Claire’s

I’m a little addicted to ear piercings…
But I“m also a giant baby about them! I’m up to 14 piercings now, and have had them all done here. This last time the girl who worked there was very helpful and sweet — considering the giant wimp I was being about a few little shots.
They have some really cute earrings here and accessories for cheap — I wouldn’t expect anything you buy here to really last though — definitely just a fashion stop.
I’m very happy with all of my cartilage piercings, and have never experienced any issues with their cleanliness or procedures. Good place to pick-​up something cute!

I buy hair bows in a store meant for pre-​teens. Shhhhhh.
Icing reeks of plastic crap, and I have to hold my breath every time I walk in. But damn, does it have fun hair junk for cheap. When I’m pinched on time, I head straight for the check-​out counter, which has bins of hair bows and flowers and barrettes. They sell for about $ 3.50 regular price, but Icing often has buy-​one-​get-​one-​free (or sometimes just half-​off) sales. These bins are just about the only places you’ll find bows on clips, too, as most of the other hair accessories around the store are on bobby pins or slides. The clips are much better for thick hair like mine.
I sometimes take a quick gander at the headbands. They’re often too thin to hold my hair (Plus those thin ones tend to press the skin behind my ears too much), but sometimes I can find wide ones that are super-​cute. Blinged-​out headbands run about $ 6-​$ 10, plus these often go on sale.
If the store doesn’t smell particularly bad one day, I look around further. Clearance sales are great for getting gobs of jewelry and belts for cheap — usually five items for $ 10 total, or even 10 items for $ 1 each. I’ve purchased a green and black tutu for just $ 3 after St. Patrick’s Day. Their knee socks are super-​fun, though they’re not often on sale. They have stupid bachelorette party stuff like tiaras and sashes, if you’re into that crap.
Annoying: Icing is trend-​happy. They’re ALL OVER the feather thing, so if that’s not your bag (It’s definitely not mine), look elsewhere.
I’d warn you away from the makeup and tights, though. The makeup is worse than even that old Wet n Wild crap you wore when you were 14, and the tights aren’t sized correctly. I purchased a M-​L pair (based off the height recommendations on the package), and the crotch hung about four inches too low because I couldn’t yank them up any further. In addition, the tights with prints don’t actually have the design woven in — they’re just printed on, which is obvious when you stretch them out over your leg. Avoid.

Beware! If you purchase an item as a gift, they WILL NOT give the giftee the money back if the gift was purchased using a credit or debit card, Even if you have a gift receipt! I cannot believe this store’s archaic policy!