Scunci or The way back home

Scunci (pronounced "skunsee") is a brand I came across during my time in Ireland as an intern at Bradley McGurk. One day whilst shopping, something struck my eye... a pack of multi-coloured hair-ties from Scunci!
Okay, you may not understand my excitement at spotting these hair-ties, but as a long-haired girl I'm always looking for inspiration. Then, browsing the internet, I found this great website dedicated to hairstyle products. Believe me, I felt like I was in seventh heaven! Scunci invented the comfy scrunchie, one of the defining accessories of the 80's (not that I'm THAT old, though!). They were also the first to develop hair-ties without the metal parts (to protect hair from breaking) and a unique hairgrip that won't slip off your hair. But where can I get Scunci products? In fact, they're only available in the U.S. (where Scunci originates), Australia and now also in the UK and ROI.
So I have to buy as many products as I can before I go back to Germany? Or make expensive online orders? What a pain! With this in mind I went home for Christmas. One day - I was shopping in town - I went into a jewellery shop and found myself totally flabbergasted. Why? They sold my new favourite fashion hair accessories! So I was able to create a pony wrap without any nasty pins... and look gorgeous on New Year's Eve... But still, why does Scunci remain such an insider's secret in Europe? Come on, you're the market leaders!

H&M - I love it, I hate it, I love it

It took me a while to recognise that I am kind of addicted to H&M. I still remember when I was first introduced to H&M: my mother gave me a dark blue, velvet-looking hat saying, "I bought it at a new clothes shop. It's called Hennes&Mauritz", I was 9 years old and did not worry much about what I was wearing. Moreover, I wasn't even quite sure if I like this hat. Nevertheless,
from then on I regularly bought my clothes at H&M, first with my mum and then...on my own, of course. But why? I think it is the large range of affordable, popular, but individual clothes that made me a shopping victim and the Scandinavian retailer a world brand. I know it sounds incredible, but there is rarely a day on which I don't wear something from H&M.
On the other hand, I sometimes hate this brand as well, for example, if I fall in love with a fancy t-shirt in one of the shops, I often notice that it is dirty or damaged and so grab for another one - same pattern, same size - and have to admit that it doesn't quite have the same fit. Then I start getting angry about the lack of quality in cheap clothes...If additionally there is a queue at the changing rooms starting outside the shop's doors I usually feel like I'm living in hell on earth!
But still I am always delighted to see a H&M store wherever I go, asking myself, what I would do without it?