The Best Beauty Shops Around the Country
When you’re on a trip, the only upside to forgetting to pack mascara is getting to browse your destination’s local beauty and drugstores to replace it. Whether you’re road-tripping across the country to San Francisco or flying around the world to Seoul, we found the best places to shop for beauty products.
By Lexi Novak
NEW YORK CITY
Aedes de Venustas
9 Christopher St.
“Everyone in the store knows about fragrance, making shopping feel like a discovery of hidden gems,” says Allureeditor in chief Linda Wells. And “they use fresh flowers in their gift wrapping, which makes everything look like a double present.”
Bluemercury
1311 Third Ave.
This store, which has multiple other locations around the city (and the country), is always clean, bright, and filled with an impeccable selection of skin-care products.
Lafco New York
285 Lafayette St.
“I go a little nuts here because everything is so beautiful,” says Wells. Look for the line’s long-lasting candles, Claus Porto soaps, and “Eau d'Italie fragrances from the wonderful Le Sireneuse hotel in Positano,” she says.
>> See more New York City shops here.
MIAMI
Gee Beauty
Bal Harbour Shops
9700 Collins Ave.
Bal HarbourThis bright, all-white store carries just about every gorgeous product in the beauty alphabet (David Mallett hair sprays, Marvis toothpastes, Sunday Riley face oils). It recently launched a same- or next-day delivery service, and if that weren’t enough reason to stop in, they also offer killer brow shaping.
Cream
5731 SW 73rd St.
South MiamiIt feels like a little girl’s dream bedroom, with tons of mirrors on the walls and chandeliers on the ceiling. Cream sells makeup, bags, and home fragrances, but the highlight is its selection of indulgent body products (think Kiehl’s, Bliss, Whish, and St. Tropez).
Related: The Prettiest Date-Night Makeup Looks
CHICAGO
Madison Hall
71 E. Madison St.
Madison Hall, a nearly 1,800-square-foot, two-storefront space, is the latest beauty news blowing through the Windy City. It opens July 1 and will feature lines with a classic (and very gift-able) apothecary feel, such as Santa Maria Novella and Aesop. And while you’re shopping for a last-minute gift, you can also pick up some Thierry Lasry shades for yourself.
Blowtique
1 E. Huron St.
This Chicago blow-dry bar is cute, convenient, and the perfect place to load up on our favorite Kérastase and Oribe products (like the pro-favorite Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray).
AUSTIN
Adore Makeup Boutique and Salon
1709 W. Koening Ln.
This cozy studio is known around town for bridal makeup, but you don’t have to walk down the aisle to peruse its shelves full of natural-beauty products. One of the salon’s coolest brands is Milk & Co., an Australian line founded by Olympic gold-medal swimmer Michael Klim.
W3ll People
215 S. Lamar Blvd.
The space has a crisp, industrial vibe with slate-colored floors and exposed ceiling pipes. The natural makeup has tons of good-for-you ingredients and beautiful shades. The Universalist Multi-Use Colorstick and Expressionist Bio Extreme Mascara could go head-to-head with any department or drugstore brand.
>> See more Austin shops here.
SAN FRANCISCO
Ayla
1825 Bush St.
After establishing itself as an online hot spot for skin care, Ayla opened a sleek brick-and-mortar store where its products are as carefully selected and displayed as an art collection. Expect to find lines like Kahina, The Organic Pharmacy, 37 Extreme Actives, and MD Solar Sciences.
Veer & Wander
6 Brady St.
The bell jars and exposed light bulbs give this salon a rustic vibe. And although you can definitely stop in for all the Oribe and Kevin Murphy hair products you want, the real finds are Blood Concept perfumes and Ellis Faas makeup.
>> See more San Francisco shops here.
LOS ANGELES
Violet Grey
8452 Melrose Pl.
Violet Grey is designed to feel like an exclusive peek inside a makeup artist’s kit. What it actually looks like is a tiny West Hollywood living room decorated by an interior designer and filled with expensive furniture and high-end cosmetics.
The Detox Market
8380 Beverly Blvd.
If Martha Stewart had a giant pantry filled with gorgeous natural- and organic-beauty products (and we wouldn’t be surprised if she did), this is what it would look like. Odacité, Tammy Fender, Indie Lee, One Love Organics—we could go on, and on, and…
>> Click here to discover more top beauty shops in LA and around the world.
(Photos: Courtesy of stores)
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