Make-up in New York

Make-up in New York

You can find the largest selection of make-up, cosmetics and personal care products in New York. You can also buy items from brands not available in Canada (anymore). Drugstores, chic boutiques or department stores are the places to go to for makeup and personal care products in New York. But stores like Victoria’s Secret also have beautiful beauty products. Whatever you’re looking for, if you’re a cosmetic lover you’ll be amazed! Make sure you leave some room in your suitcase! Also important: products are generally a lot cheaper than they’re in Canada!

Woodbury Common Outlets

Do you love shopping, but don’t like to spend too much? Go to Woodbury Common on a day trip! You’ll find more than 220 stores full of designer clothes, but many beauty shops as well! This stylish outlet centre is about an hour away from New York. You can find beauty stores like these:

  • Fragrance Outlet
  • The Cosmetics Company Store (featuring Bobbi Brown, Clinique and Lancôme)
  • L’Occitane
  • Perfumania (50% discount on perfumes)

Make-up and Beauty Products not Available in Canada

Thanks to international blogs, tutorials, and TV programs, we’ve become more and more familiar with products and brands not available in Canada. You can find them in America and they’re well-priced too! Lots of people buy ‘redness relief eye drops’ for instance, droplets with a calming effect on red eyes or eye strain. The lip balm ‘Rosebud Salve’ is a popular export product among female travellers too. And don’t forget the Lady Speedstick deodorant!

Best Cosmetic Stores in New York

I asked my wife which New York stores sell the best beauty and skincare products. Below you can find a collection of the best tips!

Sephora

True beauty fans just have to visit Sephora. This department store completely focuses on body care, featuring brands like Charlotte Tilbury, NARS, MAKEUP BY MARIO, Fenty Beauty and KVD Beauty. You’ll find the most beautiful Sephora store on 119 Fifth Avenue.

Make-up in New York - Sephora Make-up in New York - Sephora interior

Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty is a large beauty retailer where you can find all kinds of products. They sell cosmetics, fragrances, body, skin, and haircare from around 500 different brands. You can find product in all price ranges, from Chanel and Valentino to Smashbox and Ulta Beauty’s own collection. In the store, you will even find a hair salon. Every beauty lover has to visit this place!

Eric’s Tip: “34th Street is the place to go shopping for make-up. You’ll find all the beauty brands you could think of, such as Target, Macy’s, Sephora and Ulta Beauty. If you’re with someone who doesn’t love shopping as much as you do; send them to the nearby cinema.”

Glossier

Everyone who is on social media has probably seen a Glossier product on their feed. The brand sells skincare products as well as make-up. They are known for their lip balms and nice packaging. Going to their store is a whole experience; you can order the products you want with one of the staff and then your bag will be brought with a special machine. You can also order Glossier online.

Drugstores

American drugstores are similar to chemists like Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall in Canada. The biggest difference is that they also sell children’s toys and food. Drugstores offer a huge assortment and everything is dirt cheap compared to Canadian chemists. Well-known drugstores are CVS, Duane Reade and Walgreens. Some branches are open 24 hours a day. Most drugstores offer you a loyalty card that offers many benefits when you’re regularly purchasing products in New York.

These drugstores sell items from brands hard to get in Canada, such as Covergirl, Milani, Neutrogena en Wet ‘n’ Wild. You also find the well-known brands L’Oréal, Revlon, Rimmel and Maybelline here. St. Ives beauty products (try the ‘apricot scrub’!) and Aveeno are very popular.

Make up in New York CVS Make-up in New York - Duane Reade

Smaller Cosmetics Shops and Perfumeries

In addition to the bustling, large drugstores and department stores, it’s definitely worth taking a look at smaller and specialised boutiques. In SoHo, you can find the first NARS store in the world for instance. This famous brand’s flagship store is nice, small and quiet. They sell all of their own products. A few blocks away, you’ll find Bond No. 9, selling gorgeous perfumes. These perfumes are quite expensive, but just nosing about (with your eyes and nose) is a pleasure in itself.

Another beautiful perfumery is Le Labo in Nolita (North of Little Italy). Here you can find ‘soulful fragrances’, high-quality perfumes. There are some classics like ROSE 31, SANTAL 33 and LYS 41. It’s even possible to design your own label. A perfect store to find your gift!

Bath & Body Works

Bath & Body Works is always busy and not without reason: the store sells fun and affordable products and regularly offers good deals. But beware, can you resist deals like ‘Buy 3 Get 2 FREE’ or ‘4 for $ 20’? You’ll find everything in the field of body care, but home items such as scented candles too.

Make up in New York - Bath and Body WorksMake-up in New York - Bath and Body Works interior

Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s

At the luxury department store Macy’s, you’ll find items from brands like Chanel and Dior. Tip: download my Eric’s New York app and receive a 10% discount!

Bloomingdale’s is similar to Macy’s: you can find the famous, luxury brands here as well. Bloomingdale’s, however, is a bit more spacious what makes for some pleasantly shopping.

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