Recommendations

Forget traveling to Europe for your favorite skincare brands - the beauty experts at New London offer advice, along with hard-to-find products from across the globe.

Strengths

• Personal attention is New London's biggest strength. Whether your baby has diaper rash, or your crow's feet are becoming more visible by the moment, the staff will consult with you and show you exactly which products to use and how to use them.
• Elusive beauty brands you won't find anywhere else in the city, from Indonesian, homeopathic, stomach remedies; to French fragrances from Miller et Bertaux.
• An extensive website that allows you to search for any product and research it, before purchasing.
• An old-world apothecary vibe that makes Chelsea feel like small-town America.

Shortcomings

• The selection is so large and many of the labels so foreign, the store can be overwhelming. Chances are, you'll need a salesperson to help you navigate the well-stocked aisles.

Insider tips

• New London will order special-order products - all you have to do is ask. If they carry a line you love but not a particular product from it, they're happy to get it in for you.
• Their house-brand, Savon Orange Verte Soap, in an affordable luxury at $12, and was created especially for New London by one of Provence's oldest soap makers.
• Make friends with the New Long staff for inside info. and advice about what products are just a magazine article article away from being the next biggest thing.

Anecdotes

• I can't find another place in the city that offers the selections and variety of New London, I've been recommending it to friends for years and no complaints yet!

Perfect for

• Beauty junkies who don't want to wait for new products to appear in the pages of a magazine.

Credentials

• Co-owner, Abby Fazio, has given remedies to plenty of boldface names: when Chelsea resident Ethan Hawke made his return to the New York stage, Fazio helped soothe his ailing chords with Vocalzone throat pastilles.