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Sold-out beauty products are a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you can't have 'em instantly, so you're forced to join a waiting list, nag the store with questions about shipping schedules, and remind yourself that patience is a virtue. On the other, you can confidently assume that the serum, sunscreen, or shadow that's perpetually "currently out of stock" is damn good.
Chances are, you're already well acquainted with the cult classics that sell out season after season — but that's just the tip of the iceberg. For more, we asked five of our favorite NYC beauty destinations for the newest, coolest, and most under-the-radar discoveries that fly off their shelves and customers stockpile. A word of advice: When you find one of these, don't think — just buy.
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Credo Beauty
If you're just getting into the natural-beauty scene, deciding which products to buy from lines you've never heard of before, many of which are only sold online, can be overwhelming. But the recent NYC opening of Credo (there's a San Francisco location, too) is making things easier.
Credo is set up like a department store's cosmetics floor: The samples are flowing, and if you bring in your makeup bag the staff will help you swap out everything for "clean" options. Ahead, Annie Jackson, vice president of merchandising and planning, walks us through the store's big winners.
Credo Beauty, 9 Prince Street; 917-675-6041.
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"Kjaer Weis is beautifully packaged, but also incredibly resourceful, given that everything in the line is refillable," Jackson tells us. "This organic mascara is a rich jet-black that glides on your lashes, lengthens, and doesn’t flake."
Kjaer Weis Mascara, $38, available at Credo Beauty.
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"This palette has been a runaway success since we launched Credo — beautiful, wearable shades for anyone that don't crease," Jackson says. "It works for daytime or can be used to create a more dramatic look for an evening out."
Lily Lolo Laid Bare Eye Palette, $34, available at Credo Beauty.
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"Facial oils continue to be very strong, and this one is particularly exquisite," Jackson says. "It has a light texture that sinks into your skin. Marula oil contains four times as much vitamin C as an orange, and is incredibly healing."
African Botanics Pure Marula Oil, $120, available at Credo Beauty.
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"Not only is [this primer's] texture rich, it’s somehow not greasy — and has broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection. Loaded with nutrients like sweet-iris stem cells, which help plump, and algae, which is deeply hydrating, it really gives your skin a healthy finish and is the perfect primer. Women often intentionally don’t wear sunscreen under their makeup because it’s heavy and generally leaves a very greasy finish on skin, but it’s truly the very best anti-aging ingredient, so this one fills two very big needs."
Kypris Pot of Shade Heliotropic SPF 30 Treatment Primer, $68, available at Credo Beauty.
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CAP Beauty
This shop and spa in the West Village is a beauty haven for girly-girls. (Look no further than the baby-pink walls.) Go for the transformative, Japanese-inspired alchemic facial, then stock up on aromatherapy sprays, superfood powders, or one of the four products ahead that cofounders Cindy DiPrima and Kerrilynn Pamer tell us their customers can't get enough of.
Cap Beauty, 238 West 10th Street; 212-227-1088.
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"This is perhaps one of the most remarkable products we carry," says DiPrima. "It looks and smells like a smooth and savory chocolate pudding, and can be used as a face mask or decadent cleanser. Purifying, calming, and nourishing, it detoxifies and hydrates simultaneously."
May Lindstrom Skin The Honey Mud, $80, available at CAP Beauty.
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"The CAPtivator is based in the tradition of Bach flower essences and works on an energetic level to promote magnetism, love, and libido," DiPrima says. "The scent is intoxicating with notes of rose, sandalwood, black pepper, and neroli. Mist it on and feel the love."
CAP Beauty The CAPtivator, $46, available at CAP Beauty.
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"[This is] an extremely replenishing facial toner that works any time of the day," says Pamer. "We love this around the office to boost and hydrate the face whenever we’re feeling our skin is in need of a pick-me-up."
Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence, $89, available at CAP Beauty.
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"A superpower mask that combines some of nature’s best [ingredients], like Pupukea honey, royal jelly, and French green clay, for stimulated and reinvigorated skin. With its anti-aging, softening, and hydrating properties, this mask is a go-to favorite for customers whose skin needs a refresh," says Pamer.
Honey Girl Facial Scrub, $27, available at CAP Beauty.
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Cos Bar
Despite the fact that the first Cos Bar outpost opened in Aspen 40 years ago, it now has 14 locations (including one in downtown Manhattan), and it did a collaboration with Target years ago, the ultra-cool beauty retailer still feels under-the-radar. It's our go-to when we want an edited-down selection from department-store brands, gorgeous candles, and hard-to-find fragrances. Ahead, Maria Campitiello, store manager at Cos Bar Brookfield Place, shares the location's top four sell-out beauty buys.
Cos Bar, Brookfield Place, 250 Vesey Street; 212-233-6249.
