The Style and Beauty Doctor
Beauty & Health

International Beauty Product OVERLOAD at New London Pharmacy: A Beauty Addict Must-See

Just like any native New Yorker, I’ve never been to the Statue of Liberty, and until yesterday I had never been to New London Pharmacy. Sure I’d heard of it—shoot, my sis even shops there from time to time, but all this time I’ve missed out on its greatness. Thankfully one of the owners of this family-run business Abby tweeted me about a French retinol product (Twitter is a powerful vehicle, folks) and like lighting, I was there. Or something like that.

And boy was I THERE. New London Pharmacy is located at 246 Eighth Avenue (between 22nd and 23rd). Those who live in parts of Europe are likely used to all the luxurious lotions and potions found at pharmacies, but here in the U.S.? Yeah, somehow our drugstore chains don’t quite measure up.

While I waited for Abby to finish up with a client, I nosed around in the scent section stopping first by Antica Farmacista, a luxury fragrance brand known for their decorative packaging and of course their intoxicating scents that use the world’s finest essential oils and natural ingredients. In fact the duo behind the brand were the first to bring the reed diffuser (the white birch reeds that are inserted to further diffuse the scent) concept to the U.S. almost ten years ago.


My faves (judging by the ones I could not stop picking up) are…

Fico Verde (Green Fig): begins with fresh green notes of cut grass, luscious notes of fruit and soft violet, then softly envelopes you in the sweetness of wild fig. A finishing drydown of powdery sandalwood round out this harmonious scent; reminiscent of a stroll through a sun-drenched fig grove.

17 fl oz bottle $92. Get it here.
8.5 fl oz bottle $62. Get it here.

The brand sells a 3.3 fl oz bottle for $25. Get it here.

Noble Fig: a classic winter fragrance of cut greens and fresh garland conjuring memories of a sparkling holiday season. Fragrant fresh-cut noble fir mingles beautifully with woody notes of clean Sierra Redwood and crisp white pine. A lovely sweetness of roasted chestnuts rounds out this intoxicating winter splendor.

17 fl oz bottle $92. 8.5 fl oz bottle $62. Noble Fir doesn’t seem to be currently available on the New London website. Call them at 212.243.4987 or 800.941.0490 for details or visit the Antica Pharmacita site here.

I plan on ordering an 8.5 fl oz bottle of Fico Verde and a 3.3 fl oz bottle of Noble Fir. There’s no way my nose cannot be married to these scents in my apartment. No. way.

Then Abby and I sat and chatted in the store’s adjacent and beautifully decorated home store. If it’s one thing this beauty enthusiast (me) loves is to have a conversation about all the indulgent products beauty has to offer with a seasoned beauty enthusiast like Abby. I soaked in everything she had to say about her travels and how she chooses products that are sold at New London Pharmacy. One thing I immediately noticed was how smooth and radiant Abby’s skin is–which is extremely refreshing because ever go to buy skincare products and the “expert” has texture issues. Not so comforting.

What was really comforting is how much thought and passion goes into the products you see at New London. While of course many are based on what’s popular such as products lauded by great influencers like Dr. Oz, nothing gets passed Abby without it being personally tested and researched.

After our chat, Abby showed me around the store. And seriously, I wanted to put my hands inside EVERY product she showed me…lol. I mean, well you’ll see from the pics…

Alvarez Gómez Madrid

Aromatherapy Associates

Côté Bastide

Officina Profumo-farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella also call 212.243.4987 or 800.941.0490 as some products aren’t all available on the website.

Kama Ayurveda

Odile Lecoin

Julisis

Amazon Beauty Rahua

Ligne St. Barth

The Organic Pharmacy

Yu-be

Hope you put on a bib. I’m drooling all over again looking at these pics. If there’s one thing that makes a beauty junkie go crazy, it’s products she’s never even heard of. Aside from Yu-be, I’ve never heard of any of these brands and am excited to try the ones that caught my eye: Yu-be Moisturizing Skin Cream (Abby says even the roughest, toughest man who works with his hands all day will have seriously smooth skin after about two weeks of using this—I need these for my heels), The Organic Pharmacy Virgin Cold Pressed Rose Hip Oil (this is actually on its way to me from the brand–but what piqued my interest is that Abby says even the most hardcore stubborn scars will be noticeably less apparent after continued usage), Ligne St. Barth Sunscreen Oil (Abby says this is what the French use on the skin after they tan—it gives a gorgeous luminous glow), Kama Ayurveda Miraculous Beauty Fluid (from India and is prescribed in ayurveda to illuminate complexion and even skin tone), and Kama Ayurveda Revitalizing Soap (contains skin-friendly coconut oil and castor oil to keep the skin moisturized).

Abby sent me home with Sanofi Aventis Avibon, a retinol cream from France—which if you remember from The Skinny on Skincare, retinols are vitamin A derivatives that fight acne, diminish fine lines and wrinkles, prevent the signs of aging, and help to reduce the appearance of brown spots (from sun damage and/or hyperpigmentation). Like most women of color, just about every time I get a pimple, I’m left with the pesky dark spot that takes weeks and even months of treatment to go away. I can’t wait to see my results with Avibon—stay tuned!

Expect plenty of updates in the future with my thoughts on how the products worked out for me. Have any products caught your eye? Do you love international beauty products as much as I do? Tell me all about in the comments :)

New London Pharmacy
246 Eighth Avenue – NYC
212.243.4987 · 800.941.0490

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42 Comments

  6. Temi
    March 8, 2012 / 11:47 am

    I hear that Yube cream is amazing for the lips so Im definitely gonna look into that. Really interested in that Avibon. will be awaiting your review!

    Reply
    • Danielle
      Author
      March 8, 2012 / 12:05 pm

      Good to know about the lips aspect of Yu-be. I’ll definitely keep you posted on Avibon ;)

      Reply
  13. LOLBeauty
    March 8, 2012 / 11:57 am

    I love New London Pharmacy! I would go there to get BECCA products before BECCA was available at more locations in the city.

    Reply
    • Danielle
      Author
      March 8, 2012 / 12:05 pm

      YES! I was telling people way back to go there to get BECCA…lol. Isn’t New London awesome? :)

      Reply
  26. Dobe
    March 10, 2012 / 4:58 pm

    Thanks for the info! I will def be paying them a visit. Looking forward to your reviews!

    Reply
    • Danielle
      Author
      March 12, 2012 / 11:17 pm

      you’re welcome!

      Reply
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