My Favorite Beauty Retailers

Any beauty junkie understands the relationship one has with their products starts from the very beginning. Thus the search for those retailers with a well curated eye for sharing the most special, luxurious products is of the greatest importance to me. I’ve compiled a list of the 3 retailers that I rely on to get essentially my entire beauty collection.

1. Barney’s

This is the perennial favorite for luxurious finds and the fact that their New York store is the flagship means it has the best selection available. Skincare ranges include Tatcha, Sunday Riley, Chantecaille, Aesop, Sjal and Koh Gen Do that have near exclusivity with this retailer. The standouts are the fragrance ranges which range from exclusives with Byredo to Serge Lutens and Nasomatto. What Barney’s does that no other retailer does is provide an apothecary experience in a luxury department setting as their buyers have a keen eye for luxury products with cult appeal unlike some others which feel rather soulless by comparison.

Barney’s in-store experience is way better than the online experience. Each location I’ve been to, New York, Las Vegas, LA has been different yet connected by that feeling you’re going to stumble onto something cool. When I go for mainstream luxury products that maintain a niche feel, this is where I go.

Coveted lines to check out: Aesop, Byredo – both established cult faves at this point
Lines launched stateside: Aesop, Byredo, Malin + Goetz, Sunday Riley, Tatcha

2. Beautyhabit

Beautyhabit is an online mecca for beauty with perhaps the most comprehensive range if beauty finds I have ever seen in one place. You have the classic luxury lines from Cire Trudon and Diptyque to niche green beauty finds like Hope Gillerman and In Fiore then there are the modern lines like Circ Cell. There really is something for anyone.

Beautyhabit is based in LA and has a shop-able warehouse but it’s mainly online. What’s so special about Beautyhabit is perhaps the breadth of products that range from niche, established to completely undiscovered. Beautyhabit calls itself a “modern luxe apothecary” and one gets that very feeling that each product is never stale and always has a charming character to it. Just this past month I’ve received e-mail blasts on new launches from de Mamiel and Organic Pharmacy which demonstrates the sheer size yet brilliant selections at Beautyhabit. For hard to find products this is a wonderful source that will have you perusing the options for hours on end!

Coveted Lines to check out: Cire Trudon (insanely high quality candles), Diptyque (obsessed with their floral fragrances), James Read (niche tan line)
Lines launched stateside: The Organic Pharmacy, Milk

3. Spirit Beauty Lounge
When it comes to green beauty, Spirit Beauty Lounge is not only queen of the pack, she leads the field. Let’s face it, in a field that is becoming ever-crowded it’s the voice and hand of Spirit Demerson that gives credence to emerging brands and adds life to established brands. Spirit Beauty Lounge has launched many lines before they were picked up by mainstream retailers including Tata Harper and May Lindstrom, demonstrating the keen sense of vision and impeccable taste of the founder, Spirit Demerson. Many customers will agree that green beauty retailers tend to have the same message, carry the same lines, etc but not Spirit. An Instagram from her can dictate a trend, and what’s more Spirit Beauty Lounge is currently one of the only retailers who has landed cult fave YULI.

More than anything, what I love about Spirit Beauty Lounge is her absolute focus on genuine luxury within a strict devotion to green beauty guidelines. Many green beauty brands and retailers will constantly throw around the word luxury without any indication of brand awareness. Not the case with Spirit, just follow her personal/work Instagram and one gets the sense that they’re following a true taste maker whose insights often herald in the latest, greatest luxury finds.

Coveted Lines to check out: Kjaer Weis (eco-luxe makeup in seriously chic packaging), Strange Invisible Perfumes (ultra luxury fragrances straight from LA), YULI Skincare (definition of cult brand & always sold out)
Lines launched stateside: Tata Harper, May Lindstrom, Mun