Kind of the original sort of ethical shop that was, as everyone knows founded by Anita Roddick and…read moreis still a shop dedicated to environmental products and this sometimes pushes the prices up a little bit. The shop always smells great and you can get an amazing selection of soaps, skincare, shampoos and bath stuff. It maybe isn't as good as the legendary Lush, of which there is quite a big one in Belfast but the Body Shop is still pretty good. The staff in here are all young girls, which is good and bad, they can be friendly but they can also be a little bit aloof as well. Its based in the Bloomfield Shopping Centre which means it has excellent parking near by, access to plenty of ATMs, is easy to get to and there are plenty of other shops around which makes this wee shop really convenient to pop into.

This Body Shop has been in the same location in Bloomfields Shopping centre since its conception…read more It is one of the only ever present retail outlets in Bloomfields that has stood the test of time, this says a lot for the place. In a competitive shopping centre it has fought off many rivals. To be honest I do not really like The Body Shop, its super ethical and over priced if you ask me. All there products are amazing but as I previously mentioned they seem change the prices far too often. This Body Shop is in a great location and is always a decent bet if you are looking for a present for a female. It shows that you care about the planet as well as caring for them. It works on so many levels. With good parking, ATM access in Bloomfields Body Shop is thriving.

I have visited this little gem of a salon twice now and am so impressed with the service. This is…read morea purpose built salon attached to the owner's house. At first I was a bit dubious not knowing what to expect but was very pleasantly surprised to discover it looks like any other high end salon without the high end prices! I had a refocus facial and gel polish. My skin feels amazing and at such competitive prices I'll definitely be back. Kathryn the owner is really lovely and friendly and made me feel very relaxed, this means a lot when you're spending up to 2 hours one to one with someone. I like to chat and thankfully so does she:) Visit with confidence, you will find them on Facebook if you want prices and photos.

This chemist is part of a chain of shops well known in the North Down area. This particular one has…read morea very busy pharmacy department as it is situated next door to a large General practitioners . It is well laid out and the staff are very helpful and friendly. There are always lots of good brand name products on offer at very reasonable prices and they not only sell the usual toiletries and make up but they also have a wide choice of cleaning products . I was able to walk into the store and avail of the passport photographic service which took less than ten minutes before I was walking out with the beautiful mug shots in my hand and I still had change out of a fiver. I have been to this chemist on lots of occasions and I have always come out with something that I have found to be a lot cheaper than other stores especially in their perfume department.

Carrickfergus now has two branches of this little shop, World of Colour (I believe there is another…read moreone in Ballyclare too) - they have a great selection of makeup, nail polish, toiletries and perfumes. They also have useful hints and tips on the shelves, stating whether this product is a good replacement for well known, more expensive brands. I got the W7 concealer which is better than Touche Eclat, and less than half the price! They also sell my favorite brand of foundation for £2 cheaper than anywhere else. To top it off the staff are extremely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, and they also offer a loyalty scheme.

World of Colour - Could I love this shop any more? Well ok I could own it that would be pretty…read moreawesome. But anyhow, it's a mini sale make up paradise. They sell a range of brand name products for a great discount price. They also sell lots of brand perfume as well as imitation ones which smell exactly like the real deal. Brands include; Benefit, Clarins, Nivea etc. Your basic make up ranges all at discount price, great! I could spend all day in here smelling all the pretty scents and testing out all the samples of make up but I would probably end up looking like some nut job from a loony bin, so I'll resist and call in every now and again.

This is one of the smaller concessions in Bloomfield Shopping Centre and the lack of size means…read morethat you have to rely heavily on the staff to get you stuff so you can check it out before you buy. This is fine if you know what you want but if you are browsing or are a bit unsure this can make things a bit awkward. The prices are pretty standard and you can get gift vouchers which I think is excellent because that means you can let your girlfriend or boyfriend to pick their own stuff. This not only means they'll get what they want but it also means you don't really have to put too much effort into it. Its based in Bloomfield Shopping Centre which means that it is easy to get to, has plenty of parking, ATMs and other shops about so its really convenient to head here to pick up a gift.

I really like The Perfume Shop, it is very small and all the products are all behind the counter so…read moreyou can not have a sniff before you buy unless you ask the usually helpful staff. The Perfume Shop always has good deals on and you will probably not find the stuff in here cheaper anywhere else. Oh and the girls who work there are always great to look at and they will obviously smell nice which is a Brucey bonus! The location of the shop is convenient and it is in the centre of the shopping centre so you have to walk past it, but you will most likely not get very far before the scents and pretty ladies lure you in.

This is a girls shop. Pure and simple. I have been literally dragged her on a number of occassions…read moreand despite having little or no interest in anything on sale I've always found this a pretty good place to be with lovely staff and a nice atmosphere in and around the place. You can get all sorts here. You can pick up beauty and skincare, bleach and developer, college kits, combs and brushes, electricals, eyelashes, furniture and equipment, gift sets and vouchers, hair colour, hair extensions, hair removal, multi cultural hair, nails, pedicure, salon essentials, scissors, shampoos and conditioners, styling, tanning and all sorts of special offers. All in all a bit of a one stop shop for this kind of stuff. Just not for me.

SemiChem is in the bracket below Boots I would say. In that you don't get the huge selection and…read morethe great advantage points but you will maybe pick up a few more bargains if truth be told. You can pick up some really cheap stuff in here but I have always found that the stuff that was going cheap was never anything that I wanted to buy, but thats just me I guess. In this particular store, the staff are pretty dead on and you won't have a bad shopping experience. The store is nice and clean and tidy so you certainly wont have any problems. Also, as a plus point, you can get parked near here pretty easily so that is a huge bonus for me anyway.

I am a frequent visitor to Semi Chem for the cheap toothpaste, reduced price face creams and sundry…read moreother household cleaning stuff. Even if I've bought only a niggardly piece of soap the staff nearly always dutifully trot out the weekly perfume offer which may be good value but not the type of purchase that you throw in along side a box of washing powder or whatever other mundane item you've just picked up. Still, it's useful to look into these if it is time to buy a present. There is also an increasing amount of random bargain items like packets of dried fruit, sugar, kitchen utensils and stationery as Semi-Chem tries to keep ahead of the squeeze from the proliferating Pound Shops and other discount stores.