Best Independent Beauty Store, 2007

 

The perfume sprayers at department stores can intimidate, and the myriad choices at Sephora can overwhelm. If you prefer a homier place to test and buy mid-range to high-end makeup, you can’t do better than Larchmont Beauty Center. The business, family run since 1992, doesn’t stock every cosmetics line but has smartly edited choices, such as Nars eye shadows, DuWop lip glosses, and Cargo blushes. Though the Beauty Collection Apothecary in the Fairfax District comes in a close second with its eclectic selection of colorful products, Larchmont wins by a hair with its warm employees and lower prices.