Wow! Check out the window display! I would have taken a photo regardless of requiring a pic for…read moreYelp! Endless lotions and potions are stacked tetris-style on shelf after shelf covering all the available window space and making your head spin with the seemingly infinite hair pampering options available! If you have afro hair and like to coax it into any style of your choosing then I can't imagine you could go away empty handed! They also sell hair dryers and styling tools, hair dye, wigs, weaves, clip in hair extensions and a huge range of hair accessories. On top of this they have a huge variety of body lotions and skin creams and a selection of makeup. It would be easy to feel pretty overwhelmed by the vast array of products on display, but the staff are helpful and friendly and will point you in the right direction. Sihala provides many products to be used by all women but specialises in a range of products for black people that would not be found in most high street cosmetics retailers, which often tend to overlook the specific needs of black customers. Go Sihala!

Another hair shop! For a shop in the market The Hair Shop has an impressive shiny new façade which…read moreI'm sure attracts many customers. It stocks a wide variety of wigs and hair extensions, many made from 100% human hair. Like the several other shops of this type in Leeds they also stock false eyelashes, nails, makeup, nail varnish, hair accessories, curlers, hair products and hair styling electrical goods such as hair dryers, curlers and straighteners. Despite the vast array of hair related products to cram into limited space, the products are neatly displayed and allow for easy browsing. They are also reasonably cheap in price. Ladies (or gents) who aspire to have long, thick, luscious locks will love this place and are sure to find something to add to their mane!

I do love this place. It's not somewhere is visit on a regular basis, being as I'm not often found…read morein a colourful wig/with hair extensions, but the moment I need something for a costume it's my first port of call. Those who came/saw the pictures from the Alice in Wonderland themes blindfold tasting Elite Event at Lazy Lounge may recall the fantastic blonde wig I wore - so convincing was this piece that a few were sure I'd actually dyed my hair! (There's a shot in my profile images if you're curious.) Staff are very friendly, the prices great, and there's a boat load of other products for hair and such too. Have a browse, maybe you'll find something to reinvent yourself!

Hair City is a large outlet which sell hair products and most importantly wigs and hair pieces. I…read morelove wigs, oh so much, and have been peering in the window whenever I walk past. They have a huge variety to choose from so if you are looking for a wig or any kind of hair accessories then they are a great start. Also try, CC Hair and Beauty on Roundhay Road (who are worldwide and have a website) and the various outlets in the market who are the cheapest but maybe not the best in quality.

The Look is a cheap cosmetics shop in the market. It's pretty much what you'd expect from such a…read moreshop with piles of unbranded eyeliners, lipsticks, foundation, eyeshadow etc. As Aniela has pointed out, it's not the kind of place you'd buy from if you have sensitive skin as it can be difficult to find out the ingredients of the products and natural products can be much easier to trust. However, if you usually by cheap branded make up anyway, the makeup here may not be particularly worse in quality and the prices are definitely a bonus if you're counting the pennies. They also sell a huge amount of fragrances and aftershave by well-known brands so if you're into perfume, you may well find something at a good price to suit your nose's taste!

I don;t want to sound terrible, but I just can't really give The Look much more than this. I have…read morequite sensitive skin, so I am quite carefull about what I buy in terms of cosmetics. I would never buy anything here, as I have no idea where it comes from. There are baskets and baskets of different bits and pieces of jumbled up make up, that due to the lack of order, you have to pick up and look at. I felt that everytime I did this, I was getting the evil eye cast over me by the shop ladies. One upside is that they do stock incredibly bright nail varnishes at reasonable prices.

This is one of those wigs, weaves and hair accessories shops, of which there seem to be a fair few…read morein Leeds. And true to what appears to be the tradition of these shops, every available inch of space is used to display their wares. There are little niches barely wide enough to squeeze down covered floor to ceiling in hair pieces. Bizarrely one of these niches had a car tyre stowed in amongst the shiny packets of hair and one of the display hooks had been used to hang somebody's leather jacket...weird. Due to their clever use of space Busy B manages to pack a heck of a lot into a relatively small space, and thus caters well for most hair-piece related requirements. They also stock a range of makeup and nail varnish. The staff seem very helpful and friendly so if you find yourself confused by the huge range of products on offer they will steer you in the right direction.

