Great selection of products. Has GP practice attached for convenience too. The staff are always…read morehelpful and friendly.

This is an interesting store and rather large. Until recently it used to be the Life Pharmacy…read moreoutlet and even though the name has changed they still stock the same stuff pretty much. So what can you expect to find in an outlet pharmacy/beauty store? Many things. Need to bulk up? They sell fitness supplements, protein powders, carb free foods and other concoctions to enhance your gym workout and if you manage to sustain an injury they have a good first aid section too. Need a gift for granny? No problem, this is talc and soap city. There is also a great range of shampoo, conditioners and other hair product. They sell large salon size product too, so many washes for such a low price and loads of hair accessories. Nail polishes, make up and perfumes and skin care are more towards the front of the store and often you can get yourself some pretty good bargains. For example I once got a tub of Freeze 24/7 moisturiser for $50 instead of $135 and it wasn't expired. Do check the expiration dates though, usually they tell you if they are close to being past their shelf life but you never know. Perfume to plasters if you are in Dress Smart have a look and see what you find,

Nood is located in the new Apex shopping precinct opposite Sylvia Park. Its a fairly new…read moreestablishment and out of habit I always like to visit if I'm the area. What makes Nood so interesting is that they have a lot of very different products at different price points. From novelty mini books and plush toys to very expensive duvets, Nood certainly doesn't put itself under one umbrella. The Apex store is very big and split in two and red and black are the dominant colours in here- I love the decor in here. On one side you have a lot of bedding, room furniture, knick knacks, clocks; on the other is kitchenware (I love their stuff on this side!) and a few bargain items too. Their high end items are great to look at; there have been a few clocks I've definitely been eyeing up! But a lot of their products are hugely design-based and really seem like one of a kind/limited edition type stuff. On the other end of the spectrum they've got some affordable items, particularly their glasses and other kitchenware, and their sales are always worth making time for. I only own one item from Nood and its this awesome bullet cocktail shaker- since I received it as a gift I've been looking for a few more things to add to my Nood collection!

An intriguing boutique that's nice to visit and have a 'window shop', as it's filled with antique,…read morestylish and interesting odds and ends. Unfortunately, everything is extremely pricey, so despite being flawed by that dress or ornament, you'd need to be making quite a lot of cash in order to buy it. The service was okay, but I find they are usually only interested in poshly dressed customers. I find this interesting considering their peeling storefront and lack of buyers. Still, I enjoy having a squiz at their collection on a lazy Saturday morning or during Midnight Madness each year.

Victoria's is a bit of an odd shop really…read more The part it does really well is the nick-nacky gift section that's takes up the front two-thirds of the shop. They have an absolutely drool-worthy children's section in the front corner opposite the door, filled with, well, really girly stuff mostly - Flower Fairies merchandise, from cups and stickers, to party ware and gifts, features strongly. Big love. The giftware and homeware in the rest of the front section of the ship is tasteful but edging towards the pricier side. Then right at the back of the shop they have a rather surprising women's clothing section. It's mother-of-the-bride-who-is-quite-wealthy type stuff, and some other formal pieces with hefty price tags. I could probably find something I liked there, but I get that dreaded feeling that I would get home, put it on, and feel instantly 20 years older.

Matan is Westfield Manukau's go-to florist and I've used this place for last minute gifts a few…read moretimes now. They've got a good range of ready-made bouquets at different prices and sizes, so they're really affordable for anyone. I love the sunflowers here so I'm always a little biased when searching for the perfect bouquet here! They also have a great wall of teddies, chocolates and gifts to add to the bouquet of your choice- this place is a smash on Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, with empty shelves outside by the afternoon. There are some nice orchids here aswell which I haven't yet found the right occasion for, but they're gorgeous to look at. The ladies here are very nice and really good at their jobs, it's always a happy experience interacting with them. The last time I was here I bought a bouquet for a colleague and wanted it couriered- the whole process took all of two minutes. I wrote in a cute card of my choice, gave my colleague's details and it was set. A smooth operation and her flowers were delivered within the hour! Service at it's finest.

My local pharmacy, and some of the nicest people you'll meet work there to help with whatever…read moreissues you may have. I'd been getting a weird heat rash on my neck for a while, and couldn't figure it out. After stopping in for a quick visit, the pharmacist took one look, and knew exactly what to give me. Within a week, done and dusted! Magic work! I know pharmacists aren't meant to replace doctors, but sometimes they're just as good.

The Warehouse in Manukau has seen a couple of renovations happen over the last few years, my…read morefavourite being their Film, TV and Books section- finally a little order in that place! While there are a few more branches close by now, this one is still the busiest from what I can tell, and much easier to navigate yourself through the store. It is what it is; a massive store selling just about anything and everything. It's my favourite branch because its close to home and doesn't really try to be anything but what it is. It's full of bargains and they seem to highlight these a lot more than other Warehouse branches, at least in my observations. There's usually great deals on DVDs and fragrances, and this place goes mad when there's a great sale on. I suffer from terrible hayfever, but I've had to endure going to the greenhouse here. It's a great addition and pretty popular too! The prices here are great and my family has gone with a few new houseplants on several occasions. The other great part about The Warehouse is The Hollywood bakery that sits in the foyer. It's not the best Hollywood Bakery BUT it's great to sit down and have a bite to eat on a Saturday morning after some shopping here, or even to pick up one of their awesome thickshakes. The Girl Guides are here just outside the building every year selling their amazing biscuits, I go here every year just for these!

The Looksharp empire has a few different branches now but this big shop in Onehunga in the best use…read moreof the old Woolworths/Deka building I've seen in a long time. While it probably doesn't get as much as foot traffic, it's worth the drive - even if you just visit this one shop. It's basically an Asian super-store, full of all the things we've come to expect but crucially MORE. There's just more products and BETTER products - there's an entire "naughty" section here as well as an entire range of inflatables. Need an inflatable palm tree for your living room? This is your place. There's neck ties, fake flowers, party supplies, home supplies, kitchen stuff; you can easily spend several hours here treasure hunting. Best of all, you will find items that are available at upmarket gift stores for the price they really should cost - buggar all.

Unfortunately Looksharp is only a recent discovery of mine and I wish I'd known about this sooner!…read moreOnehunga is probably one of the quieter branches but is still packed to the brim with a lot of things you may or may not need. A friend and I visited when everything in store was 30% off- and to think that Looksharp prices are already really reasonable, we definitely stockpiled on a few things! We made the trip because she was having a luau-themed birthday party- Looksharp had just about everything we were hoping to get! Flower leis, an inflatable floral ukelele, palm tree drinking glasses, bamboo torches, lei bracelets, floral dishes; I could go on! We did catch ourselves making jokes such as "wouldn't it be awesome if they had....", only to find said item seconds later. The selection there was great and I'd come back in a heartbeat for any party goods and decorations. I'm huge on gifts so I loved seeing all of their goodie bags, chinese boxes in an assortment of colours, as well as their scrapbooking section- everything was so well-priced, much cheaper than getting similar products somewhere else, like Spotlight. There's literally so much at Looksharp, I'd make the trip only because I have a feeling it won't be your last!