It was only a matter of time before the iconic Italian herbalist boutique opened in trendy…read moreShoreditch. Almost hidden, but then so are many shops in the area. Just off Redchurch St. Their earthy potpourri and pomegranate scented bath salts are second to none.

12/08/2018: Harrods suggested I visit one of Diptyque's Retail Stores for the DoSon roll-on parfum…read morefor traveling since, Harrods doesn't carry the roll-on. I began researching all Diptyque's store locations via which Bus would drop me within walking distance to a Diptyque Store. I discovered Bus #35-Shoreditch and Bus #205 stop right in front of Spitalfields Market entrance via Primrose Street. Walking through Spitalfields Market made the distance from Primrose to Commercial enjoyable and shorter. Upon arriving at Diptyque, this new store location opened LAST WEEK: Wow~perfect timing, indeed! Ironically, I bought THE LAST TWO DoSon roll-on parfum leaving the tester behind; incredibly unbelievable how DoSon is flying off the shelves leaving the other parfums behind. BTW: Space NK doesn't have the DoSon roll-on parfum within their retail inventory.

I often walk by this place and it's never open. In fact, I think the hours on the door say…read moresomething like Sunday 9am - 3pm, and then "by appointment". But even on Sundays, when I'm a-strolling with my Columbia Market blooms, the shop is not always open. Call in advance? Wish to the sweetly smelling perfume gods? I don't know. But if the door is open - GO It's a tiny little spot, with many bottles set out. Atop perfumes there are scent sachets, candles and moth things (this is not a precise term: things to keep moths from eating your woolies, ya know?). Go with a totally clean arm to spritz yourself silly and see how different things smell on you. Or just get drawn in by the romantic descriptions (I especially love the "Artillery" range of scents) and take it from there. Nudge, nudge: I am a big fan of the black fig, and also a really lovely citrusy-mint scent for summer. Yelp note: Angela herself is awesome, so if you can grab her to tell you about the origin of the different combos, the "high" and the "low" notes, well...that just adds to the whole experience.

Ouch this place is pricey. But actually, that's OK. Because oh-my-goodness the candles are so…read moreamazing. Do i want my house to smell like rose powder? YES! Yes I do! Such a sexy smell for one little candle. i want the fig one too. No, the rose. No, fig. No... both please. But they're £35, so they're not cheap (they've for a 40 hour burn time though). They're worth it though. That said, I'm not sure the shop is an enjoyable experience. The perfume is far too strong (not that there's anything they can do about that). But 'yknow when you walk through the perfume section of Selfridges and it's all a bit overpowering? Well it's like that, but ten times stronger and ten times smaller. Overpowering and confusing. But, the candles might just be worth the trip.

Doesn't get much better than this for beauty shopping. Space NK is stuffed full with some of the…read morebest beauty brands in the world and many of which until a few years ago you couldn't get in the UK - which makes it special and why sometimes the products are pretty pricey. Line upon line of gorgeous skincare and make-up fill up this stylish shop including laura mercier, marc jacobs, kiehl's, bumble and bumble, REN, terry, nars, chantecaille to name a few! It's difficult to come in here and not spend money when everything is so fabulous. Great place for gifts too - self-gifting and giving to others!

This is my favourite branch of Space NK, as it's quite large and the staff are knowledgable without…read morebeing over-bearing. This store has a large, airy feel to it with lots of space to browse and try testers. As fans of Space NK will know, this is the place to go if you want luxury brand cosmetics and toiletries without the impersonal experience of a department store. As well as Laura Mercier, Stila, Nars and the like, they also stock the Space NK brand which includes pretty looking colour-coded gift boxes. A great place to find a gift.