I love wigs! I really do. Is that sad? They are just so much fun. I only have one of my own, a…read moreluminous pink bob that was purchased for a festival and some silly party fun. It's not very good quality and you end up finding pink strands everywhere after wearing it, but it still brings me a lot of joy. I have considered paying quite a considerable amount for a good quality wig, I'm not a secret agent for MI5 (or am I??), nor do I have a problem with hair loss, I just love the way you can transform yourself with a simple pile of locks. CC Hair and Beauty have stacks and stacks of wigs to oggle at and I love browsing and trying them on. They also sell a range of extensions, made from human or synthetic hair. Plus Afro hair products, hair care products, make up, skin care, nail care, eye lashes, and various accessories such as clips, beads, pins, weaving threads and glue. As far as doing stuff with your hair goes, this place has it down to a T.

Whoa, there is certainly one thing that you'll notice about this place, and that is the wigs. As…read moreAlexandra has expressed, they have a number of them, and I share her sentiments entirely. I'd love to have one although it seems to be such a frivolous and expensive thing to purchase when there is no real need. I must say, however, one time I almost did need wigs and it certainly would have been good to know about this shop had I actually lost all my hair! (Essentially, in my attempts to be peroxide blond, I nearly made myself go bald. You laugh now, but at the time it was devastating!) Still, wigs is not all that this place is in business for. They hold a number of different beauty products relating to hair. Some are more useful than others, such as the various clips and such, but the others are all lots of fun. The hair extensions they have seem to be good quality. I don't use them regularly, more for fashion and silly photo shoots, but I must say once you've tried the real hair ones it's almost impossible to go back to the plasticky cheaper ones. False eyelashes too can be an addictive habit, although thankfully I do not have the time or inclination to use them more often than for the aforementioned photo shoots or a really special night out. Nonetheless, no matter how often or sparsely you might utilise these things, CC Hair and Beauty has them all stocked to burst!

When you walk into Rose and Co it's as if you've stepped back in time to an old fashioned, but very…read morebeautiful apothecary. Arranged in ordered chaos are the sweetest smelling bath fizzers, lip balms and soaps. You can make your own gift box of bath treats (they look like little cakes, so cute!) The shop is crammed full of gifts and trinkets to suit every personality and they even have a vintage clothing boutique downstairs where the outfits are made to original 40's & 50's patterns. The shop is a big promoter of Agent Provocateur, Lolita Lempicka and Dr Hauschuka, and there's plenty of choice of products. The shop plays soft vintage music and creates a cosy, happy atmosphere to shop in. The decor is divine and the staff also dress up in 40's attire with full make-up and curled hair. I was amazed whilst walking around and loved the whole feel of the shop. I can't wait to take my mum shopping there next week!

The Victoria Quarter is the perfect location for Rose & Co, whose interior reminds me of a Betty's…read moreTea Rooms, very quaint with chandeliers, cake stands, antique furniture and vintage wallpaper. The first products you're likely to see are the 'bath fancies' that closely resemble tiny beautifully-made cupcakes - what a treat! The room is lined with glass cabinets and polished wood drawers, some tantalisingly opened to reveal neatly displayed goodies such as jewellery and cosmetics, including Burt's Bees and Dr. Hauschka. They also sell beautiful vintage-style sewing kits, a lovely gift and a rather kitsch way to inspire one to make-do-and-mend in a stylish and fun way! They sell books as well, all with a vintage theme and many with a photography or illustration focus, such as 50s pinups or burlesque. Downstairs is the boudoir selling lingerie and carefully selected vintage-style dresses, including some pretty cute 'ethically-made' dresses from Tara Starlet made in the UK and designed by none other than Tara form BBC's eye-opening documentary series 'Blood Sweat and T-shirts'. Yay!...And not extremely expensive at £65 for a dress. The lingerie section includes some rather pretty vintage-style underwear from Elle MacPherson. The products in this shop are not cheap but it is definitely worth a visit even just to browse and inhale the delicious smells. Or perfect for a special gift.

