New York City Shopping

  1. Aedes De Venustas

    Let your body chemistry do the talking once you get inside the plush, opulent Aedes de Venustas (Temple of Beauty). Amid the red velvet decor a staff person will help design a signature scent based on your own quirky 'skin smell.' Or, take the easy way and grab a bottle of Nirmala or Shalini, sold by the register.

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  2. Co Bigelow Chemists

    There are cheaper and more efficient drugstores all over the city, but none have the charm of Bigelow's, America's 'oldest apothecary' if you believe the managers. It's still got a working pharmacy, but it's most famous for its organic beauty products like witch-hazel salves and honey-bee balms.

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  3. Ricky's

    This is one of the few times in life when stocking up on mundane essentials like toothpaste and hair gel is actually fun - Ricky's is a drugstore that thinks it's a nightclub, so expect pounding music, hot-pink toothpaste tubes, and lots of glitter, faux-color, and outrageous hair and wardrobe selections. In the back you'll find sex toys, of course.

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