Wow. Last week was…read morethe first time I set foot inside one of these shops. I always thought the chain of Look Sharp stores were just another cheap dollar shop type place selling random junk. I went to look for helium balloons for my son's 1st birthday & I definitely went to the right place!!! The Albany store is massive from floor to ceiling with everything party related. I was really only there for balloons but was blown away by the size of the place & the amount of different products they had. For balloons alone there were probably over 100 different types of hellium balloons to choose from. Definitely worth a look, this store is amazing!

One of the most useful and chaotic stores I've ever been in, Look Sharp Store does what other…read moredollar stores try (and fail) to do. It's clean, well laid out and easy to find whatever you're in the market for - from costumes to dress socks, candles to key rings, Look Sharp has it all... and it's cheap! Many times I've rushed to this store for that last minute item that will make a costume or decorated room really pop - I can't even count the number of times I've flipped on the hazard lights, parked in a place that really annoys the taxi drivers and run in to grab streamers, beer-drinking hats, striped armbands or paint. Seriously, anything silly and frivolous you could ever want is under this roof.

Look Sharp is the kind of shop that makes me want to cry. It's stuffed with impulse-buys and…read moreplastic, plastic, plastic junk as far as the eye can see. I can understand why people get excited about it though- there's so much cheap stuff and it does all have a purpose...it's just that the purpose is usually one day of being a St Paddy's day costume or a party decoration, and then being chucked. I get even more moralistic when I think of the wages the people are paid who make this stuff that. But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I never buy anything plastic or made in a developing country. I just don't want to see a whole shop full of the stuff. It brings me down.

OK everyone; here's the reason parties sometimes are a dud; it's not because you're a bad host or…read moreyour friends are dull; it's because the lighting isn't right. Mostly, it's too bright, but occasionally it's too dim and nobody can see who they're talking to. Too bright and people will want to get away from it. If you want to sort your party lighting out, go to Party Direct, where you can hire everything you might need, including a LIGHT UP DANCE FLOOR. Yes. Pretty exciting right? These guys are also super helpful; I needed to hire some lights urgently, and they not only gave me a great price, they also pulled stuff out in the middle of moving warehouses. That's impressive; I can imagine most people would have just said it was too much trouble.

Unfortunately Looksharp is only a recent discovery of mine and I wish I'd known about this sooner!…read moreOnehunga is probably one of the quieter branches but is still packed to the brim with a lot of things you may or may not need. A friend and I visited when everything in store was 30% off- and to think that Looksharp prices are already really reasonable, we definitely stockpiled on a few things! We made the trip because she was having a luau-themed birthday party- Looksharp had just about everything we were hoping to get! Flower leis, an inflatable floral ukelele, palm tree drinking glasses, bamboo torches, lei bracelets, floral dishes; I could go on! We did catch ourselves making jokes such as "wouldn't it be awesome if they had....", only to find said item seconds later. The selection there was great and I'd come back in a heartbeat for any party goods and decorations. I'm huge on gifts so I loved seeing all of their goodie bags, chinese boxes in an assortment of colours, as well as their scrapbooking section- everything was so well-priced, much cheaper than getting similar products somewhere else, like Spotlight. There's literally so much at Looksharp, I'd make the trip only because I have a feeling it won't be your last!

The Looksharp empire has a few different branches now but this big shop in Onehunga in the best use…read moreof the old Woolworths/Deka building I've seen in a long time. While it probably doesn't get as much as foot traffic, it's worth the drive - even if you just visit this one shop. It's basically an Asian super-store, full of all the things we've come to expect but crucially MORE. There's just more products and BETTER products - there's an entire "naughty" section here as well as an entire range of inflatables. Need an inflatable palm tree for your living room? This is your place. There's neck ties, fake flowers, party supplies, home supplies, kitchen stuff; you can easily spend several hours here treasure hunting. Best of all, you will find items that are available at upmarket gift stores for the price they really should cost - buggar all.

I totally love this place, there is clearly nothing like it in Auckland that I have seen yet thus…read morefar. As a second time visitor and this time taking it in my stride to venture over on my own with the kiddies; I was happily entertained by the kids aged two to eleven( a fantastic note to self that there is something for all ages here). The under four's even have there own zone to enjoy. My first visit here probably was a year ago, and I was attending with children for a five year olds birthday. There are special tables you can hire out for a birthday party, this particular party was catered for by the family in charge, and the kids had a ball! After an hour or so of jumping on inflated castles and running through courses with slides and tunnels the kids gathered for a sit down lunch before running back to enjoy Inflatable world once they had got a bit of food. Not only is this place fantastic for parties but during the first week of school holidays i had three under twelve year olds, and this was my turn to for a bit of fun! The weather may not be so hot outdoors, but at Inflatable its fun and feels sunny! Even in winter you can keep the chills away by sitting under heaters on the chairs provided. A lifesaver for parents and caregivers the kids love it, and you end the visit with very tired ad thrilled kids, who always want to return. The car park is onsite, however gotta be lucky when its busy as they do fill up quick.

Came here for an 8 year old birthday party. It is located in the same building/business as Planet…read moreSport, which initially was a bit confusing as their website had no mention of this. There are heaps of different bouncy castles for te kids to play on, plus a under 5 area which my toddler enjoyed. Toys were in good condition too. You are allowed and encouraged to bring in your own food and drink (no alcohol of course) as there isn't a cafe on site.