The regeneration of Hulme in the late'80's and early '90's brought many invaluable businesses to…read morethis area and facing Hulme market, Afro World is one of them. I am a curly girl with tresses which vary from sleek and shiny on a good day, to a frizzy halo- depending on the weather. Although certain high street chains and chemists have woken up to the fact that yes, we are a multicultural Britain with a diverse population who have individual needs, their range of products for people of colour can be very limited. This is not a political rant, it is a cold, hard, consumer fact. Afro World is a saving grace and "limited" is not a word that applies here. Having entered its hallowed doors, you have never seen so many hair and skin products in your life! There are rows and rows stocking brands such as Soft n Free, Dark n Lovely, Ultra Sheen and Pink, to name but a few- seriously the shop sells hundreds of them. The name of this store is a tad misleading as this mecca also sells makes for European and Asian hair types. You can buy a good quality real hair wig for only £29, extensions, and curly or straight pony tails line the shelves and offer you the ability to alter your appearance every day of the week. Handy for Geminis or international spies. The owners really know their stock inside and out. This is an incredible talent, considering how many lines are sold there, and they are always on hand to give you help and advice. Not many men ( with the obvious exception of hairdressers) are able to discuss with you whether you suit a wavy weave or a head full of corn rows in a truly macho fashion. Afro World also sells a good range of make-up for Asian and Afro-Caribbean skin and various hair accessories . It is open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm and on Sunday from 11am-5pm. Be aware that the shop is closed for prayer on Fridays from 1.30-2.30pm. So if you fancy a wicked weave, exceptional extensions or just need to stock up on your Kirby grips then this shop has it all.

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!

Divine Beauty is a hair product supermarket with rows and rows of every hair mousse, gel, cream and…read moreshampoo you can think of. Selling predominantly Afro- Caribbean products, this shop also stocks a good range of high quality hair pieces, wigs and extensions. Displayed on lines of decapitated dolls heads, Divine Beauty has an air of looking slightly disjointed and morose. In the rear of the shop, a hairdresser Aimee is on hand to do weaves and extensions, but again, this looks an unfinished and unprofessional space. There are much better hair shops in the area and the staff are ill informed on their stock, so much so that I went along to purchase a pony tail for my brunette bonce on a bad hair day and the gentleman assistant tried to sell me a ginger piece! I would not make an appointment here for a hair do but I would come in to bag some bobbles.

I don't have much to add here as I actually popped in to get something for my wife - no she isn't…read moregoing to be sporting an afro or dreads soon, but she did want some pink hair dye picking up! They sell fake hair, wigs, have a beauty and hair section and all sorts of beauty products - you can tell from this description that I'm not massively up on this theme... This is the newer store after the previous one was destroyed by fire and it does look very modern and well laid out. The staff were very helpful guiding me straight to what I needed - a very easy visit, in and out!

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!

Yet another shop in Levenshulme that is painted bright yellow! I just don't get it. Well I do…read morereally. It is quite eye-catching. But it's also very yellow! Pound Choice Plus is yet another one of those mega cheap shops that sells random tat. Half of which is mega useful and cheap. The other half of which is totally pointless but also cheap. This shop has all of the important useful stuff, like piles of cheap loo roll, washing powder, cosmetics and tools. The shop is light and airy too, which is a welcome change to other dingy pound stores. What I always love about these places is that there are some hidden gems to be found that almost make you laugh out loud. My personal favourite in Pound Choice Plus is the "Elegant Drinking Glass Chess Set." Which now I think about it could actually become an amazing drinking game. Hold on, I think I'm going to back and buy the thing.

