Make-up in New York

You can find the largest selection of cosmetics, personal care products and make-up in New York. You can also buy items from brands not available in England (anymore). Drugstores, chic boutiques or department stores are the places to go to for makeup and personal care products in New York. 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 much cheaper than in the UK!

Eric's Index

1 Best Cosmetic Stores in New York
2 Cheaper Make Up in New York at Woodbury Common Outlets
3 Drugstores in NY for the Best Makeup Deals
- 3.1 Smaller Cosmetics Shops and Perfumeries
- 3.2 Bath & Body Works
4 Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s
5 FAQ

Best Cosmetic Stores in New York

I asked my wife which New York stores sell the best beauty and skincare products. Stores like Victoria’s Secret have beautiful beauty products, but of course there are many more places to go. Below you can find a collection of the best tips for makeup shops in New York!

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.

💄 Go here for: Personalised service, well-known make-up brands
📍 Location: Several locations in Manhattan

Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty is a large beauty retailer where you can find all kinds of products. They sell cosmetics, fragrances, body, skin and hair care from around 500 different brands. You can find products 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!

💄 Go here for: Hair products, in-store salon services
📍 Location: 51 West 34th Street, 188 East 86th Street

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 makeup. 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.

💄 Go here for: Dewy skin products, aesthetic shopping
📍 Location: 72 Spring Street (SoHo), 77 North 6th Street (Brooklyn)

Cheaper Make Up in New York at 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)

Drugstores in NY for the Best Makeup Deals

American drugstores are similar to chemists like Boots and Superdrug in the U.K. 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 English chemists.

Well-known drugstores are CVS, Duane Reade and Walgreens. Some branches are open 24 hours a day. Most drugstores offer a loyalty card that offers many benefits when you regularly purchase products in New York.

These drugstores sell items from brands that are hard to get in the UK, such as CoverGirl, Milani, Neutrogena and 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.

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. For example, you’ll find Bond No. 9, at several locations in New York, 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.

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, which makes for some pleasant shopping.

FAQ

It depends on what exactly you are planning to buy, but in general, you can say that make-up is indeed cheaper in New York than in the UK.

Yes, there are several Sephora stores all over Manhattan and the other New York boroughs.

Generally, no. Makeup and cosmetics are subject to sales tax in New York. But if you’re looking for ways to buy cheap(er) make-up, there are other options. Like shopping for make-up at Woodbury Common Outlets.