Lush

Founded by British trichologist Mark Constantine in 1995, this cruelty-free beauty brand opens its fifth NYC store (the others are in Union Square, Soho, Midtown West, and on the Upper West Side). Chalkboard walls and blond-wood cabinets filled with natural bath and body products—many of them vegan—make the small space feel like a modern kitchen. In an effort to avoid using preservatives, nearly half of the offerings are sold in solid form, including fizzing bath bombs ($4–$7), fragrant soap slabs ($6–$9) and deodorant bars ($7–$9). Liquid items, such as Fair Trade honey shampoos ($10–$30) and Dream Cream olive-oil-and-cocoa-butter body creams ($27), are packaged in 100-percent-recycled pots and bottles. Sampling is encouraged, most noticeably at the Fresh skin-care bar, where staffers provide complimentary facials using the handmade face masks ($7) that are displayed on ice. Don’t leave without testing the small assortment of cosmetics, including liquid lipsticks, cream eye shadows and translucent powder ($19 each).