Best Places To Splurge on Beauty Products in NYC

With over 20 stores in the NYC area, Ricky’s NYC is this city's infamous versatile one-stop-super-shop for everything beauty. From funky accessories to makeup, hair, and nail products Ricky’s NYC has been the go-to place for glam since 1989 and is always up to date the latest trends.  Check their website for the nearest location; we're partial to the SoHo store because tucked in the back you'll also find the Pattie Yankee Mani Bar.

New Yorkers have been loving this apothecary for nearly two centuries! C.O. Bigelow is a true local landmark that offers everything from basics like shampoos and beauty products, to difficult-to-find imported perfumes, Japanese skin care remedies, and natural makeup lines including Jane Iredale. Savvy shoppers also rely on the store's offerings during holiday season, when everything from home accents, candles, and quirky gifts overflow from tables around the aisles.

This 100% vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand will definitely give you something to obsess about. Originally a professional makeup line for on-screen artistry, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics has everything from beautifully pigmented lipsticks--called Lip Tar, to pencils, eyeshadows, nail polishes and more. While locals can stop into the Ludlow flagship location anytime, others can just pop in online and get their OCC faves delivered pronto. 

Americans are beginning to realize that Korean beauty products are akin to makeup superstars--they offer excellent quality at affordable prices! Korean skincare has become so mainstream that by now, every beauty bloggers across the bloggosphere has raved about the popular SOO AE facial masks. But we want more! JKNLEE, a tiny jewelbox on East Broadway in Chinatown, is where you'll find Korean undereye hydrogels, collagen masks, skin brightening serums, Peripera lip stains, and so much more! The shop's carefully edited selection means that you can walk in, locate your favorite products or ask the knowledgeable sales clerk for recommendations, and be on your way to dim sum in a matter of minutes.

Owners of the K-town pastry shop, Besfren Cafe, known for their delicious green tea roll cake, have expanded into the beauty business. Just pop in next door for a little beauty overload at the Besfren Beauty retail store. The shelves offer a wide selection of the best in Korean beauty brands, with every type of sheet mask you can imagine. It's widely known that Korean women are among the most demanding beauty consumers in the world, so expect to find everything from ginseng eye creams to collagen lip masks. Fans report that pricing and selection are exactly what the doctor ordered!

Birchbox subscribers have long depended on their monthly shipment to deliver sample sizes of the best new products in beauty and makeup, and the travel-sized bottles and tubes make packing for trips simple. Manhattan fans are even luckier; the brand's flagship retail location is smack in the middle of popular shopping mecca, SoHo. Beauty and skincare lovers just have to hop a cab down to West Broadway for access to full-sized bottles of their favorite lotions and potions. The bi-level destination offers both men's and women's products organized by type rather than by brands, so shoppers can continuously discover new labels just like they do every time they open their subscription delivery. Head to the back to the BYOB section, where you'll be able to 'build your own box' and join the Birchbox nation!