Before going on holiday I nipped in to the city centre Superdrug since I was grabbing all those…read morelast minute items. There's certainly a bounty of mini toothpastes, travel sized shampoos, conditioners and shower gels including almost any other neccesary item that you might wish to take with you. However, I was completely stumped on the sun cream front. After browsing and searching for about 10 minutes for a factor 50 cream I had to ask a member of staff. Sure, there's plenty of high factor creams for children, and I almost just picked up one of those since I'm reasonably sure that it would have been alright on my skin as well, but not knowing if there are specifics to children that don't work on an adult skin I was wary. After hunting around for another 10 minutes the lovely sales assistant and I eventually found one single brand who served a factor 50 for adults as well. (She was very helpful and attentive, so that certainly deserves a mention!) Now, I do regularly shop at Superdrug. I won't stop shopping there after this. But I'm really disappointed that they don't stock a higher quantity of sensibly factored sun creams. I believe the lowest factor they had, and stocked most, was about factor 8. Anyone who's even vaguely checked out sun cream would know this does extremely little (if nothing at all) to protect your skin. Yes, we are in the UK, which isn't exactly awash with gorgeous golden rays, but still. We often holiday abroad, even when we do get sunshine it's still packed with harmful rays and. Well. It was a shock not to find high factors easier. I know there are plenty of things to worry about other than skin cancer, but for those who actually wish to avoid burning, tanning and harmful UV rays (yes, I'm ghostly pale but happen to like myself just fine that way) there really ought to be more options. And encouragement. As for all the other goods that I'm sure you know about, these guys have it covered. And at pretty good prices. The staff in here have always been a pleasure to deal with too, which is always grand. So - for everything except high factor sun cream (unless you car to rummage, that is!) it's still well worth a stop off.

This Superdrug is a relatively new addition to the redevelopment of Albion Street, next to Urban…read moreOutfitters. It offers a 10% student discount and is a often a bit cheaper than Boots, which is only a few doors down the road. They sell makeup, vitamins, shampoo and often have great discounts. I like this one as last time I was there it wasn't busy at all and had a chat with the guy behind the till after he commented on my jade bracelet. Jade brings luck apparently - you learn a new thing every day as my Grandma used to say.

Every so often there comes an occasion when I need to cheer myself up and the usual just looking at…read morepretty things doesn't work. I need a serious hit of luxury. This place has become my go to place when I am in serious need to a pick me up. It is costly I wont lie but the quality it superb. The moisturisers are silky smooth and divine on the skin. I am quite a fan of the Jemma Kidd make up range and it's not as expensive as you would think. I picked up an eye shadow for £12 and it has lasted me for ages. It is also a great idea to go for gift inspiration. Around Christmas they have some great deals and it's the perfect place to go and get something for that girly girl in your life. http://beautytruthsnotuglylies.blogspot.com/

You know what, after those January blues and many over indulgences over the festive period, I feel…read morelike spoiling myself. Why not? Sometimes every girl needs to be kind to themselves and I find that a big fat dose of Space NK does just the trick. Now I know it's hardly a revolutionary finding but I really am partial to the Leeds branch. Great customer service and a nice big selection of stock means it's always a winner for me. Just take your rather vitamin lacking behind in and take advantage of the help on hand or have a gander for yourselves. After several minutes I was pointed in the direction of the Facial Detox Elemental Herbology and I'm not a tad disappointed. Further more, the excellent staff aren't you pushy so if you've got a budget you won't have to blow it. I did wince a little at the prices of the miracle cure facial creams available and for that cost it should actually do your washing and ironing for you too, but I steered clear and came out feeling like I'd be a new woman within a month. Not sure that has worked out for me yet but I did feel a worthy customer and felt they listened to my needs (within reason) very well. So go on, you are worth it. I think they should have adverts with that tagline, oh wait a minute...

If you're buying cosmetics on a particularly tight budget you may become an Esselle regular! They…read moresell a large variety of makeup, mainly non-brand name but some with the brand names you'd find in Boots at a fraction of the price. They also sell hair dye from many of the typical high street brands, again much reduced in price. On top of this there are various toiletries and plenty of hair accessories at low prices. If you're a high maintenance lass trying to struggle through these empty-pocketed times while attempting not to allow your roots to grow too long or to avoid having to use paprika as blusher (now there's an idea...!) Esselle could be your saviour!

There are a few of these discount cosmetic stalls around the market, and I think they are…read morefanstatic. The only downside is that if you are ever after anything specific, you can not guarentee they will have it. Last time I went in Estelle's, there were two women chatting away. This was lovely though, as they were friendly shop assistants. Hair dye for around the £3 mark? YES! They sell all things hair product related for a fraction of the price that high street pharmacists and beauty shops would charge.