Arista

I will be in London soon and was wondering -- what are the good beauty products available there that you can't get in the U.S.? Makeup, skincare, etc. I've heard that Boots's own brand is good and that its Well Being Centre in Kensington High St. is worth checking out. Any other recommendations?

m_kingdom2

The point is that most beauty products are available world over, as are virtually all fragrances. Boots is bog-standard stuff, nothing exciting.

Harrods have the best beauty products available - the white room. Try Prada cosmetics or all the other top of the range ones available. Boots isn't exciting.

halfpint

Boots may not be as exciting as Harrods, however it will no doubt be more AFFORDABLE. Halpint.

m_kingdom2

Boots have nothing that you won't be able to get back home, it's for everyday shopping, not unique and specialised products.

I'm fed up with people saying "Harrods is expensive" they charge RRPs for everything they sell, and are in a few cases marginally cheaper. They sell luxury items and as a result the price is higher than their high street counterparts. Saying a store is "expensive" implies overcharging which most certainly isn't the case. A good example is comparing Harrods pharmacy to Boots', they sell similar products, and Harrods I find are often far cheaper.

halfpint

I am truly sorry you are FED UP. Halfpint

kswl

As much as it pains me to agree with certain people, I find I must do so. If you pay recommended retail, why not do it in a nicer place. But for me, the real reason to shop upscale is for the sales. You can get something REALLY nice on sale for the same price as a run-of-the-mill item elsewhere.

victoria_sw3

I don't use hairspray but Elnet (spelling??) by Loreal is supposed to be the best. It's in a gold bottle. Apparently, American stylists always stock up when they're in Europe. It's available at Boots. I always take some back to the state for my mom and a few friends. They rave about it.

elaine

I haven't tried them, but many people are quite taken with Lush products.

m_kingdom2

Loreal isn't available in American? I'm staggered.

However, as hairsprays go, smaller brands only available in British salons I find to be far superior. Loreal works well for very fixed styles, not really consistent with modern ones which encourage movement or even more upward hold. Hairsprays incorporating wax are particularly useful for wet/humid conditions.

ThinGorjus

There is a Farmacia Santa Maria Novella on Walton Street, not too far from Harrods and Sloane Street.

m_kingdom2

It would help if you were more specific than makeup and skincare - that covers everything. Rather like saying you want to buy clothes. Please me more specific for more useful responses.

tondalaya

When in London, I stock up on Moulton Brown and Creed. Lush, I find common and see so many touching those unwrapped soaps.

victoria_sw3

mk,

loreal mis, of course, available in america. however, that particular product is not. like i said, i don't use it, but i've heard it's fantastic.

elaine

for those interested, Moulton Brown has been available in a very few stores here in New York, but they are now opening their own boutiques in the US
I don't know if they will ship within the US, but most places do these days

Kayb95

I know MK will find this utterly amazing, but not everything is readily available all over the world. My favorite Boots product is the Milk, Almond & Pistachio Medeterranian Body Butter. I also like the No. 7 eyeshadows.

Yes, L'Oreal is available in the US, but as someone who prides themselves on knowing everything about the retail industry, surely you know that company's produce different products for different countries.

m_kingdom2

Creed do excellent fragrances, but you can buy them anywhere in the world now you have internet, and many American boutiques stock their products.

Molton Brown are good, but I never find their products to be of the finest quality. They're not quite there in terms of exclusivity.

A word of caution with travelling with hairspray. Many hotel shampoos are not strong enough to remove it fully. To counteract this, take a strong conditioner with you - this "softens" the hair with the spray on and allows the shampoo to remove it fully.

Kayb95

FYI... good news for Boots fans... Certain Boots products are now available at a few Target and CVS stores in Colorado, Minnesota and Connecticut. After a successful market test in Colorado, Target is planning on rolling out the Boots products in more of it's stores throughout the US.

I picked up a tub of my Medeterranean body butter at one of the Colorado stores and it's almost identical to what I bought in the UK (the cream made for the US market has a little bit different consistency.)

See <b>www.boots.com</b>

m_kingdom2

Boots is just so ordinary, every dull high street in the UK has one, it's a chemist - even if it is selling sex toys for women now - which I just can't get excited over.

If you'd like a more upmarket, but still high street alternative for beauty products, try Sephora - they're french and offer a large range of designer and own brand beauty products as well as fragrances. Unlike Boots, they're not a chemist so are more specialised.

swalter518

I've used Elnet, it is very good and you are correct, it's not available in the U.S. It's very common for companies to have products that are not available in all areas.

m_kingdom2

Elnet is that stuff in gold cans? It's so old fashioned, I envisage ladies with blue rinses and perms using it.