One of the newest editions to Bow Street Mall, having only opened its doors in April, Pink is a new…read moreladies 'boutique' (not exactly what I would've called it, but hey). It's geared towards women in their teens and twenties, with much of the stock consisting of floral dresses, leggings, fancy tops, unusual jackets and skinny jeans. Think a cross between Streetlife and NV, and you'll not be far wrong. There are quite a lot of random little shops like Pink popping up all over the place, and to be honest, most of their clothes are all a bit samey. While Pink did have a good sale on (£5 rail was an instant winner), their clothes weren't really all that different to what I've seen elsewhere. In saying that, I did spot a couple of pretty tops for £7.50, but their delicate embellishment around the collar put me off ever so slightly. I also spotted a pretty black floral blouse, but since I'm a bit miserable when it comes to spending money on clothes and really rather enjoy a bargain, I felt £20 was a bit too much to spend on a see-through top (naturally I'd wear something underneath, but the fact that it was so thin meant that its value somewhat deteriorated in my mind). I did like most of the clothes though, and although some of them did come across as a wee bit tacky, most of the garments were quite pretty. So, I wasn't exactly left tickled Pink, but then again, pretty in Pink was never exactly my look...

It greatly frustrates me that the only thing that comes to mind when I think of Vanilla is "Ice Ice…read moreBaby". That's really of no relevance at all to this review (except for the name linkage), but I just felt I needed to get that off my chest. Moving swiftly on... My sister and I had just devoured our Curly Wurlies when we came across this trendy boutique and decided to step in and have a look around. Still chewing furiously (those Curly Wurlies sure work your jaw), we stepped in and were greeted by the sales assistant, who was sitting on the floor. She apologised for her location, and offered her service should we need it. How lovely. I thanked her, and told her not to worry, as I was still chewing the remainder of my chocolate bar. She laughed. Vanilla (must not sing, must not sing) is of particular interest to female shoppers as it stocks some Lipsy dresses, which are quite difficult to come by in Northern Ireland...take note ladies! The rest of the clothing is quite highly priced, though pretty unique - I'd never come across such garments before. I noted a long woollen coat, with plenty of ruffles around the neck, as well as some colourful floaty blouses. Not really my kind of thing, but these gorgeous garments are "as cold as ice"... (sorry, couldn't help myself).

Gosh, well there's really not as much fabric going on in this shop as I would have liked. It's a…read morepretty small shop, with a small selection of men's clothing, and an even smaller selection of women's clothing. Not too promising, to say the least. I've actually been in this shop twice before - the first time was an inadvertent visit, as I was looking for a shoe shop that was supposedly meant to be in the mall, and which I couldn't find. The sales assistant wasn't able to help me at all, which was due to the fact that the shoe shop didn't exist at that moment in time, and wasn't due to his incompetencies as a direction-giver. The second time was for genuine nosey, and the same sales assistant was in charge that day too. I definitely had a strange case of deja vu this time, and felt like I almost had to enquire about something just to truly fulfil my role. I didn't (thankfully), and managed to have a quick look around at the pretty dresses and tops. My sister spotted one, and deciding to check the price, discovered that it was something slightly crazy like £30. For the type of dress it was, I thought £30 was asking a bit much, but then that could just be me... The visit was a short one, mainly because there really wasn't an awful lot to look at. You could always go in and ask for directions though...

Holy hannah!! What a gold mine!!! This department store reminds me of a cross between the Bay and…read moreWinners in Canada. The discounts are deep, and the brand names arent New York high end, but they do include some of the european funky high end stuff such as Desigual (http://www.desigual.com). The second floor has rows of deeply discounted treasures, and I had the worst time pulling myself away. If you are looking for a deal on ladies clothing or accessories, this place is by far my favorite department store in Lisburn!

Despite its interesting name, Sub Station is in no way linked to that infamous sandwich chain store…read more(you know the one I mean), an electrical sub-station, or indeed an underground metro station. Nope, it's actually a clothes shop. Curious. Specialising in brands such as Converse, Henleys, Jack Jones and the like, Sub Station is very much like Gino, The Jean Scene and D2 in terms of its clothing. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing..it's just not my kind of thing. When my sister and I popped in, we were greeted by a very friendly sales dude (in fact, I've a funny feeling he might have been the manager / owner), who asked if we were ok and if we needed any different sizes to give him a holler. That certainly went down well...good customer service = tick. All the clothing was in the sale, so it was pretty well-reduced. Floral dresses, long tees, jeans, hoodies and fancy tops were all up for grabs, but there wasn't really anything I would have worn (I am a fussy dresser though, it has to be said). Some of the clothes were lovely, and my sister had her eye on a few garments, so really it's just my downright stubbornness when it comes to clothes. Sub Station also stocks a few shoes, including babies Converse (oh so cute!), as well as adults, and these were in the sale too. Once again, I'm not a Converse wearer (I did try a pair on once, but the shape of the shoe just looked plain wierd...told you I was fussy), but they do appeal to a great many people, so I'm just throwing that little fact out there... I was going to go with three stars, but the delightful welcome from Mr Friendly sales guy just pushed it up a wee notch. Four it is.