the goods, it makes for a very interesting story.