Bristol isn't short on department stores, but top of my favourites list is House of Fraser. Since…read moreit changed location it's undergone a swanky makeover making it as bright and shiny as Cabot Circus itself. It may be that I don't cope well with change but I find the layout of the new store a little confusing, often meaning I walk past the same rail of clothes several times before finding a polite shop assistant to point me in the right direction. In-keeping with the ethos of Cabot Circus, this House of Fraser stocks high-end lines such as Vivienne Westwood and Lulu Guinness in amongst Miss Sixty and French Connection which can push it into a "looking not buying" category of department stores. I tend to come for the small but extensive Paperchase and Benefit stands, and a bit of a window shop in the ladies department. Not great for every day wear, but worth a look if you're looking for a "special occasion" outfit.

When it moved from the Horsefair to shiny new Cabot Circus, House of Fraser had a bit of a…read moremakeover. No longer the frumpy department store most people walked past to get to Debenhams, now this has an emphasis on the higher quality (and higher priced) brands. Over four floors, with cosmetics, accessories and Paperchase on the lower floor, mens on the middle, women's fashion on the third floor and home decor on the top floor, it is a sprawling space with indiscernible boundaries between the brand displays. It doesn't have a great flow for browsing round, but its not bad. I come here mainly for Mango and Ted Baker brands (although there is a Ted Baker shop in Cabot Circus their women's range is better here).

It might not be an Argos extra which is sometimes a bit annoying as some of the things in the…read morecatalogue are not immediatley available, but is is however providing you with space and choice... but still, you can add some life to the store! The staff are relatively lifeless, and sometimes quite brash and rude as they try to work through all the customers as if they are cattle being passed through branding. Aside from Saturdays you can always find yourself a catalogue without having to fight your way through the hords.

Everyone remembers that joy when the new Argos catalogue came out and you spent a day looking…read morethrough at all the things you wanted to buy, even though you were only 8 and you would struggle to put together the funds to buy just 1 thing one your wish list! Even though the excitment has wained slightly in recen years I still enjoy looking through the Argos catalogue, especially if I am looking for some household item that needs replacing. This Argos is more impersonal than most, you can almost go through your whole shopping experience without talking to anyone as they have an electronic purchasing point.

Revolting fact about me #102 is that I have very dry lips - come rain or come shine. I've tried…read moresmothering them with Vaseline, Nivea and the like but nothing works. Annoyingly my face seems to have expensive tastes and the only thing that solves my woes is Kiehl's Lip balm at the staggering price of £12. The only store that seems to stock it in the whole of Bristol is Space NK * (* This is possible VERY incorrect - and I'll happily be proven wrong) Space NK is like a department store dedicated solely to lotions, potions and cosmetics and I LOVE it. Granted, 95% of it is completely out of my budget, but it's a great place to window shop. The shop is laid out well with bright white counters and shelves of beautifully decorated packaging. The shop assistants are good models for their products with clear, radiant skin and shiny sleek hair - very helpful and will listen attentively to find you the best suited products.

I wouldn't normally frequent such shops, muttering something about overpriced potions, however I…read morefound that this is one of two shops in Bristol that stocks the gorgeous Lipstick Queen brand. With the other being Harvey Nicks, which frankly I'm terrified of going into, this was the lesser of two evils. I had been cycling in the rain that morning so looked somewhat akin to a drowned rodent dressed in rags yet was helped out with a smile from one of the perfectly presented staff (but she wasn't orange like the department store ladies!). I couldn't decide between two colours so she offered to put them on me which is a very strange experience but helpful nonetheless. She knew her stuff about the product as well. I got my lipstick put into a cute little bag that reminds you you've shopped somewhere elegant.

They have a good range of false eyelashes in here, including my favourite one's at a reasonable…read moreprice. I was in London yesterday, came across my fave eyelashes and was going to stock up as I am always losing them but they cost £2 more than at Twilight Fashions. Decided to wait and support Bristol retailer instead ;-) Its also a great place to get some interesting tights. As for the fashion..well if you're into fairy wings or a moody hormonal teenager expressing goth angst you will love it. Happily the staff are not moody and angsty but helpful and friendly. Ever been to Cyberdog? The cyberpunk staff think they are so painfully fashionable and with it and not very friendly so its nice that I can rock up to this shop looking all normal in my work clothes and the staff are friendly and helpful.

It's very difficult to define a shop as wonderfully colourful and diverse as this one, especially…read morewhen the very pleasant lady who owns it expresses such a dislike for putting names on boxes. It is, I suppose, an alternative fashion shop, in one word. In another it is clothing predominantly for those who would be categorised as being a Goth. I think I've skirted around the title sufficiently avoiding any libel or stereotyping. Inside the crammed but enticing store expect to find a good array of leather coats (fitted to the ankle), generally black T shirts and tops and a good range of lipsticks and accessories. Two selling points that cannot go without being mentioned are the broad range of make ups (apparently incredible for the shop's size) and what I am told is the greatest selection of different tights (wo)man has ever seen. With over sixty pairs in a shop the size of a large garden shed - how can you possibly walk past? This is a wonderful little shop and well worth the visit if only once.

