The Perfume Shop has two branches in Manchester's Arndale Centre, this one is located next to EE…read moreand opposite Boost Juice and Footlocker Kids, it is in a decent condition near the Market Street enterence into the Arndale opposite Lloyds Bank and the huge Boots store. I've called in here twice now and I've had so many different results in terms of obtaining samples. Firstly, I came in to ask if there was any samples and the staff member seemed nice and probably gave me about 6 or 7 from good brands too such as Sauvage by Dior, Hugo Boss and Jean Paul Gaultier. Secondly, I came in and did the same a week later with a new member of staff and was only given two, one was an opened Hugo Boss Intense and the other was just a standard one. The member of staff seemed a little disinterested on that occasion. Comparing to other Perfume Shop's I have visited, this is typical and is still much better than The Fragrance Shop, who I have had bad experiences with in Liverpool and just a few stores down also in the Manchester Arndale. The store inside is okay, it is pretty much average for any store of its sort and does seem to have a good stock of the main brands, of course it is quite hard to browse without asking a member of staff as near enough everything is behind their till, which is different to the Bradford branch who mainly use this method with some on the back wall too. This store is okay and it is just basically average, average, average, yet I feel only deserves a high two star rating because of immense competition and it should be doing more in a city centre with so many other places to go to win customers such as other branches of TPS, The Fragrance Shop, Boots, House of Fraser, Selfridges, Debenhams - The list goes on so you can get my point!

......kind of stolen my thunder with the title there guys…read more I'll bet your bags of fun at Christmas and birthdays "No! No! I'm not telling you, I'm not te.....it's a handbag. A black one...........cost £40."

I love this site. They seem to do clearance make up as well as some major brands, but its good for…read moreXmas shopping - got 3 perfumes from her for Christmas and saved plenty of money. Customer service is really good, though the product range could be better

The customer service at this branch of L'Occitane is second to none…read more I popped in last week to buy some Shea Butter hand cream for my auntie and was served within two minutes. Unlike at the Body Shop where I was actively encouraged / pushed to try other products, the staff didn't try to show me any of the other creams or moisturisers. They simply asked if I was having a nice Christmas, wrapped my present up in tissue paper with a bow and sprayed it with a divine fragrance. If the service is as smooth and hassle-free in other branches, I might buy the majority of my Christmas presents from L'Occitane next year!

This is a truly wonderful shop, filled with the highest quality beauty products for the discerning…read morecustomer. I love L'Occitane, especially the lavender foot cream and the shea butter bubble bath. This shop in Leeds city centre is new and is a great fit filled with the amazing products of L'occitane. I particularly love to see the bike parked outside the shop filled with lavender and chamomile. Check out the new shop in Leeds on Briggate, part of the Victoria Quarter opposite Louis Vuitton.

The Perfume Shop at the Trafford Centre is a place which hasn't been reviewed in over 7 years, so…read moreI'm pleased to be the first person to actually review this place this decade, with the last review being in December 2009. This store has a modern(ish) feel to it, so it must have been refurbished since then, and has changed slightly especially with the change of brands stocked here since then. The Perfume Shop is a brand which I've become more familiar with recently and this store is probably just below average compared to other stores I have visited such as those in Manchester, Oldham and Bradford. The location is decent being in the Manchester Trafford Centre however there are so many rivals selling fragrances with the location being in one of the largest shopping centres in the UK, for example it has rivals nearby such as Selfridges, Debenhams, John Lewis and Boots, just to name a few from the top of my head, those four mentioned are all the anchor stores in the mall, which basically means they are the biggest and most funded/visited stores in the entire mall. I came in here to take a look at the aftershave samples, I was told there were no fragrances , I wasn't offered a taster and the staff originally didn't seem to know what I was talking about, whether this was just to avoid giving free sprays and samples away or simply bad customer service and an example of bad training of the staff. Conversation with the staff member was awkward, she didn't seem too helpful nor friendly I'm sorry to report. Inside, this store is okay, it is nothing special but due to poor customer service and a lack of samples, I sadly feel this store deserves nothing over a generous two stars and still earns that rating as the store is slightly bigger than most other branches including those in Central Manchester of The Perfume Shop.

What distinguishes The Perfume Shop from their rival The Fragrance Shop is they tend to sell more…read morehigh-end products. Whilst the former focuses on a lot of celebrity endorsed scents, The Perfume Shop stocks a small selection of those alongside leading perfume and colognes by Marc Jacobs, Prada, Homme, Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier. If you can't face going to The Trafford Centre, they also have a user-friendly website where you can browse and buy perfumes according to categories like Modern Classics, Traditional Fragrances and Couture Perfumes. They still lose a star for not stocking Miller Harris and Kelly Caleche Hermes though!

