I love the fact that everything in New York is endless – and when the options are related to beauty, is even better. Those who follow me here on the blog know that I love discovering new brands and new cosmetics stores. If these stores offer some special advantage, then I get more excited. A few days ago, a reader told me about a Duty-Free in New York. And I was like what? I started to research more about it, I talked to the store staff on Instagram, and last week I was checking everything up close. Yes, it’s real: there’s a Duty-Free in Manhattan, Diplomatic Duty-Free Shops.
Located in Midtown, in the same building as the consulates of Portugal and Saudi Arabia, it’s a hidden shop – it’s not that kind of place you find just passing by, you know? In fact, when you get there, you feel like you are in those airport shops. Space is huge and smells so good. The highlight here is the selection of cosmetics and perfumes, all of the famous brands. There are fragrances from Dior, Burberry, Carolina Herrera, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Thierry Mugler, Hermès and Givenchy (men’s and women’s ). The selection of makeup and skincare includes names like Clinique, Lancôme, Estée Lauder, Shiseido, Clarins, Dior, L’occitane, and Kiehl’s. You can try all the fragrances and also the makeup and skincare.
If you are not a beauty addict, no problem. The Diplomatic Duty-Free Shops also offers handbags from brands such as Longchamp and Salvatore Ferragamo, sunglasses from brands like Hugo Boss, Prada, Dior, Rayban, Celine, and Michael Kors, as well as chocolates, watches and other accessories.
Okay, you must be thinking, “This is all very cool, but why should I go to this store instead of doing my shopping at Sephora or Bloomingdale’s, if this kind of product has a fixed price?” Well, here comes the advantage of this duty-free: special discounts. All prices on the labels have a discount. Cosmetics, for example, are 20% off. That’s right: 20% off. Longchamp bags have a 10% discount, Salvatore Ferragamo’s 20%. Sunglasses have a 15% discount – and the day I was there, I saw some styles with a 30% discount. “Oh, Laura, but you don’t help, where are the prices of the products?” As we talked about before, these products have fixed prices – you can consider the prices from the official brand’s websites and calculate the discount. For example, assuming you are interested in some Clinique creams – you can check the values on the brand website or Sephora and calculate 20% off. While I was there, I compared the prices of the labels with those of other places and they are the same. One important information: Although the name is Duty-Free, the products are not tax-free, okay? So, remember that at the time of paying there is also an increase of 8.875%. Still, there’s still a good deal, right?
When you go there, you will see that every product has a number code and you will see the number code and the price on the shelves. Also, it’s worth to follow the Instagram profile – @shopddf – because they have special deals from time to time. Some days ago, Shiseido products, for example, had an extra 5% off, with a total 25% discount.
Address: 866 2nd Ave – 2nd floor. Open from Monday to Friday from 9h30 am to 5h45 pm.
Enter the building and head straight to the elevators. Leaving the elevator, on the second floor, you’re going to see the shop. It is not necessary to present a passport for purchases.
Content creator and journalist in New York City. Here, I share lifestyle, beauty, NYC tips, thoughts, and the struggles about living in the most amazing city in the world! I’m not gonna pretend to be another person: I’m a Brazilian immigrant and I think this is my soul, it is part of who I am. I hope you enjoy my content! Follow me on Instagram!
No Comments