It's all in the presentation. Clear bottles in various sizes, marked with the Molton Brown logo,…read morefill the shelves of the shop; for anyone with a love for gorgeous body products, a branch of Molton Brown is like a sweetie shop. You get to try all the different fragrances! You get to pump a bit of expensive hand wash onto your palms and wash it off at the big sink in the corner! It really is a playground for body care junkies. Molton Brown have incredible ranges, both for men and women and for the home. My favourite happens to be Rosé Granati, a lovely warm spicey fragrance that comes in a "fine liquid handwash" (£15). Expensive, yes, of course. It wouldn't be here in the poshest stretch of Cabot Circus if it was cheap! If you buy something as a present, let them know, as they do a fantastic free giftwrapping service comprising a stylish brown box with a big Molton Brown ribbon.

Bristol now has a stand-alone Molton Brown shop, located in the new Cabot Circus area…read more The shop has the full range of shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, body & hand washes, body lotions and cosmetics as well as travel essentials, leather bags, and candles/scents for the home. The have items for men as well, including hair care, shaving and fragrance. For women, there is a range of eye, lip and skin make-up as well as scents. The shop is clean and modern and the staff are helpful and know their products.

I first went in here after a jolly looking sales assistant in a Body Shop apron and holding a…read morebasket full of tiny little pots tempted me in. What she was in fact doing was handing out small sample pots with a voucher. It was a PR ploy to entice new customers by offering them a sample of whatever they wanted in the store to take away with them. Enough said, they worked a treat on me. It didn't matter that the size of the sample pot would've only given me enough moisturizing cream for one application, enough lig balm for a day and not even enough shampoo for one wash. Nope siree, it was a freeby and I never knock back a freebie. And in a way it worked wonders for The Body Shop too. For not only did I rack up a sample of the most luscious smelling new strand of the White Musk scent (White Musk Breeze I think it's called) but I ended up buying some cocoa butter, lip balm and an eyeliner!

This shop is most definitely my biggest weakness when it comes to shopping. I am make up obsessed…read moreand MAC never fails to impress me. MAC cosmetics are located inside debenhams department store with a large section just as you walk through the door. They have endless amounts of beautiful make up that is enough to make any girl swoon over and worry about your bank balance. You can book in for a make over with any of their make up artists. I'm not 100% sure on prices but whatever you pay is redeemable in products at the end. All of the artists that work here are so lovely and nothing is ever too much trouble. They are also ridiculously good at what they do, some of their skills are amazing!! If you ever feel like indulging in some nice new cosmetics or treating yourself to a make over for a special occasion I can't recommend them enough.

Located inside the Debenhams department store on the ground floor, the MAC Cosmetics section has a…read morerange of their staple products as well as their seasonal and limited edition items. You can purchase lipsticks, lip glosses, foundations, powders, toner, brushes, eye shadows, liners & mascara, nail polishes, make-up bags, and pigment pots in a wide range of colours. Not sure what would look good on you? The friendly staff are happy to help you decide and, for a fee of £25.00, you can book yourself in for a makeover to see what products are perfect for you (the fee is then put towards MAC purchases). It can be a bit pricy, but the products are well made, long lasting and good value for money. If you want compliments on how you look, want a special look (wedding, party, graduation, etc.) then this is the best place to go in Bristol!

Needed some guidance on supplements and vitamins and the knowledgeable staff went out of their way…read moreto help.

I don't know whether you have seen the Holland and Barrett advert with Martin Corry on TV, have…read moreyou? if you have please dont judge the shop on the advert's shortfalls. HB sells all sort of health foods and vitamins, if you need vitamin~ then they will have it, and at a reasonable price. If you need to get dried fruit, they have that too. If you need garlic pills to avoid getting bitten by mosquitos....you guessed it they have that too! The staff are kind, and helpful, and if there is anything they don't have that you need they will get it in from one of their bigger stores!

Ever in pursuit of the perfect barnet, I am determined to test out every hairdressers in Bristol!…read moreDuring my search, I paid a visit to Hobbs Style on Park Row. The friendly stylist listened to exactly what I wanted, nodded politely before making me a welcoming cup of tea. She left me with a pile of trashy mags to work my way through while she made a start on my locks. Sadly this lovely, friendly lady fell into the trap of trying to make inane conversation while I tried to un-subtlely ignore her and stick my face into the copy of Heat on my lap. She loses a point at this stage. The haircut itself was a bit too prim and proper for my liking - and not really what I asked for. Great for older ladies or gents (my Dad had a particularly good hair cut here) but not great for scruffy young girls like myself.

Hobb's is another hairdressing salon on Park Row. It pretty much does everything you would expect…read morefrom a hairdressers, for example, colouring, cuts, trims, highlights etc. It's not as 'funky' as Mac Daddy's but its a lot cheaper. I personally have found that the service is perfectly adequate and I would probably go back again, whereas I probably wouldn't go back to Mac Daddy's. I found that staff were really nice and friendly as you would expect in a hairdressers. They asked your usual 'sooo going anywhere nice this year?' questions, but once that had run dry then did leave me alone and got down to giving me a very good haircut.

Had my hair cut by Robyn. I wanted to change of look (from long highlighted hair to dark short…read morehair) she took so much time to do exactly what I wanted, such a great job. not all hairdresser are so dedicated to their job. really love my haircut!

Betties and Baldwins is a cute little salon located down a few steps at the bottom of Small Street…read more Co-owned by the lovely Kadi, Darren and Esme, who cut their teeth at some of the more interesting Bristol Salons, they decided to go it alone in April and I for one haven't been anywhere else for a haircut since! The salon has a fun 90's vibe (they often host free styling nights with Dutty Girl) and they aren't afraid of an edgy cut or serious colour transformation. Kadi is also on hand to offer amazing nail art and Esme runs vintage styling classes! Their prices are average, with a cut and restyle at £40, and you will emerge feeling totally pampered!