This is an average-sized Superdrug store, located inside the Manchester Arndale, while the store…read moremay not have all the features of the nearby Piccadilly Gardens branch (For example this store does NOT have a Pharmacy or a large beauty bar), it is still a good store with a nice selection of products. The selection of most products seems to be quite good, especially in the two areas I come to the store for (toiletries and ready to drink beverages), the aisles can feel a little narrow and uncomfortable especially at busy times or when the staff are restocking the shelves, but this is common with Superdrug as a whole. The staff seem friendly enough, they always seem to have a good amount of people working the checkouts, meaning the queues to get served moves pretty quickly and the staff are friendly enough. TIP: Use their multi-buy offers which are often quite good, they can also be combined with other discounts including NHS/student discounts and the Superdrug loyalty card. 4*

Situated on the lower ground floor of the Arndale Centre, this Superdrug is the biggest branch in…read morethe city. Like the other stores, the lighting, layout and aesthetic are all a bit of an eyesore but the low prices mean it's constantly bustling. As well as selling all the essential toiletries and beauty products you could need, there's a large section of the store devoted to perfume, skin care and make-up. Alongside big names like L'Oreal, Ulay and Elizabeth Arden, they also stock a small range of natural and organic products including hydrating lotions, body balms and exfoliators. At the rear of the store, there's a pharmacist and aisles packed with cold and flu remedies, vitamins, supplements and herbal tinctures like Rescue Remedy. In short, everything you need to keep healthy through the winter - apart from knitwear.

Candy Bar Melting Marshmallow…read moreVanilla Fountain Honey Bee Butter Ball Floating Island French Kiss Fabulous Mrs Fox Blue Skies Supernova Blackberry Bath Ballistic Think Pink You can hold the last one but I'll take one of all the other bath bombs, melts and bubble bars please. Send the bill to Santa. He forgot to leave my present this year!

Butter Ball, sounds really tasty, I quite fancy one. Oh wait it's a soap, how hugely disappointing…read more Floating Island, I bet that cost a few million, shall we go on holiday there when we're rich? Oh wait, it's a soap, how utterly gutting. French Kiss, I fancy one of those with a nice fittie. Oh, it's a soap, how severely distressing. Space girl, she sounds like a cool super hero, oh wait she's a soap, how horribly melancholic. Turn out these soaps don't even clean you, they just fizz up and make your bath smell horrible. I really like Imperial Leather. It cleans me. A key characteristic of a soap? Apparently not! I think you get the message.

Yes the store is VERY nice and very upmarket. The Selfridges store (huge!) in London's Oxford St is…read moreIconic in many ways - it was the FIRST department store in the UK and founded by an American who wasn't able to do his thing in the US - there is a TV series about it. It was the first store where women of the day felt comfortable and safe shopping alone.... Growing up in the UK my parents would take me there at least once a year (almost every time we visited London actually - so maybe 3-4 times a year. Yes there were upmarket things, and recently we were there and sure there are many expensive brands with absurd prices. But there are also more "normal" goods for sale. Not so much in Manchester - all Louis Vuitton and simile booths all around. A good friend who knows London very well explained that the smaller Selfridges don't have the room for affordable goods and it is all for the very affluent. So come prepared to go home broke or enjoy a window shop! Even the restaurant upstairs seemed very toffee nosed to be honest- not fun :( Review #4 2020

This is a large Selfridges store, although I do prefer their Birmingham location and their flagship…read moreLondon Oxford Street location (this location appears to be much more basic and laid back than those two, which are both in stunning buildings which stand out massively). I do think this is a good department store, it is one of the largest and more high-end department stores in the city centre, which is a fading game with Debenhams on Market Street closing and House of Fraser on Deansgate soon to follow. The store looks pretty good and is opposite Marks and Spencer in the Manchester Arndale, sadly Selfridges doesn't have a Food Hall similar to their other branches, at this location, this is a real shame - perhaps that is due to the Basement level of Marks and Spencer (a different business) having a large food section? There are two different San Carlo restaurants in terms of eating or drinking inside, I would have loved to see at least a different brand to add something a little more different, similar to what you see in other department stores such as Harrods etc. They do have some unique experiences here occasionally, Manchester City did bring the Premier League and Carabao Cup trophies here a couple of years ago which was super exciting for me as a big City fan. It can be pretty difficult to navigate at first, but they do have a store plan which is somewhat helpful, the store remains modern and clean. Some of the staff seemed a little snobbish and unhelpful, this was mixed as other staff members seemed great and happy to help. 4*

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.