I never thought I'd step foot in a Lush store again, after setting a promise to myself after a…read morenegative experience at the Manchester Arndale branch, therefore I was shocked only to find myself in another store, a day later to pick up Mother's Day gifts. This store is actually a lot nicer than the Manchester Arndale branch and more spacious and also helped increase my opinion on the Lush brand in general, and as this store hasn't had a review in close to 7 full years, I'm glad to be ending that run with a much-needed review today! Lush are a "hand-made" cosmetics retailer in the United Kingdom, founded in 1995. Lush prides its-self, against animal testing and does not buy produce from those companies. Back to the regular review and this Lush store its-self in Stoke On-Trent, in the Intu Potteries. This is quite a large store, and quite a nice one. I still don't understand why one would go in and buy many expensive products like this only available for one use, just because they smell nice, and in my opinion they is no benefits about having most of these products, compared to going into Tesco and buying things from there, but if you're into this stuff, this store would seem pretty great / cool for you, and of course it is a good place to pick up a gift. They have a lot of "Try me" samples here on breath mints and things like that, although the one I tried has a really strong flavor and probably cost more than a pint of beer in London, which shows Lush can be quite pricey at times with bath bombs costing around £4. If I was to spend that on a toiletry, I'd expect it to last for weeks, not just have one use! Due to the larger space than Manchester, it doesn't seem as much that all the smells are piled into one giant one, creating a mess. The staff here seemed nice, although they didn't keep approaching me in every angle, so basically I went from feeling like Sergio Aguero to a Stoke City footballer, or even a lower standard than that (I know, hard to believe) This store is in a reasonable location in The Potteries too, it is right up the sleep slope on the ground floor (I think), close to lifts. (I cant be more specific as I've only been to Stoke once, when I had this visit!) This store is a nice store really and it is quite spacious too, and a good place to go if you're into that sort of stuff, but I simply don't see the point in it and just see it as a designer brand for toiletries. I'm sorry Lush, I just don't want to switch from the likes of Dove and Radox. This store is still a nice store, and I feel it deserves a solid 3 stars, but due to the pricing of most items, I can't think of a reason to warrant any higher.

A great Lush store, loads of room to roam/browse the various lovely smellies. Staff are always on…read morehand to help with questions and they are extremely knowledgeable about all their products and give sound recommendations for what you are looking for. The Herbalism face wash is one of my favourite products, it ex-foliates gently and leaves you face smooth, soft and clean feeling without any greasiness or drying out of the skin. Another favourite is the Honey I Washed the Kids soap is smells absolutely amazing. I love the fact all the products are natural and good for the environment - some products are a bit pricey but the quality is always consistent.

I'm a massive fan of Space NK anyway, but this little tucked away shop in Wilmslow exceeds…read moreexpectations! After being a frequent visitor of the Space NK in St Anne's Sq Manchester I was thrilled to hear that they had a branch in my local village of Wilmslow. The shop is pristine and is beautifully laid out! It's easy to find everything you're after, with skincare at the front of the store and make-up at the back. You can book in to have your makeup done with the girls there, and they teach you all sorts of expert techniques like perfectly blended eyes and contouring. The only thing I would say is that they don't have as many brands of makeup as the Manchester store, but that's to be expected as it is a much smaller branch! This doesn't reflect on the staff's knowledge though; they know all there is to know about beauty and skincare. This is wilmslow's go-to beauty heaven.

I originally left this review for The Body Shop but I have now realised that it is Bodycare, as I…read moream not a big fan of all body stuff this is an easy mistake to make but I can assure you all my other reviews are listed for the right place. It didn't help Bodycare and The Body Shop look very similar either. Bodycare is a large shop in The Manchester Arndale centre with great selection, they have a good variety of pain killers, shampoo, soap and lots of other things. The staff seemed polite and for a first time visitor of Bodycare I left happy as they did have a wide range of products for great value. If you are looking for Body products in the Manchester Arndale, I would recommended this large, cheap shop which is located next to WHSmith and near to Thorntons and EE. I have visited this shop a few times now and I have also found a good range of soap products here. UPDATE: After some consideration, including that the queuing system can often leave customers waiting slightly longer, and the design of the store, appearing to get as many products as they can, rather than spacing them out and making it into a modern, cool store, really lowers my opinion of this store, hence I feel a 3 star rating is more deserved.

I would like to know if you still sell White, musk, oil,…read moreperfume !! Its been quite a while since ive been able to get to your shop, through health problems !! anyways I can't wear perfumes as I have breathing difficulties, !! but can definitely wear the white musk oil, it smells wonderful and lasts forever, !! Could you please contact me on this number to let me know if you can post sum to me, (07906060020) Thank you Your long time customer. Donna Daly,