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"Our customers can't get enough of the Tom Ford Illuminating Primer," Campitiello says. "It imparts a luminous, hydrated look to any foundation when used first."
Tom Ford Illuminating Primer, $74, available at Cos Bar.
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According to Campitiello, this lightweight foundation is a hit with the downtown crowd, specifically those with strollers: "[They're] diaper bag-friendly, and a few quick pats of the cushy applicator results in soft, dewy coverage and strong sun protection for busy moms on the go."
Amorepacific Color Control Cushion Compact, $60, available at Cos Bar.
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"The Artis Oval 7 brush flies off the shelf," Campitiello says. "It's the perfect face brush to apply foundation, blush, bronzer, you name it, with."
Artis Oval 7 Brush, $65, available at Cos Bar.
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"We can't keep the Goop Discovery kit in stock!" Campitiello says. "A collaboration between Gwyneth Paltrow and Juice Beauty, this skin care is organic, and gluten- and GMO-free."
Goop Discovery Set, $125, available at Cos Bar.
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Shen Beauty
Shen Beauty came to life in 2010, after owner and founder Jessica Richards went out in search of a face cream and realized there were no great beauty shops in her Brooklyn neighborhood. The Carroll Gardens store stocks organic and British brands you won't find anywhere else in the city, and keeps brow specialists, makeup artists, and an Ayurvedic facial masseuse on hand. Click through for the must-have products to try first.
Shen Beauty, 315 Court Street, Brooklyn; 718-576-2679.
Design by Tristan Offit.Clik here to view.
Richards calls this salicylic acid-packed potion "the best zit zapper in Shen," and claims it gets rid of spots overnight.
Amanda Lacey Miracle Tonic, $88, available at Shen Beauty.
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"This 20-day treatment seriously brightens the skin and is incredibly potent," says Richards. "Simply put, it's the best."
Nuori Supreme-C Treatment, available at Shen Beauty (currently out of stock).
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This soothing, blue tansy-based balm is "like Xanax" for angry, red, irritated skin, says Richards. Post-sunburn, you'll wish you had this in your cabinet.
May Lindstrom Skin The Blue Cocoon, $160, available at Shen Beauty.
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"We literally can’t keep this in stock. It's the best bug spray ever — it smells great, leaves no weird residue, and is super-chic in a large glass bottle," says Richards.
Mrs. White's Unstung Hero Natural Spray Anti-Mosquito Eau de Cologne, available at Shen Beauty (currently out of stock).
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Smith & Brit
"Walking into this store was like walking into an IRL Refinery29 slideshow. The whole place seemed like it was curated by one of our editors," says beauty director Cat Quinn of this Chelsea boutique and spa, which was founded by Claire Beevers, Kristyn Smith, and Ali Hynes — a makeup artist, an aesthetician, and a holistic therapist, respectively. With its dark wood and leather couches, the space is a far cry from your typical beauty boutique — it feels like somewhere you'd want to post up with a whiskey cocktail. Ahead, Beevers and Smith share four VIPs (very important products).
Note: Smith & Brit will offer online shopping in September; in the meantime, the store accepts phone orders.
Smith & Brit, 233 West 19th Street; 917-675-6651.
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"While we love all the [Lake & Skye] products, our customers can’t seem to get enough of the 11:11 fragrance," says Smith. "With its sheer, clean, uplifting scent, it works well on both men and women."
Lake & Skye Fragrance Oil 11:11, $48, available at Lake & Skye.
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"This luminous bronzing liquid is perfect for every season — it adds a delicate warmth to winter skin and a soft, youthful glow to tanned skin in the summer," says Beevers. "Our clients love to add it to tinted moisturizer for a warm daytime look, highlight with it over foundation for a more dramatic look, or add a few pumps to their favorite body moisturizer to give the body a beautiful glow. One of our loyal clients calls this product 'magic in a bottle.'"
Rouge Bunny Rouge Bronze Glow Liquid in As If It Were Summer Still, $49.58, available at Rouge Bunny Rouge.
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"We discovered this brand in California and were excited to be the first to stock it in New York City," Beevers tells us. "It has a lightweight, silky texture that absorbs quickly to deeply nourish and tone skin. It also helps prevent the appearance of stretch marks and improves elasticity to maintain skin firmness. On top of all that, the aromatherapy-based scent and texture have captivated our clients to the point that the benefits are just a bonus to how it feels and smells."
Native Atlas Sativa Luxurious Body Oil, $79, available at Native Atlas.
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"Lip Mask 2.0 is one of our favorite products from the acclaimed Beverly Hills dermatologist," says Smith. "It utilizes several medical-grade, organic ingredients to thoroughly remove flaky skin cells from the lip area and has the remarkable ability to noticeably plump the lips [temporarily] due to the hyaluronic acid it contains. [It has an] almost cult following."
Kaplan MD Lip Mask 2.0, $48, available at Kaplan MD.
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